Another week, another trip to the shops to drop off Vinted parcels. I have been loving Fools Spring; I’m just choosing to ignore all the predicted cold weather due again. The bright yellow of the daffodils brightens up the day. The week was pretty quiet; we were due away at the weekend, so we just took it easy.
We watched the new show on Amazon, The Rig. It wasn’t very good but in a good way, like the story had you intrigued, but the visual effects…wow. Amazon must have used up all their budget on Rings of Power. Thankfully, it was commissioned for a second season, as it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger.
This week I also added some CBD drinks to my weekly shop to try. I got a can of Trip, it was very gingery but I feel like it worked. My husband isn’t convinced it isn’t some placebo effect though. I wouldn’t say I liked the flavour so will try the elderflower flavour next time. We had a lovely chilled night trying to complete our 10,000-piece jigsaw and listening to some music. It’s nice to switch off from tech sometimes, which I should do more often.
We also had the man around to measure up our bifold doors, meaning they are now being made. Hopefully, we should get them in before summer, and it will look lovely. Not cheap but the current doors there needed replacing soon anyways.
This week was also one of the best days of the year. PANCAKE DAY. This of course means pancakes for tea which is always a treat. We went fairly traditional with our toppings and kept it to either a bit of chocolate spread or the OG, lemon and sugar.
Friday came around quickly and it was time for our train to Birmingham. The train was very busy, so busy in fact someone was sitting in our reserved seats and refused to move. The train conductor announced that they were adding more carriages, so we hopped off and made the dash to get some seats in the new carriages, which also quickly filled up. Train travel in the UK is so stressful. I always get panicked before long journeys as I cannot stand for long periods since my knee surgery.
Our hotel in Birmingham was right outside the station and for the price we paid an absolute bargain. We stayed at the Holiday Inn, Birmingham City Centre. For a Friday night we paid £82.00. The price was the main reason we decided to book to see the gig here than in London; you’d be lucky to get a hostel bed for that price in London on a Friday! Initially, the hotel seemed nice; the room was large and had everything you needed, like an iron, kettle etc. However, there were downsides. For instance, the shower didn’t drain and flooded the bathroom, the curtains had a gap along the bottom, and the light streamed through in the morning. That being said, I would stay here again. The location was perfect for us.
We walked to the O2 Institute from our hotel. It took about 20 minutes walking and thankfully it wasn’t raining. We checked our jackets into the cloakroom as we didn’t fancy standing around holding oversized thick coats for hours. The merchandise stall was empty, so I took my opportunity to buy a fantastic t-shirt that I had my eye on and then we headed in. The venue was packed. We knew it was a sell-out, but wow they filled that space. Because we arrived pretty close to the opening acts’ start time, it meant space was limited and we couldn’t get the best views, but once the music started it was all okay. The support act came on called Georgia Webster who I did not know before the show, but she was excellent.
Kelsea Ballerini, the main act we went to see, was amazing. She is one of my favourite artists and, for the last few years has been my number two played artist on Spotify Wrapped (behind TayTay, of course). I have seen her before but in a larger venue, and seeing her here, in this small room was amazing. She has grown so much since I last saw her. She commanded that stage and crowd. It was so lovely seeing her shock and reaction at the fact that nearly everyone in the crowd knew her songs. I think her management company played it safe by booking smaller venues for the UK part of her tour but hopefully, she will be back soon and get to play to some larger crowds. Apparently, during her London show she announced that she would be playing at The Royal Albert Hall next year, which I will attend.
We spent the next day seeing the sights of Birmingham before our train. The city is famed for its canals, so we wandered down from the Mailbox to the NIA. It was a pleasant little walk with some lovely cafes and bars dotted around. We ventured to the Central Library next which has a free sky garden with fantastic views over the city. It’s free to visit and definitely worth a look if you are in the city. The only downside I would say here was that it was really, really warm inside. It’s a designated warm space, so heated really well, but it made me feel a bit sick. Also, they have a nice fancy glass lift for the garden. Typically it was broken and they directed you to another lift with a long queue. Thankfully a bit of patience and before you know it you are at the top. Lovely.
We did a bit of shopping, and I finally got to experience the Birmingham Primark. It is insane. I knew it was big, but wow, it was enormous. They had three cafes, including the largest Greggs I have ever seen. It was busy so we didn’t hang around too long in there. We walked down to the Custard Factory for a mooch, it’s very cool down here, but we couldn’t see much of it due to scaffolding. Still, you got the vibe. Young, trendy etc. We headed back to the Bullring and went to Bills for lunch which was phenomenal. The service, food, all of it was excellent. We then went and spent a small fortune in HMV on vinyl before heading back home on the train.
Another train, another seat reservation mess up. Thankfully we managed to get two seats still together as the carriage was empty but eurgh, this does not help my travel anxiety. By this point in the night, my knee was throbbing. I put it through a lot within a short amount of time; we stood still at the concert for nearly 3 hours, followed by walking several miles the next day. I must remember to be more realistic about what I can achieve now.
We spent what was left of our weekend gardening. Pulled out all the dead plants, swept up most of the leaves and got rid of a few pots. Garden pots are expensive so we get cheaper ones but every year try and replace/upgrade them to spread the cost a bit. We created a lot of waste, but thankfully my parents were down the following weekend which meant we could do a skip run and dump it all.
