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Friday Photo by Karen Strunks

This weekend Birmingham is going to be even more of a hive of cultural activity. It’s the annual Arts Festival. Beginning this afternoon and running until Sunday night Birmingham is host to more events than you can shake a stick at; dance, films, arts, comedy, music, theatre. There will be something for everyone – and it’s all FREE! It’s also the last few days for the Monarch Beach (yes, Birmingham even has it’s own beach!) which is holding lots of music and dance events on their stage. The weather is going to be great this weekend, so grab a deckchair and a drink and enjoy. You can find the beach on Chamberlain Square next to the library. It’s going to be a fabulous weekend. You will be spoiled for choice. Have fun! :)

When my mum first saw this statue she asked me if it was a fish! Well, I guess the arms could be mistaken for fins….or maybe not :) I believe this statue is called ‘Future’, at least that is what is inscribed underneath it. However, as much as I have searched online for more information, I just can’t find anything about it. A mystery man with his arm up stretched to the heavens….. Sometimes we don’t have to know everything about everything I guess :) See you next Friday. Have a great weekend!

I recently had the pleasure of photographing the interior of Blue Mango Indian restaurant and the proprietor kindly invited me for a meal there. I don’t frequent Broad Street very often, and I before my photo mission I wasn’t aware that the restaurant was there! It’s kinda off the beaten track of Broad Street and can be found in Regency Wharf which also houses a couple of other eateries. The interior is stylish and spacious – you won’t be bumping elbows with the people at the next table! The waiters were attentive and efficient. The food was elegantly presented and more importantly it tasted very, very good! It made for a sophisticated dining experience. The week before I went to the very popular Al Faisals on Stoney Lane, which was a different event altogether! A good event, but still very different to Blue Mango. It didn’t have the calm ambiance, was very noisy, the waiters were efficient but maybe a little too much – no sooner had I taken the last bite of my starter, out came the main course. It was a bit more rushed. Having said that, I enjoyed eating there, and loved the food but the Blue Mango...

Beautiful set of pics from inside Moseley Road Baths from this weekend’s Birmingham Flickr meet. They’re the work of Emma Jones, who has certainly developed an attachment to the building: it’s in a dreadful state. There seem to be a lot of little things that could be done to save disaster in the future, but it’s almost as if they’re letting it run down on purpose. For example, there’s a pinhole leak in a water pipe above the unused pool. All it would take to fix it is a stepladder (it’s not very high at all) and some epoxy tape (or even a bit of rubber and a pipe clamp, which would last a few years)… but no. Instead, this tiny leak has already rusted all the metal in the seats and railings on the two stands below it, decayed all the plastic and rubber on the two floors – and is presumably therefore destabilising the structure underneath. The Friends of Moseley Road Baths are having another fundraiser on the 14th Aug — and the old place can certainly do with the love.

Michael Scott has spent the last few years hanging out in disused buildings taking photos, but rather than being arrested and locked up he’s been given an Arts Council grant and the photos are being exhibited in the Central Library until the 12th of September. He’s snapped the HP factory, the Central studios and the Lancaster Circus fire station (which I now find out is shut). Uploaded with plasq‘s Skitch!

Made in Birmingham: The 1886 Exhibition of Local Manufactures and Natural History Centenary Square Birmingham 20 June – 31 August 2009 Free The Birmingham City Council’s Website says: The Made in Birmingham exhibition celebrates one of the most important public demonstrations of Birmingham’s commercial and industrial prowess: The Exhibition of Local Manufactures and Natural History held at the Bingley Hall in 1886. This exhibition of photographs and related material, drawn from the collections of Birmingham Library and Archive Services, provides a unique opportunity to explore the spectacular shop window which the 1886 show provided for the huge variety of goods – ranging from heavy engineering and machinery to furniture, to decorative and domestic wares – made and sold in Birmingham during the late 19th century. Pop along some time. It’s well worth a look!

The hall of memory is a building I have walked past many times and never ventured in until recently. From Birmingham City Council’s website: Birmingham’s Hall of Memory was erected in the 1920s (before Baskerville House, in front of which it now stands) to commemorate the 12,320 Birmingham citizens who died in the “Great War”, which we now know as the First World War (a further 35,000 Birmingham men came home from that war with a disability). The Hall, made from Portland Stone, from Portland Bill near Weymouth, was opened by Prince Arthur of Connaught on July 4, 1925. It cost £60,000, which was raised by public subscription. Further memorials were added after the Second World War, and for subsequent campaigns, including Korea, Vietnam and the Falklands. Around the exterior are four allegorical bronze figures, by local artist Albert Toft, representing the Army, Navy, Air Force and Women’s Services. Inside the Hall are three Art Deco panels, “Call”, “Front Line” and “Return”, by William Bloye, another local artist. Opposite the Hall of Memory, outside what is now the Rep Theatre, stood a “colonnade” of Portland Stone. When Centenary Square was created, this was moved to the Peace...

I’m taking you out of town with today’s photo. Don’t worry, we are not straying far from Birmingham, but we are venturing to the home of this old teddy bear. I was kinda dragged along to the Black Country Living Museum earlier in the year. I don’t mind a bit of stepping back in time now and again, but it’s not a big passion of mine really. However, I ended up enjoying the day out far more than I expected. There is so much to see and do! Explore the modern exhibition halls Travel on a tramcar Experience the underground coalmine Ride on the fairground swingboats Take a lesson in the old-fashioned school Meet the characters in the shops and houses Visit the horses Watch the demonstrations of metal-working, sweet-making and glass-cutting See a silent film in the 1920s Cinema Enjoy a pint in the Bottle and Glass Inn Sample the traditional fish and chips from the 1930′s Fried Fish Shop It really is a good family day out and worth the short journey from Birmingham to make a visit. You can spend the whole day there exploring and experiencing a era that lived a more...

Where you do you get your old fashioned sweet fix these days? I have just the place for you! On the corner of Inge Street and Hurst Street you will find a wonderful Olde Shoppe to cater for your hard boiled sweets needs. Not only that, but you can spend a good few hours there exploring the restored 19th century houses next door. Otherwise known as the ‘Back to Backs’, the National Trust offers you the experience of stepping back in time and seeing how our ancestors used to live. Take from the National Trust Website: Carefully restored, atmospheric 19th-century courtyard of working people’s houses Birmingham’s last surviving court of back to back housing Story is told through the experiences of the people who lived and worked here Covers four different periods, from 1840 to 1977 Design of each interior reflects the varied cultures, religions and professions of the families who made their homes here Gift Aid Admission (Standard Admission prices in brackets): £5.70 (£5.15), child £2.90 (£2.60), family £14.20 (£12.90) Advance Booking Recommended It’s well worth a visit and a great afternoon out for the family!

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Friday Photo by Karen Strunks

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