Last night my football team qualified for their first major trophy in 10 years. Blues last made the final of the League Cup back in 2001, losing to Liverpool (on penalties) at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Blues have won the cup once, back in 1963 when they beat local rivals Aston Villa.
Last night they beat West Ham 4-3 on aggregate and booked their place at Wembley where they will face Arsenal.
West Ham came to St Andrew's with a 2-1 lead after the first leg. That game had seen Blues fail to make an impact in the first half but gave a much better performance in the second.
Last night was very similar. A dire first half saw Carlton Cole score for the visitors. The second half saw the introduction of Zigic and much better Blues performance. Bowyer levelled the score, on the night, after 59 minutes. As the game entered it's final stages Roger Johnson's header levelled the score on aggregate and took the game to extra time.
Craig Gardener had already hit the post twice with long range efforts and put the ball in the back of the net in extra time taking the final score to 3-1 on the night.
The final takes place on 27th February. I hope I'm able to get a ticket!!
On New Year's Day, Clare and I went for a walk and saw two swans. I thought they were Whoopers but when I got home and checked the sitings around the Midlands there seemed to be an influx of Bewick Swans. After a bit of deliberation I blogged that we had seen Bewick Swans.
A couple of weeks later I went back and, seeing the swans were still there, took some photos on my phone. Looking at them today, I was convinced they were Whoopers but needed a second opinion. I decided to mail Warwickshire Birding, a great little blog that records sitings around the Midlands area.
Tonight I have had a response. The birds Clare and I saw are Whooper/Mute hybrids. Apparently they have been spotted at Brueton Park before and have also been seen around the Warwickshire area.
I'm still fighting my hibernation instinct and so last night I could have quite happily stayed at home. Instead I headed into Birmingham to go and see The Walkmen and am I glad I did!
I met a couple of friends at The Green Room for a quick drink and we headed round to The Glee Club. We hadn't been there long when the support band took the stage.
The Head and The Heart hail from Seattle and are signed to the Sub Pop label. They offer up a slice of Americana that sounds fresh and exciting. Harmonies, piano and strings add great depth to songs that you can't help but tap/bob/dance along with. I don't know much about them but I believe they have a record out over here in April. I look forward to it. In the meantime you can check out their Myspace page below.
Next up were The Walkmen. I fist saw them about 10 years ago supporting Idlewild and if I'm honest they didn't really make an impact. Since then I have let them pass me by. However, on last night's performance I think it is time I got to know their back catalogue.
As soon as they opened with Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone I knew I was in for a good night! Unlike the bloke next to me, who after the first song, was made to leave by his girlfriend! I don't know what she was expecting!
On stage the band put in a great performance, tight but not polished, moving one person in the audience to shout "The drummer is amazing".
Like I said, I'm not over familiar with all their songs so I can't tell you the set list. I do know the time passed quickly and it wasn't long before they announced there was only one more to play, Juveniles.
A short break and they were back for 3 more songs. New Country, The Rat (which got the biggest reception of the night) and We've Been Had.
This was my first gig of 2011 and it was a fantastic way to start the new year! Although it wasn't a sell out, the decent sized crowd left knowing they had seen a great band.
Clare, myself and a couple of friends headed for Hereford yesterday just to have a look around and do a bit of shopping. It was quite a grey day and felt quite cold. It tried to brighten up as the day went on but I couldn't get warm.
Having got our bearings (and spending a fair amount of money in a lovely little kitchen shop) we decided to get something to eat. We ended up on Church Street at a place called Bean There. Housed in what was once the Lord Mayor's House circa 1625 it is now part cafe part map seller (hence the name). They offer a decent selection of tea and coffee. The food is a little on the basic side (paninis, toasted sandwiches etc) and although the original beams are still visible the decor is a little on the bland side.
Having eaten we walked the couple of hundred yards to the cathedral. It's undergoing restoration work at the moment but is still an impressive site despite the scaffolding. Built in the 12th century, it is the home of the Mappa Mundi (a 13th century map of the world). Unfortunately it wasn't on display. The cathedral itself is huge and we wandered around for some time.
