A L
£1
B13 MAGAZINE
S 97 1
FEB 2021 ISSUE 515
C O V D N A L A CE C LO IN 3
M SELEY
THE LOST NOTES: LOWLIFES AND HARD TIMES
HOMECOOL KIDS:
CHILDREN’S LOCKDOWN MAGAZINE
TOMMY QUANG:
HOROSCOPES 2021
A MOSELEY MINUTE: RACHEL GREEN
VALENTINE’S DAY: IDEAS IN LOCKDOWN
MOSELEY B13 MAGAZINE
FEB21
EDITOR Mark Baxter (editor@moseleymagazine.co.uk) THE TEAM Ian Cook, David Isgrove, Stephanie Silk, Maria Arroja Ferreira, Tipton. Debbie Aldous, Max Jalil, Martin Jeffers, Jobe Baker-Sullivan, Baldeep Gahir PHOTOGRAPHER Position Vacant CONTRIBUTORS David Spilsbury, Moseley Local History Society, Tessa Lowe, X1 and X2 PROOF READER Jane Barry ADVERTISING Position Vacant SOCIAL MEDIA Maria Arroja Ferreira TREASURER Leanne Holloway (accounts@moseleyb13.com) DESIGN Andy Wickett (andywickett@gmail.com) MAIL Moseley Publishing House Ltd. Moseley B13 Magazine, c/o: Moseley Exchange, 149-153 Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham, B13 8JP. ONLINE YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCqC-sOw9T6mBgpj8ox9Ph0Q?view_ as=subscriber instagram.com/moseleyb13mag facebook.com/MoseleyB13Magazine twitter.com/MoseleyB13Mag PHONE 0843 289 3665 BOARD David Isgrove (Chair) Stephanie Silk (Editorial) COMPANY SECRETARY Position Vacant LEGAL STUFF Moseley Publishing House Ltd is a non-profit voluntary run company based in England and Wales. Company No. 07786560. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in whole or part, without express permission. All material is believed to be correct at the time of going to print. Cover image: Graham Lennard (The Lost Notes in Highbury Park)
WORDS FROM THE
EDITOR
Welcome to our first issue of 2021! I write this as we find ourselves in a winter landscape with some very creative attempts at snow day sculpture from Moseleyites, including snow castles and families of snow people! To quote a tweet from Sarehole Mill: "Things are feeling a little less Tolkien and a little more Narnia here!" Unfortunately, the year hasn't got off to the best of starts for many, and the magazine was saddened to hear of the tragic death of Leon Priestnall. Leon was a popular local poet and we pay tribute to him on pages 1213. Our thoughts are with Leon's family and friends. We feature another local magazine in the shape of HomeCool Kids, a digital mag produced by children in Birmingham during lockdown (future writers for Moseley B13 Magazine?). We also review the latest album by Moseley-based band The Lost Notes (our cover stars), and have a just for fun round up of horoscopes for 2021 in Tommy Quang's World of Strange. I guarantee you'll never look at star signs in the same way after you've read the "predictions" of 'Moseley's Mystical Moira Mackerson'. Stay safe, all. Mark
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OUTLETS A and R News (320 Yardley Wood Rd) Drinksville (23 Woodbridge Rd) Greenhill Garage (89-91 Billesley Ln) Indigo Foods (50-52 St. Mary’s Row) Moseley Post Office (149 Alcester Rd) Nima Deli (103 Alcester Rd) One Stop (117 Billlesley Ln) Select and Save (174-176 Alcester Rd) Aiden McDonnell Hair (56, St Mary's Row), Ladypool Cycles (404, Ladypool Road) Maison Mayci (148, Alcester Road), Newslink (3, Alcester Road), Palmyra (13, St Mary's Row), Spend and Save (211, Swanshurst Lane) Farmers’ Market (Village Green)
2021 PUBLICATION DATES
ISSUE COPY SALE Mar 17 Feb 27 Feb Apr 17 Mar 27 Mar May 21 Apr 24 Apr Jun 19 May 29 May Jul 16 Jun 26 Jun Aug 14 Jul 24 Jul Sep 18 Aug 28 Aug Oct 15 Sep 25 Sep Nov 20 Oct 30 Oct Dec 17 Nov 27 Nov
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NEWSHOUND
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HOME COOL KIDS
10
THE LOST NOTES
12
LEON PRIESTNAL
13
BEATFREEKS
14
A MOSELEY MINUTE
16
VALENTINE’S DAY IN LOCKDOWN
18
JUST TO SAY
19
BEST OFTHE BERNIES
20
TOMMY QUANG
23
MOSELEY NEEDS YOU
24
NELLY KELLY
26
MOSELEY MEMORIES
28
MOSELEY WARE
30
WE’RE ALL GREAT BRITISH NOW
BY MARK BAXTER
NEWSHOUND
Tipton, the B13 Newshound Twitter: @B13Newshound / Instagram: @tiptonb13
“ROBUST TRAFFIC CALMING” IN BILLESLEY LANE FOLLOWING SEVERAL CAR CRASHES One of Moseley’s leading community activists has called for more robust traffic calming as part of the council plan to create a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) in Moseley. The call comes following an alarming increase in speeding and dangerous driving including several car crashes in Billesley Lane. Izzy Knowles, who stood for the Liberal Democrats in the Hall Green constituency at the 2019 General Election, has written to local police and politicians drawing their attention to the growing problem. In her letter, written on November 30, the community activist, who lives in the area, said: “I have not long come inside from the scene of yet another crashed car on the corner of Greenhill Road and Billesley Lane. From talking to neighbours, it would appear two cars were racing each other down the hill from the direction of Kings Heath. The reason I’m writing is that this is the third similar collision on Billesley Lane in less than six months where vehicles have left the road at speed and crashed into houses or garden walls. “My neighbours and I have been recording traffic flow and volume at various junctions for the last few months, both before and after ‘modal filters’ were recently put in place in School Road and Cambridge Road. Our findings show a significant increase of traffic using both Greenhill Road and Oxford Road to travel between Kings Heath/Moseley and so adding to the pressure of traffic on Billesley Lane especially at these two junctions. “Two of these recent crashes have happened in the early evening when pedestrian traffic is normally heavier. Speeding and racing has long been an issue on roads like Billesley Lane. However, this year it has become much more prevalent. Residents who have lived on or near this road have felt ignored for a long time. They are now concerned they will be left to bear the burden of the redirected traffic from other roads within the LTN and incidents like this will increase. “We have a real opportunity to address this now. I am urging you to ensure that Billesley Lane is considered for some serious traffic calming measures which could even involve remodelling the junctions. I’m also asking that the police please take much more interest including robust investigation of reports of no insurance, dangerous driving and fail to stop as well as increased speed checks during the evenings and partnership working to obtain more equipment and traffic calming measures in known collision hot spots.”
