Castle Ring and other Walks

Did not feel much like sitting down and writing anything yesterday evening so played on the Wii and watched telly. I am slowly feeling less stiff, the children are so much more flexible and energetic. I will just have to keep practicing and hopefully stay about the same and by the time they reach my age they will have regressed to my current state. Only another thirty years to wait then.


so what to write about then? Today the weather has been overcast and cold through most of the day and it started to rain about 4:00pm. My Mum had come over for lunch so we sat around talked for much of the afternoon until I took her home around 5:00pm. since then the rain has turned to snow and it is settling maybe we will get snowed in. Tomorrow is I am still on Holiday. I don't go back until Monday 4th so by then winter will be over and there will be no chance of ringing in to say sorry I am snowed in.

So Yesterday I actually did quite a bit of walking and general wandering about. In the morning went up with the family to Castle Ring on Cannock Chase. This is another place I have been coming to off and on for years. I suppose being at home with the family for extended periods of time gets us looking for things to do "as a family" going to Castle Ring was one of the things we used to do when I was young and I can still remember the way.

One of my memories is of rolling down the embankments it. this was during the summer and the ditch was dry not full of ice and water.

Castle Ring is the highest point in staffordshire (244m ) and the view towards the east are dominated by Rugeley Power Station.

It rises out of the valley and today the mist as well.

This picture does not really do it justice but I hope you get the general idea.

The girls ran around the ring and played in the area in the centre of the ring of embankment. It was good to get out into the open air again.

We got home and had food and as the light was going and I had done the washing up so I managed to get out again. Twice in one day that's good for me.

So I went up to Sandwell Valley, I missed the light really. the lake is in a bowl, well the name does somewhat suggest this I know.

The lake was still on the whole covered in ice which caught the orange light of the sunset.



As the light disappeared I did catch a great tit bobbing around in the trees. I did use the flash but I was quite impressed with the picture

OK time to go

I will carry on soon

Chasewater memories and today

Sunday to Chasewater, well it seemed like a good idea at the time and once we got there it worked. It was the bribery and cajoling that I needed to go through to get two girls from in front of the telly and out into the wide world. so it is Christmas and it is cold outside.

Chasewater is a place I come back to regularly. I lived in Brownhills, just along the Great Wyrley and Essington Canal, until 1970. I remember riding my bike along the canal to Chasewater, I was only five six at the time and there was always that sense of pushing the boundaries. It did not take much at that age. If I think about it, the amount of time we spent playing outside along with the other kids on the road. My children in contrast are "looked after" they are with adults nearly all the time. There are so many things that have changed since my childhood in the late 60's and 70's.

During the early Seventies although we had moved away to Aldridge, I spent spent a lot of time with my Nan who lived in Brownhills and we would walk up the Canal to Chasewater. Ten years further on I got summer job at Chasewater I was the boatman. I did a lot of standing around by the pool I worked there for several summers up until I went to University.

I now take my children for walks, to play on the swings and slides and to start to regale them with tales of when I worked, for some reason they run away at this point. My wife smiles knowingly and I trail off into silence....

The lake has with the power boats at one end and the sailing centre on the far side has not really changed. The development of the small business centre and the revamping of the visitor areas has been done in the last 10 years and is ongoing. I am still to be convinced then again I seem to only turn up when there is a steady north wind blowing and it is cold. Also my rose tinted glasses obscure how rundown the place had become.

So yet again it was cold on our visit today. It has been cold over the last week or so and has in fact warmed up a bit. Not that much, my boating pond had frozen over. As the friendly local Gull was able to demonstrate for me.

There does seem to be another phase of "development" going on especially around the dam and the start of the canal and now I have done a little research I have found out why. The Lichfield council website is very useful.

Looking out on to the lake itself I saw Cormorants and Grebes and several species of Duck including Goldeneye and Tufted Duck. The water levels are coming down and the margins are full of Mallard, Canada Geese Swans and Coots, all supported by the Handouts from the visitors.

It will be interested to see the developments at Chasewater as the Dam is upgraded

That is all for now.

