Nobody Cares about Britain

[detrius]

They don't? Perhaps all furniture intended for use there are built on the premises.

Or maybe they buy all their furniture at IKEA - one plank at a time - and only assemble it once they have all the parts.

 

[Soen Eber]

It seemed really weird to me, too. I know there is, or was, traditionally some bad feeling between North Wales and Birmingham, to do with a valley in North Wales being flooded to provide drinking water for Birmingham, but that was back in the 1960s and 70s, and I've never heard it about Manchester. All I can think of was that the Manchester AirBnB hosts had once received a hostile reception in one of of the Welsh-speaking areas of North Wales, which are very picturesque but can also be pretty insular, and had decided the Welsh are all miserable buggers (many Welsh people from the English-speaking south of the principality think the rural North Walians are miserable buggers, too).

Did they formerly date a member of the Welsh Nationalist Party? Did the Welshman pull up with a pocket full of leaks for snacking on?

 

[Tigger]

It seemed really weird to me, too. I know there is, or was, traditionally some bad feeling between North Wales and Birmingham, to do with a valley in North Wales being flooded to provide drinking water for Birmingham, but that was back in the 1960s and 70s, and I've never heard it about Manchester. All I can think of was that the Manchester AirBnB hosts had once received a hostile reception in one of of the Welsh-speaking areas of North Wales, which are very picturesque but can also be pretty insular, and had decided the Welsh are all miserable buggers (many Welsh people from the English-speaking south of the principality think the rural North Walians are miserable buggers, too).

Do you mean the Village of Capel Celyn in the Tryweryn valley which was flooded to provide water to Liverpool? Llyn Celyn is about 5 minutes drive from me. I've walked over the ruins of the old village when the reservoir was extremely low in 2022. The amount of "Cofiwch Dryweryn" graffiti in the area increases every year and it remains a sore point with the locals.

Tryweryn – The Welsh village flooded to supply an English city with water

 

[Casey Pelous]

They don't? Perhaps all furniture intended for use there are built on the premises.

Helicopter drop. You get enough altitude, that couch will end up in the house.

 

[Free]

Helicopter drop. You get enough altitude, that couch will end up in the house.

Built. Rebuilt. It all counts.

 

[detrius]

As far as I can tell from playing round with the arrows, the link takes me to the back of the houses on Holly Avenue. Holly Avenue itself is a small narrow side street, off the main road, the A441. I imagine they simply bring the furniture van down Holly Avenue (or unload on the A441 and bring the furniture down Holly Avenue on a dolly) and in through the front door.

I think that's walled off, making the two narrow paths leading to the A441 the only way to get to those homes.

Anyway, I stumbled over those houses because I was wondering what it would be like to grow up in the UK nowadays, so I wanted to have a look at the environment.

That neighbourhood counts as a pretty ordinary British suburb, right? What options would a bored teenage kid have if they lived there?

 

[detrius]

Built. Rebuilt. It all counts.

Most of these houses look like they survived WW2.

I don't think one ottoman is enough to take them down.

 

[Casey Pelous]

Most of these houses look like they survived WW2.

I don't think one ottoman is enough to take them down.

I guess you never heard of .................wait for it ......................................................................the Ottoman Empire.



I'll just get my things and go.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

I think that's walled off, making the two narrow paths leading to the A441 the only way to get to those homes.

Anyway, I stumbled over those houses because I was wondering what it would be like to grow up in the UK nowadays, so I wanted to have a look at the environment.

That neighbourhood counts as a pretty ordinary British suburb, right? What options would a bored teenage kid have if they lived there?

Take a look at this, the view from the A441, Pershore Road (one of the main roads into Birmingham). Holly Avenue is the roadway between the shop ("Alternatives") and the house. Follow the camera down Holly Avenue and, at the other end, is a dead end, with a gate leading to garages and secure parking behind the houses. There's no direct access to the houses, which isn't very convenient, but at least the people living in the houses have somewhere to keep their cars.

I'm not familiar with the area but from the map it seems to be close to the university, and also to Moseley Village, where I used to live many years ago, and was then a pretty buzzy place. There are also plenty of parks and open spaces around there (including one at the other end of the secure parking, as far as I can see). I'd imagine bored teens living around there do pretty much what bored teens anywhere do, which around there would probably involve catching a bus into the city centre or, in the opposite direction, into nearby Edgbaston, in search of entertainment. It's also reasonably close to Cannon Hill Park, which used to host a lot of community events (including some great movie seasons).

