It's snowing in Quinton!

Here's a photo taken of our back yard a couple of hours ago showing the snow is most definitely falling up here on the frozen and desolate ridge that is the Hagley Road in Quinton. God help the poor folk up on Rowley Regis that's all I can say.

Yes the much forecast Siberian weather conditions finally arrived this morning, good job I hadn't planned to go to Coventry today. I did however pop down to Harborne Golf Club to do the editorial below, though needless to say there was no one out on the course today! Our oldest son Patrick arrived home from school at lunchtime with his mucker Johnny and the little scamps proceeded to lob snow balls at the windows. Kids huh!

May as well do a quick blog of the weekend as I am snowed in here in front of my PC. Theresa and Alice went to London this weekend to see The Sound of Music at the Palladium - they had a fantastic time. Alice loves all those well known classics such as These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things.

Meanwhile me and the boys had a ladz weekend at home, mainly centred around sport on Saturday including watching the Villa against 11-men-in-defence Wigan (Steve Bruce clearly has the same amount of ambition he had at Blues and it shows the difference between the two sides when the Wigan fans were celebrating a 0-0 draw with two shots on target in the entire match whilst Villa fans left the ground in quiet disbelief at why that ball refused to go in the net). Great to witness the 1 or 2 minute round of applause for the late Johnny Dixon and Vic Crowe. I will try and blog some information about them from the programme if I find time whilst snowed in here during the next month.

Sunday morning, the Lightwoods Lions match was called off, but not until Joe and I made the journey over the top of the aforementioned Rowley Regis mountain to the Dudley Juniors ground over by Netherton. In the afternoon I took Joe and Paddy to see John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men at The Crescent in Sheepcote Street. Not the best choice of play to take a 9 year old to, but at 11 Patrick enjoyed it. In truth we originally purchased two tickets for Patrick and I but then Theresa booked up for london and so alas poor Joe had to foresake the Liverpool Chelsea live commentary for a spot of the other type of theatre.

I had heard of this play but never read or watched it, so it was an interesting story with a slightly shocking ending. With my disability hat on I found the various portrayals of disability and impairment interesting in the context of mid 20th century southern USA (without the info in front of me I'm guessing that was the time period - kind of Waltons era - what would that be? 1930s - the great depression decade? Most apt for 2009).

One of the two lead characters was a guy who clearly had a learning and communication difficulty and the title of the play references his compulsive need to stroke soft furry things. At the start of the play he is stroking a dead mouse, though at the end of the play his compulsive behaviour leads to him strangling a woman when she panics as he strokes her hair. As I say, not an ideal play for a 9 year old, although a bit of adult language never bothers me because he hears worse at Villa Park and I am of the belief it's better your kids hear adult language in your company so that you can explain things and point out meaning and context - it's only 'words' after all. But the issue was more about the intellectual level of the play and that lack of fast action which kids are used to. On the other hand it is interesting to note the jump in their capacity to follow stuff which presumably occurs around the time they start secondary school. Whilst Patrick and I analysed the play on the way home, the only thing which stirred our Joey was the gun shot right at the end of the play! But a great performance - not sure how long it's on for but if you enjoy the intimacy of a studio play (you can almost touch the hay) then I can recommend this one (just don't take anyone under the age of 11!)

Finished the weekend off picking up Alice and Theresa from Snow Hill. With all of this going on I didn't get much time for blogging Spaghetti, hence it was a bit quiet here for 2 days. Oh I should say I did get a bit of tv viewing in last night, watched Top Gear with our Paddy (Clarkson does grow on you after a while - but then again so does athlete's foot). I did watch the new Attenburgh series on Darwin though and also the documentary about the medieval Christian crusades. I hate to say it but when you hold up the entirely more sensible scientific theories of evolution against the religious philosophies which have provoked the continued mutual slaughter of the so-called creationists down the centuries, I can fully appreciate why Charles Darwin would walk his family to the door of the church every Sunday morning and then go off for a stroll down the country lanes for an hour. As someone once said "you are most likely to find God in a church - when it's empty".

Looks like it's still snowing folks. Betta git thum thar supplies in Geeeeeorge!

p.s. anyone spot our original Anderson's air raid shelter down the bottom of the garden? I bet there ain't many of them left in Brum these days?