Afterwards we headed back to Church Street. It's not a big place but has some great shops along it, my favourite being The Mousetrap, a lovely little cheese shop. Time ran away with us and after a quick coffee and a look around some of the other shops it was time to head back.
It's been a quiet week with not much to report. As the temperature outside drops my motivation to get out and about falls with it and so it has been a succession of cosy nights in in front of the TV.
Last night saw the launch of 10 O Clock live, Channel 4's new topical satire programme. Scheduled to go up against Question Time and Newsnight the show is a satirical look at the week's news.
Jimmy Carr, David Mitchell and Charlie Brooker provide the comedy aspect and Lauren Laverne adds the glamour.
After Lauren Laverne opened the show Jimmy Carr delivered a monologue about Alan Johnson who had resigned from the Shadow Cabinet earlier in the day. So far so good.
As the show progressed it seemed that a lot of the material could have been written weeks in advance and although the topics are still relevant (Banker's bonuses, Sarah Palin and so on) it sort of lost the cutting edge feel.
The highlight for me was most definitely David Mitchell's interview with David Willetts (Higher Education Minister) on the subject of tuition fees. He was spot on in his questioning and it made you wonder how lesser MPs will fair against him.
The hour passed quickly and although the show wasn't perfect it was a good first effort.
Popped along to the Street Art exhibition at Coventry's Herbert Gallery today. They have some really good exhibitions and this was no exception. The exhibition features prints by Banksy, Jamie Hewlett, Pure Evil and Shepard Fairey amongst others.
Highlights for me included SPQR's Super Soft, Nemo by Graeme Nimmo, Nous Somme Tous En Situation Irreguliere by Miss Tic and Banksy's Americans Working Overhead Sticker.
Another highlight was Pahni's Nowhere Near Here, a stop motion animation (set to Royksopp's What Else Is There?) that uses a combination of light with stencils and long exposure photography to tell the story of a dog running around the city at night, doing whatever a dog does. Filmed in Bristol it took over 300 hours to make.
Next up was Mohammed Ali, a local graffiti artist who uses arabic script in his work. His art seems quite political but among the pieces highlighting the problems in Palestine were a couple that focused on the Blitz. I took a photo on my phone and the spotlight was perfectly positioned to make it look like light coming through the window. I was quite taken with it.
The exhibition ends tomorrow. If you're free you really should make the effort!
It’s been a strange old week. With building work at the flat we have all had to relocate to my parents for a few days. As is usual with the building trade the job has taken twice as long as we were told. Still, it’s all done now and we can get back to normal.
It’s been a week of two halves. The latter part has been quiet (spending time listening to music) but I was out and about at the start of the week.
I met a friend for lunch on Monday and popped along to the cafe in Brueton Park. Whilst we ate I watched the birds come and go from the feeders outside the window. In the space of about an hour we saw Great Tits, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Chaffinch, a Blackbird, 3 Robins, 2 Nuthatch and a Wren. It’s a lovely little place but the food is quite basic and not that cheap.
Afterwards I popped along to the lake to see the Bewick Swans that Clare and I first saw on New Year’s Day. They’re still there.
On Tuesday I found myself in Kings Heath and spent late afternoon early evening at a place I’d not been before. Cherry Reds is a cafe on York Road. I’m not sure how long it has been there but I imagine it’s fairly new.
Cafe by day and Bar in the evening it’s a lovely place to sit out the rush hour. I can’t comment on the food or the selection of drinks as I only had coffee and a blueberry muffin, both of which were lovely. The staff seemed friendly and helpful and although the place is very small the decor gave it a cosy feel. I will definitely head back there next time I’m in that neck of the woods.
I got home in time for the football and watched Blues lose 2-1 to West Ham in the first leg of the League Cup semi final. A dismal first half display but a much better second half saw Blues level the score with a Ridgewell goal. Unfortunately a rare mistake by Ben Foster (although I also blame the static defence) meant Carlton Cole’s tame effort trickled through his legs and into the net, giving ten man West Ham the lead. It’s still quite evenly poised for the second leg at St Andrew’s at the end of the month.
