The Last Few Days

It's pretty humid at the moment and the grey skies seem to suggest a storm might be on the way.  Yesterday however the skies were blue and we had the first good day, weather wise, for some time. It seems that this summer is going to be like the last few, a bit of a wash out.

We did manage to get out into the sunshine yesterday, taking my parents to Earlswood.  We've spent a lot of time there in the last couple of months!  We wandered around the lake, stopped off at the Manor House Tea Rooms and strolled through the woods.  My parents hadn't been there for years and seemed to enjoy it. 

Saturday despite being warm was quite a dull day.  We never ventured far.  Did a bit of shopping and in the evening we watched Burke and Hare.  A typical Simon Pegg film, filled full of familiar faces. An easy enough film to watch and perfect for a quite night in.

Friday we had people over for a "Race Night".  You have fake money and watch a DVD of a real horse race. The commentary has been changed and all the races have a theme.  Clare had bought prizes along the same theme for the winner. For example whoever won the fruit themed race got a pineapple!  Despite it being a bit of fun it was surprising how people got into it.  Shouting for their horse and so on.  I bet the neighbours loved us! 

All in all a quiet(ish) weekend.

John Grant at Leamington Assembly

John Grant used to be in a band The Czars.  I used to like them and so when a mate asked if I fancied popping over to Leamington on Thursday to see him I said yes. I'm glad I did too.

I'm not familiar with his solo work but on the strength of this gig his new album would be worth shelling out for.  His songs seem to be autobiographical and talk about love, loss and a childhood, growing up in small town America.

It's the first time I'd been to a seated gig at Leamington Assembly but thought it worked really well. 

John took the stage along with his sidekick ( a local lad from Coventry apparently) and they worked their way through a great set which included songs from his time with The Czars as well as his new stuff. 

Support came from Daughter.  A female solo artist whose voice and one song I'm sure I recognised.  We arrived halfway through her set but the bit we caught was fantastic. 

All in all a good night.  Set highlights were Marz, Chicken Bones, Vietnam and Little Pink House.

Daughter's website

Bella Union John Grant Page

Leamington Peace Festival

Leamington Spa's Peace Festival has been running for the last 32 years.  It's free and has plenty of stalls and two stages for live music.  It is spread over two days and on Saturday Clare and I happened upon it by chance.

Saturday, we had planned on a day of shopping and milling about but when we arrived we came across the festival setting up in The Pump Room Gardens. 

We wandered around the shops and picked up some bits n pieces. I managed to buy the Franz Ferdinand Covers vinyl that I didn't get on Record Store Day and we stopped off at Delicious by FT for a bite to eat.  The food was fine but the homemade lemonade not only looked fantastic but tasted great as well.  If only the weather justified such a lovely drink!

Having finished the shopping we headed to the festival (by passing the record fayre).  We wandered around the stalls looking for stuff that might come handy at End Of The Road, whilst keeping an eye on the main  stage. 

The band playing were called The Powderblue Band who were pretty good.  We also caught some of TenSheds on the bandstand. Another good band. 

Other acts throughout the weekend included Rory McLeod and Attila The Stock Broker.  Guest speakers and workshops are also on offer.  The strangest thing I saw other than the Hunt Saboteur Stand was Gong Massage.  You lean with your back against the gong and some one plays it up and down your back for ten minutes! Very relaxing apparently.  Having toyed with and then dismissed buying a poncho we left. I still can't believe I'd not heard of it before but we will be going back next year.

You can find their website below along with Tensheds and The Powderblue Band's sites.

http://www.peacefestival.org.uk/

http://www.thepowderblueband.co.uk/

http://www.tensheds.com/

Sunday and we headed to Blakesley Hall for their Falconry Day.  It was quite busy and we arrived after the first display had started so we opted for the cafe instead.  Eventually we wandered over to catch the end of the display.  We arrived as the crowd was being introduced to Scratchy a hybrid Falcoln (part Gyr part Sekar),  The plan was that Scratchy would fly off and catch his food (attached to a lure) in the air.  As it happened and soon as Scratchy was airborne he was attacked by three gulls and a crow and so flew off behind the house and just kept going!  No amount of calling or whistling could get him back! Luckily he had a radio tag on so his handler could track him for up to 5 miles.  It wasn't long before the signal disappeared altogether. 

