Another Week Passes By

Here we are again, over a week since my last post.  So what have I been up to since then?  Let's start with last Thursday.

Thursday night and St Andrew's played host to European football for the first time in 50 years (not including the Anglo Italian Cup in the early 90s) and I was there along with nearly 28,000 other supporters to witness Blues cruise into the group stages of the Europa League.

A nervy start saw Nacional have the better of the play but after about 15 minutes the game settled down. This was due largely to a cracking goal by Nathan Redmond, 17 years old and already a crowd favourite. 

The second goal came a few minutes later via Murphy's head.  Blues were making it look easy!  It was great to see us going forward and players actually queueing in the box to have a go.  A massive contrast to last year!

The third and final goal came in the second half. Chris Wood wrapped it up for Blues in the 86th minute.  I great evenings entertainment and all for a tenner.  Can't be bad. 

Friday and I missed the draw for the next round as I was at a family occasion over in Derbyshire.  It was good to see cousins again after 20 years. Hopefully we'll stay in touch now.

Saturday was a quiet day and on Sunday Clare and I headed to Sutton Park.  I'd not been there for years!  The weather was grey and a little on the chilly side when the wind got up but it was nice to wander around.   When we first arrived I noticed a rabbit in a field.  He was wild and kept disappearing into his warren.  The odd thing was he was jet black!

We wandered around the lakes and through the woods for a good couple of hours and eventually found the Blackroot Bistro. Stopping here, we had a bite to eat.  Clare ended up taking her bowl of chips back as there must have been half an inch of oil at the bottom and they were under cooked.  It's a shame as it was nice sitting under a brolly with a hot drink and food as the rain came down.

We intended to do some bird spotting whilst there ad came away with a pretty average list although we did see a bird of prey which we were unable to identify.  My gut instinct was Hen Harrier but I couldn't say for certain.

My gut instinct was ruled out on Monday when we went to Sandwell Valley. They had been reports of Snipe but it turned out one had been seen flying over. 

We arrived and as we approached the marsh we heard the distinctive call of Water Rail.  Things were looking good.  As it was we didn't see anything new but it was good to see hundreds of House Martins (and the odd Sand Martin) feeding over the river and lake.

Whilst looking at the lake we bumped into one of the volunteers who we'd seen a couple of times before.  We got chatting and he was giving us handy hints and telling us the best places to see this or that. I asked him whether it was a Hen Harrier we had seen but he didn't think it was.  He offered up no alternatives. We ended up walking over to Forge Mill Farm and sat around with a hot chocolate each, chatting. 

Eventually we went our own ways.  Clare and I decided we would explore more of the valley.  We walked around Swan Pool and up tracks and through woods eventually coming out on one of the two golf courses. Despite the map stating it was a public footpath it was at this point we turned around and headed back to The Reserve.

So there you go, brief but at least we are all up to date again.

Out And About

Over a week since my last post! So, what have I been up to?  Not much going on in the week although last Thursday saw the return of Big Brother!

Having ended on Channel 4 last year, Channel 5 not only bought the format but also the set and voice over man by the looks of things.  Last Thursday saw it's launch with Celebrity Big Brother. I was surprised by the lack of celebrities.  Bored from the outset I've not bothered with it and from what I can gather I'm not the only one.

Thursday also saw Birmingham City play their first match in a bona fide European competition for about 50 years.  Away to CD Nacional in Portugal in the Europa League they were unlucky not to come away with a win, having hit the woodwork 3 times.  It ended up 0-0 with the return leg at St Andrew's on Thursday.

I would have loved to have been there but instead had to make do with the live text on the BBC.

Friday and Clare and I headed for The Electric Cinema to see The Guard.  Having been given the 4 seater sofa (for the price of two) I settled back with my G&T and a bowl of olives to watch the film.  It's a great way to start the weekend and the film did not disappoint.

Starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle it tells the story of  a policeman in a small Irish town who, with the help of an FBI agent, smash a drug smuggling ring. 

I really enjoyed it and thought Gleeson was fantastic.  From the outset you are laughing aloud although I think it is pitched just right with the more poignant moments bringing you down to earth. I thoroughly recommend seeing this if you can.

On Saturday we headed off to Slimbridge Wildlife & Wetland Trust.  Although they have a large collection of birds it is also a fantastic place to see wild birds.  I didn't see as many new ones as I'd hoped but can now add Bar Tailed Godwit, Green Sandpiper, Redshank and Rook to my list.

When we first arrived we had a spot of rain but it brightened up as the day went on.  It was a good day out and met a lovely bloke in one of the hides who was happy to let us use his scope. We chatted for so long that it meant we didn't have time to get over to the River Severn and the last hide.  That will have to wait for another time.  We also met a few odd people including a strange fellow on the way to New Street Station (he must have mentioned he worked part time at a local college at least 3 times in 5 minutes) and a taxi driver who was heavily in debt but had a love of flying machines (gyrocoptors, microlites etc.).

