Countdown to Canada: Day -2

The Crown in our village, next to the canal. Probably our closest pub but not our regular, that's the Weighbridge at the next bridge along on the canal. This was our meeting place for our walk with Brian the other Tuesday, up over the fields to Barnt Green

Planning for Canada ramped up considerably, as it is now only two days till we go. We fly to Vancouver, spend a few days there before going to Vancouver Island for a fortnight. Three stops, a housesit in Victoria for two cats for three days, Campbell River and Ucluelet. Up to the Yukon where we have hired a truck camper for a fortnight, so are venturing into the wilds, followed by a fortnight in the Rockies, starting and being based in Calgary with Richelle who we met in Sri Lanka a couple of years ago. The Yukon is very remote, with no cellphone coverage for lots of it, so although it's not that long that we've all been dependent on being 'connected' we have bought a device that will connect to satellites to prompt a rescue should we need it. Now we've got it, hopefully we won't use it.

Brian and Jackie in the middle of a Rapeseed field (they were on a path)

We have also booked a cruise for next year, with Denise and Paul, taking advantage of the 15% discount Fred Olsen offered us for the missed ports on the Northern Lights trip. We haven't been this forward planning since we started travelling!

A pause to look at Birmingham City Centre in the far distance

Tuesday walks (though two of three have been on a Wednesday) have continued. We did a local one with just Brian ending up at the Coach and Horses while John was at work. Last week the four of us, and Keith, went to Bletchley Park which was really interesting. We had been before, but a long time ago so could remember very little. A full day there before returning on the train to New Street where we set off in search of a pub. This wasn't difficult. As we were later in the day, when we hit Alvechurch the Weighbridge was open so it would have been rude to go home without popping in which really wasn't good for the head the following day, but rounded off our day nicely. This week a very gentle day out, to the Coffin Works in Birmingham. Another factory that was locked up and walked away from leaving everything exactly as it was. It made or provided everything except the actual coffin, the handles, the shroud, the embalming fluid, and all the coffin decorations. We obviously asked a lot of questions as the poor guide only had about 10 minutes between us and the next tour, hopefully he managed to get a quick sandwich! We headed up to the Craven Arms, just round the back of the Mailbox, where I used to work, one of the Black Country Pubs chain that we know and love.

Alpacas lazing on a warm afternoon

We've spent a couple of days at Abi's where Brian fitted the bath, toilet and basin unit. Tariq had done most of the plumbing, and will go back to finish off, but it means he doesn't need to mess about with woodwork which is not his favourite. She will finally have a fully functional bathroom for the first time in months. Hurrah.

Our reward at the Coach and Horses in Weatheroak

We've had a fab night out with Helen and Ian, beer, curry, laughs, the usual. A Monday Club curry and another one with Fiona and James. You just never know how easily accessible Indian restaurants are when travelling. In the US the equivalent is Mexican, in Germany it's kebabs and by the sound of it it's Chinese in Canada.

Out with Ian and  Helen on one of several stops

The Monday Club curry threw all my planning out. I knew what was in the freezer and how many meals we needed before I emptied, defrosted and unplugged it! What a trauma, talk about first world problems!

I had to put this photo of the Amaryllis in bloom. Its been in this house for probably 20 years, cared for by Jackie's mum, now Jackie. It's really fabulous

Dentist, physio and opticians for body maintenance. Sadly my new glasses were no good so they are being redone. She thought they might arrive today, but I haven't heard yet, and I'm not sure I'd want to immediately take them away anyway if they are no good. The physio was for a strange referred pain in my knee caused by my hip. She did really well, and gave me exercises so hopefully I'll be ok. It's only uncomfortable and doesn't stop me walking. I've opened the two birthday cards forward planning Fiona, and Elizabeth sent me, thank you.

Next doors  cat at the top of our stairs as our back door was open. She just trots in treating it as her home, which is lovely

The garden is looking lovely but I am really disappointed that the peonies are about to flower, and we are going to miss it. We are finally packed, bus to Heathrow tomorrow and flight on Monday, which appears to be going ahead as scheduled.

Outside the manor house at Bletchley Park with Keith, John, Brian and us. Bletchley Park was the WWII secret spy headquarters where Alan Turing built a machine to break the Nazi Enigma code, shortening the war by at least a couple of years. The D-Day landings, for example, only took place because of the intelligence gained from here

Brian dancing with Jackie in the old ballroom of the manor house. It was full of machines and people during the war

A recreated operations room in the manor house

We'd caught the train back to Birmingham and we're heading to a pub - no wonder everyone has such a smile on their face!

Building a cupboard to fit next to the bath (it's a special one under the window with a door in the front)

Cupboard fitted by bath, toilet and cabinets fitted, it just need the wash basin connected which we've left for Tariq to complete.  At last, a bathroom she can use!