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GROUNDED KITCHEN COMES TO ALCESTER ROAD’S FORMER CORAL SITE The former Coral Bookmakers site at 119-121 Alcester Road, located between La Brioche and Java Roastery, is to reopen as a Korean-inspired restaurant following extensive renovation/redecoration work. Grounded Kitchen, the home of the ‘Seoul bowl’, will be opening soon at the Alcester Road site following recent store openings in the East Midlands. Korean-inspired Seoul bowls bring a balance of nutritious ingredients with the rich exciting flavours of Seoul. The bowls, made to order, consist of nourishing whole fresh ingredients on a bed of brown or white Korean rice; the intense authentic marinades and sauces are all made in-house. While Grounded Kitchen aims to serve nutritious food, the philosophy goes much deeper than that, looking at the real benefits that good food can have for health, mood and happiness, summed up in their ‘Love, Life, Eat’ mantra. So, although Grounded Kitchen takes its influences from Korean food trends, its philosophy is simply that of serving good food, cooked with love and care. Grounded Kitchen says it can't wait to open its doors in Moseley when it is safe to do so but in the meantime, its made to order signature bowls are ideal for cwwlick ‘n collect and delivery. Lee Porter, Franchise Director, says: “We are ever grateful to our customers and the support of like-minded partners who are helping to grow the Grounded Kitchen brand. This is a really exciting time for us and we’re looking forward to bringing GK to more communities in the UK. Moseley is an especially exciting place for us and we’re looking forward to opening our doors here.”
info@moseleyb13.com
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KARAAGE RESTAURANT OPENS IN WOODBRIDGE ROAD A restaurant which proudly says it is the UK's first to offer ‘karaage’ fried chicken has opened at 2 Woodbridge Road, replacing Katsu Kitchen which closed late last year. Karaage (pronounced “ka-raa-geh”) offers a menu based on a Japanese cooking technique, often served as a side dish in many Japanese/Asian restaurants. However, being a simple side dish, karaage often doesn’t get to shine. It’s normally just a precooked frozen dish, which is then quickly defrosted in microwaves and fried – a really dry and underwhelming experience! By contrast, proper karaage is an art. Dishes are lightly marinated in a traditional Japanese mix of ingredients, then coated with a special Japanese coating, rich in starch. The starch is very sticky and holds onto the moisture and ingredients much better compared to standard chicken coatings. The chicken is then deep-fried until crispy and consumed while fresh and hot. The crunch from outside and juicy meat inside is a real treat for fried chicken lovers. The menu at 2 Woodbridge Road is focused on Karaage and Karaage No Sosu Ae (fried chicken generously covered with Japanese-inspired sauces such as Teriyaki sauce, Japanese curry sauce, Tonkatsu sauce, Ponzu sauce, Tokyo Sauce). The restaurant also serves delicious burgers and bao buns with the freshly fried chicken, as well as Japanese specials such as Katsu curry, Ramen, Chahan and Yakisoba, complemented by bubble tea (available for delivery), sake and umeshu, as well as Japanese beers and spirits (available for dining in). Inside Karaage the owners have created a lot of original Japanese-themed art featuring the Bushi bird, “the winged descendant of the original Japanese samurais”. If you go to the restaurant’s Instagram page, you will find that many of the posts are written in the style of traditional Japanese haiku poems. As the restaurant is opening during lockdown special measures have been put in place, as the owners explain: “We are very excited to open our doors – however, this is for collection and deliveries only due to the current situation. The actual opening for eating in won’t be until end of February–March by the look of it, depending on the regulations.” •There is a special Cwwick & Collect discount code for Moseley B13 Magazine readers: KRG20, for 20% off collection orders. Karaage will share the link for ordering as soon as it’s live. For further information on the new restaurant, go to www.karaage.com or phone 0121 449 1113.
COMMUNITY
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LAB FORTE TO BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO POTTERY & PIECES SITE Lab Forte hair salon, presently located next to the Dance Workshop at 134 Alcester Road, is taking over the vacant premises at 30 St Mary’s Row which was occupied previously by Pottery & Pieces. The proposed opening of the re-located salon is the end of March/ beginning of April. In a note on social media under the headline “BIIIIIG NEWS” the hair salon posts: “A lot of you have probably already seen or heard by now but… the rumours are true. Lab Forte will be breathing some life back into 30 St Mary’s Row AKA Pottery & Pieces, making it our new home in 2021! “We are so very happy and grateful that through such turbulent unprecedented times we are able to grow bigger and better and give a much needed makeover to a very prominent Moseley building. Watch this space....”
