ARCHIVE INDEX & NAME INTERESTS

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>ARCHIVE INDEX.
After great expense and much sweat on my part you can now click on the index link below and go straight to the appropriate page on this web-site.

Jun 29th 2004 Communication Row, St Saviours Church, Saltley Baptist Church
Jul 1st 2004 Ralph Road and St Saviours Church
Jul 9th 2004 Tour: Belchers Lane to Saltley Gate
Jul 20th 2004 Back-to-backs, Birmingham
Aug 4th 2004 Tour: Washwood Heath and Alum Rock
Oct 5th 2004 St Saviours graveyard (some headstones and names)
Nov 21st 2004 Canal Boat Light Parade (1st one)
Nov 27th 2004 Big Wheel, German Christmas Market
Apr 25th 2005 St George's Day
May 15th 2005 Tolkien Weekend
Jun 10th 2005 Heartlands VE/VJ Exhibition
Aug 9th 2005 St Saviours graveyard (some MIs)
Sep 8th 2005 St Saviours Church and graveyard (some MIs)
Sep 10th 2005 Key Hill Open Day (some important dead people)
Sep 17th 2005 Black Country Boatfest
Oct 21st 2005 Trafalgar Day 200
Nov 20th 2005 Canal Boat Light Parade
Dec 17th 2005 Merry Christmas Everybody!
Jan 23rd 2006 Walkabout Jewelry Quarter
Jan 24th 2006 Walkabout Jewelry Quarter Again.
Feb 6th 2006 Walkabout Bordesley-Nechells-Aston.
Mar 31st 2006 Peter Turner's back-to-back photographs.
Jun 16th 2006 City Centre Walkabout (incl Tree of Life statue)
Jun 30th 2006 The Bromwich Vault
Jul 30th 2006 Sheldon Country Fair
Sep 9th 2006 Key Hill Open Day
Sep 18th 2006 Farewell and Welcome Back!
Oct 21st 2006 Trafalgar Day
Dec 10th 2006 Canal Boat Light Parade
Jan 26th 2007 St Matthews (ALL headstones & most MIs)
Apr 15th 2007 Big Birmingham Morris Caper
Apr 22nd 2007 Scouts Centenary Parade
Jul 2nd 2007 HP Sauce D-Day 1 (Also D-Days 5, 9, 19 and 23)
Jul 14th 2007 Festival of Extreme Buildings
Jul 14th 2007 Fazeley Street Walkabout
Jul 24th 2007 Lichfield Road Traipse
Aug 28th 2007 HP Sauce D-Day 58
Sep 7th 2007 Festival of Extreme Buildings Revisited
Sep 9th 2007 Unidentified Church
Sep 14th 2007 St James the Less Memorials (Many MIs)
Oct 22nd 2007 Trafalgar Day- belated
Oct 26th 2007 HP Sauce D-Day 117
Nov 15th 2007 German Christmas Market
Nov 17th 2007 Digbeth Coach Station Farewell Party
Feb 14th 2008 RIP Ring O' Bells
Mar 25th 2008 HP Sauce D-Day 268
Apr 22nd 2008 Royal Re-Opening of Birmingham Town Hall
Apr 26th 2008 St George's Day Celebrations
May 2nd 2008 Eastside Mini-tour & Gun-Barrel Proof House
May 20th 2008 Pub-Crawl
May 27th 2008 St Matthews Church, Duddeston

Jul 24th Yardley-Sheldon Walkabout (ongoing macro blog)
Sep 13th 2008 Key Hill Open Day

Mar 31st 2009 Aston Juxta Church (some MIs, war panels, ongoing)
Apr 19th 2009 Stone Cross St George Parade
Apr 25th 2009 St George's Day Birmingham

I thought I would declare some of my genealogical surname interests in case anybody has similar :-

FISHER ... Birmingham & Black Country
HANDS... Cherington, Stourton & surrounds, Warks
CONGREAVE... Notts, Leics (also alternate spellings)
BUCK... Notts & Cambs
TAYLES... Notts & ???
HOOLEY... Notts
PEDLEY... Notts
WHAP... Notts
THOMPSON... Norfolk
SADLER... Norfolk
ROCK... Solihull, Warks
KING... Great Alne, Warks
COOK... Suffolk
JARVIS... Suffolk
PUGH... Tipton, Staffs
FLEET... Tipton, Staffs
GREEN... Tipton, Staffs
JOHNSON... Northwich, Cheshire
GATENBY... Stockton, Durham

Ring and Ride Mk II ??

Is this a new concept in bus travel for the people of the West Midlands? Wherever you happen to be in Birmingham, you phone the bus company and tell them where you want to get on the bus and where you are going. The bus company obliges by putting up bus-shelters for you. Problem is you still have to wait for 3 buses to come along together but at least you are sheltered.

