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!

A Collage of Life

I won't bang on about the weather this week, save to say that the rain has been plentiful.  Exercise has largely taken a back seat lately, but it's given me more time to tinker and I've been enjoying creating some collage style photo art from my archives.  Warning:  May contain cats and loved up couples.  It's proving addictive as well as causing eye strain.

After last week's shenanigans, I also endeavoured to take some outfit photos, particularly as Vix had kindly altered a couple of my vintage items for me, including the dress I mentioned in a recent blog post (Winter Peach Photography: A Night for Knights and Greensleeves).  Here I am trying and failing to capture the dress in its entirety by myself.  

The dress is so voluminous and now, having had a little trim by Vix, no longer drags behind me like a train (unless I'm going down stairs, which I don't mind, as it forces me to slow down and therefore makes me - a girl from Wordsley - feel a little more regal).  Vintage items are becoming increasingly rare and expensive, so I feel very fortunate to have found this one.  I love imagining the lives it's been a part of.

This skirt has made a previous appearance.  It's vintage St Michael (M&S) but again, was too long for my pit pony legs.  It's been so cold, I've been wearing my crop denim jacket as a top.

Now, a couple of inches shorter, it also has a matching belt.  I feel sluggish and lazy saying this, but I have no natural aptitude for sewing and no real interest.  I have tried, but can't seem to keep to a straight line and when a machine needle loses its thread, which seems to happen to me an unhealthy amount of times, I lose my mind!  I'm so grateful to have a friend who can help.

This week I've addressed a couple of health niggles including getting my eyes tested.  No change apparently, although I've ordered a couple of pairs of prescriptions glasses, having managed to break my last pair.  I've been relying on off the shelf readers which is probably not the best plan.  I had also noticed a little blind spot in my right eye, usually noticeable when my other eye is closed.  The optician checked my eyes and scanned my right eye, but advised me that everything was as it should be.  The joys of ageing!

Talking of which, if you're a woman of a certain age, HRT and collagen are the current buzz words.  I decided to do a little research into collagen and have, for the time being, determined that collagen supplements costing upwards of £30.00 a month are possibly futile.  Rather than popping pills, I've decided to boost my intake of foods that boost the body's ability to produce the precious collagen.  Never mind diamonds, it seems the humble red bell pepper is a girl's best friend!   

Red peppers contain vitamins A and C, potassium, folic acid and fibre.  Vitamin C keeps the immune system healthy, skin youthful and arthritis at bay!  Bold claims, but I'll take my chances munching on peppers rather than having to re-mortgage the house to fund shop bought supplements.

Saturday dawned brightly and to an avian wall of sound.  We decided to make up for lost time and headed down to the river.  Starting at Arley, we headed up the hill to the station, just to confirm that everything was present and correct.  

Children were climbing the apple trees in the hamlet's only pub beer garden on the way up to the station.

So far, so idyllic. Sadly, there was no activity during our brief visit.  In fact, the Severn Valley Railway (staffed by volunteers) is under threat.  Heritage Railway appreciators can contribute here.  They're woefully short of their target at the moment and it would be a devastating blow to the region if we were to lose it.

Severn Valley Railway Survival Fund | Severn Valley Railway (svr.co.uk)

Gareth took this photo of me wearing a pretty cotton top gifted to me by Vix. I know for a fact that his attention was captured by the vintage BP Motor Spirit sign.  My pasty arms are testament to the fact that it's the first time this year I've dared to go out in mere cotton!  I had the additional armour of a scarf and vintage hat (handmade in Ecuador) just in case the sun dipped behind a cloud, but needn't have worried as the temperature reached a balmy 17 degrees.

We walked back down to the river and followed its meandering path, passing under bridges made redundant by Dr Beeching's "reshaping" of the railways...

...coveting tranquil riverside lodges (spot the dolphin topiary)...

...to Bewdley, some 4.5 miles down river.  There, I did a quick scout around the charity shops and we consumed an entire box of Fruit Pastille iced lollies (two each) to rehydrate, before crossing the bridge at Bewdley.  Passing this row of handsome villas - the last vestiges of civilisation for another 4.5 miles, we heading back on the other side of the river for a different perspective.

Dream house in the country!

These love birds were unperturbed by my camera.

I became a little obsessed with the river side signage.

Had we strayed into the Upside Down?  There are more, but I'll spare you.  Distressed angling signs would make for a very niche blog.

The smell of wild garlic permeated the air for much of our walk.

We clocked 10 miles that day and I slept like a baby that night.

We'll overlook the moist Bank Holiday interval that was Sunday and sashay up to date with some more sunshiny photos from today's walk from Highgate Common.

When we left the house, the clouds were plentiful and seemingly trapped in the rear window of our neighbour's car alongside a sunburst.

Suburban skies.

By the time we had parked up, some 10 minutes later, the clouds had parted.  The fields were alive with rapeseed and their vibrant blooms kissed by the sun surely heralds the arrival of spring.

Can you spot the flying creatures?  

Crouched as I was to capture the rapeseed, I was oblivious to the beehives a short distance away to my left.  I did wonder what kept bouncing off my head.  

I heeded their warning and moved on swiftly, leaving them to their important work.

Next weekend we have another Bank Holiday to mark the King's Coronation on Saturday.  Sorry Charles, I'll have to pass!  I have a photo shoot and birthday BBQ that day.

Until next time!