SNAPS ONE: May 2006

dawn and I am too tired to finish this blog

th flotilla with father goose to the left, goslings, and mother following on the canal near Aston

the park with Chelsmley brook

slowing down to halt at Marston Green station

queueing up for fishcake and chips £1 80p and I was starving at about 7:30pm

red Savaloy sausages to the right

home in time for Spring Watch on BBC2 tv and an otter in Shetland

and Merton House over shadows Bosworth Drive at about 8:30 pm

from library along the canal to the road salt store at Aston

Birmingham Central Library was closed so I went for a walk down New Hall Street and along the tow path

Canal bridge in New Hall Street

a writer too

by train home Aston, to New Street to Kingfisher Park

Marston Green and home

Thursday SOLIHULL

72 bus to Solihull was empty and in a hurry because it was late.
On the way to the library in Touchwood I passed two commercial art galleries.

Thomas Kincade America's most collected living artist.http://www.thomaskinkade.com/

6 Poplar Arcade, Touchwood Court
Solihull, West Midlands
Solihull B91 3GH

Castle Galleries 5 Touchwood, Solihull http://www.castlegalleries.com/

chrome plated fittings in an old bus

IKINGDOM chinese KARAOKE

IKINGDON.CO.UK on the door
seen when walking towards Digbeth and the Custard Factory

spoils of a trip to Solihull on Thursday

Raglan Castle on the cover of Bradney's Monmouthshire. Gadget from Maplins. Print outs of census 1841 to 1901 from Solihull Library

resurfacing Yorklea Croft, Chelmsley Wood
and click here to see some close ups

Merton House back garden grass cuttings dried to hay
compare with the satellite picture of the same garden in close up in google maps

tuesday morning market in Birmingham

I went shopping in the morning for once, because a very wet and windy afternoon was expected.

Bosworth Drive

legs showing tights in the RAG MARKET

mackrel and other silver fish

I paid £5 for that tray of chicken legs weighing about 5 kilograms

China Town
red snappers for the jamaicans

XXL prawns and fat is beautiful

oops

oops
shellfish bar and stall "DRY FISH" and I have not heard that term before

Bull Ring
and I had just passed the new Bishop of Bimingham on his walk about but was too slow or too shy to reach for my camera

"Pound a Tray" or 32 sweet apples for £1, and only three or four were bruised and needed to be eaten the same day

my NETTO wagon has given good service but is now tired

seen from the 97 bus - a dog patrol for hire - but no extra ventilation on the vans would make it very smelly in wet weather.

pneumatic drills greeted me in Crabtree Drive

seen from the kitchen window neat new corners ready for when I need a wheel chair to go to the doctor or shopping

Lidl portable satellite receiver

My attempt to photograph the rain drops on the window on sunday 22 May 2006
both attempts failed nasty wet and windy weather so I stayed home.

this may blossom at Bennets Well school smelled heavenly at 6:30 am on Monday morning 22 May 2006 - I was lucky with a break in the rain whilst I walked in along the footpath to the nearest cash point.

three dishes on one home all looking east of south so I reckon I can "see" the same satellites from my east facing seventh floor window in Merton House

6:38 am and the brook at Chelmsley Wood is full of flood water from the constant rain showers of the last few days.

Then I caught the 97 bus

This lady was first in the queue and I got to the Mackadown LIDL at about 7:15 am

Only available while stocks last Portable Satellite Receiver
This portable set includes all you need to receive digital channels on holiday or at home
Set consists of:
- Stereo satellite receiver, satellite dish, single LNB, remote control (includes batteries), coaxial 10m cable, scart cable and a wide range of accessories
Features include:
- 4500 programmable channels
- Automatic channel finder
- Plug and play
- Child lock
- Power supply via mains cable or DC connection for 12V
3 year manufacturer’s warranty
Price per set £69.99

number three turned up at about 7:30 am

7:58 am and this LIDL store opened at 8:am and there were 12 satellite receiver boxes up for grabs
only six went by 8:30 am, the drinks cooler was another popular item

got the LIDL satellite receiver home and opened the box on my bed as I do

great having a clean copy of Metro http://www.metro.co.uk/

these SCHOLL Metatarsal Arch Supports are simply brilliant and have banished my foot pains