Boxing day just about and I am tired. My brother in law bought my children a Nintendo Wii for Christmas and they are as I am eternally grateful, but he went home yesterday and I am still here. My eldest who normally has an allergic reaction to exercise of any sort has decided that exercising in her own home in front of the the TV is something to be desired and has embraced it whole heartedly, I can just about keep up. I does make me realise just how stiff and inflexible my joints have become. Slowly I will have to get a bit fitter. "Lord Grant me patience, but hurry."

So what else is going on, yesterday was spent at home enjoying Christmas. The weather has been slowly improving. It rained last night and most of the lying snow had gone when dawn came up here in the midlands. I did manage a walk around Forge Mill lake in the Sandwell Valley this afternoon. Just to get keep me moving if anything, the rest of the family wimped out for one reason or another, on the whole preferring to take their exercise in the living room.

The lake was largely iced over, this being a fairly Representative picture. Most of the birds being concentrated in the small open areas mainly around the farm area, where people often come to feed the "ducks".

I got there about 3:00 and the light was already going by then. There was enough cloud to hide the sun for large parts of my walk which was a pain. But I did need to get out and stretch my legs after what seemed like days of indulgence.

Coming past the large RSPB hide walking anti-clockwise around the lake, I saw a flock of Lapwing come in to rest on the ice. I have seen them mainly on the island in the southern section of the lake, but today they had abandoned this refuge for dubious delights of sitting on what I can only assume to be melting ice in the middle of a lake.

It did look pretty and I took a number of pictures, this being my favourite at the moment though it is fairly marginal.

Walking on around the lake the sun eventually dipped below the horizon. However walking along passed the farm I was able to see this view, I like the gold behind the trees.

As the light faded over the next few minutes saw the next pictures and I like the blue and orange combinations fading into yellow gold beyond the trees.

OK I have talked myself out this evening.

goodnight

Snow Christmas Eve Panto and Pizza

Back again and it is still Christmas eve. We are going to the~Panto this afternoon and then our traditional Christmas eve Pizza. Pizza is such a traditional Christmas dish!.

It snowed again last light but is seems that the weather front that brought the snow also brought slightly warmer weather. 2 - 3 centigrade rather than -3 centigrade. So the the snow is beginning to melt, slowly so it will be around for tomorrow and will look pretty Well that is how it has felt. I went out delivering Christmas presents not long after it had stopped snowing and although it was cold it was not as cold and the trees were dripping rather than freezing.

I am sitting doing this on the laptop as my youngest daughter is currently "creating" on the desktop which connects to my pictures etc, where as this machine connects to the Internet and has a seriously dodgy space bar so I am having to concentrate much harder on my spaces.

I am going to finish this here and go back and play Bubblespinner from Deadwhale.com. It is my favourite flash game on the Internet. Although easy to learn is a pain in the neck and very addictive.

Tuesday Wine and Walking

So yesterday I did not get around to doing any writing so to say I have to catch up and tell all about the wonders of Shrewsbury and th e River Severn in the cold and increasing murk. It was quite over cast in th e early afternoon when I went out on my walk and I had to visit Tanners to get some more wine. Not much, just enough to keep us going over Christmas. I have previously been to Connolly's in Birmingham to stock up but had for some reason decided to start drinking the Christmas stuff 'cos it was good. So I had to get some more. (one day I will explain more about my taste in Wine, ( on the whole I prefer Red to White and I like Chilean and some from Argentina though I am open to persuasion on this) Although the shop is just over the English bridge I decided to visit on the way back to make sure I did not have to lug my purchases too far.

It is Christmas Eve now (only just) and I am still writing. Having gone downstream for only the 2nd time I was able to look back at the English Bridge form a distance. Upstream the bend in the River mitigates against this on the town side of the river.

So this is the River Severn flowing under the English Bridge.

Having taken this I was quite taken with bridges and walked further down and under the Railway bridge. Which in fact appears to be at least two bridges one of stone and one of steel.

The stone bridge sitting upstream of the steel structure. I quite like the Spires of St Mary's and St Alkmunds sort of juxtapose the horizontal structure of the bridge. Not sure what the verdigris topped tower is on the right but I will have a look on my next visit.

So I walked down as far as the weir and was able to catch a couple of pictures of Black Headed Gulls. Including this one on the edge almost oblivious to my presence. Well he kept his eye on me and eventually flew off when he felt I had taken enough pictures.


Having got to the weir I had a quick look around and then walked back stopping off at the wine shop to collect a couple of bottles and then back to the office.

