Housed in an old pen factory in the heart of Birmigham’s Jewellery Quarter, the Pen Museum is one of those rare places which fill me with glee. I am a pen collector. I have been collecting fountain pens since I was 14. My first was a bog standard Inoxcrom which my sister gave me. I’m not sure where she found it.
Nowadays I use an Omas Extra, blood red with a flex nib. Gorgeous instrument.
But I digress. The Pen Museum is the place to go if you’re interested, as I am, in the history of our most useful tool. People underestimate the value of pens, monetary and otherwise. We use pens daily. Most of us use biros, but we do not realise that 3/4 of the world’s pens once came from Birmingham. How did this come to be? When did the biro take over? Why did the fountain pen trade see such a sharp fall in sales so quickly in the mid 20th century?
If these questions keep you up at night, head over to the Pen Museum.
I really do love this museum. It is economical; informative and succinct. And it is a ten minute walk from Birmigham city centre. You get the opportunity to write using a variety of calligraphy pens. Bring a tissue because you will stain your hands.
The second part of the museum, is an incredible collection of glass show cabinets filled with more nibs than you thought could exist. But more than that, there are perfectly preserved machines for cutting nibs. And even more than that, an expert nib-making volunteer talks you through the process of nib making and even helps you make your own nib.
This is a nice diversion from the bustling centre of Birmingham. I’m much more enthused by fountain pens than most of you, I suspect. Regardless of your affinity to writing, this is an important museum housed in a historic building which was once central to communication between people around the world. I loved it, and so too shall you.
Firstly, a caveat, Sabai Sabai is not particularly high. The restaurant can be found, humorously, 69 metres above sea level. But that is as high as it goes, there are no stairs (unless you want to go to the toilets downstairs). I was merely searching for an alliterative title which conveyed the quality of their consumables.
Now, to business. Sabai Sabai has always been a solid choice for lunch in Leamington. They have a lunch menu: two courses for £10.95. Or £12.95 if you go for one of the more luxurious mains. The portion sizes are correct, making it perfect for students.
Being house mother; I often need to interweave my plan with the needs of my children. One such child, Bhaskar, 16 years my senior, needed to view some houses. I combined our final visit with a much needed catch up with another friend: Sattish. We ate and were merry.
For our starters we ate the chicken satay skewers (Kanom Pang Na Gai). This is always a winning dish. The flavours are wonderfully well imbued that I believe the dish was marinated overnight. The sweet & sour sauce paired well. I’m a fan of the explosively cut carrot.
The Squid Tempura (Pla Muek Tempura) was a little salty for me. But I don’t often eat sea fish, so maybe my perspective is skewed.
My spring rolls (Poh Pia Jay) were a treat, though I found the sauce more appetising than the rolls. Perhaps a bit more salt would allay my concerns.
I was too occupied devouring my own main dish to photograph everyone else’s. And that is the sign of a good restaurant, I think. Ped Pad Prik Pow, an alliterative masterpiece made with roasted duck; peppers; rice and everything nice. Simply superb dish. The duck was cooked to perfection, as was the rice. Fluffy but not too sweet. the bamboo shoots were just crunchy enough.
My friends had the Thai herb curry (Pad Kra Prao) and chicken in garlic & pepper sauce (Kra Tiem Prik Thai) and assured me they were both delicious. Bhaskar looked particularly ecstatic.
In all, Sabai Sabai is a restaurant where one will invariably find quality and value. Family owned and service with a smile. This is the place to come when you want a filling lunch but don’t want to spend over £13, as is often the case.
Make sure you take time to look at the selection of drinks available. They are beautifully arranged and feature some bottles in exotic shapes.
Equally, the waiting section (pictured above) and full-wall-fountain behind the stairs are impressive and tastefully arranged.
Deny it as we may, the great works of Stock, Aitken and Waterman have been a part of my generation’s lives since before we were born. Producing such megastars as Mel & Kim; Kylie Minogue; Jason Donovan and this month’s glorious AOTM group: Dead or Alive.
This was once more a month of agonising and overwhelming choice musically. I considered such albums as Funkadelic – One Nation Under a Groove; A Flock of Seagulls’ debut album and Scritti Politti’s Absolute. Nothing compares to the all encompassing brilliance of Youthquake. Interestingly, the word “youthquake” made the word of 2017 by the Oxford Dictionary.
