Brys Brunchies Snack Bar (circa 2011) - Image courtesy of Google Streetview

“Simply the best!” – Those are the exact words spoken by myself when I described the taste of my cheeseburger to an inquisitive passerby a few weeks ago.

To some of you who have followed my blog from it’s creation at the beginning of 2012, you may be aware of the now infamous “Brownhills Sausage Sandwich Scandal” whereby I felt so let down as a customer to be motivated enough by the one experience to write a post, here on my Brownhills blog. Of course it wasn’t that simple and there was confusion surrounding the newly opened J-j’s cafe which I won’t go into today but I have recently paid two visits to the snack bar “Brys Brunchies” located down by the  Anglesey Sand Pit on Ogley Hay Road on the way to Chasetown. I felt the need to share my experiences with the rest of the Brownhillians on the net because it was a positive and delightful service that I received.

On my first venture across the A5, I decided upon a simple bacon sandwich. This was cooked to perfection. The sandwich was exactly what you would expect and just what the doctor ordered for an early morning wakeup. The service from the female staff was also very positive too. Nice and friendly… service with a smile too which is always a surprise in these modern times that we live in. The lady didn’t make me wait any longer than required and carefully created the sandwich promptly and efficiently. Everything appeared clean and tidy behind the counter which is always nice to see and makes me feel reassured the food will be clean and hygienic… as much as a bacon sandwich can be!

Brys Brunchies Snack Bar (circa 2011) – Image courtesy of Google Streetview

My second experience was again very similar to my first. The only difference was my choice of order. The menu offers a pretty wide selection to choose from and consists of your typical roadside menu which is perfect, because that is exactly what it is. After much deliberation and looking at the time of day, I finally decided upon a good old fashioned cheeseburger. The same female staff member as my first encounter was present during this experience and served me with her delightful smile and warm manners. She sounded foreign, possibly eastern european but I’m no expert. She cooked me a fresh cheeseburger from scratch. None of these already cooked and sitting there for hours type of burgers that you get when you visit a market or car boot sale etc. I can be truthfully honest when I say it was “Simply the best!” cheeseburger I have ever had the pleasure of eating. I almost returned for a second one moments after the first one had settled but my stomach was full already from the first. It was a decent size burger, again perfectly created and not slapped together in a rush. The lady had taken time and effort to put some pride into her work. The one lasting memory that stands out is the neatly wrapped tin-foil with a delicately folded white napkin placed half inside the opening of the tin-foil. I have never experienced that before and just a small gesture like that makes all the difference in my books.

Brys Brunchies Snack Bar (circa 2011) Looking towards the M6 Toll bridge, direction of Chasetown – Image courtesy of Google Streetview

I would recommend anyone in the area to visit the snack bar and try it for yourself. I have discovered that it is good value for money, with clean, hygienic equipment and staff who offer a smile and are worth their weight in gold. The biggest seller for me though is the delicious taste of the food. I have very high standards and they were met 100% on both of my visits.

I have “Googled” Bry’s Brunchies to locate the Lichfield District Council Inspection Report as I noticed the report or certificates from the report were on prominent display in the snack bar. From memory there were also links to the Ratemyplace website (Whereby Brys Brunchies has obtained a score of 5/5 which is exactly what I would ave expected and would have rated it myself if I was in that industry) You can visit the Ratemyplace website here and download a copy of the inspection report from their site. All of it confirms just what a good business Bry’s Brunchies is operating and hopefully will continue to for many years to come as nowhere else comes close to offering top quality snacks. You can follow Brys Brunchies on Facebook – Click Here!

So basically to sum up everything… Brys Brunchies is the best!!! Now go and find out for yourself. I recommend the cheeseburger and take notice of how pleasant the staff are. Hopefully you too will receive a perfectly wrapped burger in foil with the knapkin as described above! Such art is hard to find but I have found it.

Until next time…

Barry.

If you have ever been “buzzed” or “pinged” by one of these “harmless” paper darts / pellets then you know exactly what I mean when I say… “Holy shit… what the fuck was that! I think I’ve just been shot!” and then you check your body where it feels like a fire is burning on your skin and you see a very red V shape impact mark!