I am going to call it a day now and will review today's activity with you, hopefully tomorrow ( Thursday) Christmas eve mmmm.

OK bedtime.

Schools and willows in Winter Solstice sun

Shortest day is almost over, it has been quite quiet. The drive this morning to Shrewsbury was bright as the sun rose behind me travelling west along the M54. I always like the winter solstice it promises that spring is coming. Tomorrow the day light will last that bit longer and we have turned the corner.

So I managed to go for my walk at dinner time along the Severn. I saw quite a few Goosanders among the Mallard and the Cormorants.

I walked up from the English Bridge to look up at w

Publish Post

hat I have worked out is Shrewsbury School. It looks quite impressive up there on the hill. I am sure I could have done the building justice if I had waited for the right light.

I did have some fun trying to catch a robin that was bobbing around the Lime trees that line the path. I caught a couple of blurred blobs as it flew at the crucial moments.

I will keep those for almost, and not quite when I have run out of things to say and do.

On the way back I looked downstream on the English bridge and saw the willows in mid stream. I was able to work out why they looked so bright. The low sun meant the shadow of the bridge reached across the lower part of the trees. Anyway it allows the top of the branches to stand out quite well.

Looking closely there is as on Friday some interesting birds. On this occasion 4 Goosander and a Cormorant.

Tomorrow is my last day in Shrewsbury until the new year, so I will try and do the River Severn if any thing justice.

Back again, twice in one day not quite a record but I am impressed with my stickablity. So why come back and type in more. well today was a bright winters day and I got to go for a walk and took my camera with me. So also had to take the two girls with m. Enjoyed it really. I got to go the Merrions Wood arriving there about 11:00. We had a good walk, well I walked mainly and the girls ran and climbed and talked, they did not stop talking. Mainly to each other but occasionally I was allowed a part usually to hold a hand for balance or I was told to wait" please" as one or both caught up. They seemed to have a good time and as I speak are soundly asleep having spent the afternoon playing on the computer and watching telly.

So what did I see as I walked around. These two images I suppose sum up the wood at this time of the year. Especially today as last night it snowed. Not in great quantities here, though I know in other places there are several inches of the stuff.


The orange brown of the beach leaves still on the trees marks them out and the light the depleted canopy picks them out.

There are still splashes of green with holly being the main contributor. Though over last year or so it seems that those managing the wood have taken out much of the understory growth to open up the woodland away from the main paths.

As the children were clambering over one of the fallen logs I saw this and took the picture. It was not until later that I saw little girl in the middle, It is only a leaf though thumbellina has not been ruled out.

At the far end of Merrions Wood is St Margaret's Church, Great Barr and acts as a end point for the path.

Walking down the path the church almost emerges from the trees with all the lines of the wood leading through to it, though the church itself is almost obscured, the spire extending above the trees to remind all of us of the buildings use.

So I am running out of steam now and I need to go to bed.

More tomorrow, the shortest day.

Friday in the cold

Sunday evening and the children are watching telly and the I can spend some more time catching up. I checked and it has been a couple of days since I last wrote anything. The weather has turned cold and in some parts there are several inches of snow. Here in Walsall there was a light dusting of the white stuff last night and well it has been just cold ever since. Tomorrow looks to be cold again.

Friday took a walk along the river Severn in Shrewsbury. From the English Bridge I walked upstream. I have been downstream just the once since the river receded over a week ago, not sure why I have not been down more often. I suppose it is more to do with familiarity and routine than anything else.

Once I have passed the footbridge it is possible to look into town on the hill and see the Cathedral with the spires of St Mary's and St Alkmonds in the back ground.


Although the weather was cold and bright the sun was very low and on the whole this was a day for keeping walking and keeping warm, rather than getting cold.

Further on up the Lime Tree avenues that lines the river bank, this sentence is beginning to sound very pretentious.

I could see the cupola of the St Chads further round the river, well I do like the word. This time I managed to get the cross at top square on to the camera.

I wandered back to the English Bridge more aware of the time and getting back to work than because of the temperature. Walking kept me warm.

Looking downstream from the bridge I saw in mid stream a group of willows that previously had been submerged in the flood. I also saw the cormorant and the Dabchick in area. I took a couple of pictures.