PRINTING SCHOOLWORK DURING LOCKDOWN If you have schoolwork that needs printing but don’t have access to a printer at home, Moseley’s Rice Chamberlains Estate Agents has kindly offered the use of their printer! Email the work to them and they will print it for you, and you can then pick it up (safely) from their office. Their email is moseley@ricechamberlains.co.uk If you are self-isolating and local to Rice Chamberlains, they could deliver the paperwork to you, depending on the diary etc. Please email or phone if you need to arrange this. Rice Chamberlains Estate Agents is at 27-29 St Mary’s Row, Moseley, B13 8HW tel: 0121 442 4040 Ian Cook info@moseleyb13.com
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HOMECOOL KIDS HomeCool is a free digital magazine created by children in Birmingham during lockdown. ‘X1’ and ‘X2’ from HomeCool's young editorial team took some time out to write for Moseley B13 Magazine about how the whole process came together...
a fun way to record and share our feelings and spread some smiles through positive stories written by children. We decided to call it HomeCool Kids as we were being homeschooled, but still doing cool things. We started off by creating the magazine by hand but we soon realised that it would not be a practical option so, with the help of our mother, we decided to produce one digitally.
We are two siblings – 10 and 12 years old – from Kings Heath who, like a lot of children in the UK, found creative ways to get through lockdown.
We transformed our living room into an editorial meeting room where we pretended to be young journalists while brainstorming our ideas about the magazine: we used our music stand as a meeting podium and planned out the issues on a whiteboard. Seeing our enthusiasm, our mother agreed to help us with the editing and layout of the publication. We worked really hard over the next two weeks to plan the content and design of our first issue and there was a lot of discussion between us regarding the look of it. As we were doing it for the first time, we decided to make it a short five-page issue with one story each by both of us and a fun page. X1 wrote a column called Confessions of a Homeschooled Kid, which was actually a very funny read. For the cover, we painted the props and our parents took our photos in the back garden.
Back in May 2020, around Day 50 of Lockdown1, our parents suggested we create a memory box of our lockdown experiences. We discussed various options and came up with the idea of producing a magazine as
We convinced our mother to become the social media manager (as we had released the issue on social media). We also emailed it to our respective schools and also distributed it via WhatsApp to friends and family. Everyone loved it and we received many positive messages of support. Once our friends had read the first issue, they were keen to contribute too so we decided to do a second one. We also heard from our classmates who sent in their stories. It was a great way to see what they’d been 8
up to and especially to keep in touch. Again, we focused a lot on making the cover of the magazine. As we wanted to ‘spread smiles’, we decided to use a smiley which we painted on a canvas; we gave it rainbow sunglasses to celebrate all the beautiful rainbow displays we were seeing on windows in the neighbourhood. We also wrote our stories and edited the other stories that we received; coming up with headlines was the best part.
part of their Lockdown project and our second issue has been added to the collections at Sudbury Museum of Childhood in Derbyshire. We have had a lot of fun creating the magazine and have learnt so much that we would like to continue. Therefore, we have now created our very own child editorial advisory board; the nine of us in the team will now decide on how to take this forward. We had our first meeting last week and all of us had very interesting ideas for our next issue, which will release in March.
We have produced five issues of HomeCool Kids so far with some amazing stories from other children talking about their experiences during the pandemic. Besides fantastic stories, we have also put together fun activities for our young readers in each issue. Our latest issue was released in December, and was based on the themes of ‘Hope’ and ‘Kindness’; this was a very special issue and has proved really popular.
We would love for the magazine to grow and develop into a platform where children like us can freely talk about things that matter to them. We are open to any suggestions. You can find a link to all the issues of our free magazine on @homecoolkids Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts. Or you can write to us on homecoolkids@gmail.com and we will be happy to email you a copy (all social media accounts and the email are managed by our mother). We are also taking contributions for the next issue so please get in touch if you have a story.
The response from everyone has been wonderful. As a result, we were interviewed by BBC Radio WM, which was a great experience. Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery have collected some of our stories as
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The Lost Notes have been quite the find. Their second album, 'Lowlifes and High Times' follows on from the critically acclaimed Run Free Right Now. This 5 piece Moseley based band have graced the audiences of BBC Introducing, Moseley Folk Festival, Bromsgrove Folk
track its own unique flavour. Two guitars, double bass, drum kit, three-part sensational harmonies, and a wash of reverb help you breeze happily through this album. With a taste of Mumford & Sons skiffle-esque backing with the theatricals of Postmodern Jukebox, the experienced band The Lost Notes find their own, confident style. Listen again,
LOWLIF Album
ES AN by The Lo Review
Festival The Jam House and the Beardy Folk Festival. They stride joyfully back to the studio to release an album amidst a music-stifling pandemic.
by Jo
and, then again for those clever lyrics. “Though I’m a lioness, if I wait I lose my pride” is my favourite ‘wait-was-that-anintentional’ pun that came out of my 4th listen through of the track Done with the Waiting. ‘All Born Free’ incorporates a nice mix of scatt and duet, with the guitar riffs of a Dolly Parton song and the cadences of a Bonnie Tyler power ballad. Glory Days allows Lucy Mills to really come into her own. The female voice of the band takes ownership, even demanding a piano to be part of the mix. And by the end, you’ve probably heard just about enough of those interpersonal relationships and abstracted emotion. The Lost Notes bring you hurtling forward
In their own words, this new album “celebrates the ups and downs of journeymen, despots, sleazeballs, fools, the planet and the consciously idle”. THAT sounds like the sort of post-Covid where I want to be added to the guest list. For now, you’ll merely have to find these characters through the music. There are no identifiable characters in the songs lyrics, each relying on standalone affekts. These various characters rise instead from the huge variety of styles, and just enough use of guest instruments such as cello or piano textures to give each
https://www.thelostnotes.co COMMUNITY
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with Indictments of our modern world. The powerful finale that is Goodbye Yesterday. “Cattle bred for burger bread, Forests felled for space, Factory farms and GM crops, And most is gonna go to waste”. All delivered in their pedigree, danceable musical style. “Plastic oceans, plastic on my plate, Whale meat still for sale, Are we leaving it all too late?”. I’m reminded of James Joyce’s 1907 poetry collection Chamber Music, awash with obsequious love and tender mood, only to take a nose-dive
choose from their menu? I’d suggest the full monty, and enjoy this album from start to end. You can even ask for some extra toppings – or, two extra tracks: ‘All born free’ as an acoustic remix and I’ll Just Hold You as just vocals and piano. The Lost Notes are gagging to gig – large stages or living rooms, like so many musicians, Covid has left musical itches to scratch. Cooped up in the studio, I hope this album will reach new audiences and be embraced by pockets all around the globe, as they have been so willingly here in Moseley.
