Saturday and Clare and I nipped over to Sandwell to see if any of the winter migrants had arrived. We've enjoyed the guided walks throughoutthe year, opting for a monthly visit rather than joining the tour every fortnight. The amount of people has varied throughout the summer but last week there were 3 volunteers and just Clare and myself.
It was a good day and as there was only a couple of us we decided to walk all the way around the lake. We managed to see around 40 species. Highlights were the Mediterranean Gull amongst a flock of Black Headed Gulls and 3 Snipe (that were spooked by a member of the public flying a kite over the reserve). Other species seen included Teal, Grey Wagtail and 3 late Swallows.
The day had started well. As we walked through Tudor Grange Park on our way to get breakfast we spotted a Kingfisher sitting by the stream before flying to a branch overhanging the lake. Then as we made our way to the reserve I spotted a bird book in a box outside a charity shop. I remembered the book from my childhood and have been trying to get a copy for some time and here it was for £1! I couldn't believe my luck. Considering the age of it as well it is in a really good condition!
Arriving home later than expected I spent the night in front of the TV with a pizza.
Sunday started grey and wet and after a bit of deliberation we decided we still go and check out Stratford Food Festival. It was a good call as eventually it did brighten up a little and with the exception of a couple of showers stayed dry.
Having arrived in Startford fairly early we decided to have a drink and a bite to eat and stumbled across a place called The Real Tea Cafe. It offered a large selection of teas (Clare opting for a Builder's Brew) and various forms of coffee. The place itself has bright modern decor but also retains a feel of the traditional. The staff were friendly and the prices reasonable. A lovely little place which not only ourselves but also the customers who arrived after us remarked upon. If you're in Stratford check it out. It beats the likes of Starbuck's by a mile!
We browsed the stalls on our way to the festival proper and found some lovely things. Carluccio's mushroom stall being my favourite. It was full of all kinds of mushrooms and although I didn't buy anything I could have stared at it for ages. It looked fantastic.
Having paid our money to get in it wasn't long before I stumbled across a gin stand. Having listened to the sales pitch and had a sample I soon parted with £25 and reserved a bottle of Foxdentons 48% London Dry Gin. I also bought a bottle of Edinburgh Gin and am looking forward to drinking them both.
Other things we bought included chocolate, bread, cheese, olives, blackberry lemonade, biscuits and a tin of black pepper. We also got some lemon garnishing oil and some tarragon wine vinegar!
I have to say it wasn't the cheapest of days. Ironically, we had to leave the food festival to go ad get lunch. A toasted sandwich at Cox's Boat Yard did the trick. Again another lovely little cafe with pleasant staff and nice surroundings but just a little overpriced.After lunch we headed back to the festival had a last wander around before picking up my gin and heading home, stopping at the market to pick up a couple of jars on the way. Typically the sun decided to make an appearance at around the same time.