Although I did not do any of the birds justice it was the colours of the trees that caught my eye when I was going through the images.

That will do for Friday I have been able to go out today (Sunday) but more of that later.

Wednesday and thursday Shrewsbury and Sandwell Valley RSPB

So its Thursday night and I came back to the machine to write some more. I am a lot annoyed that I did not get the job. I didn't think I would get it, it is nice to have the job description changed on you after you have submitted your application, yes I could go on and whinge for quite a while, not sure if it will make me feel any less rejected. Ah well may as well get on with it. I suppose if they want to pay me for not doing a lot and not having to think.


Yesterday I decided to go to bed early and just have a night off from typing things, I just was not in the mood. I had been for a walk at dinner time and although at the time had not thought much of what I had taken, I have looked at since and gone mmm that is better than I remember.


Under Greyfriars bridge on the River Severn in Shrewsbury some one was feeding the birds and I was able to take a couple of pictures.

Flocks of birds I still need to work on but on the whole I am getting better at individuals.

These 2 are my favourites at the moment. I like the impression of movement and the fact that I have managed to get them on the left hand side of the shot and "moving into" the rest of the frame.

So today I managed to have the day off. Well I did not go to Shrewsbury. I had a Hospital appointment in the morning to sort my shoulder out. That was at 8:00 and once that was over I went for a walk in Sandwell valley, around Forge Mill Lake. It started out bright sunny and cold. The sun however stayed very low, well what did I expect in mid December. Having parked by the forge mill farm and walked clockwise around the lake it took a while to be "inspired". Maybe it was the cold and the desire to keep walking to generate some heat had an impact. Anyway having walked around the north of the lake and working my way towards the RSPB reserve there were a couple of paths leading off the main one.

I like this one, the colours and the effects of the sunlight through the hedgerow.

I also took this of the path I had just walked. With at this point the sun behind me I am quite pleased with it.

Though I am beginning to wonder just how much I like taking pictures of paths through trees and bushes.

OK so far but I should keep an eye on it. My other indulgence is teasels and this walk had lots of them. I do like taking picture of Teasels and here is this journeys favourite


I like it


From this mornings meanderings that was about it though I feel I should include this final picture of the main lake side hide and in the background the RSPB centre itself


Maybe more on this next time. Back to work tomorrow (Friday ) and then Monday and Tuesday next week and it will be almost Christmas.

Monday mid December

Tuesday and not much happened today. I spent most of the morning having an interview for a new job. Not sure when I will know, hopefully this week. It is another training job, but this should be more interesting than what I am doing now. However confusion about time meant that I arrived early and had to wait around. After the interview I went back to Shrewsbury, but what with one thing and another I did not get back until 1:30 and there was not too much to be done.

So yesterday (Monday ) I did manage to go out, I walked down to the English Bridge and after taking a deep breath decided to walk up stream along the bank. Water levels were so much lower than over the last few weeks 4 possibly 5 feet. today I was walking along sections where this time last week I would have been wading maybe even swimming. There was a dabchick bobbing around amongst the willows too quick to take a picture.

As I walked I went up passed the Greyfrairs footbridge and kept going gently up the path. I knew I could not go too far as I had to queue in the post office while I sent off Christmas presents that had been done but the time had been taken waiting in line.

On the river I noticed a group of Goosander, 2 females and a male. Starting on the far bank they were working their way upstream fishing. I assume thats what they were doing underwater.

They spent most of their time underwater or towards the opposite bank, this is probably my best picture of one of them. She has her crest up and was moving as fast as possible away from me.

I walked up the path towards shreswbury school which lies the opposite bank just beyond the bridge.

I took this picture and was quite pleased with the effect. the path and the trees lead the eye one way then the bridge cuts across bringing the eye to the left. (That is what I think anyway).

So I walked up to the where the bridge by shrewsbury school and then gently wended my way back towards the English Bridge following the River.

It was on the English Bridge that I got my best pictures of the day. On the upstream side on the base of one of the centre arches was a cormorant drying its wings. By the time I got within a reasonable distance it had decided to fold away its wings and sit. I was able to walk over the bridge and lean over and take a couple of shots.

This is my favourite shot, I do get the impression that I had seen me and knew what I was doing and was tolerating me. this is the only one where I was graced with a look in by direction. After this the bird paid attention to other things.

