Because you’re free to read this blog
#365DaysOfBiking- June 17th - I love lupins. These tall flowers grow wild along... June 17, 2013
- June 17th - At Spring Road station in Birmingham, I overheard to... June 17, 2013
- June 16th - Not sure what the deal is here, to be honest. At... June 17, 2013
- June 16th - A ride out to Cannock Chase in the afternoon. The... June 17, 2013
- June 15th - Returning from the Canal Festival at Pelsall, I... June 15, 2013
- June 15th - Yesterday, a local tweeter spotted something amusing... June 15, 2013
- June 14th - The roadside verges and hedgerows are an unusually... June 14, 2013
- June 14th - Headed out to Lichfield late afternoon, and battled... June 14, 2013
- June 13th - I took a diversion from my usual route to Darlaston... June 14, 2013
- June 13th - At Birchills, on the way to Darlaston, I spotted... June 14, 2013
- June 12th - An awful commute from a weather point of view. The... June 14, 2013
- June 11th - What goes up… must come down. It’s been a few... June 12, 2013
- Bob’s music
- R.E.M. – Wait - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – Mystery To Me - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – Just A Touch - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – Two Steps Onward - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – Jazz (Rotary Ten) - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – Out Of Tune - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – I Believe - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – Cuyahoga - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – Begin The Begin - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – The Flowers Of Guatemala - Athens Demo
Category Archives: Features
The first good day of the year
First weekend in march is always Erdington Bike Jumble. I usually go if the weather’s OK, and potter round, enjoying the company and chatter of other cyclists. Normally a pretty isolated activity, it’s nice to meet other riders socially for a change. A chance to meet old mates, compare machines and have a natter.
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Posted in Churches, cycling, Environment, Events, Features, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local media, Panoramio photo discussions, Panoramio updates, Shared media
Tagged Architecture, Birmingham, Canal, contamination, Curdworth, Cycle rides, cycling, Erdington, Events, New Photos, Panoramio, Pubs, Snow Hill, Spaghetti Junction, Spring, Staffordshire, sun, Things to do, Washwood Heath
3 Comments
A railway expert writes…
Top rail historian Ian Pell, late of this parish, dropped me a line today to point out the origins of the photos that I borrowed from the South Staffordshire Railway Site to illustrate yesterday’s article about Charringtons Oil Terminal and Anglesey Sidings.
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Posted in Bad Science, Brownhills stuff, Environment, Features, Followups, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Spotted whilst browsing the web
Tagged Anglesey Sidings, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Charringtons, corrections, errata, Ian Pell, local blogs, Local History, New Photos, Oil Terminal, Redevelopment, South Staffordshire Line, Staffordshire
5 Comments
Narnia, in Stubbers Green
This morning, on Twatter, good friend @ChisDavies1 from darkest Pelsall posted a picture of an unusual ice formation on bushes at Stubbers Green. It was so remarkable, that it piqued my interest; this afternoon, in a low, late winter sun, I went to check it out.
Posted in Features
5 Comments
In the beginning
I’ve got some great stuff coming up. But here’s a taste of something really exciting from reader and New Year competition winner Fred Butler. I give you… the start of Crabtree, Brownhills, in 1954.
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Features, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, planning, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories
Tagged 1954, aerial photo, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Canal, Crabtree, Fred Butler, Lichfield Road, Local History, MIDAR, Midland Auto Rewinds, New Photos, Redevelopment, Staffordshire, Superalloys
1 Comment
Cervine suggestion
Today, we went up on Cannock Chase again, and I make no apologies for another feature on the deer. These lovely ladies were a smaller subset of the herd from last week, but on this occasion, they were a little more tolerant. They may well have been hungry. This is the closest I’ve ever managed to get to them.
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Posted in Cannock Chase, cycling, Environment, Events, Features, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local media, News, Shared media, Wildlife
Tagged Cannock Chase, carrots, Cycle rides, cycling, Deer, doe, Events, Fallow, fawn, feed, Hind, New Photos, Panoramio, Staffordshire, tame, The Chase, Things to do, Wildlife
4 Comments
24 Carrots
A sunny, winter’s Saturday afternoon on Cannock Chase. The wild fallow deer in their usual spot, always happy to come for a bag of carrots. Skittish and nervous, they stay long enough to take our orange performance fee, then wander … Continue reading
Archdeacon blues
Further to last Sunday’s article here regarding the book I recently acquired, ‘Visitations of the Archdeaconry of Stafford 1829-1841′ I thought I’d take the opportunity to fulfil a couple of requests.
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Posted in Churches, Environment, Features, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Social Media
Tagged Aldridge, Archdeacon, Church, David Evans, George Hodson, Inspection, local blogs, Local History, Old maps, Rushall, Stafford, Staffordshire, Susan MArie Ward, Things to do, Visitation, Visitations of the Archdeaconry of Stafford
8 Comments
The state of the estate
I’ve been given a rather excellent book this week, which, if there’s interest, I’ll share more of. It’s the ‘Visitations of the Archdeaconry of Stafford 1829-1841′ published by the Historical Manuscripts Commission and Her Majesty’s Stationary Office (HMSO). This copy was published in 1980, and bears the ISBN of 0 11 440066 0. The work is edited by David Robinson MA, Ph D.
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Posted in Features
11 Comments
Get some Iron
Here’s a quick one. Reader and local history researcher Clive Roberts dropped me this email a week or so ago in relation to questions about Irondish/Iron Dish, between Walsall Wood and Shelfield. Readers will remember that this courtyard of houses – that possibly contained an alehouse – stood about where the car sales lot is today, just on the Shelfield side of Jockey Meadows.
Posted in Environment, Features, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged 1763, Clive Roberts, Countess Dowage, Iron dish, Irondish, local blogs, Local History, Mountrath, New Photos, Old maps, Pubs, Shelfield, Staffordshire, Things to do, Walsall Local History Centre, Walsall Wood
2 Comments