ND HIG H TIME S ost No tes
obe Ba
ker-Su
llivan
with its final poem, XXVIth. “I hear an army charging upon the land”. An Ill-fitting, headache inducing reminder that things aren’t as rosy as art may lead us to believe. Form and structure allow us to cope with these truths, or in the case of The Lost Notes, their insatiable, festival-ready folk medium, that can be heard on every track, whether they’re singing about loss or love. That final track brings us back to our troubled zeitgeist, though dancing nonetheless. The charming lyric booklet that comes with the album is a lovely touch, weaved into the Matisseesque lines of a Bohemian jazz restaurant. Which song will you
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COMMUNITY
LEON PRIESTNALL POET AND FRIEND
Birmingham’s poets mourn the loss of Leon Priestnall, a strong friend and supporter to many. He passed away in January 2021, cutting short a promising career as a writer. He is well remembered in the local area for founding and hosting ‘Howl’, a popular spoken word evening often held at the Dark Horse pub. A much loved performer, he is described by fellow poet Jasmine Gardosi as “a one-of-a-kind performer … a master of onstage rhythm and personality”. Bethany Slinn says of Leon that he “was and will always be a pillar of the Birmingham poetry community, an advocate for artists and for collectivity. He dedicated himself to supporting poets and making opportunities. He lit up stages and was an electric artist, performer, writer and host.” Many Spoken Word friends made reference to his humility. “Leon would do absolutely anything for absolutely anyone,” says Scarlett Ward Bennett. “He made everybody feel like a somebody, and he was always going
out of his way to encourage and nurture those around him.” Leon was a published writer with the prize-winning Verve Poetry Press with his 2018 anthology Bennetts Hill Blues. It contains many of his works, adapted for the page. “Sit back and listen As the Poet Lets you know what’s going on” [excerpt from ‘Sun on the Hill’] In the words of Birmingham’s own Poet Laureate, Casey Bailey, “Leon was the first poet who stunned me with their live persona”. He corroborates Leon’s intense humility, saying that Leon “provided more spotlight than he took, even though he deserved it all”. Casey says that “We have lost a true legend and we have a responsibility to keep his name alive”. With condolences to Leon’s friends and family, from the whole B13 community. Jobe Baker-Sullivan Photo: Bernard Davis
BEATFREEKS could you have known
does it help that the words
could you have told
live on when the song’s
foretold; was there a
been sung; when the cry
tell in the telling
to right the wrong’s now
of the tale; did the wail
gone, the voice now stilled,
foretell: could you have
that the echoes ring:
heard the call, ceased
does it help to sing along
the pain, eased the fall
click your fingers to the beat that freaks you out at the
what might you have done
time; to the rhyme that thrills
what can anyone do
for the moment; does it help
when the pain of life
to raise praise for such perception
cuts deep through; deep
hoist the voice to the pedestal let them rehearse their hurt
to the core so deep that the
to take away your pain
sore ever aches and itches the scratches won’t stop scratching
does it help to know that
the scars don’t heal the wheel keeps
some get through, that others
turning flames stay burning the night
won’t; that in the end it
never ends though one pretends
isn’t down to you.
and pretends that the shout can bring the sun to shine, that the scream
TK
could shatter the dark
21/01/21 RIP Leon Priestnall et al 13
COMMUNITY
A MOSELEY MINUTE RACHEL GREEN
I have known Rachel for many, many years and have always been impressed by the amazing work she has done to support people with mental health conditions. When I worked in mental health I used to support people to attend her artistic, often zany events, which led me personally into many interesting endeavours including dancing on stage at the Hippodrome with the Rosie Kay Dance Company, becoming a witch for an interactive Hallowe’en event and performing old-time music hall events around a number of secure mental health venues in Birmingham. The reason I was keen to interview Rachel for Moseley B13 Magazine at this moment in time is that she has been a front-runner in
supporting vulnerable people throughout the pandemic. Rachel's amazing charity 'Arts All Over The Place' (AAOTP) has secured Covid funding to create support groups. The feedback from people attending these events, which are currently still taking place, has been humbling.
It’s an exciting job that I love, and which I do in my spare time. The rest of the time I am a teacher at a boys’ school. How is AAOTP supporting people at the moment in the pandemic?
At the moment we have had to become more Rachel, how long have you been involved in Arts all Over digital, which has been a steep learning curve for us, the Place? especially for me as I don’t Arts All Over The Place like it – I am a people person. was set up in 2007 with Throughout the pandemic Birmingham and Solihull we have been running socially Mental Health Foundation distant drama groups. For Trust, alongside artists and example, we have recently service users. I started off been working with older by delivering sessions to adults using drama, and they the newly formed charity as have put on a radio play a drama tutor and theatre which was professionally director. As it evolved, I became the project manager. produced and a lot of fun. There have been many other 14
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drama workshops to build assertiveness and confidence. We have been running groups in Handsworth, Moseley and Hall Green. We have also been running psychotherapy art groups and socially distanced weekly walks which have been popular, fun and well attended.