Another Tuesday walk (except its a Wednesday!) with Brian and John, but first, breakfast at Great Central Kitchen

At the fountain in Victoria Square, in front of the beautiful Council House building in Birmingham City Centre

The Iron: Man sculpture outside the Town Hall

Arriving at the Coffin Works museum, Birmingham, the old Newman Brothers works that was closed and left as it was complete with stock, machines, furniture and files.

The old workshop. High up right is an old lineshaft that was driven by a gas turbine engine that powered all the presses. The operator pulled a rope from a pit on the right which raised the ram to punch the component. Very noisy and very dangerous!

Upstairs in the packing department

No-one is very sensible on our days out!

Walking back through Birmingham City Centre. That's the Town Hall right of centre, the Chamberlain memorial spire on the right and the museum and art gallery on the left

Our after walk refreshments, a few beers and cheese cobs in the Craven Arms. Another excellent day out!

And finally a nice photo of our back garden through the arch showing Geraldine the giraffe on the right and Babar the elephant on the left. Designed by Jackie and brought to life by us both

UK March to April

 More of the same really.

On our cultural tour of Derby with John & Brian. Directions courtesy of Jackie, commentary & history courtesy of John. I just took the photos and drank beer! This is The Roundhouse next to the railway station. Originally it was the worlds first roundhouse, containing a turntable used to turn steam trains round. It was built in 1839 by Robert Stephenson, is a 16 sided polygon building 58m in diameter with a 15m high domed roof. We couldn't go inside but could see the old timbers supporting the roof through a window

Walking with John and Brian, firstly a cultural tour of Derby. I found a very short railway themed route near the station which didn't take long, before going to the Museum of Making which also seemed quite train focused, with a model railway. A jet engine and an exploded electric car on the site of the world's first factory made it the ideal place for us, though obviously not the local kids who were on holiday but conspicuous by their absence. The second floor had more exhibits than usual, all stacked together and unlabeled, but with a computer system to identify what you were looking at. Beer was provided at the Brunswick Inn, despite the Alexandra Hotel having the cab of a class 37 train in the carpark. A photo of this was deemed enough.

Next stop on Jackies cultural tour were the Railway Workers cottages in North Street & Midland Place. These historically listed terraced homes were built in the 1840's to house Midland Railway staff

The following week was more trains, the first day of the Camp Hill Line in Birmingham, going from Kings Norton to New Street via Pineapple Road, Kings Heath and Moseley Village for the first time since before the second world war. We had breakfast in Kings Norton at 'Upstairs at Chas Mann's' a biker cafe Alex and Rob had mentioned to us. Fab. Then the excitement of a whole new line! We are not the only ones who thought so, Abi was on the first train of the day, and as we got off at New Street I found myself being nudged by Tim who had come down from Derby to do just the same thing. A cup of coffee before back on the train to Pineapple Road from where we walked to the Old Moseley Arms for a couple of pints and then the Prince of Wales for more of the same.

Continuing our cultural tour of Derby here's the Class 37 loco front in the car park of the Alexander Hotel. Yes, I know its the wrong way round, I took a selfie

We've done a couple of local walks, including one from our station where Alvechurch Residents Association was meeting to show some support against the large number of new houses planned for the village. Thursday we met Denise and Paul for a walk around Lowsonford starting and finishing at the Fleur de Lys pub with a coffee stop outside the church midway. All very civilised.

Cultural tour of Derby continued: this is the Derby Market Hall, a beautiful building built between 1844 and 1866 at a cost of £29,000 and recognised as the UK's first purpose built undercover market

Easter Friday was a multi activity day, a family gathering at Steph's which was lovely, seeing their new house and meeting Jenny's new boyfriend, inconveniently called James but he seems very chilled and coped with the family en masse. We left them and went down to Bev and Iain's for the weekend. A lovely couple of days eating, drinking, chatting and walking Freyja dog. It all followed our general routine, chill on Friday, into Bristol on Saturday for a long lunch, at Pasture this time for fabulous steak, before a couple of pubs and Brozen the nitrogen cocktail bar. Sunday lunch at the local pub before returning home to find Brian has left his slippers AGAIN!

Cultural tour of Derby: this is the Museum of Making, a fabulous museum worthy of a good few hours of browsing. The building on the right, the entrance to the museum, was the Derby Silk Mill and widely regarded as the worlds first factory built by the Lombe brothers in 1721. When it opened it was considered a wonder of the world, producing thread on a scale never seen before. It attracted famous writers like Benjamin Franklin and Daniel Defoe

I've been into the BBC in Birmingham for the retirement do of the last of the Comms Department that I had such a happy time working for. A great evening with many old faces. Can't believe I've been gone nearly 14 years. The other big get together was a sadder event, the funeral of Richard Vernon, an old friend of Brian's from the Mountaineering Club, who also lived in the village. The club gave a good showing so it was nice to catch up and give support to his sister and the rest of the family.

