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The earlier California Inn ...

Location of earlier California Inn ...

I don't think the file size of video can be uploaded to the forum - hence I used YouTube.

We are excited to have a pair of robins nesting in a "hole in the wall" I know that Robins will nest in the most unusual places but we are currently excited to have a grandstand view from our dining room of a nest tucked into a hole in the corner of a wall. Watch how one Robin comes back to feed...

Thanks for digging into this. I did see her as a step-daughter in the limited Scottish records I can access .... I didn't see Eliza and only an Eva. Could be a transcription issue. I hadn't looked up Eliza Vale at Handsworth so that is interesting detail you have included. Thanks again, Kieron

Bit of an awkward look-up but I am almost certain they were sisters. Born in August 1840 at Dumbarton, Mary Jane Ewing's parents were Alexander and Eliza Ewing. So, William Butler married George Owen's sister-in-law not, as stated in the book, his sister. This is not simply pedantry on my...

Oh dear, another error being compounded in print ..... William Butler married Mary J. Ewing who was certainly NOT George Owen's sister. George Owen married Eliza Ewing at Solihull in December 1863. She was recorded as a resident of Solihull at the time of their marriage and her father was...

The reason I got involved in the early history of the Crown Inn was that I was sent some lovely memories of living at the Crown Inn during the early 1950s. See : https://www.midlandspubs.co.uk/birmingham/broad-street/crown-inn.htm#Guise

This is incorrect. The Owen family did not enter the story of the Crown Inn until the 1830s. Also, this cutting from Joseph McKenna's "Central Birmingham Pubs Vol.2" is also incorrect .... Trival, but it was not No.26 at the start. It was not even listed as Broad Street but King Edward's...

I haven't got many photographs of Balsall Heath Road. Looking at the tram lines, I think this one is from the junction of Alexandra Road looking along the Edgbaston section of the thoroughfare. I cannot understand why these houses have been demolished - they looked splendid and solidly-built.

Fancy a post-war butty? It is thought that this image dates from 1946 but I cannot quite make out the licensee plate to confirm this. It probably features the name of Sarah Hobson, licensee throughout the Second World War.

I have had a plant for a while. It was given to me as a climbing fuchsia. In its pot it did nothing for ages. I planted it and it told me it didn't like its spot by refusing to do anything. Last year I planted it in a new location and it is now happy .... very happy. It's gone on the march...

I lost quite a lot of plants and I didn't think it was so harsh, a few cold snaps but nothing prolonged.

I must apologise for missing this event. I entered it in my diary as this Saturday. I was about to ring Andy Maxam to see if he wanted to make up a gruesome twosome on pub knowledge. I logged in to check the meet time and then realised to my disappointment that it was last Saturday. What a chump!

Thanks for your suggestions - it only appeared yesterday so not had time to degenerate too much so I am pretty sure it is not my frog spawn. The ponds seem to have the same clumps of frog spawn as they did a couple of days ago.

I do not have fish as they would hoover up my tadpoles. I did have a lone fish appear two years ago - an egg must have come attached to a plant I bought. He was taken out of the pond, fed to a decent size and then taken to the local park to start a new life in their pond. I don't think it is...

Ah yes, the photo would help. Have you seen my marbles - I've looked in the fridge and pantry! Pic added to OP

Forgive my ignorance but I spotted this on my patio today. I have my frog spawn in the ponds and everything seems OK. But what is this? Why on the patio? I don't think I have a toad. I thought perhaps that a bird may have hoiked something out of the pond and dropped it but I have looked up...

NEW QUIZ ROUND I only posted the quiz as I remembered that many people enjoyed my picture quiz during the lockdown. As I already had these questions made up I thought I would add them as a fun element of my site. I only intend to add another round from time-to-time as I am so busy on other...

Sorry about the footy questions but I compiled the quiz for a friend who is an Albion fan. There were 30 questions as I put it together for a fun element of a birthday party whereby guests could access it on a phone during the evening. I do not know how they police pub quizzes these days as I...