Just drop a message to us via the Moseley B13 Magazine website or social media pages to find out about our current events. We will be running an event in the near future focusing on people who hoard things. There is normally a large well-advertised arts festival in October each year where people can come along and find out about what we do.
These social support groups of up to 15 people have been set up to support older adults, people with mental health If you would like to be issues and socially isolated a volunteer and help us, people, and the feedback has please contact AAOTP on been wonderful. For many people it has been their only contact throughout the week and the groups have been helping on average over 50 people per week. What brought you to Kings Heath? I came to Birmingham by accident when I was about 20 years old. I went to the acting school at the Old Rep Theatre, and ended up getting a job there as a director, working on a lot of children’s projects. I have always been a workaholic. I really enjoy work: it doesn’t seem like work at all. I have been really fortunate to take part in so many different exciting projects with Birmingham City Council and the NHS. I also run Drama Academy, a drama group in Balsall Heath for young people from 7 to 11 years old. I have my own CIC, Community Vibe, whose Community Interest Company status means that it’s nonprofit-making. How can our readers join Arts All Over The Place? info@moseleyb13.com
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our website, https://www. artsallovertheplace.org.uk/ contact and we will get back to you. What I do is always different and exciting: I really get a buzz from seeing people gain confidence and step outside of their comfort zones. I have so many fond memories from my years of working with arts and recovery. Debbie Aldous
VALENTINES DAY LOCKDOWN St Valentine’s Day is around the corner but with strict lockdown rules still in place, you may be thinking that this special day is well and truly cancelled...but fear not! From creating art to baking tarts, we have compiled a list of five ideas that you and your partner can use to celebrate this month of love (even if you are embracing the single life).
1) BAKE
of my absolute favourites. If you are not one for baking What better way to spend but still want to indulge, try the day than baking some ordering from some local sweet treats for you and your cafés and patisseries based loved ones to share? Win over in Moseley. Maison Mayci your sweetheart by getting and La Brioche offer some creative in the kitchen and incredibly decadent delights. personalising your treats with a heartfelt message to make 2) ENJOY A ROMANTIC them really feel special. A STROLL classic red velvet cake and cherry Bakewell tart are some The Moseley area has some 16
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beautiful places for you and your partner to take a romantic stroll, some of which inspired writer and scholar JRR Tolkien. Tolkien, who was born in Sarehole in what was then North Worcestershire, achieved fame with his fantasy fiction books ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’. He took inspiration from various sites in Birmingham such as Sarehole Mill and Moseley Bog.
Sarehole Mill: As children, Tolkien and his brother explored the grounds of Sarehole Mill, a 250 year old watermill. It includes the ‘Signposts to Middle Earth exhibition’ in the museum which explains the correlation between Sarehole Mill, the surrounding area and Tolkien. The area is also said to be the inspiration for the Shire in ‘The Hobbit’.
of habitats and wildlife, and was a childhood playground for young Tolkien. The area inspired the ‘Old Forest’ where the character Tom Bombadil lived. 3) GET CREATIVE If you are one for getting creative with some artwork, how about letting your imagination run wild by putting your paint brush to canvas? A portrait of your significant other might be a good idea to add that personal touch, or perhaps a landscape of a place where you and your partner first met. If creating art is not your cup of tea, why not purchase some custom-made work from a local artist to dedicate to your loved one?
(An example of some artwork by Birmingham based artist and illustrator ‘Zemirah Mayah’) 4) SEND SOME TUNES Moseley Bog: Discover Moseley Bog, which is rich in history and offers a diversity info@moseleyb13.com
With music being the ultimate language of love, sending your sweetheart a heart-warming song, or even better, a playlist, might be 17
something to consider. This idea is particularly suitable if the relationship with your partner is long-distance. Here are a few romantic songs to dedicate to your partner to let them know you`re thinking about them. Ocean Colour Scene: The Day We Caught The Train, I Wanna Stay Alive With You Broadcast: Colour Me In Duran Duran: Box Full O` Honey UB40: The Way You Do the Things You Do 5) GO ONLINE Keep boredom at bay by booking an online class this Valentine’s. Moseley has some excellent sessions hosted online, ranging from mindful meditation to invigorating dance classes.
The Dance Workshop Moseley Meditates Moseley Yoga.com Baldeep Gahir
Just to Say Somebody one day asked if I could walk
Somebody one day asked me if I could paint
And I said yes with a smile on my face
And I said no with a smile on my face
But they replied no
But they said yes
Somebody one day asked if I could dance
And that was the weirdest of all.
And I said yes with a smile on my face
Katerina Chamberlain
But they replied no
Strange Fruit odd was it, such a time when a great horse fell into a giant, spreading poplar tree, coming out of an empty blue sky far above. It was an Audenesque, mythical, winged horse, an Icarus, made by the mightiest of engineers, Daedalus, indeed, a Pegasus that flew too close to the glittering sun. As common people below went about their normal business, sewing cloth and sowing seed, children leaping and laughing, sober priests pacing and unsober men jeering outside the Inn, the wax melted, and, wings folding, the horse plunged into disguising greenery, where, pierced by shattered branches, he bled on the distant ground; a pungent scent was detected far away by black carrion crows, red kites, and ospreys. Then, they feasted on such unexpected flesh, dribbling ordure and boney splinters onto the bare ground, fertilising sheltered earth. New seeds sprouted, so, around the trunk, strange fruit nurtured a Daedalus-sprung rich new undergrowth.
David Spilsbury
BEST OF THE B13 BERNIES
Mark Simon on Facebook
Like the rest of the world, Moseley went bonkers for Bernie Sanders memes after the American politician was photographed at the Inauguration Day wearing mittens and (seemingly on the way to the post office) clutching a parcel. Here are some of the Bernie memes from Moseley that ended up on social media... #berniesMittens
@david_m_thomas on Twitter "You'd think Keith would turn the heating on inside.
