December will be magic again. I'm only just starting to believe Kate's festive lyrics after a couple of weeks of neck/shoulder pain (finally resolved by a pummelling from the chiropractor), swiftly followed by one of the worst colds I've had. Here in the UK, we're dropping like flies with a perfect storm of Covid, flu and various other seasonal viruses circulating and spreading their own individual Christmas messages.
Should anyone fall foul of one of these viruses, I've done thorough market research on the over the counter remedies available. The upshot is, most of them do absolutely nothing, so keep your hard earned cash in your pockets. However, for persistent coughs, the only throat sweets I have found to be remotely effective are Lockets. The only cough medicine that packs a punch is the Lemsip one. But for evenings in, I recommend ye olde hot toddy, comprising the juice of half a lemon, a good teaspoon of honey, hot water and don't spare the brandy.
Anyway,let's move on. The only good thing I can say about the last week is that I've stayed close to home, not wanting to spread my germs with the rest of the family by driving anywhere and consequently, I've managed to get some moody shots of the Black Country, by venturing out on foot. The seasons definitely dictate how I see the world and I'm currently finding it impossible to extricate myself from my love affair with black and white. This one was taken a couple of streets away. I love this tree lined street and the way the sun bounces off its rain slicked surface.
Here's a suburban snapshot in a puddle...I was drawn to the lines.
Here's a typical Black Country boozer.
Venturing on to the neighbouring village, Wordsley, here we glimpse the old house at the entrance to King George V Park, flanked by some impressive monkey puzzle trees.
Another day, another detour through the side streets of Wordsley. Can you spot the famous Red House Glass Cone?
Some old factory units, still in use and housing a small car repair service. I wonder how many more years these buildings will exist?
Onto the canal...a sure sign you're in the Black Country. The network was used to move coal, limestone and iron around the country and whole communities sprung up around them. Life on the canal is much more sedate these days.
Onwards we go, past my first primary school, The Brook, first established in 1872 and attended by my Mom when it was a secondary school. Some time in the 70s, the secondary school relocated and this building reverted to being a primary school.
The only pupils in attendance on the day of my visit were of the feathered variety and had flown in from Canada.
This was my regular route to school as a small child. For the longest time, there was some graffiti dedicated to the Irish band Thin Lizzy on the white expanse of wall. I felt a little sad when suddenly one day, it had vanished.
Another glimpse of that cone.
Nature overspill.
Back on the towpath and the Red House Cone in all her glory, newly restored and imposing.
Rewinding a little, we went to see some more live music, courtesy of Black Country band Headshrinkers. Securing my position at the front because I was relying on my mobile camera (and because I just love feeling the music and leaving with my ears ringing), I took a few shots, composing, framing and checking focus single handedly, as my other hand was rarely without a beer. We had a blast and were blown away (almost literally) by the band's raucous noisy energy, lyricism and sheer talent, plus a welcome horn section.
They were ably supported by a female fronted band, Bld Sugr! (Blood Sugar). The vocalist loved her theatrics and had a good set of pipes as our friend Ade pointed out.
After the show, Gareth snaffled a couple of vinyl editions of Headshrinkers' new album Judgment Day. I had a brief chat with the lead singer, Garran, during which we discovered that we'd been following each other on Instagram for the last two years. I hadn't made the connection prior to that evening, probably because it's a personal account and he posts less frequently than I do. I really need to address my spiralling screen time!
I loved that the band are proud of their Black Country roots, Garran's lyrics are poetry and their videos are shot at various locations close to home. I hope they make it! Here's a link to Threadbare, which has proved to be an earworm and also features Dudley Priory ruins, which you may recall I also used as a location for my Halloween Steampunk shoot last year.
Staying with the black and white imagery, I made a final visit to Archie's Attic in Enville. That's the beauty of our region, urban sprawl with a gritty industrial heritage, punctuated by pockets of picturesque countryside.
Archie's is in a hamlet called Enville, seemingly in the middle of nowhere (but a short drive from the town of Stourbridge) with views to die for, an intriguing history and at least two Knights Templar graves. The owner and great supporter of local crafters and creatives, Clare is moving on to pastures new. The cafe will continue though, under different management and will be reopening in mid January.
I never tire of this magical place built around the historic Enville Hall.
I want this sign!
Mistletoe.
My one regret - unavoidable as it was - was that I was too unwell to go to see Sharon Shannon's Big Band Tribute to Shane MacGowan in Birmingham's Irish heart, Digbeth, on Friday. Unsurprisingly, it was by all accounts an incredible evening, featuring the likes of Imelda May and former Pogue Kate O'Riordan.
So, I'll just have to make do with my vinyl copy of my favourite Christmas song, Fairytale of New York.
Oh, and because they look festive, I'm sharing the spools from one of this month's rare charity shop visits, where I managed to bag all the reds; a pair of leather gloves and a cashmere asymmetrical poncho.
Whatever you're doing, have a good one!
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