Black Country Day
It’s Black Country Day on Monday, the 14th of July. Now these events don’t always get the publicity they need before the event. We only learn about them afterwards. We have a great history in the Black Country and strange traditions.
Photography: Cropping pictures
I took this photo on Sunday. I’ve added a little contrast. I was disappointed, the light wasn’t as good as I expected. I also took my tripod and couldn’t find anywhere level to use it! My Nikon doesn’t zoom in very much compared to some of the bridge cameras. My Fuji is a few years old and even that has a 10X zoom. (more…)
Eccentric. Me?
Someone suggested this week that I’m eccentric; off centre. Different! Yes, the Black Country seems to have more than it’s fair share of eccentrics. We have to be a bit mad to live here; it’s not the prettiest place in the world. It could be so much better, without the graffiti and the primitive behaviour.
The Review: Another week of writing and photography
Today’s photo was taken on the Walsall canal at Ocker Hill. I do try to show the Black Country in a good light; that’s when I get a good light to take the photo. This is one of the pictures I’ve entered for the waterways calendar competition.
Black Country Canals
There is a lot of interest in fishing in the Black Country and I’m starting with this photo today. This lad caught this pike in the Walsall canal on Sunday. This post should be syndicated by the YamYam. Fame at last aer kid! Locals might want to know where this is on the map so check it out on Google maps. (more…)
The Christmas review
Are you thinking about making New Year resolutions? Setting goals in life, whether it’s to lose weight and keep fit or something even more challenging can be useful. Try writing some things down and thinking about what is achievable and how you might achieve it. I have a few goals that include more photography. (more…)
Neodigital Art and photography
We want the Black Country to be represented in a 2015 Waterways calendar and so I’ve taken some canal pictures. The light wasn’t good when I took this one and despite the editing and fancy frame. I don’t think it’s interesting enough for a calendar. The tree silhouette against the sky is artistic though. (more…)
Weekend conclusion
We have lots of Autumn colours to appreciate now, but do we have time to appreciate them? I saw one of my neighbours children going to school really early one morning and found that some are leaving for school at 7 in the morning. Why? They have to go to the best school. No, not a private school like David Cameron. They’re not aspiring to be rich toffs are they?
Fags, faggots and Facebook
My local readers will recognise the shop in today’s picture. Teddy Grays is famous in the Black Country. They sell a delicious selection of sweets. When an International student visited me last Christmas, I gave her mice made of sugar from Teddy Grays, Cadbury’s miniatures and a few other delights that we used to find in our Christmas stockings as children. We’re never too old for Teddy Grays…
Black Country creativity
I went to Bilston Craft Gallery on Thursday and it was much better than I thought it would be. My photographs didn’t turn out as well as I hoped, but I did get some decent ones. It’s a nice Victorian building with interesting gardens. Some of the exhibits are crafts, but most I would describe as works of art.
Food banks, plastic bags and Vikings
It’s Sunday again and the weather doesn’t look too good. I try to have a day out on a Sunday taking photographs, but the weather often lets me down. I thought about heading in the direction of West Bromwich to photograph buildings again. I could have another go at getting the whole of The Public on to one photo. (more…)
Working Class? Who me?
The majority of people in the UK saw themselves as ‘working class’ at one time. The class structure of society was clear, the doctors, teachers and administrators were middle class, the aristocracy was upper class and the people who did the real work were working class. Now it’s more confused.
Photography | Victorian buildings
There are still a lot of Victorian buildings in this area and they are worth photographing. I remember walking down this street many years ago on Christmas Eve. I could hear the Salvation Army band playing Christmas carols around the corner. It felt like I was travelling through time to the England of Charles Dickens. Darlaston is still quite Dickensian… (more…)
Photographing and preserving history
There can be many reasons for taking photographs. It can be to create art, for nostalgic reasons, to preserve history or just for the fun of it.
Living in Wongaland
The Black Country isn’t really known for it’s beauty, but even here we have little pockets of what appears to be countryside at first glance. In reality it’s the remnants of our industrial past and nature is repossessing it. I don’t think the new HS 2 rail line will become a thing of beauty in years to come. It will destroy a lot of beauty. (more…)
Population, parking and Darlo
Bonjour! I’ve just found out, I have a couple of readers in France, so I thought I would say hello. For the benefit of my overseas readers, I’ll remind you all that I live in the heart of England. The Black Country is a just North of Birmingham and includes the City of Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall and Sandwell. (more…)
Am I happy? Oh, yeah.
According to the ONS, we are now much happier, cheered up by the Olympics and the Jubilee last year. Married couples are happier than single people, apparently. I can imagine some graduate researcher knocking the door of an unmarried mother in the Black Country and asking if she’s happy, just after she’d applied the Anusol to her latest tattoo.
Who are we to judge?
Today’s picture is of the Grapes Pool, just outside Bilston. Someone drove a car into it this week. I suppose it’s easy done. Who are we to judge? A guy was convicted in Walsall for soliciting a prostitute (kerb crawling). He had a prostitute in his car and went to a cash machine to get some money. Who are we to judge?
Wednesbury carnival photographs
I went to Wednesbury carnival on Saturday. I took quite a lot of photographs and met up with family members. I think local events are important for community spirit and they benefit the local economy. There were other events around the Black Country at other parks.
Black Country Art
I like photographing derelict buildings and Victorian buildings. This is in red and blue brick and is a pump house on the canal in Tipton. The half marathon ran past here on Saturday. It seems a shame to let it decay like this.
Only in the Black Country
The Birmingham Black Country half marathon was run yeserday morning. They were running down the tow path of the canal. It was a time trial, it’s a bit difficult to run a marathon on a tow path; not too much room to spread out. Someone went in the canal last time trying to overtake! The run went through Sheepwash nature reserve past the balancing lake. At least it’s a bit scenic and a pub at the finish line… (more…)
Summer in the Black Country
For the benefit of local readers and new readers, I live in Wednesbury, in the heart of the Black Country. So called because of the coal and industry. It was said to be black by day and red by night. I remember the red by night when the furnaces were opened. I remember the bronchitis from the smoke too.
Black Country art and history.
Today’s photo was taken yesterday with my new Nikon camera in Wednesbury. Today we have a meeting in the Brunswick park of the local history group. There is also the Walsall Arts Fest at White Lion in Walsall. The weather isn’t looking too good yet though. I’ll try to go. I think the Arts Fest could attract a crowd. (more…)
Art ‘n’ stuff
I watched a programme on TV last night about the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. It was all very posh and the artists that were accepted were so privileged and excited. There wasn’t an Ant-and-Dec accent in the house. The Black Country didn’t seem to be represented either…