I was first a victim to this craze at secondary school and as soon as I had become an innocent victim, I turned into a vigilante hunter searching for scoundrels who had targeted me with these dangerous little darts created from a simple piece of rolled up paper. Although I may add… even though its paper, it still hurts like a piece of metal. I never knew paper could be so strong if rolled tight & small. Simply amazing!

I remember “experimenting” by firing all sorts of projectiles including paper clips but I would strongly advise against the use of drawing pins strategically placed in the paper pellet as I found out during an English lesson that I would never forget! Some clown in my class fired one of these special hornets at me at the little bitch got stuck in the back of my neck!!!

I must add that the paper clips were also lethal too as I cracked a window with one at home. My mother was not best pleased as you could imagine! I would stick with a good old fashioned paper dart pellet professionally created by yourself as this can do a lot of damage. I’ve managed to get some long distance on them and from a short distance they can punch a massive whole through a cardboard box. If you get a friend to hold a sheet of paper up, it can tear the page clean in half.

Top Tips!

• Set up targets such as cardboard boxes to improve accuracy.

• Wear a glove when firing so it doesn’t sting as it snaps your hand.

• Fold a little more for more power! The smaller… the harder… the better!

• If you want it to go very far, get more rubber bands and join them together. (Not more then 10 rubber bands it would get hard to shoot.)

*** Remember to always wear eye protection… otherwise you may suffer a similar fate as PJ from Byker Grove ***

Send me some of your designs or V imprints that you’ve suffered and I’ll post them on here.

Until next time…

Barry.

So how many of you remember this furry little guy on those discs you used to collect in the 90′s? I absolutely loved collecting these and then loosing them to friends during hours of “slamming” and “whamming”.  I still have hundreds if not thousands stored in the attic collecting dust. I’m sure many of you out there still have fond memories of this gaming collection called POG’s.

One of my favourite type of POG’s were the one’s that you got free in the packs of Walkers crisps. I think it was either 1996 or 1997 and they were named as Tazo’s. They had the Looney Tunes branding and had all the usual characters from Bugs to the dude that hunted him who used to say “Wabbits” a lot. In total I think there were about 40 to 50 that you could collect in the series and I didn’t eat enough packets of crisps to complete the collection.

If you are interested to find out more about POG’s and the whole store of the milkcap game then I suggest you take a look at ’The Unofficial POG and Cap Players Handbook‘ by Jason Page. I haven’t actually read the book myself, however I have heard some positive reviews about it.

Below, you will find some images of POG’s & Looney Tunes Tazo’s and if you are anything like me, you will instantly recognise some of the designs from your own collection. I recommend you take a wander over to the Milkcapmania site, whereby some of the below images were copied from. They have taken a lot of time & effort to create a huge collection of scanned images of the different types of POG’s and the complete series, so you can spot any that you may not have seen before.

If you have forgotten how to play the game or now have children who you will pass your POG collect onto, then here is a simple “How to guide” to help you out.

How to play POGs

Adapted from ‘The Unofficial POG and Cap Players Handbook‘ by Jason Page and “lifted” from the Milkcapmania site.

All you need is a packet of caps, a Slammer and a friend. You can pick up the whole works for less than a pound – always assuming you don’t have to buy the friend. So, how’s it done? Let’s go through the game step by step.

1. Decide how many people are going to play

   There’s nothing to stop you from lining up your whole street and letting everyone have a go. The only problem with really big games is that the last player is at a big disadvantage. By the time they get their go, there may only be a couple of caps left – and the last ones are the hardest to flip.

2. Find a good surface to play on

   Anywhere smooth and flat is a good place for a game. If you’re playing on a really hard surface (like a concrete playground), it’s a good idea to put the stack on top of something else. That way, if you miss, you won’t chip your Slammer. You can buy special mats for this – but a school book works fine!

3. Decide if you’re playing for keeps

   Before you start playing, all the players must agree whether, at the end of the game, everyone gets to keep the caps they’ve won or just gets their old caps back.

