Author Topic: born in brum where are you now?  (Read 28577 times)

peteqld

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born in brum where are you now?
« on: June 04, 2015, 10:48:47 AM »
born in nechells 1940 now living in rural queensland watching sugar cane grow, great place to retire, but not a patch on brum.

vamann

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Re: born in brum where are you now?
« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2015, 06:49:04 PM »
Born Dewsbury grove Perry Barr then moved WaterOrton, cheswick green, Durham, Bramhall Stockport, Manley Cheshire, Cornwall, Devon Torquay then back to Cornwall.

townie

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Re: born in brum where are you now?
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2015, 06:59:20 PM »
born in nechells 1940 now living in rural queensland watching sugar cane grow, great place to retire, but not a patch on brum.

I would sooner watch sugar cane grow than live in Brum now. You would be better off living in Columbia you may not get stoned so much doing your shopping.
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trapio

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Re: born in brum where are you now?
« Reply #3 on: June 04, 2015, 09:04:10 PM »
Born Balsall Heath, last left in 1959; lived in over a dozen countries, mainly in capitals due to jobs - have been in the last of these, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic since 1990s - don't plan to leave here - yet am very glad that have ''never said never'' O0
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townie

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Re: born in brum where are you now?
« Reply #4 on: June 04, 2015, 09:08:23 PM »
Stop where you are trapio. You've got your memories keep them.
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?

trapio

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Re: born in brum where are you now?
« Reply #5 on: June 04, 2015, 09:58:29 PM »
A first visit to brum in 55 years in 2014 failed to tarnish memories, rather some places like Cannon Hill Park, esp the Tea Rooms, were like an instant replay.  Perhaps any sad ones were The Mermaid, and in two different senses, Ladypool Rd and city centre
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townie

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Re: born in brum where are you now?
« Reply #6 on: June 04, 2015, 10:03:57 PM »
trapio I don't know you. Walk around some parts of Birmingham you won't feel safe . Should you have to live like that. 
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?

peteqld

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Re: born in brum where are you now?
« Reply #7 on: June 05, 2015, 06:37:51 AM »
I would sooner watch sugar cane grow than live in Brum now. You would be better off living in Columbia you may not get stoned so much doing your shopping.
You paint a bleak picture, don't understand the term, get stoned so much doing your shopping?. shame its gone that way, at least we can sleep at night with windows and doors unlocked. We do have crimes mainly in the city areas, rural areas seem to attract growers of drugs not so much the addicts.

townie

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Re: born in brum where are you now?
« Reply #8 on: June 05, 2015, 09:10:31 AM »
I paint a bleak picture of Birmingham because I know what its like. Most of the youngsters are on drugs. Walk down the streets and all you can smell is cannabis, nobody in Birmingham seems to give a toss not even the police.     
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?

trapio

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Re: born in brum where are you now?
« Reply #9 on: June 06, 2015, 03:28:07 AM »
townie,

There are places in virtually all cities that have unsafe areas - this capital is far from being an exception - only very safe capital I've lived in was Nuku 'alofa, Tonga - that was in the 1980s - so cannot speak for now.

It was as near to a paid idyllic holiday as you're likely to see - I lived 20 yards above high water mark of a beautifully placid lagoon.   I worked 6 days a week, took a full weekend off every month and went to Samoa about every 3 months.

Only one problem - everybody watches everybody else - status is everything in Tonga and by 7-8 yrs of age, children 'know' where to sit at a communal gathering, and all a Tongan can do is lose status, so being ''a good watcher'' can give you the ammo to put the boot on others. 

As a Brit, I was not in the gossip status competition, but they automatically watch you as you're 'new kid on the block'.  In short there is no privacy - took full weekends on a very small desert island ''on me tod'' - brilliant - the only person on it, and courtesy of King Tupou O0
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RoyMcC

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Re: born in brum where are you now?
« Reply #10 on: June 06, 2015, 11:47:33 AM »
Townie, I moved to Jersey in 1977 aged 24 and have been here (with a break of two years in Ireland) since that time. I don't get back too often but I can't reconcile the image you paint of Brum with my recent experience, limited though it is compared to yours.


Jersey is one of the quietest, safest places you can find. I love it here. Yet I retain an affinity with Brum and I always enjoy my return trips. I go to a Blues match more in hope than expectation but it was ever thus. The music/Real Ale bars around Bradford Street are ever welcoming. The city centre was grubby and down-at-heel when I left but it is immeasurably smarter these days.


The inner suburbs have changed radically in nature but I'm not sure I buy all of the sepia-tinted nostalgia about how great it was in the old days. The new immigrants have brought colour and life, though that's not to everyone's liking. The outer suburbs are as safe and, frankly, mediocre as ever they were.


Of course there are undercurrents of violence. These you'll find in any city and it has been the case all down the years. Back in the late 19th century and at many points since Birmingham was a truly unlawful city which the police struggled to control. I can't honestly say I feel unsafe at all walking the streets of Brum, though of course you'd avoid certain places in the hours of darkness.


And so what if people are smoking a bit of grass? There's far more chance of violence where drink is concerned and that is far less prevalent these days with many of the rougher bars closed down.


I just thought I'd put a rather brighter perspective on my city of birth.


Best wishes


 

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