We spent the day – a mild and leisurely one – up in Birmingham, a return to the city for a second niece’s graduation. The main event was on Friday which left us to our own devices for today.
To Cannon Hill Park we went, to take in its sights and sounds and get L and F to burn some energy. The cricket at Edgbaston meant parking was at a premium, with quite a few road closures which flummoxed both Google Maps (on S’s phone) and HereWeGo (on my GrapheneOS loaded Pixel). In the end a passerby gave directions to on street parking which was free for two hours; very much burnishing the friendly Northerner vibe.
Cannon Hill Park was a hive of activity: families picnicking, others having the cricketing equivalent of a kick-about, and a troupe of girls scouts up for the day it seemed. Two hours sped by, which left us hightailing it to our scrounged car park to avoid the potential £100 fine.
The evening was spent in more walking around Newhall street, surprisingly non-walkable in my view in spite of all that has been done to turn it into a one-way system. We found the various pedestrian sections still required crossing quite busy streets, which with the best will in the world and one’s wits, would be challenging with a five year-old and an eighteen month old in tow. Dotted amongst the new, gleaming (not fully occupied) buildings were vestiges of the old, preserving a link to an industrial past – a so-called Workshop of the World.
On a whim, we ducked into what looked like a square which then yielded access to the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. Much of it has been built up/ over but it was great to stroll along water in the centre of a city.
We were last up here three or so years ago. The baby then has morphed into a feisty five year old who is looking forward to Year 1 at the end of Summer. It feels like a trick of time.
A Geek's Life 
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