The shows continued and we were introduced to an Eagle, Perrigrine hybrid, a couple of owls and a Kestrel but I kept wondering about Scratchy.  We went home not knowing if he had been lost forever. 

Clare mailed the Falconry Centre the following day and apparently Scratchy had been found at 7pm the same evening 2 miles away. All's well that ends well.

The birds came from The Falconry Centre in Hagley.  When we get the chance we are going to visit properly and if possible do one of their handling experience days.

http://www.thefalconrycentre.co.uk/

This Week

Firstly, the lunar eclipse on Wednesday night was a let down due to cloud cover. It seems I never have any luck when it comes to star gazing.  This was a long eclipse and the moon turned blood red although we didn't get to see it.  Last night and Tuesday had fantastic views of the moon (through the clouds) but Wednesday's show wasn't to be.

Secondly, Alex McLeish's move across the city.  Having resigned from Blues last Sunday it has been announced this morning that he has now been installed as the new Villa manager.  This despite fan protests at Villa Park and Blues insisting on compensation (Villa have agreed to pay 2 million).

To be honest, I don't blame him going.  I think Blues have some real problems behind the scenes but I am surprised he has crossed the city!  I think Blues fans are unhappy about it but not as much as Villa fans. Some sections are talking about giving their season tickets back.  A few wins under his belt though and it will soon be forgotten.  In the meantime Blues have to find a new manager and start planning their bid for promotion and their campaign in Europe.  Interesting times ahead!

Finally, the fixtures for the coming season have been announced today. Blues kick off against Derby for the first game and end the season at home to Reading.  The last away game is Brighton!  Hopefully a trip to the seaside to celebrate our return to the Premier League!

Sunday

Today, as forecast, it has been raining.  It started early this morning and hasn't stopped since.  This has meant an afternoon of listening to music which I've thoroughly enjoyed. 

Despite the rain I've still got out into the countryside side today albeit just on the edge of the city.  Originally we were off to Worcester but the friends we were going with decided it would be better to stay local and so we found a four mile walk close to Kings Norton.

Bizarrely enough the last time we were over that way was on the 7th June last year and the weather was exactly the same. Then, we sat in the car and had a picnic.  This time, with different friends, we did exactly the same but eventually decided we should get out of the car.

Walking the lanes rather than the footpath we did a circle and an hour after we set out we were back at the car. Soaking wet and quite chilly we finished the picnic and headed home to get warm and cosy.

Now I Wasn't Expecting That!

I was just about to write up my day when I received a text with some odd news. I checked it out and this is what I found on the BBC Sport website.

Alex McLeish has resigned as manager of Birmingham City.

Birmingham won the Carling Cup in February but went on to be relegated from the Premier League at the end of the past campaign.

The club's board had stated that McLeish's job was "safe" in the aftermath of their drop into the Championship but the Scot has now decided to leave of his own accord.

Aston Villa are already being suggested as a possible destination for McLeish.

"Birmingham City Football Club can confirm that Alex McLeish has resigned as manager," said a statement on the St Andrew's club's website.

"Acting chairman Peter Pannu received an e-mail resignation from McLeish earlier today [Sunday] while away on business in Amsterdam.

"No further comment will be made at this moment in time and updates will be released in due course."
More to follow.

I'm a bit surprised but not sure that I'm that upset by it.  I'd like to know his reasons.  Is it because Blues seem to have no money or has he had a better offer from the other side of the city.  Time will tell.

Earlswood Lakes (The Back Up Plan)

Yesterday's plan was to have a day out at Doxey Marshes in Staffordshire but the weather forecast suggested heavy rain and so we decided to stay local.
After ruling out trips to Stratford & Leamington we decided upon Earlswood again.  It's local and still had bits we hadn't explored. 

After breakfast we headed off and arrived about 10.30.  The sun was shining and the sky was blue but in the shade of trees, at the waterside it felt quite chilly.

We walked around the lakes before heading off towards Clowes Wood. On the third lake (Terry's Pool) were 3 Greylag Geese that we hadn't seen before. 

We headed into the wood and followed the path of the railway line and down the other side.  As we headed back into the dense trees I saw a flash of orange and then blue.  A Kingfisher.  The odd thing was that there didn't seem to be any water other than a stagnant stream. We hung around but it never returned. 

Once we had reached the far end of the wood the dark clouds in the distance were upon us and so we headed back.  Luckily the rain held off and we managed to get out of the woods and all the way back to Manor Farm Craft Centre where we had a sandwich and a bowl of chips at the Manor House Cafe.

