1) gosh the West Midlands are so freaking gorgeous!

I had a delightful time in Birmingham over the weekend. Mel picked me up at the airport and we were instantly off to Wales to spend time at her cottage and enjoy a proper English supper. We stopped to explore Ludlow and it’s famous food markets. We watched Coronation Street and the Eastenders. We drank more fine Welsh tea than I’ve had in umpteen visits to England. We walked amid the oh-so-quaint streets and for the barest of moments I could envision living in merry olde England permanently. Hmmmm, perhaps, perhaps…..

2) there are more sheep than people in Wales; 3) you know you’re in Wales when …

4) is that not the cutest cottage going?; 5) Mel & T’s backyard at their Welsh home

6 & 7) then it was down to the local for a fine supper complete with lamb, pudding and the good Reverend James, who, we joked, we could hear calling as we crossed the border from England to Wales… fyi: the Rev. James is the beautiful ale you see above

8) Mel & T as we stroll back home; 9) Mel finds the good Reverend in the shoppe to take home to Birmingham with us

10) a stunning rainbow greeted us on our drive back down to Birmingham on Sunday night

11) on Monday, we did a tour of culturally significant places in Birmingham including here – 56 Edwards Road – the home of my great grandfather and actual birthplace of my Papa

I’m safely returned to Toronto at the moment in preparation to attend the EGALE Gala tomorrow night at the Ritz Carlton before flying to London bright and early – and likely hungover – Saturday morning to visit family.

As an aside here – you know I flew no less than 6 flights inter-Europe over the past 10 days with Lufthansa and not a single one – zero, none, nada – actually arrived on time. Grrrrr for a country known, like the Swiss, for their punctuality and percision that was very frustrating.