Alt.Mustardland

Two Augusts! I'm not going to insist that the other one be taken down nor, get miffed that some one has posted on the other thread and, not mine! We happen to be a little more mature than that here. Long day in Birmingham today, not leaving the Council House until 5:20 pm. Another panel member asked...

I declare this month's thread well and truly open (Actually, it's more slightly ajar than open. It's raining outside.) I'm sat in the Edwardian Tearooms within Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery having a lunch paid for by Birmingham City Council. The very least the City can is buy my lunch as, my wif...

Good morning all (If there's any one there, that is!) Sorry to read of ailing computers. Busy week ahead though, not today. Today is definitely a 'feet up, watching the cricket' sort of day. It all starts tomorrow with OH and I die to sit on five Education Admission Appeals Panels, taking us through...

Greetings GLO. Receiving you loud and clear.

Well, last night's talk at the local library was excellent. Michael Taylor is a super speaker as he took the audience of fifty or so through the trials and tribulations of becoming and remaining an author. Think that I said yesterday that, he specialises in 'family sagas'. This is not a genre that I...

I used to quite enjoy decorating. In particular, I found painting quite absorbing. The attraction I guess was that it took all of my concentration and, I could just lose my self painting a window. Wall papering was less enjoyable but, I did do it. Sadly, as my arthritic knees worsened, I could no lo...

Thinking has changed regarding helping children develop skills before they attend school. In fact, courses for parents run locally to introduce them to modern teaching methods like 'phonics'. There isn't the rather snooty attitude to what children read that persisted when our children went through s...

Let me begin by explaining that, when it comes to music I have a catholic taste. As such, I comfortable listening to a wide range of musical genres. This may be classical, folk, heavy metal, punk or, plain and simple pop music. What I'm listening to at present is: Karl Jenkins' 'The Armed Man a A Ma...

Rwth, as someone who has seen our three children through the education system and, been governor for over thirty years, has been the decline in the view that education is a collaboration between school and home. Back when our children were going through school, we both took an active interest in the...

It would be nice to think that the parents who care enough to choose the 'best' school also cared enough to follow the children through their school careers helping them to understand the inexplicable. I'd like to think I supported my daughter by asking teachers of my acquaintance to recommend the ...

We offered a call to 111 and, an ambulance. She insisted on trying to call her husband to come and collect her. However, she couldn't raise him so, after a great deal of cajoling we managed to persuade her that a taxi home was the minimum. The Council even offered to pay! At this, she chose the taxi...

Good evening all. The day (Well not quite) on the appeals panel was interesting. Can't go into details, of course. Day ended early because, one of my fellow panels became ill with pains in her chest early in the afternoon. She obviously went home so, sadly we were unable to come to any conclusions w...

Good evening everyone. Had a good day today. Once the rain cleared through mid-morning, OH and I headed out for a a walk. We drove to the village of Kinver in South Staffordshire, some seven miles drive away. We walked along a stretch of the Staffs and Worcester Canal (Brindley's 'stinking ditch') b...

Of course one of Jack's victims has strong links with the area where I live. Catherine 'Kidney Kate' Eddowes was born in Graisley, Wolverhampton on April 14th 1842, one of eleven children. Her parents, George and Catherine Eddowes took the family to London in 1843 but young Catherine returned to Wol...

GLO, I was aware that the Blind Beggar pub was where one of the Kray twins shot dead a member of the Richardson gang in front of witnesses. However, there is even more of a history apparently. The name, the Blind Beggar relates to the legend that Henry de Montfort lost his sight at the Battle of Eve...

Good evening all. A good day here. It started with a walk of a little over five miles with the Action Heart Group. A new walk for us, The Cotwall End Valley Nature Reserve which is actually quite close to Castle Cravat. Returning, if I may to the discussion of old buildings, I was interested to note...

GLO, I have a real passion for visiting old buildings (After all, they're not all stately homes. In Birmingham, the 'Back to Backs' are NT properties consisting of old Victorian or Edwardian terraced houses. ) To me, it's all part of history. By looking at the buildings from a particular time, we ca...

OK, another day, another stately(ish) home. We've lived in this area for more that 40 years. Nearby is the former main home of the Earls of Dudley. Their ancestors came over at the time of the Conquest and were granted extensive acreage locally. The subsequently became very wealthy from exploiting t...

I see your 'tarmacadam' and offer: azimuth

Good day yesterday. Went with the Active Retirement Group to Croome Park, a Nationak Trust property near Pershore in Worcs. whilst the park is the prime focus of NT activity. There are a number of buildings the main one being Croome Court but, there is a church and, several follies. All the building...