4. Decide who goes first

   There are different ways to do this. You can toss a Slammer like flipping a coin. Or you can see who has the most of one kind of cap, for example you may want to choose who starts by counting up Skulls or Poisons. Or you can get everyone to pick a cap with their eyes closed and see who chooses the one with the highest number or points value.

5. Stack the caps

   Make a stack of caps to play with by putting the caps on top of each other. Each player must donate the same number of caps to the stack to make it fair. It is traditional to stack the caps face up, but I would recommend to stack them face down. This means that when the Slammer hits the stack, it will not damage the picture on the face of the cap.

   Roughly twelve caps altogether makes a good stack. Not enough caps and the game will be over too quickly. Too many caps make it hard to get the all important ‘thwack’ when you slam, and instead of flipping, the stack just collapses. Experiment with different stack sizes until you find the size that is right for you.

6. Whack the stack

   The first player throws the Slammer at the stack and – thwack!- sends caps flying everywhere. Well, at least that’s the idea. If a player does miss the stack, it counts as a go anyway.

7. Score and restack

   All the caps that land face up go to the player. The rest are restacked face down as before and the next player has a go with the Slammer. This cycle continues until all the caps have been flipped over and won.

8. Who’s the winner?

   The player with the most caps at the end of the game is the winner. Remember if you’re not playing for keeps to give the other player their caps back.

Well, there you go… another strange and “out there” post on my Brownhills Blog. Hopefully you will have managed to get this far to read these words and have not been enticed to another site in the mean time.

Until next time…

Barry.

So why do I blog? Why do I spend my time writing these posts when very rude people ask silly, rhetorical, insulting questions such as”Who Cares?” in relation to my dancing coke can memory post. Well… I basically spend my own time creating posts on my own blog because I want to… I can do… and who the hell do people think they are to critique people for doing so? If negative feedback is fair and justified then I have no problem with that but don’t be mean and rude just for the sake of it.

BLOG:- I am under the belief that the word stands for ’web log’ and they are basically online diaries for the modern age, that you can share with the world and have been around for about the last 10 years. Any simpleton like ones self can create a blog using one of the many free blogging services, that’s the easy part. The difficult part comes when thinking of something interesting to say each time you blog… which is the tricky bit.

Here are the main reasons why I decided to create my blog… why I have created different topics of interest on my blog and why I continue to blog into 2013 & beyond! I write my blog because…..

• It’s a platform to share my views, express my opinions and voice my concerns.
• I want to share what I love… and also hate in this marvellous world that we call Earth.
• To network with other people who I would never normally meet or communicate with… sometimes across oceans and continents.
• I simply want that challenge!
• To improve my English knowledge & understanding of different cultures.
• It’s my hobby and I want to have a creative outlet for my thoughts.
• I learn many things from it and gain knowledge when I read someone else’s blog.

But here is the big one… let’s not forget blogging is also lots of fun. If you don’t have fun doing something then what is the point? Why waste your time doing something if you are not happy? That is my motto in life and my aim when I engage in different everyday activities… fun… fun and more fun! Or ship up and get out of the game!

The world as we know it has shrunk since the Internet has become more accessible. Blogs provide a simple  & easy way for my family and friends to stay connected from the different parts of the world they have moved to, or are travelling through… by sharing stories, photos, videos and much… much more!

Well there you go, I’ve expressed my views on the creation of my blog. Some may point out that I’m missing certain things like “local” reasons for blogging… but my blog is not simply about Brownhills. It is because I am from Brownhills and my name is Barry that my blog is named that way! I have and will continue to occasionally post about the local area when there is a need or requirement to do so. If you wish to follow or not follow my blog then it’s totally your choice, nobody is forcing you to read this and if they are, then let me know so I can thank them for their time.

Barry.

So how many of you remember these cool little vintage dudes? Infact how many of you Brownhillians have one of these stuffed away in the attic? They were the delightfully amusing 1980′s dancing coke can that reacted to the beats of music. From what I remember they were about 12cm tall and funky little movers. They fought off fierce competition on the dance floors from the lanky dancing sunflowers.