Wednesday and Thursday were quiet. It’s meant I’ve been able to catch up with some music. There are some great albums due over the next couple of months. I’m really looking forward to PJ Harvey’s new album. The tracks I’ve heard so far sound great! I’m also looking forward to Eat Lights Become Lights’ debut album which is due out at the end of February. If you don’t know who they are then here's a video. You can also check out their Myspace page below.
It wasn't all that long ago since Clare and I went to the Butterfly Farm in Stratford but we found ourselves there again today with friends.
There didn't seem to be as many butterflies as last time but there were some different types. There were also a lot more birds (cockatiels and parrots). Clare was disappointed that there was no food in the dispensers to feed the fish.
Afterwards we headed into Stratford and after a quick tour of the shops headed for Cafe Pasta for something to eat. I went for pizza with goats cheese, onions and peppers. It was lovely. We had a 2 for one voucher (for up to 6 people) but when the bill came only one meal had been deducted. When we queried it the manageress told us that the voucher meant that only one meal was free for every table of six! So much for buy one get one free. In our case it should have read buy three and get the fourth free. She did however, as a goodwill gesture, deduct the second meal.
All in all a good day out although I had hoped to have a quick look around the new revamped theatre but unfortunately we didn't have the time. I'll have to wait until next time.
Went walking yesterday. It was up in the air as to where we'd go but we ended up at Hay Wood near Baddesley Clinton. There was shooting taking place and the sign said to stay on the main tracks. It wasn't long before we came to a dead end. After a few minutes looking at the map it was decided that if we headed out the wood we could complete a 7 mile walk around Baddesley Clinton and Rowington.
As we set out across fields and along lanes the weather, which had been cloudy all morning, brightened. Blue skies and sunshine and although it is still the start of January there was a feel of Spring in the air.
The walk itself took about 3 hours and took us onto the canal tow path. The canal was still frozen in places but looked lovely in the sunshine.
Leaving in the tow path we headed down the road and then down a very muddy track until we got to the house at Baddesley Clinton. It was closed but we sat in the grounds and ate our packed lunch before walking up past the church and back to the car at Hay Wood.
England have won The Ashes Series beating Australia 3-1. It's the first time in 24 years they have won on Australian soil.
The final Test in Sydney saw England win by an innings and 83 runs. The time difference meant staying up all night to watch it but I couldn't manage that. Each morning I would wake up and put on the news to see that England had edged a little closer to victory.
India (ranked number 1 in the world) are due here in the summer and if England can maintain their form it looks like it will be a great year for cricket!
As I mentioned the other day Darren Hayman is writing and recording a new song each day throughought January. You can download them free of charge here.
Along with the song there are diary notes and videos. Here is the video for Isle of Eigg (January 4th), written by Darren and sung by Gordon McIntyre from Ballboy.
There was a partial solar eclipse this morning but just like the lunar eclipse last month cloud cover prevented me from seeing it. I could see the orange glow of the sun between the clouds but could not see the sun itself.
There is also a meteor shower. The Quadrantid meteor shower is an annual vent that is active during January 1st through January 10th every year. The maximum peak of this year's shower is expected to be tonight with 30 to 50 meteors per hour! I've just been outside and again there is cloud cover. When it comes to looking at the skies I don't seem to have much luck.
Took a walk around Brueton Park yesterday. There were plenty of birds around. We stopped at the cafe and watched them at the feeders through the window. After a quick coffee we walked around the lake and amongst the usual ducks and geese were a pair of Bewick Swans!
Other birds we saw included a Grey Heron, Kestrel, 2 x Bullfinch, 2 x Nuthatch, Chaffinch and Long Tailed Tits.
I quite like the New Year. I'm not one of those people that mourn the loss of another year nor am I one who makes unrealistic promises to themselves about the future. I do however have a certain amount of optimism.
Now that the whole Christmas thing is over and Spring is still a long way off, January can feel like a long month but there is a ray of light. Darren Hayman will be writing, recording and releasing a new song every day throughout January! He will be posting them on Soundcloud and you can download them free of charge for a limited period.
You can get all the info and relevant links from the page below.
