Nearing the end of lockdown in Redditch

Brian photographing Red Ditch in Redditch

The excitement yesterday was palpable.....was I getting my jab? No, I got that two weeks ago, very efficient, I got a text from the GP it took half an hour to get through and with that I was jabbed within an hour and a half.

Were we meeting people? No, that’s tomorrow, we are meeting Denise and Paul for a walk around Hanbury.

Getting out in Ted? No, not till the middle of April when we have two weeks away booked between mum and Brian’s second jabs. We’d not normally have considered booking for April, but just as well we have as it’s crazy out there! It’ll take a little getting used to, being organised!

So? He’d found Red Ditch on the OS map, a small stream rising and vanishing within a very small area. We had to go and look at what Redditch was named after, (apparently) sadly (so he said) both the source and end were on private ground so we could only walk alongside for a short distance counting the number of bikes and trolleys. (I think it was bikes 4 trolleys 1).

This is the neglected Red Ditch stream in Redditch. Studying the map yesterday to find somewhere different to walk to I found a little stream marked on the OS map called Red Ditch. Was this where the name of Redditch town came from? 'We must go and have a look' I told Jackie. She was excited (not). We found this tiny stream that has its source higher up in a field that was fenced off with barbed wire. Beyond here it snakes between a big factory and a new housing estate currently being built...

As I say, I had my jab, I didn’t get the flu symptoms. I just felt very tired. This hasn’t gone away and has been joined with feeling light headed, even when lying down! Blood tests have shown nothing except a slight vitamin D deficiency, so I’m on pills for that even though it doesn’t seem to fit the symptoms.

Here Red Ditch opens up into a small pool that's been fenced off by the housing estate builders. There were some old bikes and a shopping trolley in it...

Round at mum’s one day, B went out for the paper, and came back saying there was a small white dog in the road looking lost and confused. We went out to see what was what. It did seem a bit confused, but didn’t want to say hello. It kept trotting and stopping, and trotting and stopping. Did it know where it was going or was it just running away from us? I suggested taking a picture to put on the local Facebook group, but this was harder than it sounds. We were joined by a lady with a lead and a lady with a dog. By the time we caught up, it had gone about half a mile but was sitting on a front doorstep. The bell was rung, it did live there and trotted in, but what of the ladies husband who had gone out with the dog? We split to go both ways round the block, Brian found a man looking a little lost and confused. “If you’ve lost a small white dog, it’s home...” he had so set off looking quite relieved.

And this is where it appears to end, in a pond that used to be a millpond for a needle mill, long gone. From here is disappears underground through a concrete weir, presumably under the factory. We think it may join Batchley Brook, go under the big roundabout by Sainsburys and re-emerge by Forge Mill. But by then its lost its name Red Ditch. This pond is behind a high steel fence and is inaccessible to the public. I got the photo poking my camera through the railings. At least the ducks can get in!

We spent Mother’s Day with mum. Did some tree pruning in the garden and cooked chicken pie, seemed fairly traditional and ‘normal’.

Here's Red Ditch marked on Google Maps. That's the extent of it. It goes underground at the millpond and probably joins Batchley Brook where it goes under the big roundabout and out to the Forge Millpond on the right, but no longer called Red Ditch. Now compare this map with an 1880's map of the area. Click this link to see and zoom in on the 'Old Mills (Needle)' just left and up from centre: https://maps.nls.uk/view/101586298?fbclid=IwAR3jatrx8AScIK1Ln8fHrBvZh-gP2jvZ_MQDIOJ2p0fKX-fhL71V3i2WdcI

Apart from that, the usual, walking, cooking, food box delivering.... and finally finished the second jigsaw, it was a bit of a pig!

So apart from the exciting Red Ditch trail we've done several interesting walks. This is one was round the lovely Coughton Court. Below are photos from a walk round our home, and historic village of Alvechurch. Did you know that Coughton Court, that dates from 16th century and originally surrounded by a moat, was owned by the Throckmorton family, who were practicing Catholics during the reign of Elizabeth the first, when Catholics were being persecuted. Within the building is a 'priest hole' which was used to hide Catholic priests from Protestant Reformers. The Throckmortons were also implicated in an unsuccessful plot to murder Queen Elizabeth the first in 1583 and were implicated in the 1605 Gunpowder Plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament. It is said that some of the conspirators were waiting in the drawing room for news of the success of the plot and other conspirators rode directly there after the plan was foiled.   

A deer in the countryside at Coughton watches us carefully

The former St Laurence church Spernall, near Coughton

Jackie watches from a bridge next to a ford over the River Arrow at Coughton

Collecting wild garlic leaves to add to that evenings home cooked curry dish

And so onto our home village of Alvechurch. This is St Lawrence Church. It is believed a church existed here in Saxon times as a priest is mentioned as being here in the Domesday Book. Some of the earliest parts of the current building date from 13th century, with various additions every century after up to a major rebuild in 1858. More info on this link: http://www.alvechurch-stlaurence.org/history/4557346706

Alvechurch is located on the Worcester and Birmingham canal and has a large marina where you can hire narrow boats, have them repaired and also moor up and drink at two of the four village pubs that are situated on its bank, The Weighbridge and The Crown. More info on this link: https://www.alvechurchmarina.com/

The Crown pub. Photo taken from the bridge over the canal

The Tudor Rose Fish Bar - Alvechurch's  Fish and Chip shop in a beautiful medieval half timbered building

The Old House on Bear Hill. The ground floor bay window on the right leans outwards at the bottom at an alarming angle. Presumably it is structurally safe but it looks a bit worrying!

