Today we visited a National Trust property in Birmingham called the Birmingham Back to Back’s. This was an interesting and humbling (if that’s not too trite a word) experience. Firstly, the reason I found it humbling, my mothers side of the family lived in a back to back just up the road from there. They lived there at the turn of the 19th Century, were button/badge workers and had 3 generations living in the house, one grand parent, mother and father, five children and a lodger. So there were 9 people living in 3 or more likely 2 rooms, working a 70 hour week and having no running water and sharing an outside loo (well bucket) with up to around 60 other people. So to see this and to know how comfortable we live now is humbling.
The interesting part is, I guess, a voyeuristic one, to see first hand how the poor lived is, I feel, far more interesting than visiting a stately home. To see how they decorated the rooms, how they cooked and lived their lives. How they coped without privacy, entertained themselves and how their hard lives shortened their lives. I would have been an old man at my age, if I had lived that long.
It was interesting to see that they flavoured their food with spices such as cloves, star anise and nutmeg. I wonder what they would have thought of our bland English food that is served up in many homes today?
Bedrooms packed with children and even in one house we saw the children’s bedroom was shared (with a blanket acting as a separator) an unmarried couple lodging with the family (total people sleeping in the room – 6, 4 children sleeping top to toe in a bed).
Strangely the 1840 home, which housed a Jewish family and in fact the area was the Jewish quarter for much of its life, was despite the lack of modern trappings more homely than the 1930’s home that had electricity and running water.
I really would recommend a visit if possible, the lady taking us round was very well informed and entertaining.
Got home this evening to discover that the Internet is down and not working. This is the second time in a couple of months that it has played up. The 12 month contract we have with them is looking a long one.
But how are you writing this? I hear you cry! Well, with the old trusted mobile phone, a length of cable and bingo you have the Internet and quicker than the old dial up service used to be :)
Off to see the Birmingham Back to Backs tomorrow, which is interesting to me as some of my great grand parents lived there (or very near by) at the turn of the 19th/20th century. They were 3 generations all living in a couple of rooms and working as badge enamel workers. See! brummy to the very core!
Back in the office for a day before disappearing for a few days to Wales.
I rode in this morning on the Vespa and, of course, as this is Britain and as this is Birmingham I got thoroughly soaked. And as this is also the country of austerity (ok not quite) I am going to have to fight to get a heater to dry my wet jeans on.
Yes I know putting a heat on in the middle of summer is not “Environmentally correct” but as I did my bit for the planet by using said Vespa I feel justified!
Wales dwells in a dark part of my heart, whilst I know it has rugged beauty and even that some of my forbears came from there, it is still the place where, as a child, we moved to for a few traumatic years. I was around the age of 11, very impressionable and English and bullied continually by the local Welsh children and by the Welsh teachers alike. But this was also the place where I saw the wonderful Barry John play which almost makes up for the abuse.
Blues never give us an inch do they?
The season is a little over a week away and so far we have won just one of our preseason friendlies and with only one left, a home game against Sporting Gijon from the La Lega, to some it all looks a little worrying.
The board have put their money where their mouth is ( and no thats not David Sullivan's back pocket for a change) and been on a buying spree bringing in the likes of Christian Benitez, Scott Dann, Joe Hart and Roger Johnson, to name but a few.
With all these new signings and the apparent lack of good performances one begins to wonder how they will fair on the opening day of the season and for the season as a whole and, whilst I don't expect miracles, it would be nice for a few things to happen such as winning a fair amount of home games, playing a passing game and the biggest ask of all having a vocal support!
Should the above happen we would stand an outside chance of staying in the prem and developing further.
But, there are already people calling for McCliesh to sacked before a ball has been kicked in anger so all I can realistically see, along with the bad preseason matches, is a season of continued struggle.
Unity seems to be a dirty word at St Andrews.