The only downside to the day were the trains on our journey home.  First we were delayed by 30 minutes at Gloucester and by over an hour at  Birmingham Moor Street. This meant it took us over 4.5 hours to get home!

Sunday was spent shopping in Birmingham and later that day my parents popped over for a couple of hours.

As usual the weekend flew by and before I knew it the working week was upon me once again.

The Last Five Days

The plan for this weekend had been a trip to Oxford but as it was postponed we needed a back up and so this is what we came up with.

Yesterday was a lazy-ish morning not leaving the house until gone 10am which is unusual for us.  We headed for Solihull Nature Reserve to see what birds were around.  Still all quiet.  We had hoped there might be the odd returning bird on the lake but it was mainly Black Headed Gulls and Mallard with the odd Moorhen and Coot.

After spending a couple of hours wandering around we headed for The Robin Hood for a carvery.  We arrived after the main rush and within a few minutes of entering we were tucking into our dinner.  Obviously I didn't have meat and Clare decided to go without also.  At the end we were pleasantly surprised to find that we had been charged £8 less as we had the vegetarian option.  In all the time I have had a carvery I didn't realise that I got it cheaper by not having meat!  I just assumed I paid the same as it was my choice to abstain.

We got back from the pub in time to watch West Brom versus Man Utd.  A game West Brom were unlucky not to take a point.  Rooney's early goal was cancelled out by Long in the 38th minute.  In the second half Ashley Young's cross was deflected into the back of his own net by Reid.  The final score 2-1 to Man Utd.

All in all not a bad Sunday
Saturday, and having been to the Post Office to collect a package (photos) it was off to Morrison's for breakfast. Again another lazy morning! Afterwards and it was off to the bookies for our weekly bet.

Early afternoon and we set off for St Andrew's for Birmingham's first home match against Coventry. Having had a quick drink at the bar we took our seats. I was surprised at firstly how few Coventry had brought and secondly at the lack of our own support.  The gate was just over 19,000.  Coventry, however, despite their lack of numbers completely out sung the Blues fans who seemed to be suffering from the same lethargy as the team.

The first half wasn't much to write home about. Blues opting to play Chris Wood up front on his own.  Not many chances at either end.  A change in the second half saw Wood replaced by Adam Rooney, who headed against the post before teeing-up the rebound for Keith Fahey to hit home in the 73rd-minute. The game ended 1-0 to Blues giving us our first 3 points of the season, having lost to Derby last week. 

Friday afternoon was spent in The Field House catching up with a friend.  It was great to catch up but the location could have been better.  I'm not keen on this pub.  The staff are friendly enough but if you are not a regular then all eyes are on you when you walk through the door. 

Thursday was a fantastic day!  Weather wise it didn't bode well. Waking up to grey skies I was worried about what was in store. 

England versus India in the 3rd Test at Edgbaston.  With England 2-0 in the series a win at Edgbaston would see them ranked as the number Test side in the world.  Clare and I had tickets for Day 2. England had taken to the crease having bowled India out for 224 and at the end of play on Day One they were 84-0.

Heading into Moseley, Clare and I had breakfast at Maison Mayci.  Whilst we tucked into scrambled egg on toast (with extra toast) the rain outside seemed to be getting worse.  By the time we paid the bill it had eased off and when we arrived at Edgbaston it had stopped all together.

I was disappointed to find that there were no spirits available and instead ended up drinking pear cider.  It wasn't too bad but didn't go down quite as easy as my usual gin & tonic.

Play had been delayed by 30 minutes due to the weather but when the players took the field it was dry and warm although there was still a lot of grey cloud around.  The cloud remained throughout the day with the sun breaking through.  When it did it was actually quite hot and both Clare and I ended up with a bit of a tan!

The play itself saw Cook pile on the runs ending the day 182 not out (he went on to score 294).  Strauss managed 87 before being bowled out to, what was later found to be, a no ball.  Pieterson managed 63. Bell managed 34 before being bowled out.  I was still applauding Cook's century which he had reached from the previous ball.

The day ended with England 456-3 with Cook and Morgan at the crease. They went on to win the match by an innings and 242 runs.

Making our way home we walked the last leg of our journey with a bag of chips.  A fantastic, although tiring, day out.

The Rest Of The Week

Friday night and it was time to have people round for another race night.  Everyone enjoyed themselves and as at the end of the night we gave them all a free bet. Clare had printed off a list of runners for Saturday's races and we gave them a pound to bet with, which we put on on Saturday morning.  We had a couple of winners but I wasn't one of them!