I had a bit of a tragic history with this record. I ordered it from Amazon hoping I’d be able to listen to it in a few days. The post comes and a fold in the protective cardboard is immediately noticeable. Fearing the worst, I open the package to find the record had indeed been separated into two pieces.
Crestfallen, I took it upon myself to go from a few days’ delivery to “instant delivery” as Ian at Vinyl Destination economically put it. If you don’t recall the last three words from the Queen’s 2017 Christmas speech, you’re disloyal.
Finally the vinyl is in my possession. They way it was intended to be heard. And what a sound.
You’ll all recognise the first song “You Spin me Right Round”, but what you might not know is that Pete Waterman knew it would be a No1 hit as soon as he heard it. And it stayed atop the charts for 5 weeks! Stock; Aitken and Waterman’s first of 13 UK number 1 singles in 3 years. But as usual, to really understand an artist one must listen to the whole album. This one is a powerhouse. Each track seems driven by some unseen force to divine perfection.
My Heart Goes Bang is perhaps my favourite. Closely followed by It’s Been a Long Time. The seamless combination of Pete Burns’ angelic voice and more instruments than I ever thought I would hear at once make for an auditory experience quite beyond anything I have heard before.
This album encapsulates for me the essence of that time one was a child and uncovered something beautiful which he had not considered could exist before. It is an exciting discovery and has cast me into a mine of late 1980’s gold hitherto unnoticed by your humble Suggestor.
Listen for yourselves the mad and frankly beautiful amalgamation of sound in Youthquake. It truly sent me to another dimension.
Vinyl Destination is situated in the heart of Coventry Market (Stall 93). I was so impressed by the pun in it’s nomenclature that I knew I had to buy something from them. Ian runs the joint. What he doesn’t know about music isn’t worth knowing.
Over the last few months, I have visited his shop numerous times. Ian does not only sell vinyl; he also runs a secret underground business of cleaning vinyls. I brought him two copies of my Album of the Year. Both skipped at the same place: Side two, track two Aqua. He cleaned my record with a special machine to remove any specs of dust then looked at it with a microscope. All Free of charge. Ian is as kind as he is knowledgeable.
They played beautifully from then on. I came back and bought every record by the Eurythmics that Ian had. I came back again for The Tourists’ debut album (pre Eurythmics Annie Lenox & co). Each one was wonderful and saw me using my dancing shoes.
Ian doesn’t just sell vinyl; cds. He sells joy. He is competitively priced and centrally located.
There are hundreds of vinyls to chose from. I’m not sure how many record shops the reader frequents, but allow me to tell you they are not normally as well arranged and indicated as Vinyl Destination.
I recommend it as the place to go to get that record you have been after but don’t want to pay the amazon premium price for. He stocks all kinds of music from all time periods. Equally, to avoid the worry of the neanderthals at Royal Mail mishandling your vinyl and crushing it in transit, Ian’s seemingly novel “Instant Delivery” system, available in all high street shops if one could be bothered to leave one’s homes and get out into the real world, is available for all.
Make Vinyl Destination your primal destination in Coventry Market. Ian will take care of all your vinyl needs.
When I started this blog, I looked to find and laud these rare gems you find. The kind of places that make you whisper “wow” under your breath.
Stoke Bakery is one such place. Secluded in West Coventry, far away from civilisation, my favourite of the two Stoke Bakeries in town opens its doors.
The first question anyone should ask themselves in a new city, aside from where they are going to sleep, is: “where do the locals eat?”. The answer for Coventry is Stoke Bakery. The majority of the clientele each time I have visited have been local contractors and fabricators. The ladies behind the counter operate like a well-oiled machine, executing orders from customers with efficiency and grace.
When you order a sandwich from the deli, you know you’re in for a treat. My flatmate and I were out house hunting, ergo my last visit encompassed a quick visit before moving onto the next property. A sandwich within a sandwich (of house viewings). Sandwichception. I need more sleep.
We had cheddar and chive; chicken tikka and tandory chicken sandwiches. One and a half each: £8 in total. Phenomenal quality and value for money. Making your own bread from scratch reduces production costs dramatically. I make all of my own at home, using flour sourced from A Di Maria and Son. Honestly, these are really super sandwiches. Better than anything you’d be able to buy in town. Homemade bread; fresh fillings made daily; made-to-measure cakes. This bakery is a winner.
