#ryecroft

#365daysofbiking A prickly observation:

November 25th - Some things that are seasonal are always a shock when you find them, as they remind you of a year passing. Snowdrops and acolytes after Christmas, the first daffodil, the first berries and galls, etc.

One that always catches me up short is holly berries.

That’s Christmas - it is after all, a great element of Yule symbolism. But they do appear a ways before Christmas and tend to be around long after. I don’t know why, but holly berries never seem that attractive to birds.

These, spotted on a wet Monday morning on the cycleway near Ryecroft Cemetery quite took me by surprise - but then, it’s only a month to go...

May 30th - This is always a lovely first sighting of the summer - the first orchid. Small, light purple in colour and growing in a solitary position next to the cycleway at Ryecroft this small, pretty flower reminds me that summer is here.

I’m not proficient enough to tell one orchid from another - there are so many different but similar types it can be very hard to tell - but they are all gorgeous, and like cowslips, are one of my favourite flowers.

I’ve been working on this project over the years, but life kept getting in front of it. The pandemic, moving house, lots of freelancing, etc. It was close but needed a push over the line and NOW, the Kickstarter prelaunch is finally up. With an expected lanuch of January 2025, this should finally get MonkeyBlood Design back to doing what it does best…. creating great and memorable products.…

#365daysofbiking Morning due:

October 24th - I had to be in work very early and woke up bleary and grumpy. The cold air, clear skies and empty streets as I seed through north Walsall though were gorgeous. 

Cycling through sleeping suburbia I heard alarms waking folk from their beds, and watched the day coming to life and I felt a bit like a low rent Dylan Thomas without the talent. There’s something special about being out legitimately obscenely early. I always love it.

The church visible from North Street bridge was beautiful against the sky as was the college and listening skyline.

Riding a bike can really set you up for the day.

31st October - It's been unseasonably warm - I rode home at sunset in shirtsleeves. Even still, the sunset seemed cold and autumnal. Catching it from the North Street railway bridge at Ryecroft, the view was lovely.

Yalumba’s “thinker in residence”, and one of the wine industry’s most popular and respected people, Brian Walsh, has retired.

‘Walshie’, as he is known to one and all, worked for Chateau Reynella, Seaview, Ryecroft and Hardys (tasting notes) before joining Yalumba in 1988 as chief winemaker.

Walsh worked in almost every department of Yalumba (tasting notes) from viticulture to winemaking to the cellar and promotions, and ran the highly successful museum tastings.

“His impact at Yalumba has been profound,” says managing director Robert Hill Smith. He is “a gifted man with a wicked wit and a lateral brain, and we are the beneficiary of his wisdom and commitment to our success.”