I was quite pleased with myself and took myself happily back to the office and an afternoon of fun

Back to it again. The last two days have been more about getting ready for Christmas and sorting out family. It is now Sunday evening and for the next few days Christmas which is fast approaching seems to be (is) the main focus.

I managed to escape for an hour, this afternoon, It could well have been longer but once it is dark there is not much point in wandering around with a camera. The chances of meeting anyone famous are probably vanishingly remote and any thing happening well .....

The RSPB Sandwell Valley is the place I have been going to over 10 years and has been my main source of inspiration. There are a couple of spots that I come back to time and time again. The southern end of the Forge Mill lake with the RSPB reserve is one of my most visited especially at this time of year the light from the sunsets has been good.

Today I got there about 3:15 and caught this of the heads of phragmites catching the light.

As the sun dropped towards the horizon I walked a bit further round and found a towards the farm and caught was taken by a couple of old stems of Rose Bay Willow Herb or as I learnt on a trip to Alaska Fireweed.

Well thats what I think it is anyway.

As I watched the lake I could see a number of species including a male goosander. As he swam around it became apparent he was being quite closely shadowed by one or two Black Headed Gulls. At the southern end of the lake the water is on the whole fairly shallow. The goosander was looking for food I assume but rather than diving he was swimming with his head underwater searching for I can only assume, fish.

The picture shows this quite well. the gull just following the more energetic goosander.

However every time he appeared to catch something he was mobbed by his companion Gull and who was rapidly joined by a "couple of friends"

Who quite rapidly seemed to get what they were after quite quickly, with the "victor(s) " flying off and the goosander resuming his fishing duties.

I have never seen this specific parasitical behaviour before, any seen it before?

Right it is now bed time

Goodnight

Friday and downstream

This will be a short version, it is Friday night I am tired, the Balti I had from the Kajal down the road was very good and I will go to bed soon. I can't keep going like I used to when I was young. Middle age is slowly creeping up on me.

Today has been misty / foggy generally overcast there was one bright interlude on the way in to work on the M54 where the fog lifted, but just after Telford I entered the fog bank and never really got out . Looking up I could see the blue sky through the mist as I walked around at dinner time but in Shrewsbury at ground level it remained murky all day.

Today I walked down passed the Abbey and got to the English Bridge and decided to go downstream. where yesterday had been wet had now dried and thee was a workman clearing the layer of silt off the path.

Before I got on to the riverbank I saw a female Goosander on the River, and I was able to lean over and take this as she swam upstream.

On my first foray downstream I walked gently getting my bearings. The old football ground "Gay Meadow" is no more. Shrewsbury Town now play in the Prostar Stadium just south of the town.

There were fewer people down stream, on my way to the Railway there were a few including the workmen clearing the silt after that I was passed by the occasional cyclist. Maybe it was the nature of the day and the closed in feel but I felt fairly "uninspired". I took this of some over hanging branches.

They sort of sum up for me the sort of winters day it was. Cold wet and just wintry, without the interesting things like snow or ice. I suppose bleak is the word that encapsulates the day and the feel. even the Kingfisher which flew upstream on the opposite bank was too far away and too fleeting to be caught.

I walked down to the Weir just past the Castle Walk bridge, here the water on the left bank had not receded far enough and I wimped out and decided to trudge back to the office.

More soon goodnight

Thursday Shrewsbury Buildings

Thursday and the sun is still out. I am quite impressed. Walking down from Abbey Foregate to the River Severn was nice in the sunshine. However it is so late in the year that the sun is so low that even at noon it seems to spend most of the time behind the buildings. Earlier driving along the M54 and A5 again was lovely with the light and the effect of pockets of mist around the rivers. It was possible to to look out at various points and track the path of the Severn by the ribbons of mist on the Shropshire plain.

Anyway back to this afternoon. Having got to the English Bridge I could see that the water level had dropped even more and that it was worth having a look at the downstream path on the town side. OK as I did not bring my wellies I felt I had legitimate reason not to venture down that way just jet, may be tomorrow, more probably early next week. This was actually taken on the downstream side of the bridge at bottom of the steps, last week I would have been very wet. This week I decided discretion was the better part.