DR. SCHOLL'S FOOT AIDS The motto of Dr. Scholl (June 22, 1882- March 29, 1968) was,
"Early to bed, early to rise,
work like hell and advertise."
Former shoemaker and shoe salesman, William Scholl graduated in 1904 from medical school in Illinois and patented his 1st arch support.
A firm believer in the power of advertising, Scholl held walking contests throughout the country and sold "pedometers" for calculating distances walked. Also, he held a "Cinderella Foot Contest" in which he measured foot imbalance on a machine called a Pedo-Graph. An award was then given for the "most perfect foot." "Foot doctor to the world," Dr. Scholl has eased millions of tired, aching feet. His corn, callus, and bunion pads, sold in blue and yellow packages, are famous worldwide.

you can see the dish is packed in the box lid and then I went back to bed
but no time later to set it up because I have been too busy doing genealogy

dodging the rain

I just made it to this bus stop opposite Alcott Wood (on the other side of the road) and it poured down.

Off camera to my right the quiet man also waiting was an unemployed chromium car parts polisher,
"Today it is all shiny plastic," he said.
He had been a year out of work since Longbridge closed, and today aged 48, and an 18 cans of lager a day alcoholic who has worked ever since he left school at 14.

I took the first bus which came - a 14a

but when I got to the Mackadown it was still raining and I dived into LIDL to shelter until it stopped.

from Lidl at the Mackadown to Tile Cross Road

I left Lidl when the last rain drops ceased

memories of how I used to shop for groceries from 1965 a blue Ford Cortina Estate until much later a Mercedes taxi

why is it not called a DEStruction site?

a fine bronze doorway of the old BSA machine tools soon gone forever

Charde House Guest House
289 Mackadown Lane Birmingham West Midlands
B33 0NH Map
0121 785 2145 note the fine white painted chimney pots from a long demolished victorian slum

first roses at a pensioner's garden

big garden blubells

hybrid "blue" bells white at the back of the school

ALCOHOL RESTRICTED AREA and the white cloud is the retreating rain storm
football mania is growing because the World Cup is soon

"Do you think England has a chance?!"

YES !!!

above all I hope they win for the sake of Swedish Sven who could then happily oo!oo as he closes the door behind him :-)

I dropped in the coin op to check it out £6 50 p to wash my monster big continental quilt and for £7 50 p they will wash and dry it for me

looking back the storm clouds are gathering behind me to the west

footpath behind the shops to Merton House

turn right at the clothing bank for a quiet walk home from Tile Cross

water used to be from Wales via the Corporation of Birmingham and now is STW - Severn Trent Water

CRABTREE HALL

the white cloud is the last rain storm sailing away to the east

and my kitchen window is up seven floors and the further of the two you can see on the shadow side of Merton House

left over shop fittings from the old chemist's shop

and the lifts were still out of order so I climbed seven floors - very slowly

help number

body paint on BBC TV news

the artist

siblings to be

and the painter said young women are more selfconfident today - than 10 years ago

final shot the text is TV not body paint
http://www.embody.org.uk/press.htm
'It seemed an ideal way to celebrate my pregnant body and the life growing inside me."

getting us ready for spring watch and BILL ODDIE

new on SNAPS TWO

they fixed the bus stop
waste disposal mountain
golden cloud
night shots using my HandiCam with the Zeiss x 10 zoom lens

and evening light over Chelmsley Wood

rainy and indoors

the gardeners cut the grass before the rain
With the last cold front the strangest thing was, after a very loud thunder clap, a bird fell out of the sky apparently dead.

rain shiny tarmac and I could see the distant clouds on the horizon at sunset pictured in yesterday's blog

a very late lunch

and my home grown cress on the cottage cheese.

the left hand pine apple 50p in Birmingham market, and to the right from Lidl reduced to about 85p

harvest time and the first time for about 6 or 7 years, I have eaten some food which I have grown myself - coomon cress lepidium sativum

tomatoes marmande in a plastic green housefrom all my seeds are from LIDL

best mini-treibhaus

more marmande, harzfuer and moneymaker

radish Reisenbutter, sweet pepper California Wonder, cucumber Restina and common parsley

