Wet January

No, I'm not suggesting that you all over-indulge this January as my title might suggest, although we sure as hell won't be doing Veganuary, Dry January or any other marketing concept the man decides to throw at us by tapping into our insecurities in order to shift shed loads of units.  This wet January in fact, started in late December and has "spilled over" into the New Year.

Once again our rivers are flooded.  Almost a year ago to the day, we were in the same position.  Tired of surrendering to the elements, we headed out on New Year's Eve to see Mother Nature's latest show of strength.

The ducks seemed unperturbed, enjoying a feeding frenzy courtesy of visitors walking off their Christmas pudding.

But the mighty Severn had once again breached its banks.

The little bridge to the far right of this photo was awash, but had yet to reach last year's levels (although by the time you read this, I'm sure it has).  During our visit, the tweenies were getting their kicks, riding at speed through the water.  

You really can't visit Arley without walking up the hill to the heritage railway station, passing the hamlet's solitary pub glimpsed here.  Stopping is optional, but recommended. :-D

The station appeared to be deserted, save for a couple of volunteers, who were busy taking down the decorations left over from the Christmas Enchanted Express timetable.  The Porter's Room was however, still clinging on to the last days of Christmas.

Just as we were about to leave, we heard the distant noise of a locomotive and decided to hang around.  Within minutes, a diesel rolled into the station.

True to the old adage, you wait for one and then two come along at once.  The diesel was quickly joined by a steam locomotive travelling in the opposite direction.  We quickly ran up onto the bridge to reach the other platform before it departed.

It's hard not to feel like you've strayed onto a film set whenever one of these majestic beauties arrives.  I hope these passengers were enjoying their trip!  I'm not sure, judging by this man's expression.

I managed to capture the handing over of the token and after sharing the image on Instagram, was chuffed that BBC Midlands made it their photo of the day.  I was even more thrilled when one of the volunteers subsequently purchased a high res digital download from me.  Initially he wanted it as a laptop screen saver, but has plans to get a print framed to adorn the walls of his new home.  Thanks Dougie! (There he is in the cap).

On New Year's Eve, despite an invitation to join friends in the pub, we ended the year on a lazy note.  Neither of us could muster the courage to battle against the wind and rain and so enjoyed our own very loud kitchen disco before tuning in to Jools Holland's Hootenanny (a UK TV New Year's staple).  I cried (again) at the tribute to Shane MacGowan (hormones?) and we stood in the street outside to watch the fireworks.  Next year's "Not Going Out Cry-Fest" will be a ticketed event.  Don't all rush at once!

As we entered the New Year (ahem, somewhat late in the day), Storm Henk ensured that the river levels were topped up.  Once again, we find our region transformed into one of disappearing land and a transport network riddled with road closures due to flood water and rotten fallen trees.

At nearby Bewdley yesterday, we parked at the station (also on the Severn Valley railway line)...

...and navigated the muddy back alleyways to reach the centre of the town. 

For safety reasons, the main route through town over the bridge was closed.

The barriers were up and whilst the river level was dangerously high, it's expected to peak tomorrow. 

This side of the metal barriers is usually a bend in the road with the pavement beyond.  

Sandbags were everywhere.

These sacks (evidence of the new barrier construction - not finished in time) had been claimed by the river.

It's hard to fathom how the residents must feel.  The all-too-frequent disruption to homes and livelihoods might attract people like me, wishing to record the unfolding events, but it's so hard for those directly affected.

This year (a general election is timetabled for the second half of 2024), I'm going to give particularly serious consideration to who gets my vote.  They will need to be taking climate change seriously and not just making and immediately breaking pledge after pledge after pledge.

I took a short iphone video of the river.  Incidentally, it's brown because of the local sandstone.  It's always this colour.  As a child, I would always colour my rivers brown.  Take a look at the fast flowing Severn here:

Bewdley, River Severn Flooding after January storm. #nature #floods #riversevern (youtube.com)

Can you believe, looking at this cold and flooded landscape, that we're in for the hottest year on record?!

Now is the perfect time to share with you this year's calendar choice. Here's the page for January (cropped so you don't see all of my secrets).  It's a Crooked House calendar, featuring locals' photos of the pub in its heyday and site in the aftermath of its destruction.  You can see Gareth's art installation centred around the fireplace he pulled from the rubble.  

Particularly amusing, is the fact that the calendar is written in the Black Country dialect.  So a brief lesson for non natives.  It's not "Jan-u-ary" it's "Jan-u-erry" and I'm signing off today, "Therzdi."

See you soon!