After a wait for the buses, in which time the weather has changed from sunny to rain, you get on your bus.
You arrive at your appointed destination just as the company has finished putting up the stop for you. A word of warning if you have to cross the road... remember to wait for the other 2 buses behind to pass.

Actually all bus-stops are being altered so that the pavement is at the correct level for the kneeling buses, making it much easier for the aged and people with push-chairs, shopping trolleys and those in wheel chairs to board and disembark. This is a very welcome improvement. Of course this only works when there aren't cars or delivery vans parked in the designated bus-stop area - drivers please take note!

St George's Day Birmingham - 25th April 2009

Fun, frolics, fighting and capers was the order of the day in Birmingham as thousands of people celebrated St George's Day. A craft and farmer's market in New Street provided an opportunity for visitors to buy unusual gifts and fresh produce.
In Victoria Square the Radio WM roadshow provided a variety of acts. A beer tent and pig-roasts added to the atmosphere. In Chamberlain Square traditional entertainment was provided by various Morris sides including the Jockey Men's Morris, Glorishears, and more. Just see below.
Thes sun shone which made the day just perfect.

Earlsdon Morris Men band and dancers in Chamberlain Square.

Earlsdon Morris provide a floral display.

Fiddlesticks perform a garland dance.

Fiddlesticks dancers exit after one of their performances. The large audience in Chamberlain Square was remarkable considering that just round the corner in Victoria Square....

.... crowds of people were watching the acts on the Radio WM stage.

One of the main acts of the day was The Fab Beatles who looked and sounded like the Fab Four.

A huge smoking, multi-coloured dragon oversaw the proceedings from the front of the Council House.

Back to the traditional entertainment in Chamberlain Square, and the arrival of The Knights of Middle England.

This damsel was not in distress until the arrival of the knights, one of whom kidnapped her.

St George on his horse just before leaving.

STONE CROSS St GEORGE PARADE 19th April 2009.

Today the Stone Cross St George Association demonstrated that the English can celebrate St George's day with a peaceful and very enjoyable procession. Billed as controversial, and distanced from by Sandwell Council, funding was provided by businessman Chris Kelly and hence the opportunity for the 10th St George's Day procession in West Bromwich to go ahead. The parade started from Stone Cross, West Bromwich and finished at Dartmouth Park. Apart from celebrating St George, the dead of the two World Wars were remembered as were those members of our forces still serving in conflict overseas.
One of the organizers, Nick Clorley told me an estimated 15,000 people had turned out for the occasion. Even an improvement in the weather allowed the sun to shine on the righteous!
Wake up England!!!

The lodge house at Dartmouth Park adorned with St George's flags.

The Cenotaph in Dartmouth Park.

Before the procession, it's posing time for the veterans, members of various branches of the Royal British Legion.

... and on the other side of the road with the Crown and Cushion public house providing part of the background.

A suitably bedecked buggy for one of the spectators.

Revellers arriving.

Bob Langley directs the marching bands and the veterans into the display area.

The Northfield Caledonia Pipes & Drums. See http://www.ncpb.co.uk

The veterans arrive.

More marchers arrive, suitably attired for the occasion.

Pipers in the park.

Standards are lowered as a bugler plays "The Last Post".

Organizer Nick Clorley thanks the procession's participants and other groups who helped on the day.

The Union Flag is raised, other standards are lowered as the salute is taken for the National Anthem.

.... crowds in the background join in the National Anthem.

All quiet on the West Midland's front?

True, I have taken 100s of photographs lately yet I have not posted any. Two reasons.. 1/ I've not had the time. 2/ Google Street View seems to be doing it for me. At first I suppose Google made me feel a bit redundant and then it dawned on me that I had inspired them, and that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. OK, a bit over the top maybe, but it made me feel better. I also know that Street View has not permeated some of the more undesirable areas of Brum, and they do not "do requests". So I will carry on.
Photos to appear over the next month or 2 will include some of St Patrick's Day parade (yes, plenty of other media photos available and at least I had the grace to keep out of the way of their photographers!), but balance is required and I hope to be at the West Brom St George's Day parade on the 19th April. No doubt there will be many complaints about the parade (by the English, as usual) and possibly some idiots will try and spoil it for the majority, but I will be there to see what happens.
Also some churches in Handsworth and St Aston Juxta. A few more higher quality photos of the back-to-back court in Birmingham, and a few of Digbeth. Watch out for an anorak with a camera wearing an anorak - he could be walking down your street any time!

Snygyst - "Goes where Street View fears to tread"