lettuce Attraktion, iceberg Great Lakes and May Queen

I was impressed
I felt a bit of a banana going out of the front door of the block - the image of the slightly odd middle age ladies using them in Denmark came to mind, or the eccentric summers skiers on roller board skis who visit Copenhagen every summer.
A little gang of boys on the street corner opposite the medical centre called "Hi Santa" as they do when I have my red shirt on.
So I walked directly towards them for a gentle confrontation - "Look at my new toys" and explained that they strenghened my arm and shoulder muscles. "£14 in Lidl"
Walking on I started sweating within 10 minutes with some increased heart beat and half panting breathing so I was burning more fat.
After the first hour my coordination settled down and I used a short stroke in time with my feet (left foot with right arm)
As a practical walking aid I felt much safer and more balanced.
When getting over a low fence or stile (with my stiff left knee) or descending a steep slope I felt more confident of avoiding a fall - which can be the bane of us older people.
I can also envisage using them to slash nettles or hold back brambles.
As a long ago trained soldier I could also use them for self defence or keeping a dog at bay.
I felt slightly less back pain, I have a dodgy disc (close to my sciatic nerve) which has to be kept in place by muscle tone and a careful self disciplined control of my posture and I felt the slightly more upright posture achieved will help this long term.

Lidl and Yorks Wood

landing and evening sunlight

sitting on the LIDL wall now the leaves are unfolded

impulse purchase nordic walking poles

sunset and the kingfisher project test driving the walking sticks

by Babbs Mill met a japanese bear hunting dog - an AKITA a gorgeous beast rescued from starvation - with spread toes on its feet like snow shoes - but I was too shy to photograph it

grassy meadow and it was too dark to photograph the bluebells and sparrow hawks nest of Yorks Wood

http://www.solihull.gov.uk/section.asp?catid=1922&docid=344

Web Address:
www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?lat=52.4897&lon=-1.7658&scale=25000&icon=x

merton house tenth floor

I got dressed to take the trash out and walked up to the top and down to the ground floor here and home again ten flights of stairs
NOT ONE GRAFFITI surviving

lots of beer cans not yet picked up on monday afternoon

looking south west towards the misty airport BHX

the PRINCE public house flies irish and english flags

looking towards the centre of Solihull

Bosworth Drive bends pleasantly after the six local shops and looking due west towards Birmingham

two fast food, one mini market which has taken over the former chemists shop as well to double its size (the chemist is now in the medical centre), a betting shop, and a news agent with a Lotto machine

the local community hall and the continuation of Crabtree Drive looking north west towards the valley hiding the Kingfisher Project

looking north past the medical Centre

Birmingham market

shopping for green stuff

there was a glut of BIG cauliflower but I hadn't finished the one I bought last week

and exotic vegetables but I find them disappointing when cooked

this time instead of shooting blow by blow 100 snaps showing all I was doing I just took these two.

I went home with five different kinds of fruit, a kilo of grated cheese for £1, lettuce carrots tomatoes all the basics of healthy eating - and field mushrooms which I am eating steamed with rice, garlic, carrots and cauliflower leaves.

thursday in solihull

seen from bus 72 the funeral in Sheldon of Rover worker John Paul Brady
"Thursday, April 13, 2006 he was riding a red Lambretta scooter along Lode Lane, from Solihull, when it was in collision with a white ZX Citroen estate car at the Lode Lane-Dovehouse Lane junction.
The 38-year-old father-of-two, who lived in Sheldon, was taken to Heartlands Hospital, where he died"

after the library and doing look ups with ancestry library edition
I had a fish and chip supper perfectly cooked at Ramsdens

then a few pints of beamish red bitter beer at The GEORGE with two old friends

Christine
who runs the excellent bed and breakfast at Yew Tree House, 5, Fircroft, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 1JL

0121 70502417

and Keith who always biked to the Rover and has retired after 30 odd years

we just enjoy each other's company.

lounging in the bar with EURO football on the tele

again walking to my great dentist

I walked out on Bosworth Drive past the still glassless bus stop number 807716 at Brickhill Drive which still has not been repaired MEMO pester CENTRO

the palm tree garden

Solihull Council are extending the day care centre

No hard hat, No boots, No job

LEICA made this theodolite

water worn limestone in a classic arrangement but

not a park but a Solihull traffic roundabout

I love monkey puzzle trees since my childhood visits to Monmouthshire

the name is an english joke - no monkeys in the part of Chile where it is native. It is estimated to be around 60 million years old, based upon fossil record known today. Araucaria araucana - mediterranean climate gardening throughout the world:

"Unable to identify some nuts on the table, a Mr. Menzies popped a few in his pocket. A number of them sprouted on the voyage home. In this manner, Araucaria araucana, or Monkey Puzzle Tree found its way into the rare plant collections of 17th century Europe! "

and over the bridge

bargain buy for my snacks - tired fruit from

here, and there are always market competitive prices at the FOUR SEASONS greengrocers Chelmsley Wood shoppng centre.