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George Macleod on Facebook: "We warned him it's a bad bend."
TOMMY QU
What does 2021 have in store for us all? One way to find out is to ask 'Moseley's Mystical Moira Mackerson’, an expert in horoscopes, crystal ball readings, tarot cards, and those little red transparent fortune-telling fishes that you get in Christmas crackers. I think it's fair to say Moira is a one-stop-shop for all things future-based, and she also has a side-career in business. Ms Mackerson has invested heavily in Freddy Laker’s Airways, Betamax Video, New Coke, Alan Sugar’s Amstrad Emailer, the Ask Jeeves internet search engine, the Millennium Dome, the pop career of Darius Pisces (February 20-March 20) Campbell and the BBC soap opera Eldorado.
WORLD OF S
HOROSCO
“I’ve always had a canny knack of knowing what’s about to happen,” Moira told me as she Plunge-called the World Of Strange offices (Plunge is a less successful alternative to Zoom/Skype which Ms Mackerson bought early last year). After a very bad connection at Moira’s end we finally got her horoscope roundup for the year ahead…
A ramble near Sarehole Mill sees you looking for a pure and simple Hobbit-like lifestyle. Aquarius (January 21-February 19) However, things take a turn for the worse when you begin singing merry songs as you indulge in an ale or two, eat food cooked over an open fire and rant at a passer-by about destroying your ring in a volcano. This leads to the arrival of the police (possibly due to the lockdown rules still being in place, but like everyone else I have no idea when it will end). To prepare for this eventuality, contact Mackerson’s Hobbit-Based Legal Advice. Aries (March 21-April 20)
A chance meeting with a denture salesperson on Billesley Common leads to a charming friendship and endless conversations about artificial teeth. However, things turn sour when the salesperson starts squatting in your shed/garage (with a collection of 2,000 sets of teeth). To prepare for this eventuality, contact Mackerson’s Household Security Plus/ Guard Dog Rental for a competitive quote.
HISTORY
A romantic chat over a doner kebab outside a Moseley eatery is the highlight of the year. However, things take a turn for the worse when you notice your date sounds like (and resembles) Zippy from the popular children’s programme Rainbow. To avoid this eventuality, contact Mackerson’s VIP Dating Service.
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UANG’S
Cancer (June 22-July 23)
STRANGE
OPES 2021 Taurus (April 21-May 21)
A booking for a back wax in a Moseley salon sees you getting reading for that super summer holiday (again, this depends on whether lockdown has been lifted. Like everyone else I have no flippin' idea when it will end). However, a misunderstanding with the beautician results in some serious damage to your very best Marks and Sparks cream-coloured jumper (the beautician seemed to think you'd already taken it off). Avoid this eventuality with Mackerson's Do-It-Yourself Hair Removal LaserA new leisure centre opens in your Tasers. Mackersons can take no responsibility neighbourhood, much to your delight. for any side effects/property damage. Unfortunately, the Olympic-size swimming pool has some teething problems. To Leo (July 24-August 23) prepare for this eventuality, contact Mackerson’s Flooding Defence Experts. Gemini (May 22-June 21)
The products of the local Avon Lady are so enticing that you become a heavy purchaser of bath bombs and other lovely things. Unfortunately, your bill gets out of hand and the infamous ‘Avon Heavies’ are a constant presence on your street, day and night. To prepare for this eventuality, please contact Mackerson’s Move-HouseIn-24-Hours/Plastic Surgery In-A-Rush.
You benefit charity and experience great excitement when you win the tombola at St Mary’s Church in Moseley. However, the prize of a fully-grown groundhog (found in the church vestry where it was causing some mayhem) leads to damage to your property, and that of several of your neighbours. To prepare for this eventuality contact Mackerson’s Woodchuck Recovery Unit. info@moseleyb13.com
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Virgo (August 24-September 23)
that this is no ordinary item as the forces of darkness are summoned out of a crack in the scale model of the Elan Valley Reservoir. Leading the forces is The Great Overlord Dobin Mumford Popov who, for some reason, has a massive cob on with Moseley and threatens to raze it to the ground. To prepare for this eventuality, contact Mackerson’s Forces of Darkness Squad (closed on Wednesdays).
Wasp infestation
Capricorn (December 22January 20)
Libra (September 24-October 23)
Christmas carols around Moseley Village Green are a lovely way to end the year. However, things take an unexpected turn Scorpio (October 24- November 22) when a groundhog leaps out of the Christmas tree and attacks you. I realise groundhogs are uncommon in the UK, but I can assure you that this isn’t likely to be the groundhog dealt with by the Mackerson’s Woodchuck Recovery Unit (after all smart Geminis used the service based on the earlier prediction). To prepare for this Squirrel infestation/Denture Salesman eventuality, contact Mackerson’s Woodchuck infestation/Jaffa Cake allergy. To prepare Recovery Unit. Escaping groundhogs will for all of these eventualities, please not be the responsibility of Mackersons. contact Mackerson’s Insect, Rodent and Teeth Salesperson Infestation Dept/ Jaffa Cake Alternative Strategies Dept. Tommy Quang Hornet infestation
Sagittarius (November 23December 21)
Update: Just before going to press, the World of Strange office became aware of a story on social media regarding Moira Mackerson. She had been arrested after 37 separate ‘businesses’ were found listed in her name at a nail bar in Coventry. Ms Mackerson has been charged with attempting to influence and manipulate the public into using her businesses by means of her ‘apparent otherworldly abilities’. We have no idea what that means, but we’re sure there’s been some kind of misunderstanding. The article quoted Moira as saying, “I was in A trip to Cannon Hill Park is rewarding when shock, I’d just put my tea on and was settling you find a discarded piece of jewellery in the down to watch The Irishman. I didn’t expect flower beds. Rubbing away the dirt, you realise the cops to show up when they did.” - T.Q. 22
www.moseleyb13.com
WE NEED YOU!
