Vivid Art on the Cycle Track

 I'm managed to get in another two hour walk without my ankle giving out, brought on largely by guilt as I had a very lazy weekend avoiding the freezing gales of Storm Arwen, although we did not have any of the snow that fell so plentifully not too far away. 

I took myself through the cemetery and round the lakes, complete with my new cheap monocular, looking for early snowdrops - they've sprouted but nowhere near flowering - and also early goosander which were very much present; 15 of them on the Blue Lake, drakes and ducks earlier than I've ever seen them here and in greater numbers too.

As ever, they were far too far out to be able to photograph them, even if I'd had my bridge camera. 

The good stuff on this walk was actually along the N64 cycle track, and was safely immobile, easy to get close to, and made of brick and paint.

After a few years during which the previous artwork had become faded and graffiti'd over, artists were again commissioned to team up with local schoolchildren to create new environmental and socially conscious designs to be painted on the bridges, which have been tidied up in an attempt to reduce crime levels in the area.

Well good luck with that one, but the designs themselves are absolutely stunning, vivid paint bringing all sorts of animals to life. Hopefully the odd passing family may be inspired to become more aware of what they can see around them, and become more inclined to protect it. 

That would be a result.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 02.12.21

Let's Go Fly a Kite

A very different start to the day today; the sun only burnt the mist away latish in the afternoon and so most of the day we were blanketed in a cold, grey fog.

It was in this chilly setting that the Midlands Kite Flyers brought their aerial contraptions down to a still busy Sconce Park for a public flying session. It was a really very still day, so there was more of kites propped on car doors than your actual kite flying.

There was a beautiful purple-blue and very large bird kite, but when it did finally get airborne all it did was slowly and gracefully back to earth again, leaving its owner to roll the string back up with a defeated air.

A much smaller kite did manage to get skyward and hover high above the park-goers.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 24.02.19

The Subsidence of Lyricist

"He is Lyricist" it said.

He still is. But now though his paint is still bright, his home on the back of the has now reclaimed by nature as the buddleia inevitably colonises anywhere like that little triangle of brownfield site at the back of the floorists with the hot yoga studio on top.

I knew him. Know him. He'd just done his first hip hop album when the mural went up and was working in the pub where I drink. I think fatherhood kind of overtook the music, and hence Lyricist went into abeyance.

But his mural still persists, watching over the butterflies and bees as they feed in summer. It's also a Pokemon stop; it has earned a place in legend.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 20.12.17

Tour De Rubbish Tip

I had a very gentle run last night, 6km, and although it went ok at the time, it was a bit sore afterwards so I decided to stay off it today and go for a bike ride.

It ended up being a very short bike ride, a mere ten miles, because during them time it took me to eat my lunch, and get out there and pump the tires up, the wind suddenly got up and veered around to the north west. As soon as I was out of the protection of buildings, it turned out that my preferred route was going to have the wind hindering me virtually all the way.

So I decided to just make it short, rather than a 25 mile job.

Still it was good exercise, I was able to ride safely on the cycle track, and a wind from that direction meant I wasn't exposed to the full vomity miasma of Cotham rubbish tip.

Bizarrely, this is a popular spot for birdwatchers due to the huge numbers of gulls it attracts over the winter months - amidst the thousand plus herring and black headed gulls there's occasionally a glaucous or iceland gull, rare visitors from the arctic circle.

Somehow these "gullers" are able to pick out these different birds at a range of 400 metres through a spotting scope, something I'd never be able to do.

The official graffiti artists have also made it out this far. Virtually all the bridges along the cycle track are now colourfully decorated. Rather cheerful.

See what tomorrow brings!

Si