And for no other reason other than I managed to get a good photo, here's a sparrow taken from our window in Headless Cross, Redditch. I think it's quite cute, it was a cold day so it has its feathers puffed out

More news from Lockdown Redditch

A brief pause on one of our bike rides (Yes, she has a gold bike!)

The ‘roadmap’ for coming out of lockdown (stupid term, like so many) was published suggesting that from April 12th people would be able to go away in a self contained fashion. With that Trusted House Sitters has gone mad, but it is a bit like a full time job as if I don’t see a sit come on and apply within the first 4 to 7 people it’s probably not worth applying. This can be within an hour of a listing appearing on the website. There are obviously a lot of people out there, like us, who are keen to Housesit! We have got some lovely sits to look forward to, hopefully, all being well, but this has taken many messages and Skype chats. So far we have no bookings before June, I’m just not quick enough off the mark!

She moans I make her go on long walks, but who wouldn't want to be here with this view and this sky?

And with a reward at the end of it!

The medical malarkey has continued, B the dentist, I’ve tried hanging about outside vaccination centres trying to get a jab, (unsuccessfully) and mum to have her eyes looked at in Kidderminster and to have a scan in Worcester, along with telephone consultations this has all taken a bit of time. The outcome of which is she had a TIA or ‘mini stroke’ in itself nothing to worry about, the T stands for transient, but it may be a warning. So with slightly high blood pressure there are now pills to be taken which is all a bit new!

We’ve done lots of walking and lots of cycling though I stupidly did our little circuit at top speed the other day so now he just wants to go further and faster! We’ve supported Redditch, with deliveries, and continued cooking.

I find all the best routes. It did say this bridge was closed, but hey, its easy enough to balance over that plank of wood to access the bridge. What could possibly go wrong? This bridge is actually at the point where three brooks meet. The brooks are called 'Swans Brook', 'Thickwithey Brook' and 'Wixon Brook'. Don't beieve me (my sister didn't)? Take a look at the section of the OS map below

Monday Club has continued online and we’ve done an online murder mystery with Phil, Sue, Helen, Ian and Bev and Iain Which was good fun, though I did have to apologise to Carol downstairs as it went on till midnight! She says she’s a night owl and we weren’t awful, but she was aware we were there! Can you believe, Brian a murderer? Neither of us like the whole video chat thing so to realise we’ve done 5 in 4 days what with Housesitters, we’ve been very brave!

You can see the footbridge (FB) marked, next to Fox Covert. We looked for the fox but couldn't see it - it was covert (ha ha!) 

So although it doesn’t sound like we’ve done much, we are still only on our second jigsaw, so it can’t be all bad!

Here we are in the middle of our online murder mystery evening. At the top (LtoR) is Helen (Karisma - Lady William Worthalot-Worthy), Ian (Reverend Des Honestly), Sue (Miss Claire Voyantte), Phil (Fred, the local farmer). Bottom row (LtoR): Bev (Miss Scarlet Mopper), Iain (Rt Hon. Thomas Trustme), Jackie (Lady Beatrice) and Brian (Sam Noopy Junior, Private Detective)

Jackie in her Lady Beatrice clothes, complete with make-up - wow, how unusual!

Everyone was dressed up except for Brian who was supposed to be in scruffs as a private investigator (sort of in the mold of Columbo - if you remember the TV series)

Seen on one of our walks. Jackie did get a stroke but I just missed it

This is St Laurence Church in our home village of Alvechurch. I've lived in Alvechurch since 2002 and never actually made it to the church. Made a detour on the way back from the village newspaper shop whilst at Pauline's the other day. It's not a big village so never far away (when we lived there), so why have I never been there? No idea!

I've had a bit of grief over this. The pigeon is standing on a basket that Pauline puts tidbits in for the wild birds and, opposite is a water tray for them. Previously they were higher up the pole and the pigeon could stand on both and scoff himself with all the bird seed. It's not that we don't want him to have any, its just that he gorges so much and prevents the smaller wild birds for having any. So I went out and moved them down the pole so he couldn't reach them. This was taken just after I'd done it. He landed as usual but couldn't understand why he could no longer reach. He stretched his neck up high, went up on tip claws but to no avail...

Then he went on the top but it still didn't work. Pauline and Jackie are now feeling guilty and blaming me on their WhatsApp chats. He'll still be able to get some seed, dropped onto the table by the other birds, just not as much as before. It'll make him be more active (something we all need to do) and go and find some elsewhere I say!