Our Californian friends, here for a few days, enjoyed the weather forecast yesterday, which predicted “sunny spells with intermittent showers”.  Well, we are in England, and watching and commentating on the weather is our national sport, isn’t it?  We’ve watched the storm rumble in over the valley but thankfully, it passed over without trouble and our days have been happy and full of joy.  Just how we like them.

 

 

There have been a few surprises, starting with a day in Birmingham where the new library was a great place to begin our walk around the city.

 

 

The bright, modern structure offered a few surprises of its own, including the Shakespeare room

 

 

 

and the Secret Garden, from where there are magnificent views of what we’ve always regarded as Britain’s second city.

 

 

Next time we visit, we’ll give one of the Dozens and Trails a try.  Sounds like fun.  However, we already had a plan for our day and the next stop was the Grayson Perry exhibit at the Museum and Art Gallery.

 

 

As an introduction to British class and culture, it was hard to imagine anything better and the conversation which followed proved to be a theme for the week.  Such clever observation, so well depicted, we were glad to watch a little of the TV programme where the artist gathered information for the tapestries as well.

 

 

Of course, we had to sneak a quick look in Selfridges on our way to visit the Back to Backs, where a one hour tour turned into a rather longer guided survey, as such and the afternoon was whizzing by.

 

 

Interesting as it all was, we were keen to move on, because we had plans. 

 

 

An early supper by the canal and then…

 

 

Another blast from the past, almost as nostalgic as the Back to Back houses: a performance of Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Rick Wakeman! 

We drove home humming that tune, hoping the late night would kick the jet lag into touch