This was a jumble of old artefacts in the museum, but just fascinating

We've had lovely times with Jonathan, Lucy Charles and Caroline, Abi, Fiona and James, Monday club and this weekend Sunday Tea club and Sunday club both on the same night! After another yummy meal (thanks Crystal) and lots of chat we made it to the Weighbridge with 10 minutes to spare where the beers were already waiting for us!

A jet engine made by Rolls Royce of Derby suspended from the ceiling in the museum

Life maintenance, car maintenance, gardening and planning our trip to Canada in mid May have taken the rest of the time making us wonder how people ever have time to go to work.

The green domed building is the Longbridge Weir Hydro Power House, generating electricity to power the nearby Council House, with any extra going back into the National Grid. It was completed in 2013 at a cost of £1.7m and produces an average 750Mwh per year

We were amused by this while walking along the banks of the River Derwent in Derby. The digger was removing rocks that had been placed to create a roadway alongside the river. It dropped them into the truck which took them to the other end and dropped them there to extend the roadway to the left, whilst shortening the roadway on the right. Did they build the roadway in the wrong place and were correcting it? Did they hold the original plan upside down, someone later pointing out they had constructed it the wrong way? We don't know, but it amused us for 10 minutes or so.

There's a model railway in the museum which is run twice a day so, of course, we had to time our visit to coincide with that. We just had to elbow the kids out of the way! (Not really!)

All that walking around was thirsty work! Fortunately the Brunswick Inn provided some refreshment!

Our family get together at Brian's niece Steph and Sam's. LtoR: Sam, Becky (Brian's middle granddaughter), Paul and Abbie (Brian's eldest granddaughter)

Brian's sister Denise, Steph and Sam

Me and my daughter Fiona

Brian's three granddaughters, Becky with Ivy, (Steph and Sam's daughter), Jenny with boyfriend James (his first meeting with all the family - apparently he was scared to death!) and Abbie

With Bev and Iain on our weekend in Bristol with our frozen, very alcoholic cocktails

Mixing the cocktails in Brozen using liquid nitrogen

Out with John and Brian again on another Tuesday walk, this one to ride the new railway line through Moseley and Kings Heath on its first day of opening. But first, here we are in Chas Mann's biker cafe in Kings Norton waiting for our breakfasts!

We weren't the only people wanting to ride the line on the first day, it was full of people we might affectionately call anoraks, rail enthusiasts, often with grey beards and anoraks, filming trains, noting numbers and generally being excited. It was good fun

In Cannon Hill Park on our way to the Old Moseley Arms for some refreshment we passed this very old model of the Elan Valley in Wales, which is where Birmingham gets it tap water from

Out with Denise and Paul for a walk through Lowsonford and there's Denise and Jackie way ahead chatting, oblivious that they had gone in the wrong direction. The black sheep was trying to tell them!

A mid morning break at Preston Bagot church for a coffee and bun

Whilst looking at the new Spring Lambs in the field

Quick pose for a photo at the entrance to the church

Followed by a walk round inside the small historic church 

Out with Alvechurch Residents Association to protest at the 500 proposed houses planned to be built in our village, a number representing about 25% of the current size. The proposal is to build on all those fields behind us. We're in this photo - can you find us?

While Jackie was out with her old work colleagues, I went to a concert at our local village hall where Acoustic Roots were performing along with several other bands that Paul (on the right) opened up for them. Here's Big Keith on the left, his daughter Leah, Sue and Paul, with Brian on sound (bottom right)

Brian helping with set building at the village hall last weekend. The dramatic society (most of whom we go to the pub with on Wednesdays and Sundays) are putting on a play on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week and they were a bit short of hands. I helped build a special cabinet for a ghostly scene with Big Keith and designed and built a sliding window with a hidden catch to allow it to slam shut at the appropriate time. I really enjoyed it, but it was hard work

I had strict instructions to leave the village hall by 4:15pm latest to get home, have a shower and get the train into Birmingham for Sunday Tea Club in the Chinese Quarter. LtoR: Ian, Brian, Jackie, Manu, Ming (Crystal), who orders all the food, Reuben and Helen. With pubs before and after we wove our way back to the station for the train back to Alvechurch 

Alvechurch station is almost next to the Weighbridge, our local and we knew some of the drama group would be in there after finishing set build and tech rehearsals, so it would have been rude not to join them. John got us the dinks in ready and we got there just before it closed. LtoR: Brian, John, Big Keith, Posh, Jackie and me. The end of a busy  (but fun) weekend