July 11th – A bad day. Technical problems, IBS playing up and nothing going well, I finally made it out late in the afternoon and headed to Aldridge to get some shopping in. On the way, I spotted this superior looking fellow glaring at me from the opposite bank.
I often wonder what cats think must be going on over the water, in the place they can’t reach…
July 10 – Up near Clayhanger on the canal, I noticed a Canal and River Trust workboat, moored and laden with building materials. Wonder what that’s here for? Hopefully repairing some of the brickwork falling away for the banks… we can always hope.
July 8th – on my return, late afternoon, crossing the Black Country Route at Moxley; that enduring, wonderful view of the church, rising above the bedlam of traffic and surrounding urban life.
And yet, the trees, too. The Black Country is surprisingly green when you open your mind to it…
July 4th – Fully loaded with shopping, I pottered back, becoming slower and slower as my energy dropped. I was pleased to note, however, lots of new duckling families on the canal at Brownhills. There are mallard chicks from newly hatched to a week or so old, clearly all second clutches.
This summer seems to be favouring the wildlife, which is nice to see.
June 30th – Looking almost frosted on the warmest day of the year, this is a cowslip seed head. It’s not quite ready yet, and is ripening in the sun beneath the trees by the Pier Street Bridge at the edge of Clayhanger Common. I have my eye on it and it’s fellow plants: as soon as they’re ready, I’ll take a few seed heads and scatter the seeds elsewhere.
You can’t have too many cowslips. Spread the love, people.
June 30th – There’s a Matt Smith fan in Darlaston – what else can explain the stencils of his face as Doctor Who stencilled around about?
This is one I only discovered by chance, just on the wall by the steps to the canal from the Willenhall Road Bridge at Darlaston Green.
It’s not Banksy, but it’s well thought out and executed.
June 29th – I’m loving the orchids this year – they seem to have been becoming steadily more profuse over the past few years. I make no apology for repeatedly featuring them, for they are remarkable flowers, and this year they face a herculean struggle to avoid the rigid, inflexible Canal & River Trust mowing schedule, which has seen many fine blooms wiped out.
They’re only here for a short few weeks. Keep your eye out for that flash of vivid purple in the grass – there are several different varieties locally. This one is near Pier Street Bridge in Brownhills.
I saw this friendly chap in the garden of a cottage I was renting, he often came to sit by my wife and I as we enjoyed tea and cakes in the sun. I have no interest in bird watching and I have no idea what kind of bird he is but I will admit I did enjoy photographing him and he I’m sure enjoyed our company. He was there every day and he gave me plenty of opportunity to get the hang of the zoom on my camera. He was rewarded with plenty of cake crumbs which he seemed fond of. Taken in Betws-y-Coed, Wales, United Kingdom.
June 26th – Back near Lower Stonnal, a noxious assault of a different kind…
I was riding back down the lanes and I realised there was a strong farmyard smell, which is unusual there. I travelled some way further and discovered I had been downwind of this: it’s a crop sprinkler spraying liquid slurry on the grass to improve it (I assume the pump is elsewhere).
This is a dairy farm, and they’re using one of the cattle’s most copious products to restore the growth to the pasture.
Nicely circular, but very smelly.
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