Sunday 7 October 2012

A day at home (town)

Didn't go further than my home town today. Hoovered and such first, then walked along the River Rea for the third time in two days (:-) ) with birds flitting in and out of the undergrowth and the sunshine lifting the leaves and the Autumn colours.
Plenty of visitors (human) at the MAC - www.macarts.co.uk if you don't know already - which is very family-friendly, certainly during daytime. Great for families, more alarming if you don't have children!
The cycle route does for pedestrians too and continues through part of Balsall Heath and Highgate towards the centre of town, via the Gay Village and Chinese Quarter round the Arcadian Centre.
Real contrast of the residential en route, especially after the park, and - quite apart from the charms of the Rea (where I've twice seen Kingfishers) - the scenery is surprisingly green through Balsall Heath, though it does get more urban towards the Pershore Road and once into Essex Street and onwards.

Pleasure of knowing enough people, at some level, for chance meetings and conversations. J- in the Urban Coffee - even sat down at the same table with his sandwiches :) - and H- in the Old Joint Stock.

Enjoyable half of Flensburger beer at the Canalside Café.

Evening meditation at the Journey community church, relaxed and thoughtful, but a sobering awareness of homelessness and mental illness, worsened by government cuts to the public services which can provide vital support. Seeing a very smug-looking smart young couple with their Tory conference brochure walk past earlier was hard to take, I wondered if they walked past the homeless men with the same we-rule-the-world look.
Can I be any better, walking past those men as I did? I could afford to sit in the cafés and pubs and buy drinks and food, and enjoy them.

Still, a rewarding day without having to go far.

Nice to come home too, and to have a home.

Location:Brum