Storms

Storm's assembled group of raiders

Rush in off writhing seas,

Archive

Thundering footsteps gathering pace,

As they noisily take to the hills,

Hitting their stride on a landmass spine,

Howling their power where beacons once stood,

Archive

Echoes of their war cries

Tracing his charge through the valley.

They jeer and pull at trees, securing branches in a hostile grip,

Urging, persuading, forcing them to join

Their chaotic brand of merriment.

Archive

Some go willingly, others sit tight,

Battered and bruised,

Weakened from the fight.

Storm revels in his percussive fury,

An invisible Olympian, gathering masonry

And hurling it to the farthest reaches of the land,

Conducting clouds to burst 

In a crashing crescendo of rain;

The Severn Valley, February 2022

Filling, spilling and bursting rivers...

Whirlpool forming in the River Severn yesterday

River Severn, Arley - banks broken

...vanquishing land.

Bridgnorth yesterday

Storm circles and sweeps, playing cruel tricks,

Going over old ground,

Riverside bench consumed by flood water, Bridgnorth

Repeating the same tried and tested tortures

On already broken, reluctant playmates.

Arley, River Severn - small road bridge underwater

Flooded meadow on the banks of the River Severn, Arley

Tree debris caught by bridge, Bridgnorth

Submission weakens Storm's will

Until he stills - dispassionate, disinterested,

Archive

Retreating back to the waves in a sun flare,

Bridgnorth and the angry River Severn, yesterday

His mirrored canvas laid bare.

The storm is over, but flood water continues to rise

I have been laid low this week by storms and suspected Norovirus, with just bland food and my note pad to keep me occupied.  Thankfully both subsided within days of each other, allowing two trips outside to (safely) capture the unprecedented flood waters along the River Severn, resulting from the recent triple storm assault.  "Unprecedented" in this context, is starting to lose its meaning sadly.  

I thought I would give Storm a male identity for a change (and Franklin was the last to pass through).  Other news may have played a part in this decision.  

Hope you're all safe and well.  Do send me your news!

Where It All Began

How's your week been? This week I have been mostly working and despairing at the news, particularly the summary of COP26 by one climate change professor on TV who described the assembled world leaders as "tinkering at the edges" and suggesting that we should be taking to the streets in our millions.  Was I alone in naively thinking that COP26 was the first of its kind? I mean obviously the number 26 is a bit of a giveaway, but why was has there been an apparent news blackout of this crucially important event in previous years? 

In the midst of this s*!tstorm, our esteemed leader saw fit to take a private jet from Glasgow back to London, whilst studiously ploughing through another kind of storm; this one created by the gathering clouds of sleaze currently permeating the UK government and Conservative Party in general. I read an interview with writer/actor Mark Gatiss recently in which he claimed he no longer watches the news. I can relate.  I'm conflicted by the desire to be kept informed and the abject horror at the relentless pile on of bad news. 

To distract myself this week, I've been considering my lifestyle and asking myself whether I'm doing enough. The short answer is no. None of us are, although I'm sure the majority of us are trying. 

To break it down, we recycle, try not to waste food, don't leave taps running and are trying to find ways to make our 1930s property more energy efficient (this is quite a big ask). 

Typical 1930s properties captured in a neighbouring street, Nikon D7500 50mm lens

We work from home, at least give consideration to the car journeys we take, rarely fly and I think I have perhaps bought no more than two items of new clothing this past year. Similarly, our home is furnished with an eclectic mix of second hand finds and antiques. Any new purchases have always been made with our hearts and have therefore stood the test of time. We're not consumerists; we don't redecorate annually or slavishly follow interior design trends. 

In addition, Gareth, a former product designer, has long detested plastic and I recall us wrestling with our consciences over the number of plastic toys our son was gifted throughout his childhood. We've since donated many to charity or retained them, to delay as far as possible their inevitable landfill demise. 

But fear not, I'm not about to start polishing my halo. We need to make improvements. We're driving around in a dirty diesel (bar the occasional and perfectly legal cooking oil refill)... 

Our car unsuccessfully trying shadow puppetry

...and there are times when the cold really starts to bite and the heating's on, that I think we would be no worse off if we had all the doors and windows open. The problem is in order to effectively insulate our house, we would need to carpet (eek!) everywhere. Apparently cavity wall insulation is not really an option for us and in any event, is not always 100% effective in older properties. We could clad the outside of the house or install solar panels but at what cost? We have a couple of open fires, but we're in a smokeless zone (not that anyone around here takes any notice of that) and much of the heat escapes through the chimney. 