So back upstream again, I went up over the bridge and down the other side. There waiting in the arches was a cormorant sitting on a branch wedged into the bridge. So it was not waiting for me specifically, but I liked the fact that he was there and so I took the picture.

This is the best one of a couple of well OK pictures, I will blame the light and the distance. I could also add in operator error, but I think that may bed taking it a bit too far. As Ian Richardson may well have said, "You may say that, I could not possibly comment".

So I went up stream, I realised that as I had been listening to the Obama acceptance speech which was good, well it ticked my boxes, in the car eating my sandwiches before venturing out, anyway it was latter than I had originally planned so I did not go as far as yesterday.

However in the much brighter light I looked into the town more and without yesterday's distractions saw a couple of buildings, in " a new light". pardon the pun.

The first was I think Bowdler House which I had seen from the city walls and much closer up. When you are up close and personal as it were it does not quite have the look as it does from down by the River. I think there is a Dental practice in the building which does make me want to walk quickly past. further away I think I look at the building and then the contents.

Further on is Shrewsbury Cathedral which I had overlooked in the plethora of places to worship in the town alone.The building itself is mid 19th century, with work being completed in 1856. so it is a comparative new comer in the scheme of Shrewsbury churches.


I took a couple of pictures of the cathedral from the river bank and this is my favourite, though ultimately nothing really stood out. May be it is back to the drawing board and do a bit more learning when it comes to taking pictures of buildings.


Talking of drawing boards I still have not got back to looking at the Website. I suppose It has not generated much interest and there is only so much I can do to it in its present form. I can continue to write this blog as a separate entity and post pictures that I like and have taken either that day or recently or even go back and find a suitable image in the library. Though I don't think that Getty Images has much to worry about.

time for bed, I think and see what tomorrow brings.

Peregrines and other pictures in shrewsbury

Much sunnier day today all day, it even felt warmer at dinner time when I went out. the drive in to Shrewsbury was bright overhead with pockets of mist and fog lingering on the motorway the fields either side. stopping is not really an option, I suppose I should get out earlier and make the effort, may be in the new year as the days lengthen. Today it did not cloud over. From what I have seen of the weather forecast it will remain settled for the next few days at least.

About 1:00 I went for my walk and it was still sunny, there was some cloud but it was bright. I took my camera and left my coat, (bright yellow, but warm ). as I got to the river by the english bridge I could see the river levels had not really gone down in the last 24 hrs. So walking downsteeam along the bank was not really an option. May be next week.

I am enjoying just doing the walking it gets me out of the office and although it is not much it is doing some "physical" activity. I do feel better for it I think and I can get quite competitive with my pedometer trying to beat yesterdays and the all time record. There seems to be a "target " of 10,000 steps this seems to be well beyond me and the time I have to walk during the day.

So I walked along the river Severn working my way upstream and saw lots of Gulls and a pair of swans and the cormorants from yesterday, I assume that were the same ones fishing in the stretch upstream from Greyfrairs bridge. To be honest I was not inspired to take any thing, though on reflection I could have looked at the small birds in the hedges and trees lining the path.

I was walking along and out the corner of my eye saw something that did not fit in one of the willows growing on the bank। I looked again and began to work out what the blob in the bush was. It was quite a large bird and once I worked out it what I thought it was I got quite excited. So in the middle of Shrewsbury sitting not 30 feet away from me was a Peregrine Falcon. I had seen them in displays and speeding past on the way to somewhere else, but never sitting there so close. I got a couple of pictures. took 10 steps forward and took some more including this one. It had by now deigned to notice me and after a few seconds more decided that I had taken enough thank you, and departed the scene.

I walked on feeling very smug, not only had I seen a peregrine, but I had managed to take a picture of it.

On the way back I went passed to the Abbey and was amused to the activity around a van from Hometyre. The "driver" was in the process of changing a tyre, so far so good. However he was being followed by a man with a serious video camera obviously recording him for some promotional video. The pair in turn were being followed by a man with a stills camera from the video production company further recording the action.