VOLUNTEER FOR
MOSELEY B13
Would you like to play a fun and creative part in your community, or gain experience in local journalism? Moseley B13 Magazine is on the lookout for new volunteers, ranging from writers, researchers, reviewers and photographers to roles in finding new advertisers and outlets to sell the magazine. We are also looking for a company secretary, assistance with our financial accounts and volunteers to help sell the magazine at Moseley Farmers’ Market once a month. The magazine is produced by Moseley Publishing House Ltd, a non-profit voluntary company, and has been published since 1973, so 2021 finds us just a couple of years away from the big 50! Moseley B13 Magazine's story has often been about survival over the years (in being able to staff a voluntary-based organisation, but also in adapting to the changes of digital content as the market leader in recent years) and this has left us as one of the oldest local magazines in the West Midlands, if not the country. The magazine launched a digital edition and YouTube channel in 2020, and we hope to have some special events in the run up to the big birthday. As the pandemic continues, we are using our virtual office, email and all other sociallydistanced resources to produce content and manage the magazine as safely as possible. If you have some downtime during lockdown then you can make a creative contribution while staying at home. Editorial content is vital in filling each issue with as much variety as possible, and popular features include music, art, history, community and sport. We also need news reporters and our Newshound writer (with assistance from Tipton) Ian Cook is a former BBC and ITV producer and writer for the national press and able to provide training to anyone interested. Securing advertising and outlets will also help us make the journey to the magazine’s half-century. Whatever interest or expertise you have, we would love to welcome you to the B13 team. Drop me a line if you’d like to get involved: Mark - editor@moseleymagazine.co.uk info@moseleyb13.com
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While the last 12 months have been a challenge for businesses everywhere, this has not stopped Birmingham’s Nelly Kelly from enjoying a successful business launch.
Cary Sutton is the latest in a long line of the Kelly/Sutton flower dynasty that has sold flowers in the Bullring market and around the flower stalls of Birmingham for close to 150 years.
Nelly Kelly is Birmingham’s newest florist business, run by Birmingham’s oldest floristry dynasty, offering online ordering and same-day delivery.
Pat and Cary say that “the COVID crisis, along with the clean air zone, forced us to have a fresh look at our business and try to offer a truly Brummie solution that harnesses the latest technology in a green way.”
Moseley businessman Pat Pryce (owner of Moseley Autocentre) has joined forces with Cary Sutton of Birmingham’s oldest floristry business (which dates back to 1871) and created something new and exciting. Nelly Kelly was launched in December to offer an online same-day delivery service for freshly handmade bouquets of flowers.
“The business is contactless, with all flowers sold online and mostly using mobile devices. We offer free delivery in Birmingham and will be delivering within the clean air zone using an electric cargo bike, reflecting our green credentials.”
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Pat and Cary were also behind the highly popular ‘Bostin Brummie’ campaign.
delivery chains were even an idea. We do not deliver flowers for anyone else, so you benefit from no mark-up, and no intermediaries taking a cut. We are Birmingham florists, for Birmingham, and that will never change.”
“During the month of December, we wanted to give a little back to this year's COVID heroes and delivered free bunches of flowers between 1st December and Christmas Eve to a 'Bostin Brummie' as nominated by their friends, family and neighbours via our social media pages. Someone who has been totally Bostin in what has been a terrible year. We are continuing this into 2021 and will be delivering a free bouquet every week to a deserving recipient.”
Moseley B13 Magazine are delighted to see an independent business like Nelly Kelly make such an exciting start and we wish them the very best of luck moving forward. Martin Jeffers
Cary says, “We have been delivering flowers to the people of Birmingham before the likes of the Interflora
info@moseleyb13.com
Please find Nelly Kelly on Facebook or visit their website – nellykelly.co.uk
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Moseley Memories:
BEING THE ICED CREAM MONITOR
January could be exceedingly cold for a top infant. We had a great roaring fire in the classroom fireplace and could drape our damp outer clothing over the mesh guard around it, but it was co-o-o-old, even a few feet away.
At what would have been playtime, milk monitors came into their own. Our classroom was immediately behind the front door, so we were responsible for bringing in the crates of milk and distributing them to other classes’ milk monitors. Throughout much of that Miss Taylor encouraged us to push our desks January, we had a glorious benefit from our to the walls and hunker down on the wooden otherwise arduous duty. floor, while she read to us or gave out slates and chalk, for us to practise writing or ‘sums’. The thick glass, one-third of a pint, bottles It was a homely feeling as we crowded elbow- were frozen solid and the cream was pushed to-elbow, with the occasional girly protest out of the top, crowned by the foil caps. It did at what some boy had said or done. Mutual not take much ingenuity to extract the iced bodily warmth was comradely, of course. cream from the bottles intended for other classes and distribute it around our class, 26
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replacing the caps on the frozen whey. We did hear occasional complaints about that, of course, but nothing much happened. Perhaps someone might get pushed off the pavement as we went home down Oxford Road.
it, the School Caretaker saw an opportunity and brought shovels for them to scrape at the nearly bare paths where they had removed the snow. Nowadays, they would have been sprinkled with rock salt grit, but that was expensive, because of its rarity in this country and the needs of road maintenance gangs. By comparison, builder’s sand was cheap and easy to come by. He gave willing volunteers small bags of sand for them to scatter, like The Gleaners in Jean-François Millet’s 1857 painting. I doubt if they were paid anything for their work, but I think the caretaker’s wife brought out some home-made cake as their reward.
