Not What I Expected

It's been an odd day today.  We decided, this morning, we would head to Wolverhampton and go and visit Bantock House, believing it to be similar to Winterbourne Gardens.

Arriving in the city centre we decided the best way to get there was to get a cab.  At first the cab driver wouldn't take us but when he realised we were from out of town he changed his mind. Strange that!  He was very chatty and a little camp but the 5 minute journey (£5 fare) was pleasant enough.

The brochure for Bantock House led us to believe that we could spend ages wandering around the house and gardens and so we were surprised to find a very small garden attached to a park. 

The house itself is lovely and the staff were friendly.  There just wasn't enough of it! 

Having stopped at the cafe we decided to walk around the park.  Although pleasant enough there isn't much there.  Just a green space surrounded on all sides by main roads.  So much for getting lost exploring!

We left feeling a little disappointed and decided to walk back into the city centre.  It took about 15 minutes.  We had a couple of hours going around the shops before heading back to the station.

Getting home around 4.30ish meant I we had time to watch the end of the cricket.  England seem to be in control of the Second Test against India with leading by 374 runs at the end of Day 3.

A bizarre incident occurred when Bell was run out on the final ball before tea.  Believing the final ball had been hit for four he left his crease and headed off the field.  The ball however had not made the boundary and India knocked the bails off his wicket.  During tea behind the scenes a decision was reached that, even though India were correct and Bell had been fairly dismissed, he would be able to take to the wicket again after the break.  I admire India's sense of fair play but if I'm honest I wouldn't have changed my mind!

The weather has been lovely over the last couple of days and yesterday we headed to RSPB Sandwell for our monthly walk.  Bird wise it was very quiet but we did see quite a lot of butterflies including Peacock, Small Tortoise Shell, Green Veined White, Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper and a Small Copper.

Having spent the best part of the day wandering around we got back just in time to see Broad get his first test hat-trick.  A maiden over, 0-0-W-W-W-0.  A great display!

With the sunshine and the cricket, the last couple of days has felt like the first proper summer weekend of the year and I'm hoping it continues for a while longer!

The weekend started with a quiet Friday in front of London Boulevard.  With a cast that includes Ray Winstone, Colin Farrel, Keira Knightly it tells the story of a man who is released from prison but finds himself being dragged back into the underworld by gangsters.  Refusing to be drawn in he decides to go head to head with the top man. 

I really enjoyed the film.  It wouldn't make it onto my best of lists but for a couple of hours entertainment it was perfect.  For me Jordan (an out of work classically trained actor who spent his time getting stoned)  played by David Thewlis stole the show although all the parts were well thought out and well acted.

Sunny Days

Another great day weather wise and so, after breakfast (and a bit of a food shop) at Sainsbury's, Clare and I headed for Solihull Nature Reserve.

There were plenty of dogs (and their owners) over the Reserve.  We fought a losing battle with a Labrador who wanted the left overs from our picnic. A bit further on another Labrador, Chandler, bounded over and dropped his ball at my feet. We spent the next fifteen minutes throwing the ball and chatting to his owner.

We didn't see many birds today. Heron, Robin, Buzzard, Wren, a couple of Long Tailed Tits, Blue Tits and Great Tits. Butterflies were better with plenty of Orange Tip, Peacocks, Comma, a couple of Whites and Brimstone.

Butterflies and Too Much Cheese

Had a great evening last night.  I met Clare from work and we walked around the Blythe Valley Nature Reserve.  It's lovely.

Housed on a business park, with the River Blythe running through the middle it has become home to otters, sky larks and all manner of butterflies and birds. We ambled around the meadows whilst the motorway next to us ground to a stand still. 

The people in charge of it have done a great job, they have even built a hide overlooking the water where you can watch the birds feeding.  My only criticism is that they have been a little over zealous with the "Danger Deep Water" signs and the gravel path they have laid means any wildlife can hear you coming from some distance away.

Although we didn't see any otters we did see lots of butterflies.  I'm becoming quite fond of butterflies lately and yesterday we saw the following

Ringlet - loads

Comma - several

Speckled Wood - many

Holly Blue - several

Red Admiral - one

Marbled White - one

Meadow Brown - loads

Small Tortoiseshell - one

Green Veined White - several



Having wandered around for a couple of hours and once the traffic had died down we headed back.  We stopped off at Bella Italia for a drink and a bite to eat.  I went for a pizza with extra olives and chillis.  When the pizza arrived the chillis were missing.  I decided not to say anything but made sure that when the bill came I hadn't been charged for the extra topping I did not receive.  Turns out that rather than chillis the waitress had thought I'd said cheese.  So that's what I ended up with pizza with olives and extra cheese!  I couldn't complain as when I ordered she repeated it back to me.  I think with her East European accent and my Brummie accent it was understandable that we got our wires crossed.

All in all a pleasant a relaxing evening.