I have never taken those steps up to the high bridge before

this red and yellow colour scheme was overall and this is the last remnant

this bustop is where I wll end up later on my way home from Berkswell

I found a really enjoyable new walking route to my wonderful dentist Harry Hunjan
The Dental Centre. Craig Croft. Chelmsley Wood. B37 7TR.
but not much uniquely photographic just now

some things should not be tidied up

berkswell mill

After the dentist at about 4:00 pm I took the 590c bus to Marston Green station

BHX apron glimpsed from an old centro train
and I changed trains at Birmingham International to get to Berkswell Station
(unlike the county pronounced BURKSWELL)

I alighted there from the new Centro rolling stock no logo and in use between Walsall and Coventry
shock horror - the level crossing has gone within about a year

the old gatekeepers house on the right is boarded up and available to rent

looking east at the new bridge

across the road to the right was a right of way - a footpath - see the green lane on this google map leading east just below the level crossing
I must have closed the phonecam too quickly and lost a lot of photographs

My useful boyhood knowledge came back - I had to cross three fields full of cows and calves - no bull - but mother cows can be tricky if with their calf.

walk carfully here Yellow Dung-fly
Scatophaga stercoraria in USA aka Golden Dung Fly

brand new oak leaves
and this is exactly the sort of environment I used to go out to play in as a child in Widney Lane

this little chap stopped browsing the fresh new hawthorn leaves to look at me

the footpath shows as wear on the grass, and the cow on the right is standing right where I need to get over the stile

looking back at part of the herd having safely made it up onto the stile

bluebell time makes my heart leap with joy

new duckweed on a pond

on google maps

cow parsley after I turned left into the lane

oak tree waking up after the winter sleep

Barrets Lane turns left to the farm and I contiued straight on the footpath

mind your ancles
rabbit warren

The Windmill, which was built in 1826, is located in Windmill Lane, Balsall Common, Solihull metropolitan borough but with a Coventry postcode CV7 7GY

AND ON THE GOOGLE MAPS

A Colebridge News article inspired this walk

opening hours

the sails have not driven the mill since 1927 when a diesel engine was installed and that lasted until 1948 when it was closed.

the overgrown narrowed footpath by the Kenilworth Road

Balsall Common seems now to be fully enclosed

this farmer is now more of a trader - huts and tack (as in tac room) and french chic

this grey horse was lonely and came to the gate to say hello to me.
SV SV on danish email headers this means re- re- here STOP VALVE for the mains water supply
The White Horse another two for one offer at this village pub - and the only white horses are those made of chalk the rest are all GREYS
the sound of bat on ball village cricket

Roman Catholic chapel I could see through the next window two candlea were lit on the altar table and the priest was speaking to at least two members of the congregation, evensong was being said,

and the next field is owned by the Arch Diocese of Birmingham so they have space to build a school too. Blessed Robert Grissold Catholic Church

Meeting House Lane, Balsall Common
Robert Grissold (born circa 1575 and hanged 16 July 1604) was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1987.

this cat came to me to be stroked when I stood still
missed the cat just my danish shoe size 13 - I posted this because like all my snaps it could be used as raw material in photoshop and there is an excellent texture of the road which could be adapted as a background to a web page

A boy aged about nine or ten was on the pavement with a glass jam jar and I called out "That looks very scientific" and he came and walked alongside me and told me he had some red ants and had put a lady bird in with them and the ants cut its legs off, and took it down into the nest.

I said just like on TV and he said "no, not British ants." He walked alongside me and chattered away but with the current hysteria about pedophiles I did not stop and photograph him at work. In the end I felt it wise to say "Your parents don't know me, better go back now"

The only pedophile, that I ever met, who ever made a decided approach to me, was in about 1950 was a well spoken schoolmaster at Temple Balsall, my mother said OK for me to go for a drive with him at his suggestion, whilst she chatted with my aunty Kitty in the alms houses there. NOT my way then or now.

the pillar on the left is mirrored out of shot to the right twin scopes with an invisible beam height measuring - not to protect the low bridge but to restrict traffic by the forbidden large vehicles