My Nigerian husband cannot comprehend that in the West Midlands, we'd conceive adding salty, fried potato onto thick chunky bread slathered butter, and call this carby sandwich a chip butty! This and many other quirks are what make going back home to the Black Country WONDERFUL.
After a three month hiatus (the birth of my second daughter), I finally was able to pack the car up, give hubby a welcome four day break from me and the girls, and go visit my family.
The Black Country is named so because of it's Victorian industrial past. The mining, quarries and factories were so prolific that the smoke they all produced created an enduring smog, which coined the regions name. Reportedly, Queen Victoria thought it so ugly, she pulled the blind down on her carriage as she passed through!
Well Birmingham and the Black Country have had something of a Renaissance thanks to lots of development and a certain BBC drama. I often talk about pre and post Peaky Blinders. Pre peaky blinders my accent was ridiculed, we were often a region touted as thick and that not much happened there. Post Peaky blinders, I'm regularly told people like my accent, that we're friendly and that Birmingham is brilliant to visit!
When I go back I stay with my parents which is where the top photo is taken, in their beautiful garden. I'm wearing a second hand dress (£5 from H&M), a second hand All about Audrey wrap top (forgotten how much as I've had it yonks) and second hand Topshop boots both from Vinted, which I am ruining I'm wearing so often!
After a few days acclimatising and visiting extended family, I met up with my high school best friend and we took our daughters on the train to Birmingham city centre. I nearly fainted when the cost of a return train ticket from Rowley Regis to any Birmingham station, was a paltry £3.30!!!!! You certainly don't get prices like that down south! I'm wearing a NEW (I very occasionally buy new things), All about Audrey dress which was a treat to myself for my birthday at the end of this month. I'm wearing my trusty second hand black shaggy cardigan and my favourite second hand Topshop boots. I'm holding hands with my eldest daughter who hates having her photo taken. As she's not old enough to give consent I'm keeping her out of pictures.
Straight out of Snow Hill Train Station you reach Colmore Row and the gorgeous cathedral (one of several in the city), this will only ever be known as 'Pigeon Park,' to me, in the late 90s early 00's emo and goth kids would gather to hang here. To this day it's still a colourful scene to people watch.
After a quick coffee we went to the Sealife Centre where we saw Gentoo penguins, sea otters and blue tang fish. I have a conflicted relationship with Sealife Centres, my sister used to work there so I know how much care the staff put into looking after the animals, but I felt pretty uncomfortable that you could pet starfish and the undeniable fact that it's a tourist attraction, despite all the conservation they do.
After seeing the animals we trekked back to the city centre and had lunch in Bella Italia, which for £26.50 each we got a main meal, dessert, drink and the kids got a three course meal. I had pesto pasta with peas and for dessert of course I picked the delicious tiramisu. Both the kids refused their pasta (we decided against enjoying Birmingham's amazing Indian restaurants thinking the kids might not eat that, only to find the otherwise eaten pasta got snubbed)!
There are many things I miss about living in Birmingham but hands down the biggest is the diverse dining out experiences you can have there, in particular Indian food. Birmingham even has it's own Hawaiian restaurant so I hear!
My last day in Birmingham has been spent enjoying my Mom's famous vegetarian roast dinner and exploring Haden Hill Park in Halesowen, still one of my favourite places on earth.
Haden Hill House was owned by the Haden Haden Best family, the house on the right dating back to the Tudor times and the house on the left a Victorian build reportedly for Haden Haden Best's mother! I adore both, as they've both been silent tenements of my childhood.
Today I wore my anniversary present off hubby, which is another All about Audrey dress and my second hand black shaggy cardigan (another autumn/winter staple).
As you can see the pushchair is near and my mom is taking this photo (I kind of love it being the wrong angle and being able to see mom's shadow, it's these little moments which you come to cherish in years gone by).
Well until next time, see you soon lovebugs!
Sophia
xxx
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