Butautu Šviesus Alus — Neighbourhood Beer Tour #11

Did some coding to fill in the short spaces between administrative emails Friday and came to the conclusion that — except for the things that MUST be done at the lab bench — I’m much more efficient working from home.  No news except what occasionally popped up on the Tweet feed I never closed from the 6 am start of the day (when I probably dick around an hour a day collectively on the Guardian, NYT, and Washington Post when at the office).

On the other hand, the 3pm beer, Butautu Šviesus Alus (from Latvia), seemed a valid substitute for the water bottle refill I would normally “indulge in.”

Jackie was home working for a change, too, and started her day at 8:30 with a 10 minute break around noon and, finally, wandering back downstairs to call it A Day a 6.  I ran a quick debug on the script I am still not best pleased with and joined her.  Not as satisfying as the shorter, on site version of work but it is what we have, for now.

Commute 28 of 52 (From): Life, The Universe, and Everything

42:  The last pub I went to was the one in the picture, 42 days ago.

Today marks the end of the 6th week since the pubs were closed down.  Everything else, as well.  But, I have my towel and managed not to panic on the run home (overland route, 6.8 miles).

2020 Commute 27 of 52 (To): End of the Tunnel

Trump said something about light at the end of the tunnel the day before he told everyone to drink Dettol to cure COVID-19, so that light at the end of the tunnel might be related to the GOP rats fleeing the sinking SS Donald (I’m mixing metaphors as much as the Bad, Orange Man appears to be mixing his meds, but, hey-ho!).

9.7 miles on the canals with a slight detour at the campus to find a porous enough entrance to slip through.  Seemed reasonably warm but the weather app claimed it was 8°C (46°F).

2020 Commute 25 of 52 (To): Breaking routine ever so slightly

Took the bike path beside the tramlines from Guns Village to The Hawthornes then used the sunshine for dead reckoning until I crossed the Harbourn rail trail.  Ending up in Harbourn and returning to the pavements left me alone save for a few motor vehicles, the bin men, and some dog walkers.  8 miles total for a shorter trip than normal.

The turbopump spider plant in the Window Botanical Garden on the 5th Floor of the Biosciences Tower seems unaware of the pandemic.

Lech — Neighbourhood Beer Tour #3

I’ve mentioned Lech before.  I’ve mentioned Lloyd Cole before.  I don’t remember ever mentioning Kandinski before but have definitely done the puzzling post previously.  Here they all came together after I cracked open NBT #3 and put on Jackie’s copy of Rattlesnakes.  Sublime Sunday afternoon in quarantine.

2020 Commute 24 of 52 (From): Metaphors

My spirit animal is the goose.  Early in today’s 9.9 mile commute home from the flying stopover in the labs, a bad sign confronted me in the Brum/Worcs Canal.  Doom…while Jackie quite literally deals with Death down at the hospital (five new CV19 entries yesterday, alone), I am, most days, immune.  Bummer.

I did, however, spot another mosaic graffito which may, in some small way, negate the ill mojo.

Easter Monday Mileage and River Tame Bridges

Easter Monday is a Bank Holiday but with the Lockdown so is every day.  After some minor household chores and picking up the fixings for pizza tonight (flour, cheese, olives, pepperoni, tomatoes, wine), I headed out for a run.

Despite the wind in my face, I was determined to follow my shadow (or stay to the right of it) for a half hour.  The Hipster Bridge was at my northern inflection point and, as my map informed me later, carried the M5 Motorway across the River Tame.  The robot known as the Key Keeper was one of the graffiti beneath this pont.

I had hoped to cross the railway to the left of the bridge with the Cramps and Circle-A graffiti but the crossing gate was padlocked.  Hopping another, less sharp fence brought me to the Tame whence the bridge photos were collected.

This concrete footbridge below the M5 leads to a massive sewage treatment facility which must be especially efficient as I didn’t pick up on it by scent at all (my Environmental Engineer’s senses must have dulled in the nearly quarter-century since I left the field).

