Sept 2025 Rushall Canal

 After lots of hits and misses another post 

When walking Henry, the dog, I prefer to stay away from roads especially main roads. So the Rushall Canal is ideal for both of use. The only downside is dogs coming the other way. Henry is nervous of almost everything. However most days it is quiet with the occasional jogger and cyclist passing to disrupt the quiet. 

We walk down Park Hall Road to 5 Ways Bridge  and then turn North onto the Canal. The buzz of children in the playground often accompanies the first hundred metres or so.

 

When I say walk, I should explain about the stop start nature of our journey. Henry needs to stop and check the smell and taste of seemingly random objects lining our path. He will then, lift his leg to mark his passing before moving on. 

 

As you can see from the picture the canal and its surrounds show the green of summer with the grass in places brown from the lack of rain. This year has been hot and dry, Though now September is here, it has cooled and the clouds and some rain has returned.

We walk, north to Moat Bridge, the Mallards are just emerging from eclipse. There is a a family of swans, this year three cygnets have made it this far. As we walk past they are starting tentative flying lessons. 

Dragonflies and Damselflies abound though the latter are seen less as the summer has gone on.

Well I did need an excuse to put this picture in.as I like it

 

So we walk up to Moat Bridge and then head back home 

This is day 2 of Autumn 2025, maybe this year I will be present to see it all
 

  

 

 So PinkAl packed up and made sure he took everything he would need for the journey and while he was on the ship. He was going on a cruise.

 PinkAl saw thick parkas and warm coats

But where was he he going to?

He was off to South America, Tierra Del Fuego and Antarctica. 

So we needed something to keep use warm.

 

 

PinkAl took his fur and his best scarf just to make sure.

It was going to be a long journey

First he was going to drive to Heathrow, here he would catch the KLM flight to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. 

 

PinkAl had never been to Holland before so this was definitely an adventure.

 Hello Again

I went on holiday earlier this year, We took PinkAl with us

He had lots of adventures, some of which I can tell you about

 

 

After a long time

 After a ling time, well that is what I typed first, my typing is still as bad as it ever was and I have to go  back and correct it on  a regu;ar basis. 

So i am a lot older than before, especially given it is 2023 and the last time I put any thing in here it was when I had just been pushed out of the door by APM. This was probably a good thing though it did not feel like it at the time. Redundancy, voluntary or not is never a good process. 

I am never really sure about this and have felt I needed a purpose to write, who am I telling and what am I telling. Much of what has gone before is me trying to say what I have done on a particular event or walk and describe that. 

so I have something to talk about, I am going to South America, in particular Argentina and Urugauy. It is a cruise and won't be until next year, Jan 24. but it is booked and I have even paid for the insurance cover, I never realised that getting old cost more money. So that is done and I have started to look at just how much things will cost on the boat. 

There are only 2 of us and well what the hell.

Next is to get my stuff together, clothes to take camera and lenses, boots.

back soon

Day Two (and a bit)

So Day two and guess what it did not rain all day. to behonest after yesterday when it seemed never to stop I had sort of given up hope.

So what happened then, well I spent some time going having a look at the Job boards and trying what was new and play the game of seeing just how many times jobs I had applied for were being advertised through different agencies. I had a good conversation with a recruiter, he seemed happy and will talk to the company about me today or tomorrow. (fingers crossed) Apart from that I updated various profiles I have, Linkedin, Reed etc. My Cv will need to amended slightly based on some feedback, I need to make sure that it does show I worked for one company for nearly 9 years. That is a long time.

And then I managed to go for a walk. Just down the hill to the Rushall Canal at Five Ways Bridge  and then up towards the Lock One

This is pretty much the view from Five ways Bridge. I try and glance up every time I drive past. My eye is always drawn to Gillity Bridge, and beyond. It is always a glimpse.

Fore me it is something although familiar it always changes. The Season, the light and time of day, the weather.

So I walk up the tow path, even though it it the middle of the day it is quiet. Then as I walk slowly up the volume from my left increases dramatically. It is dinner time and the children at the school are out to play. As I walk the spike of noise disappears behind me and I can hear the birds in the trees. Various small birds including great and long tailed tits, goldfinch and sparrow flit through the trees ignoring me getting on with their lives searching for their next meal.

Today is the the first day of Winter, well if you count Sept Oct and Nov as Autumn. It is a bit blowy. but I had wrapped up.

From Gillity Bridge

Most of the trees have some leaves left though not many, any sign of green is long gone it is mainly yellow with some orange. Standing out are the few evergreens in people's gardens.


As I walked, I felt slow and not quite up to speed. It has been a while since I want for a proper walk or even got some exercise.

As time passed legs stretched out again  muscles and joints almost sliding back into some sort of rhythm.

The whole walk took much longer than I thought.

Floating By

On the water the Mallard swim around as if the owned the place. Coots and Moorhen keeping to the usually the far bank.


I saw a leaf floating by well I overtook it at my great of knots. I liked the colours, the yellows, oranges and browns contrasting with the red of the stalk.


So by the time I have finished this it is now day 3 and I have to work out what to do today.

See how it goes

Day One ?

Why day one Its Monday 30th November 2015 and so today id the first day of not working. Okay so not being paid to work. I think there is a difference. APM/PPDG as was in their infinite wisdom have let me go. So I took the package on offer I jumped just before they pushed me. Last Friday was my last official day. but I have been like the proverbial headless chicken been running around in search of a replacement, for the last couple of weeks. I have applied for lots of Software trainer type jobs and have got some interviews. One on friday one today. both made me realise that I don't really have a coherent story, as a trainer, to tell. I have to go back and look at the training I have designed and put together over the last few years. Pull it together and make sense of it. Yet what do I want?

So there is this idea of doing bits and pieces, some training and some writing and taking photos. This could make me a living, I won't be rich, but I may well be happy. It may be an illusion, but it is my illusion.

So back to day one. This is the journey and day one of that journey. I would like to spend more time getting out walking taking photos. This morning I had an interview, I waited for for them for so long. "10:00" they said. "Sorry", they said, some one "was ill", they started late. This afternoon it rained lots, and the man from the water board came to fix the water meter. Time goes by. It is the last day in November and it is dark before you know it. So tomorrow, The forecast says cloudy, but no rain.

So what will day two bring. Walks Fresh air. Pictures, Instagram and updates to website.

Good night

So it is a long time since I wrote anything on this.
I have been thinking about doing something, what I don't know. Writing and putting down what is in my head. Keeping going really. So just to touch base. A beginning of a project. The canal down the road where I walk and take pictures. The Rushall Canal.


So this is it a picture from under Guility  Bridge. this is the picture I take most often. the same picture,but it is different every time. the position is the same, time is different

This is the heron who let me get close, though not that close, he/she (sexing herons is not one of my skills) flew off to the lock 



and as I walked towards him he decided discretion was the better part and flew off behind me, but I caught him/her   as he/she took off

So that is it for this time