Saturday and after a lazy morning we headed for the MAC in Cannon Hill Park.  We were off to see Life In A Day.  A film made entirely of clips shot by amateurs and uploaded to Youtube. The day in question was Saturday 24 July 2010. People from around the world filmed their day. Director Kevin McDonald (Touching The Void) had over 4 thousand hours of footage to trawl through.

The outcome is fantastic although I didn't realise it at the time. I left the cinema feeling just a little underwhelmed but the more I thought about it (and talked about it), the more I realised just how good it was.

It is billed as a document of our time and that's exactly what it is to a point but I think the over riding thing is that despite the age we live in, despite where we are geographically we all have the same hopes, fears and ambitions. 

In contrast Clare and I spent the evening watching The Mechanic starring Jason Statham. An easy enough film to watch.  Statham plays an assassin who, having killed his friend and mentor, takes on his mentor's son who has his mind set on avenging his father's death.

It's not a great film but perfect for a Saturday night in.

Sunday and as we had no plans we woke up and decided we would go to a car boot sale.  We arrived early and decided we would have a wander around Elmdon Park.  I'd not been there for years and it was nice to see how it had changed since I used to go there as a child.
We also found a new bit. The Walled Garden is an old orchard that has been left overgrown as is owned by The Wildlife Trust.

The car boot sale wasn't up to much so we headed back to the park before meeting up with my parents and heading for something to eat at The Harvester in Shirley. 

It was fairly busy but we didn't have to wait long for our food.  We spent a nice afternoon in there before we headed home.

Riots

I can't believe it's a week since my last post.  A lot can happen in that time.  As I write the country is bracing itself for another night of rioting.  This will be the fourth night.  What started in Tottenham on Saturday (following the shooting of a local man by police) has spread throughout the country. 

As trouble flared around the capital on Monday, youths in my home town of Birmingham looted the shops in the City Centre. Despite the police presence last night more shops were looted.  Wolverhampton, West Bromwich, Bristol, Liverpool, Leeds and Gloucester have also had their share of trouble.  Last night it was the turn of Manchester.

It seems that the main motivation for the disorder is greed.  It seems that the kids have organised themselves with the intention of robbing on a grand scale. So far I think 4 people have died. Last night saw vigilantes on the streets. MPs have been recalled from their summer break and police have been given the go ahead to use water cannons and plastic bullets if they choose.

People are scared and angry.  England's football match against Holland has been cancelled over safety fears, the weekend fixtures are still uncertain. Shops and retail parks have been closing early.

The word "criminality" seems to be everywhere. MPs, police and reporters all talk of criminality.

I think that come the weekend it will have died down.  I was expecting a summer of trouble with all the government cuts but to be honest I didn't think it would be like this. People don't care about politics.  They just want the latest phone, trainers and designer clothes.

Tuesday Nights

The last couple of Tuesday nights have been pretty good. Last night I went along to HMV Institute to see The Jayhawks.  The week before and it was a night in Brueton Park for an outdoor production of Pinocchio.

Clare and I have been to the outdoor theatre for the last few years (last year's production of The Secret Garden  is on here somewhere) and thoroughly enjoy it.  Last week's performance wasn't my favourite but was still a good show.

Heartbreak Productions deserve a lot of credit.  With minimal props they still manage to draw you into the story and keep both the adults and kids entertained.  It was quite a cloudy day and as evening fell so did the temperature.  It's a shame it couldn't have been last night as it was one of those muggy summer evenings.

Saying that, if it had have been last night I wouldn't have been able to go along to see The Jayhawks.

If I'm completely honest I knew nothing of this band despite them being around since the 80s.  A friend asked me to go and I said yes. 

I'd not been to The Institute since it reopened under the HMV brand but despite my reservations about corporate venues the Library (formerly Barfly and before that Dance Factory) has had a decent makeover making it a nice little venue.  The sound wasn't too bad either but apparently that depended on where you were standing.

I arrived later than I would usually  and so missed Mark Olsen's support slot, arriving during the last song of the set.  By the time I'd got a drink and found a spot to stand he was back onstage with the rest of The Jayhawks. Despite not knowing any of their stuff I was bobbing along to their blend of alt. country and was impressed with the harmonies. They haven't rewritten the rule book and I've seen and heard many a band in the same vein but I thought their songs had great melodies.

I haven't been to a venue were they were packed in that tightly since I saw Nick Cave a few years ago.  It seems there have been quite a few waiting for this show and the audience received them really well.  The venue, size of the audience and weather all came together to make for one loud, hot and sweaty evening.  A good old fashioned gig, you can't beat it! 

I have no idea of the set list but the few songs I remember them introducing or have since discovered included Wichita, Two Hearts, Tampa To Tulsa and  Miss Williams' Guitar.  Hopefully, I'll find a full set list on the net but if not I'll be delving into their back catalogue over the coming days and if I recognise any of the songs I'll update my list.