Ice cream was not easy to come by and what it contained might nowadays be described as ‘adulterated’. There must have been milk somewhere, but various thickening agents and sugar disguised the high water content, even before Margaret Thatcher got her PhD for devising a special formula for J Lyons. Our ‘iced’ cream was different, though. The Infant Playground was at the back of the assembly hall and rather boring. We did make snowballs and even attempted to make snowmen, but they always collapsed.
After such a winter, naturally, we looked forward to Spring, when new life resumes.
However, we could get through to the much larger Junior Playground, which was alongside the school, stretching from the School Road fence to the back fence of the site. There, imaginative teams of top juniors were competing to roll simple snowballs into the biggest giant balls they could, some higher than the smaller boys. Seeing them at
David Spilsbury
The Gleaners .
info@moseleyb13.com
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MOSELEY SOCIETY HISTORY GROUP
MOSELEY WARE
‘Moseley Ware’ was a range of chromium plated-ware picture frames, manufactured by Messrs Matthias Watts & Co., an art dealer and framer with a shop at 15-17 St Mary’s Row, a little to the left of the Bull’s Head. The workshop in which the ware was made was at the back of the shop,
near to the gate leading up to the churchyard. Chrome plating, often referred to simply as chrome, is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal object. The chromed layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, ease cleaning procedures or 28
increase surface hardness. The Moseley Society History Group has some Matthias Watts frames in its collection. One frame is thought to have been bought in 1940 from a retailer in Edgware, Middlesex, and was presented to us in 1985. www.moseleyb13.com
An example of Moseley Ware help by the Moseley Society History Group
Two other frames have been donated to us. They belonged to the donor’s grandfather, a
Jenny Owen and her husband kindly donated two frames
brush manufacturer who lived in Balsall Heath and Kings Heath from 1891. The ornate label on the back shows that Matthias
Kristine Lidaka’s ‘Moseley Ware’ Mirror
Watts was a ‘Photo Frame Manufacturer’ at The Art Works, Moseley Village, with showrooms in Moseley, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. In autumn 2019 Jenny Owen contacted us. She had found the frames when she was clearing out a relative’s home and was writing a family history. She kindly donated the frames to the Moseley Society History Group.
Kristine Lidaka info@moseleyb13.com
In October 2020 we were contacted by Kristine Lidaka, who lives in a village called Pilsrundale, in the Rundale region of Latvia. It is near Rundale Palace (https:// rundale.net), the second largest tourist attraction 29
in Latvia. Her husband is a restorer, as well as both his parents; they actually work at Rundale Palace. She found a mirror with the mark ‘Moseley Ware’ in her local second-hand shop. Janet Berry See more about Matthias Watts & Co. on the Moseley Society website. moseley-society/local-history. org.uk
Back of frame
WE’RE ALL ONE GREAT BRITAIN NOW
It’s a few days late, I know, but we don’t have a January issue of Moseley B13 Magazine (the previous edition covers December and January). That’s sad. It means we seldom have a nod to the festivities of that great part of Britain up
North that is Scotland. More especially it means that we hardly ever mention Robbie Burns, whose ‘night’ is so splendidly celebrated on 25th January every year. It is never too late though, so here is his extraordinary hymn to the ordinary man: 30
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A Man’s a Man For a’ That
There are some wonderful versions to listen to on YouTube. For me it’s hard to choose between the rock star rendition Is there for honest Poverty by Paolo Nuttini and that of the inaugural That hings his head, an’ a’ that; opening of the Scottish Parliament. The coward-slave, we pass him by, If anyone should ask me who is Scotland’s We dare be poor for a’ that! modern day Burns I would say it’s Craig For a’ that, an’ a’ that. and Charlie Reid (aka The Proclaimers). Our toils obscure an’ a’ that, Just watch Hibs fans singing so movingly The rank is but the guinea’s stamp, in celebration of winning the Scottish Cup The Man’s the gowd for a’ that. in 2016. Sunshine on Leith is a healing anthem. We shall probably need one of What though on hamely fare we dine, those for a wee while yet. Wear hoddin grey, an’ a that; The current official Makar (National Gie fools their silks, and knaves their Poet of Scotland) is Jackie Kay. She is the wine; third recipient of the honour since it was A Man’s a Man for a’ that: established in 2004 when she succeeded For a’ that, and a’ that, Liz Lochhead. Jackie said that she hoped Their tinsel show, an’ a’ that; ‘to open up the conversations, the The honest man, tho’ e’er sae poor, blethers and arguments that Scotland has Is king o’ men for a’ that. with itself and with the rest of the world’. Nicola Sturgeon praises Kay as ‘being Ye see yon birkie ca’d a lord, known for her poignant and honest work’. Wha struts, an’ stares, an’ a’ that, Jackie in turn says that it is cool to have Tho’ hundreds worship at his word, a government taking an interest in poetry. He’s but a coof for a’ that. It certainly is! For a’ that, an’ a’ that, You can watch Nicola Sturgeon reading His ribband, star, an’ a’ that, the poem Promise, and Jackie herself The man o’ independent mind, reading A Lang Promise, both on YouTube. He looks an’ laughs at a’ that. It will be St David’s Day on March 1st, as ever. Let’s celebrate that one in its proper A Prince can mak a belted knight, season. A marquis, duke, an’ a’ that! Until then, (to paraphrase the beautiful But an honest man’s aboon his might – Burns) fare ye weel my own true loves, Guid faith, he mauna fa’ that! fare ye weel awhile. For a’ that, an’ a’ that, Their dignities, an’ a’ that, Tessa Kate Lowe The pith o’ Sense an’ pride o’ Worth Are higher rank than a’ that. Then let us pray that come it may, As come it will for a’ that, That Sense and Worth, o’er a’ the earth Shall bear the gree an’ a’ that. For a’ that, an’ a’ that, It’s comin yet for a’ that, That Man to Man the warld o’er Shall brithers be for a’ that. The Proclaimers info@moseleyb13.com
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ISSN 2050-6090 00510