I had a brief chat with one of the Hometyre team, but his attention was diverted when a very attractive blond pulled up behind us. I decided to head back to the office

tuesday in the rain

Tuesday dawned bright and sunny, much the same as Monday really then just like Monday it clouded over as the front moved in from the west. The rain as yesterday started about 12:00 and I got wet. I decided not to take my camera out today as it had spent most of yesterdays walk out of harms way under my coat. The light was horrible even though it was early afternoon on both days so I have no pics to upload. The Severn had risen a little from last week so some of the river side paths were under water especially by the English Bridge, but coming a bit further around upstream it was possible to get down to the river bank. I walked passed two rather surprised looking Goosander in amongst the Mallard resting on the waters edge. The mallard moved away keeping a minimum distance to show that had noticed me but not going to far and returning to the water's edge as soon as I had ambled past.

Anyway I walked up toward Shrewsbury School on the opposite bank and round to the next footbridge. I saw two cormorant in the river swimming around I assume fishing. I do wonder if these are the same two I saw late late week in the same area. So it is not a very good picture, I took it on Friday and apart from the picture of the same bird flying away which I used at the time is the most recent pic of a cormorant I have and it possible is the same bird.

Anyway the rain by now had stopped and although the overcast conditions remained it was alright to walk and look around. However time was ticking on and as I reached the Porthill Bridge I decided to wander back to work.

I walked back the way I had come rather than heading up through the town. I know I should take my camera all the time just to capture what is happening, but it was wet and soggy and and the walk was more important then the camera today. It kept me moving and I went back to work feeling better for the exercise.

I have not done much with the website since I got back to work and I know I have been talking about upgrading it, well doing something with it, I have not yet had I suppose the inspiration to sit down and redo something I have already done. I like the way I have got the "galleries" of pictures, that bit definitely works for me. It is the front page and the contacts bit I am not sure of. I will keep pondering and have a reshuffle soon.

So what else is happening, not much to be honest, I think the 80 miles a day I am driving is beginning to take its toll, I am getting tired much more easily and the drive home is starting to feel quite long, I know it is the same as the journey out, but it is all in the dark and .... OK so time for bed.

Sunday Sandwell Valley

So got up this morning and as it got lighter saw the clouds and the results of last nights rain on the street out side. After a cup of coffee I could see it slowly brightening up and the weather improve from there. OK it was still breezy but on the whole, the sun was out this morning, so I went out to Sandwell Valley. I started at Forge Mill Farm side and walked clock wise around the Forge Mill lake.

The River Tame was the highest I had seen it for some time, I suppose last nights rain on top of the recent downpours has all added in. This gave me the opportunity to get watch the gulls feeding on the river and as the came past I got a couple of pictures including this one of a black headed gull.

I am quite pleased with this and the more I look at it the better I think it is.

I carried on walking, I think the pedometer in my ipod has become my main incentive for going for walks and taking my camera. Beating last weeks record is a major personal incentive. I somehow still constantly fail to achieve 10,000 steps a day but I would like to think I am getting closer.

So what else was in Sandwell valley. I think over the last few weeks it has been possible to to see Winter finally arriving, there are few if any leaves on the deciduous trees.

I saw this and tree with a few of its leaves still holding firm and wondered how long they would keep holding on. There is little if any green left in them with orange and brown being the predominant colours. It is one of those end of year pictures, I like it anyway

Further on around past the RSPB centre just as they were opening up for the day, and then down to the top of forge Mill lake. This is one place I have stood and watch the lake and the birds many times in lots of weathers. It always reminds me of the time I spent recuperating after having my appendix removed in 2004. Once I could drive I tried to go for a walk to here everyday to keep myself moving and to try and use the "free time " I had. so this was where I used to come and take pictures of the gulls and other birds that hung around then as now.

In addition to the birds today, I was able to get a picture of today's teasel. ( Click on the link to get much more about this wonderful biennial) They have all dried out and you can see why these heads were used to raise the nap of fabric. (is this the origin of the tease)

So what next, I saw Gadwall on the lake, I know they have bred here in the past though I don't know about this year. I remember Gadwall from my childhood and reading Thorburn's Birds. Gadwall shared a plate with the Garganey, and none of my siblings had seen either one. I have over the last 5 years seen both at Sandwell Valley


This was not one of my better pictures but it has at least one the subjects in it.

Onwards back towards the car. I went passed the bridge and the sheer amount of water trying to get through had raised levels considerable. I was able to take some shots of the speeding water and get a few good shots.

Anyway there are some more things to look out for tomorrow. I will have a look at more of today's pic and see if I can use any more and what I take tomorrow.

Goodnight