 

Woody’s Tortoise and Hare 5K, West Bromwich course

Having completed the Nielsen last week, I got invited to the PPRR‘s next run  (Woody’s Tortoise and Hare 5K) which due to the lockdown is also a virtual race.  I went a bit further as had always been the plan and chose the fastest 5K of my Saturday run (6.7 miles altogether in yellow and none of it on ideal surfaces) for my entry.  23:24, but I hope the handicapping improves my position (age and weight being, in this instance, in my favour).

Of course, the route also featured my most recent obsession with a few more Canal Furniture features on the Dudley Canal and Gower Branch.  The Groveland Bridge was singularly unimpressive:

But, the gauging station that supports an abutment for the aqueduct of the Brum Canal was quite nice:

Most likely, it services the adjacent Netherton Tunnel:

Inside, the path continues on but without a torch I daren’t venture in.  That light in the distance isn’t the end of the tunnel, which is just over 1.7 miles away, but rather a lamp on a canal boat or some walker’s torch:

Back out and up to the Birmingham Canal, I chased the Gower Branch.  The lock I photographed recently is Lock 1 and shares a gate with Lock 2 in this really steep drop-off.  Here’s the exclusive to Lock 2 gate:

which leads to Brades Hall Bridge a couple of arm lengths away:

Lock 3 is next to a Hindu temple and education compound:

I found the Dope Soul sticker on a postbox when I was dumping off some “Return to Sender” mail.  Dope would be nice, but the run was rounded off with a cider and some Saturday newspapers (essentially, the Daily Doom).

2020 Commute 23 of 52: Maundy Thursday

Been doing “essential worker” tasks Monday and Thursday and just noticed the pun as I began washing my feet after the run.  9.6 miles.

Surely it won’t be our Last Supper, tonight.  We’re having pierogies with onion and butter sauce…we have been eating from our local grocers lately and most of them are Polish or Romanian (I know, I know . . . “what have the Romanians ever done for us?”).  I’m keeping a close eye on Judasz behind the till, for good measure (“Zanim kogut zapieje trzy razy…”).

Happy Easter.

Photodump: More Canal Furniture from the 08 April COVID-19 Lockdown Run

As promised, here are the bridges and bits from the canal run yesterday (segregated from the John Prine obit out of respect although our John might well have appreciated the coal and steel connections).

Leaving Albion Road heading west, your first encounters are the Albion Railway Bridge and the previously spotted Bridge of Tojo the Dwarf:

 

These are followed closely by the footbridge crossing the Gower Branch:

There’s a gasline crossing with another of the epoxied mosaic graffiti on it at the gauging station a few yards beyond the Gower Branch:

 

And a footbridge over the filled in entrance to a filled in wharf:

At the Dudley Canal there’s a crossover bridge and a bridge that crosses.

On this day, they were both slathered with fat fuckers who diffused to cover the maximum amount of the passageway:

I exited the Mainline at the aqueduct by Dudley Port Rail Station:

And, rejoined the Birmingham Canal at the Dudley Port Bridge:

Another bridge over nothing:

leading to Kier’s Bridge:

and, an aqueduct over the Dudley Canal:

Gilbert’s Bridge is at Brittania Road while

Dudley Road Bridge is at Dudley Road:

There’s a fetid sluice that also counts as a bridge soon after:

Fisher’s Bridge is followed rapidly by two footbridges and a lock sighting at the Gower Branch:

 

 

 

The wooden footbridge is gated and locked at both ends but Brades Bridge is right behind it:

 

The strangely named bridges were next.  This low bridge is the High Bridge:

And this mirthless monstrosity is the Whimsey Bridge:

The Seven Stars Bridge and a footbridge over a wasteland were the last items seen from the air (before venturing under the motorway):

 

The Stone Street Bridge barely peeks out of the M5 flyover:

While the Oldbury Crossing and

the utilities bridge are completely obscured:

The last new bridge is labeled, “I’m Gay” (at Manchester Street, appropriately enough):