 

[detrius]

Take a look at this, the view from the A441, Pershore Road (one of the main roads into Birmingham). Holly Avenue is the roadway between the shop ("Alternatives") and the house. Follow the camera down Holly Avenue and, at the other end, is a dead end, with a gate leading to garages and secure parking behind the houses. There's no direct access to the houses, which isn't very convenient, but at least the people living in the houses have somewhere to keep their cars.

I'm not familiar with the area but from the map it seems to be close to the university, and also to Moseley Village, where I used to live many years ago, and was then a pretty buzzy place. There are also plenty of parks and open spaces around there (including one at the other end of the secure parking, as far as I can see). I'd imagine bored teens living around there do pretty much what bored teens anywhere do, which around there would probably involve catching a bus into the city centre or, in the opposite direction, into nearby Edgbaston, in search of entertainment. It's also reasonably close to Cannon Hill Park, which used to host a lot of community events (including some great movie seasons).

Noticed a bicycle path running alongside the River Rea, leading to that park.

Looks like a nice place, with mini golf, boating, a zoo etc.

I also noticed a picnic area next to that river, a couple of libraries and the overabundance of soccer fields indicates a large number of sports clubs in the area. All within walking distance.

The bus connections you mentioned seem to run on a 7-8 minute interval, btw.

Would you agree that this seems like a good place for a kid to grow up? With a lot of mental stimulation?


ETA: in the US, the A441 would have at least four lanes, btw.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Noticed a bicycle path running alongside the River Rea, leading to that park.

Looks like a nice place, with mini golf, boating, a zoo etc.

I also noticed a picnic area next to that river, a couple of libraries and the overabundance of soccer fields indicates a large number of sports clubs in the area. All within walking distance.

The bus connections you mentioned seem to run on a 7-8 minute interval, btw.

Would you agree that this seems like a good place for a kid to grow up? With a lot of mental stimulation?


ETA: in the US, the A441 would have at least four lanes, btw.

As I said, I'm not particularly familiar with the area, and haven't lived in Birmingham for a very long time. In particular I don't know what the local schools are like, which is obviously important when you're considering whether somewhere is a good place for a kid to grow up. The overall area of Edgbaston is one of Birmingham's more affluent and desirable neighbourhoods, so I would imagine the schools and local facilities are pretty good.

(When I mentioned taking a bus to Edgbaston before, I meant Solihull, a separate town that's really part of Birmingham, some way further out than Edgbaston).

 

[Free]

Most of these houses look like they survived WW2.

I don't think one ottoman is enough to take them down.

I'm pretty sure the ottoman will be in ruins. Hence: REBUILT.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Ice-cream toting guards escort JD Vance to UK’s poshest farm shop

The American vice-president brought his 20-car motorcade and tight security for a family lunch at Daylesford Organic in the Cotswolds

www.thetimes.com

Evernote Link

 

[Innula Zenovka]

‘I was trolled online by my rapist’s mum’

Justice for Innocent Men Scotland, a group supporting convicted rapists, is accused of allegedly harassing victims who waived their anonymity to speak out about the crimes they faced

www.thetimes.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Angry locals from Welsh town under investigation for online comments after mistaking youth group for asylum seekers

Gwent Police has launched a probe into "inappropriate and offensive" comments made online

news.sky.com

also

Donations soar after charity rowers were mistaken for migrants by ex-Reform UK MP

The group hit the headlines after Rupert Lowe posted on X that he had spotted a dinghy of migrants off the coast of Great Yarmouth.

news.sky.com

 

[Free]

The kind of news The Daily Beast was designed to report on.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Jeremy Clarkson joins backlash as JD Vance holidays in the Cotswolds

Locals have expressed their frustrations and demonstrators have lined the streets after the US vice president and his motorcade arrived in the tiny hamlet of Dean.

news.sky.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

BBC News - Folk musician Molly Davies backs out of gig over JD Vance - BBC News

Folk musician Molly Davies backs out of gig over JD Vance

The US vice president is spending part of his summer holiday in the Cotswolds.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Innula Zenovka]

WWII-era bomb safely detonated at sea after one of the largest peacetime evacuations in UK history | AP News

One WWII-era bomb, you say? Hold my beer

Wooler children's playground reopens after 177 bombs removed

The playground now offering children an explosion of fun without the threat of an actual explosion.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

One WWII-era bomb, you say? Hold my beer

Wooler children's playground reopens after 177 bombs removed

The playground now offering children an explosion of fun without the threat of an actual explosion.

www.bbc.co.uk

He fall down and go boom!