Good Times

On Friday I caught the train to Birmingham to spend the day with my friend, Nikki. After a pot of the most deliciouly sherbet-y cranberry & rose tea in a hip cafe, we walked up to Victoria Sqaure, where I posed with my namesake before a wander around Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

I was always slightly disappointed that my parents named me Victoria Clare rather than Victoria Regina, Mum's original choice.

As I'm sure you're aware, Birmingham will be hosting the Commonwealth Games in June and the city has been massively spruced up. 

Moved in 2017 to make way for the tram network (the least said about that, the better), Antony Gormley's The Iron:Man is back in the square. Measuring 20 feet tall, with his feet embedded in the ground, he was cast in the Black Country and unveiled in 1993.

Birmingham Art Gallery is home to the world's largest collection of art and design by the Pre-Raphaelites. Due to the Pandemic and some essential work, it partially reopened last week with a limited amount of exhibits on display. You can see more of Birmingham's incredible Pre-Raphaelite collection in my post HERE.

We spent ages pouring over Benny's Babbies by Birmingham artist, Cold War Steve, cackling at Mr Egg where all Birmingham clubbers used to "Dine Like a King for 99p" (including me!) after a night on the town, recalling the days of shopping at Mark-One and The Oasis, where Boy George could often be seen hanging out, as well as pointing to famous Birmingham-born folk we'd met or knew by association.

The people of Walsall own a large amount of Jacob Epstein's work, bequeathed to us by his widow, Kitty Garman, born up the road in Wednesbury. The gorgeous Lucifer however was gifted by the artist to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in 1947 and has weakened many a museum visitor's knees over the decades.

 

After a stroll around, admiring the city's glorious Victorian architecture, we had lunch in Damascena, a Middle Eastern eatery situated next door to the swanky Old Joint Stock (which I visited with Jon & Tony, HERE)

Accompanied by a glass of deliciously aromatic cardomom tea, we feasted on Damascena Fuul (slow cooked fava beans with tomatoes, onions, garlic and fresh chilli), tabula (a parsley, bulgar wheat, cucumber and tomato salad) and spinach, feta cheese and sumac fatayer (pastries). The food was wonderful and great value at just over £10 each!

With the antibiotics out of my system, we headed to Albert's Schloss for my first pint in almost a week. Isn't the menu gorgeous?

Cheers!

Chin, chin!

Us, and a couple of other women, were in awe of the neon illuminated toilet cubicle although, having a wee side-by-side with your mate, does seem a little odd.

 After a failed attempt at a toilet selfie, we headed back to New Street Station to catch our respective trains home with mine having a platform change two minutes before it was due to depart cue a manic sprint across the concourse and up and down two flights of stairs - just as well I'm fit!

Thanks for a fab day, Nikki! See you next month!

 

Jon picked me up from Walsall's train station and, after tea, we cracked open the rum (I matched each glass with a pint of water) and re-watched Captain Corelli's Mandolin, not a patch on the wonderful Louis De Bernieres novel on which it's based but still a pleasant - and Greek themed - watch.

Despite the forecast for the previous day being one of heat and sunshine it wasn't to be, starting off bright but by 11am disappointingly grey and overcast. Fortunately, Saturday turned out gorgeous. After the usual start of reading in bed with tea, stripping and changing the bed, pegging the washing out and a breakfast of a veggie sausage sandwich each, we drove up to the garden centre for the first time this year as Jon needed a couple of bags of compost and, of course, I couldn't resist the 3 for £10 offer on the perrenials.

Continuing with the Greek theme, I'm wearing the hand-embroidered blouse I bought in Lindos last year along with a 1970s Greek souvenir tote bag (charity shop), a Zara broderie Anglaise skirt (brought from their summer sale in 2017) and my red Lottas (they're wet - not dirty!)

Back at home I stripped down to a bikini and spent four hours repotting my overwintered geraniums, planting out the windowboxes and finding space for my three new plants, Dianthus "Diane", Anemone "Pulsatilla White" and Armeria "Ballerina White". 

Jon potted on his seedlings and moved stuff into the cold frames from the utility room and the kitchen windowsill. Together, we sorted out the raspberries that have gone utterly mad and are threatening to take over the garden (no bad thing, we love them!)

After a posh coffee in the sunshine, I spent the rest of the day with Stephen Fry on the lawn whilst Jon lounged around inside watching some sci-fi/zombie rubbish.

We'd booked a table at Walsall's Greek Cypriot restaurant, Kouzina, at 7.45pm so, rather than Jon drive and not be able to have a beer, I suggested we go by foot (a forty minute walk across town, just over two miles away). As is always the case on a Saturday, we'd not eaten since our breakfast at 8.30am and were ravenous by the time we'd got there and met up with Tony.

A former transport cafe, just off junction 10 of the M6, Kouzina is unpreposessing from the outside, but inside, you could be in a buzzing taverna in Greece.

A Mythos for me, Keo (a Cypriot beer) for the boys. 

The boys opted for the Big Fat Greek Meat Sharing Platter and I had the Mixed Meze Board which consisted of tzatziki, courgette fritters and Feta and spinach parcels drizzled in honey, there were Athenian flatbreads too, of which I donated half to the lads.

Jon & Tony had pudding, too. Hollow legs, that pair! 

After a couple more beers we walked back home via Walsall town centre, bumping into a mate we see at the swimming baths most weeks, Alright Baz, didn't recognise you with your clothes on!

On Sunday we lay in bed reading until 9.15am - practically unheard of! Still stuffed from our Greek feast, we skipped breakfast and headed off to the clearance chazza for a rummage.

We came back with a Hobbs 100% linen rainbow shift dress, Cath Kidston pumps, a NY taxi tee shirt for Jon, a Pop Boutique paisley button-down shirt, two vintage bud vases for our collection, a Marc Darcy waistcoat, a Hugo Boss merino wool poloneck, a gents' crushed velvet blazer, a 1970s Tramps novelty print shirt, a pair of Falke 80 denier opaques (£19.99 on the label), a trio of fake succulents - to brighten up a dark corner, a 1970s St Michael green velvet blazer and a workout top from Beyonce's Ivy Park label (which, with any luck, might give me a body like hers!)

I wore the embroidered unbleached cotton dress (eBay) I last wore to see Operation Mincemeat at the cinema on Easter Monday. After I'd laundered the finds and pegged them out to dry we realised that we were still stuffed from last night so we decided to skip lunch, too. We might manage to force half a pizza down later.

After Nikki and I were chatting about it, I've decided we need to rewatch Jason and the Argonauts for the millionth time this evening.

γεια! We're off on our travels again, catch you later!