Good morning from Eastside and Digbeth.

by Damien Walmsley 22/07/2023 23/07/2023

I enjoy a photographic walk with my Fujifilm x100v camera around the streets of Birmingham. The early hours are best when few people are around and about. This series of photographs begins at Eastside where the HS2 works are taking place. Digbeth was next and I returned to Birmingham along the canal exiting again near to the HS2 works.

What is there to tell you about my walk? No surprises, as building in Birmingham has not finished and HS2 is still digging and putting up barriers. I took a few pictures and was interested to see BBC midlands covering the HS2 disruption in the evening news. Why is HS2 taking so long and why is there so much disruption? I do get upset with the blasé way they are undertaking the HS2 works. I am sure it will look wonderful when finished but is it worth the upheaval and time taken.
The latest BBC item puts HS2 under the spotlight.

Digbeth was quiet for a Monday morning and since the pandemic there is less footfall during business hours. The nightlife is always busy but there is a definite change in activity during the day. My next observation is the encroachment of high rise living around Digbeth and the loss of character with the demolition and neglect of buildings.

There are several brownfield sites around the area that will become large skyscrapers. Other signs of change include the former Typhoo tea building which is starting to see activity around the relocation of the BBC to the building. Change may not always be positive and one of my pictures is outside what was the DigBrew entrance. Sadly this excellent brewery has ceased trading and artwork from the street artist Tempo33 marks the spot.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-66199790 — Don’t go there.

There is much chaotic colour around the streets of Digbeth and the morning sun brings out the light and shadows. The canalside is another area in Digbeth that is changing with several buildings undergoing renovation. How this change will progress will be interesting to document in future months.

My final picture was taken on my iPhone as I went past the Selfridges building. I went low and framed the iconic discs in the background. I was in luck as a woman walked past although she was confused by what I was doing. The picture turned out well but was also a reminder not to attract undue attention during my street photography.

Returning to the HS2 theme then there are more stories about the construction on my blog. I have been documenting 16 acre wood and the damage caused by HS2 around Balsall Common since 2020. Here is my account of this part of the HS2.

The damage to 16 acre wood

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Day out to the Confetti fields and Pershore old bridge

by Damien Walmsley 07/07/2023 09/07/2023

Visit to Confetti fields and Pershore, 2023

There is a rush of colour to the eyes when you first see the Confetti Fields in Wick near Pershore. The family have been going to the fields since 2018 and every time the colours of the flowers surprise me. The delphinium flowers are white, purple, pink, or lilac blue. They are set out in lines along the field in a regimented style. Nature has a few quirks as in each line of colour there is some cross contamination that adds a small local contrast of colour. One line is of mixed colour and then around the edges are wildflower displays which add another touch of contrast. The family enjoy the day out to the fields and on arrival we walk to the top of the field before slowly making our way back through the paths created in the lines of flowers. Along the way there are lengthy stops for photographs. The viewing platform provides an overall view of the whole field and my grandchildren enjoy the trip up the steps to see the colourful flowers up high.

This year I brought along my 85mm portrait lens, and it proved to be a big success in the family portraits. The lens gives a superb focus and a nice bokeh to the pictures. Having taken in the flower fields, we walk past the refreshments to the car. We learnt long ago that buying bunches of delphiniums cause problems. They look delightful to begin with but rapidly shed their petals when placed in a flower vase.

Every year we have a picnic ready for the park in Pershore which is near to the Abbey. However, this year our visit clashed with a brass band festival. Everywhere was busy and there were no parking places available. We were very disappointed. As we headed out of Pershore, my daughter and I remembered a small car park that we had driven past near to the old Pershore bridge. We pulled into the car park and found spaces. There were also picnic benches. A bonus included a viewing platform overlooking the river Avon. The platform was between the new and old bridge and allowed us to view people kayaking on the river. As several narrowboats passed by, the grandchildren were able to wave to the people on board. Whilst we were on the platform, I met Rob preparing his kayak for a paddle on the river Avon. My picture shows him setting up his kayak surrounded by the other equipment laid out on the viewing platform.

The historic Pershore bridge, which is now pedestrian only, has so much history attached to it. In 1413, the abbot of Pershore Abbey lost his life here on the old wooden bridge, The monks rebuilt it in stone. During the English Civil war, the King ordered the bridge to be destroyed to prevent the advancing Parliamentarian army from crossing it. The demolition, led by a Major Bridge, went disastrously wrong leading to the deaths by drowning of 40 Royalist soldiers. In World War 2 ,the bridge was fortified in the event of a German invasion.

Now the place is a picnic area and Rob can kayak peacefully beyond the bridge from Pershore to Evesham.

The family loved the day as can be seen from the photographs. If you want to learn more about our day out then I have provided some links below

The Real Confetti Flower company

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Visit Pershore with details of all the activities in the area

I also recorded past visits to the Confetti fields in 2020, 2019, and 2018. Pictures from 2021 and 2022 were featured on my Flickr and Instagram accounts.

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