To say that I took the train from Margate to Birmingham to visit friends would only be partially accurate because they actually live in Walsall a town just outside of Birmingham.
However, my lovely hosts Charn and Shem met me under the impressively large bull in the Birmingham New Street station and we proceded out into the bustling core of the city.
What knowledge I had of Birmingham was limited to picturing it as a dilapidated steel mill town that had seen better days and more recently to the images from Peaky Blinders. I was surprised when we spilled out onto the crowded streets surrounding the train station, to see a vibrant, bustling downtown core festooned with Christmas decorations.
Our first stop was to visit a pub that had been the “local” for a friend I knew back home who sadly had passed away in March. It was comforting to imagine Dave there in his younger days with his friend and my host Shem. The place was packed with punters, clearly not taking a break from pints between Christmas and New Year’s. The Old Joint Stock pub itself has a beautifully ornate interior, including a glass domed ceiling, and was once a bank building.
After a few, we left the pub for an Italian restaurant for great food, conversation and company. Dinner done, we ventured out of Birmingham to the city of Walsall where my lovely hosts live in a Victorian era house that they decorate beautifully for the holidays. Every room was decorated and the ornaments on the tree were collected over many years and from many holiday destinations.
Great hosts Shem and Charn planned a day out to visit the local Art Gallery that was featuring an exhibit by South Asian woman focused on cultural identities, inclusivity and belonging. This multi media exhibit included video, displays and a variety of multimedia art pieces, all very colourful and brilliant statements. For a small gallery it was well curated and the main collection donated by two local women included a wide range pieces. Curation of note for sure.
After a walk through the town and the Walsall Arboretum, we arrived home and Charn prepared Indian dishes, including curries, samosas and pakoras. Early the next morning Charn and Shem drove me back to Birminham New Street station and I boarded the train for Plymouth, where my nephew and his family met me and we travelled on by car to Polperro where we were to spend New Years.
Polperro Cornwall – Year 2 of Fancy Dress for New Years
Our return to Polperro for New Years was made possible by the lovely Renata who booked our accommodation. A slightly larger party we rented a three bedroom stone house perched on the edge of the Polperro harbour. The stormy sea was right under my bedroom window and we had several days of storm watching. The weather curtailed outdoor activities but the cottage was cozy and warm and every window had a different view of the sea rolling by roiled up by a storm named Henk. Binge watching Poldark added to the scenario as here we were in that very setting,
The weather took a break for New Years Eve which was good because following a pub crawl in fancy dress (costumes) the town ends in the village square for the countdown and the singing of Auld Lang Syne. Fireworks over the harbour were a suitable ending to a fun night with a chance to say a hearty goodbye to 2023 and welcome 2024.
The Long and Winding Road Home to Margate
Wander With Stella - Solo & Together 