But these are considerations for us to mull over during the bleak winter months, so to lighten the mood and to keep me on track in terms of buying pre-loved items of clothing, I thought I'd share with you a few of this week's charity shop finds. Yes, I braved a few this week in my vaccine weakened state, as cases of Covid in the UK do now seem to be declining. Hurray! 

First up this mohair vintage jumper from one time High Street staple, British Home Stores, which is in remarkable condition and cost me all of £3.95. I handed over my money and wrestled it into one of my "handy" tote bags, which, it turns out, wasn't so handy. I carried the bulging bag across town and when I met up with Gareth, he asked me why I was carrying a small dog in a shopping bag. 

The remainder of this week's purchases are all non vintage but caught my eye for various reasons. I tend to gravitate towards a certain colour every season. This seasons's colour, orange, is quite Autumn appropriate. Having bagged an orange polo neck jumper a couple of weeks ago, I spied it's fair weather sister garment, originally from Warehouse.  Here it is, teamed with a Zara denim jacket I bagged for a fiver. Forgive the double denim/make-up free sleep deprived horror show - I just happened to throw it on for a photo over my existing jeans.  I love the textured pattern and given that we seem to be experiencing a relatively mild winter so far, it should see some action. 

Inspired by Ann and her eye for a great print, Polyester Princess: True colours (polyester-princess.blogspot.com), I was on the lookout for a snazzy (yes, I appear to have reached the age where "snazzy" is an acceptable adjective) printed blouse and this caught my eye. 

The label read Numph. The quality was good and whilst I couldn't think of anything in my wardrobe it would work with, I didn't let such a mere trifle stop me from making the purchase. I discovered later that Numph is a Danish label designed from hand drawn prints. According to the website, "Numph embraces our dreams, personalities and creativity: the whimsical and strinent, the feminine and cool". Sold! 

One item that is currently eluding me is a corduroy dress. I have a thing for corduroy. Last year, one of the few new items I bought was black corduroy dungarees. I found them so much warmer than denim and wore them repeatedly. I was recently outbid on a Justine Tabak corduroy dress so my quest continues. In the meantime, I decided to layer my new blouse over a white polo neck jumper to make the colours pop a little more and teamed it with my dungarees and a pair of recycled metal earrings. I think it works, although I always think there's an air of pre-school TV or Changing Rooms about dungarees. Still, I'm available should Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's colleagues stage a walk out. 

On Saturday we decided to take a trip to the place that served as the catalyst for climate change, Coalbrookdale/Ironbridge. I selected a wide angle lens to best capture the gorge and the hill flanked multi layered buildings that make up Ironbridge, but sadly, as we rounded the windy approach to Coalbrookdale, I discovered that I had forgotten my memory card. The pain! So events were instead viewed and recorded through an iphone lens. 

Ironbridge is wonderful for an Autumn day out. The newly painted bridge, transitional Autumn foliage and orange tinged pewter skies made for some nice moody landscape shots.

Signs of the area's industrial heritage are everywhere. 

The Christmas shop was full to bursting. 

I would happily live here, being a fan of high ceilings and Georgian architecture.

Whilst I feel fortunate to live so close to a World Heritage Site, we are all now also sharing the guilt that maybe the Industrial Revolution wasn't the best plan in retrospect and the devastating flooding experienced here in recent years is testament to its impact upon our climate.

 

I love the steep steps and passageways that criss-cross this town.

Naturally we had to visit the town's only charity shop. We left empty handed but not before I'd captured the till area. What a clever idea!

I had more luck next door in the bookshop on The Square.

Having recently read a positive review of Candice Carty-Williams' debut novel Queenie by Sophie Dahl, this book was languishing on a books of interest list in the back of my mind...and there it was, sitting in a basket outside the second hand bookshop...next to Carl Chinn's Peaky Blinders; The Real Story. 

A couple more for the pile, which also includes this separate purchase "Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass" by singer Lana Del Ray, who appears to have stolen one of my backburner ideas and created a photo book with poetry! 

Signs of the forthcoming Remembrance Sunday were everywhere, the town having been decorated with randomly placed giant poppies. 

So as I finish this blog post, we are experiencing a minute's silence to remember the fallen. I wonder what they would make of the current state of affairs...? I dread to think. 

Ironbridge featured on the local news recently given its role in the industrial revolution and ensuing global warming. The item ended on a hopeful note, with the town's delegates insisting that we humans are resourceful and adaptable and that perhaps one day, someone with a link to the town might become part of the solution. I'll finish with a photo I took a couple of years ago after a visit to a poppy field. In a sea of red, this solo white poppy stood proud. I saw it as a symbol of hope. 

Please feel free to leave a comment below with positive vibes, your latest read or news from your part of the world.  Take care all and see you soon!