Afterwards we had a look around the units and Clare bought some earrings.  It was at this point we had the first large shower.  We sheltered in a doorway until it passed and then headed off, taking in the lakes once more before going home.

Dandelion Radio Free Download

I've not posted any music related stuff for ages!  To make up for it if you follow the link below you can download a couple of free albums. 

To celebrate Dandelion Radio's fifth birthday Five Years is a free compilation on the Unwashed Territories netlabel. It is available until the end of July so you have plenty of time to grab it! 

I've not listened to it properly yet but I'm enjoying the bits I've heard and the Martin Carr track is fantastic!

http://www.dandelionradio.com/fiveyears.htm

I Don't Like Mondays

The start of the working week comes around all too quickly.  I find Monday mornings particularly hard after a weekend spent in green surroundings.  Having spent Saturday at Sandwell we headed to Solihull Nature Reserve yesterday.  We headed over quite early (got there at just gone 7am) and had seen over twenty different species of bird within the first hour.  It was grey and chilly and so we went back into Solihull to get a coffee and warm up before heading back to the Reserve. 

The sun eventually came out and we spent ages sitting on an old tree trunk watching Whitethroats flit amongst the undergrowth. It was great to watch them rising from the ground, hover and then dive bomb back into the long grass.  We also saw a Lesser Whitethroat. 

We headed home about lunchtime having seen over 35 species. Highlights for me included the Buzzard being harassed by 7 crows (they only left it alone when they went after a Kestrel instead), 3 Goldcrest flitting around a tree and the Lesser Whitethroat.

Signing Up

So Clare and I finally did it.  We have talked about it for some time and today we finally took the plunge.  We joined the RSPB.  Having made our way to Sandwell Valley for their guided walk we took the opportunity to sign up.  For our money we came away with the latest copy of the RSPB quarterly magazine, a welcome pack and a lovely book on Garden Wildlife.  Not only that but we also have the satisfaction of knowing that we are doing something to help our wildlife.

The day itself promised to be a good one, warm and sunny!  As we headed over to Sandwell it was lovely but at the start of the walk it turned cloudy.  Not only that but the birds seemed to have disappeared!  We got to the lake and all the usual suspects were there Lapwing, Gadwall, Tufted Duck and Mallard.  There were a couple of Common Terns, Lesser Black Backed Gull and plenty of Canada Geese.  At the hide we watched a Great Crested Grebe making repairs to it's nest. Also on a nest was an Oyster Catcher. 

The highlight for me was a Black Tailed Godwit which we watched wading through the marsh.

We got home in time for the England versus Switzerland match.  If I'm honest I hadn't really given it a second thought.  I've sort of grown tired with the whole England Football Team.  A manager who we don't want and who doesn't want to be there. On the pitch it's the same old faces and the same old lack lustre performance. 

As a Euro qualifier it should have been a much more exciting prospect but it didn't really fire the imagination. I put the TV on but rather than watch it properly I just had it on the background.  In the first half England went 2-0 down but pulled it back to 2-1 through a Lampard penalty.  In the second half Ashley Young levelled the scoring.  The game finished 2-2 and England are still top the group but I can't for one moment believe that, if we qualify, we could actually go on to win the competition.

Barn Owls Or Lack Of

Last night Clare and I headed over to Solihull Nature Reserve to see if we could spot a an owl.  Last year we were told that barn owls had nested in one of the boxes and, if you were lucky, you might see one.We decide to gamble on them being there again his year and so after dinner we strolled over to the reserve. 

We arrived about 7.30pm and stayed until nearly 10pm, waiting for dusk to arrive.  We didn't see a barn owl but in the couple of hours we were there we managed to see Reed Bunting, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Swallow and Swift as well as many others.  There were also a couple of others that were too quick to identify but I have a sneaky suspicion one of them was a Sedge Warbler.  We heard Chiffchaff and there was a very loud Song Thrush sitting atop a tree. 

As the light faded we could hear an irate blackbird.  It seemed to be coming our way.  All of a sudden, swooping low over the reeds, a bird came into view and disappeared into the trees.  What  looked like a bird of prey was being chased by the blackbird. The poor light and speed meant we never saw it clearly enough to identify it.  I'd love to know what it was.

As it stands I may never know and not long after we headed back through the park in the semi darkness and home.