At last, the temperatures have begun to creep up a little and Birmingham was looking splendid in the sunshine when we pottered about before the show.

 

 

What a difference a bit of sunshine makes.  It felt as though everyone was shaking off their winter woollies and out in the fresh air.  Of course, some were taking off more layers than were advisable – or perhaps I’m just getting old!

 

 

We were there to watch two silent movies with live orchestra accompaniment from the CBSO. We arrived early to take in the pre-concert discussion with Carl Davis, the composer and conductor and joined a sell out audience to watch two masterpieces.

First up was Harold Lloyd in The Eastern Westerner.  Just as on last year’s silent movie evening, we were bowled over by the marvellous comedy action, the timing and the sheer bravado in some of the stunts which would have been remarkable even taking in some of today’s technology.  Knowing they were achieved with the minimum film trickery left us quite breathless! 

 

 

The other showing was Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush.  I can’t say I’ve ever been a real fan of Charlie Chaplin’s work, much preferring the quicker, slicker Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton.  But, this showing was terrific and having learned about the cooked shoe scene from Michael Portillo recently, I was amused to see it for real.

(The boots were made from Pontefract Liquorice)

As always, the acting is truly magnificent, the emotions are played for all they are worth and the eyes tell the whole story.

We loved it.

 

 

Our plans were to continue north to join friends in St Annes for a concert by the Lytham St Annes Choral Society of which our friend Olga is a member.  But a walk around Birmingham on Saturday morning before tackling the M6 led us past Harvey Nichols where we stood for a while and enjoyed the window displays.  All the tropically themed arrangements were created from recycled materials and these cheetahs in particular caught my eye.

 

 

Here are the paws of the sitting cat.  Clever, eh?

 

 

And how about this fine zebra, made from papier mache, strips of fabric and textile trimmings?

 

Our journey was thankfully uneventful, the concert memorable for all the right reasons and the company of our friends as delightful as always.  Sorry though we were to have to leave after breakfast on Sunday, it was for a good reason.

 

The Boy is home from the campaign trail for a day or two.