If you do still have one in your possession, you may consider dusting the cobwebs off and selling it as I’ve recently come across one at auction that sold for £65.00 Yes… you saw it correctly a whopping £65.00 for something that used to retail at £5.00 to £10.00

Trust me, it brings back so many good memories when you see this in your hand and start clapping to make it sway from side to side.

Barry.

All you need to do is press the ‘alt’ and ’3′ keys together and as if by magic you have your #.

For anyone who is an avid Twitter user the # hash key is becoming an important character.

Simply pressing alt and 3 at the same time will insert a # hash symbol into your text in any application. This shortcut will work with all versions of Mac OS X whether you have a Macbook, Air or an iMac.

In most cases, Apple has taken the decision to replace this key with a symbol of the local currency. For instance, here in the UK a £ Pound Sterling sign is there… sitting right above the number 3 and in other European countries a € Euro sign has been substituted. Obviously in the USA they have space to place the # on the keyboard as the $ symbol is on the number 4 key, throughout all the Mac keyboard layouts… to my knowledge of course, unless someone can send me an image proving me wrong.

If you have visited my blog before, you may be aware that I have already covered this topic once before… see here! But the amount of visitors going to that page is far greater than I could of imagined and thus I feel the need to share the solution again as it would appear this problem is far greater than I first realised.

Many Thanks for finding my blog and I do hope, I have solved your hash tag problem!

Barry.

It’s that time of the year again to pop along to the lecture theatre at Brownhills School (“The Comp” to many of the residents who passed through the doors over the years!) and enjoy the latest production… the annual Spring Concert.

Basically, Brownhills School takes pride in providing the community with annual school productions & regular concerts! They always put on a fantastic show that is always worthy of a night out, which you can’t always say about this town of very often.

The school itself, has a strong ethos of working together and school productions not only feature students but staff also too!

I have been reliably informed that during the evening, there will be the following:

• Brownhills School V.I.P (Voices in Partnership)
• Vocal Solos
• Orchestra
• ‘Oliver!’ Cast
• Chamber Choir

Brownhills School performing at the Youth Sports Trust Event

It is definitely an event that you do not want to miss out on, so to avoid disappointment be sure to purchase your tickets in advance.

Ticket prices are £2.00 and available from the Brownhills School Student Services.

Time: 07:30pm    Date: 21st March 2013

Brownhills School, Deakin Avenue, Brownhills, Walsall, WS8 7QG

Take a look at the Facebook page event for the concert to see if any of your friends & family are going. “Click here!”

Hope to see you all there,

Barry.

Yesterday, I took the rare decision to venture out of the “comfort” and “safety” of Brownhills and went to Rushall….. Yes I can just hear the sighs of disbelief, together with the shock, amongst those of you that know me!

Image – Courtesy of Chris Allen © Copyright

I only took the risk to go there because I was desperate for a “Fat Ron’s”. I call it that light-hearted nickname obviously because eating too much take-away food all the time without a balanced diet or exercising will have an effect on your body mass… that is simple science.

Anyway, my taste buds had an unusual sensation circulating around them and they were making me crave for the famous Golden Arches of Maccy D’s! Even though each experience of entering a franchise, leaves me feeling both happy and sad along with very confused emotionally… I still keep returning. Maybe it’s because I’m too lazy and can’t find the time to cook or maybe their advertising has a positive reaction on my sub-consciousness. I have so many little niggles in life, but sometimes those niggles simply grow and grow and grow and grow, until finally they explode somewhere deep inside me and I have to somehow vent my anger by channeling it towards a receptive audience… hence the reason why you are currently reading my blog and wondering… “HAS BARRY LOST IT? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS TINMAN TALKING ABOUT!!!”

I always keep ignoring my last experience and keep returning, with the hope that this time, something would change and maybe someone can actually perform their roles & responsibilities to the same high level of expectation that I seek.

Anyway, here are my Top 5 pet hates about the fast-food industry around the world that I have encountered from my own personal experiences:-

1) Large fries carton but only medium sized portion.

2) Fries do not stand up straight like soldiers to attention, just like in the adverts.

3) Food rarely looks as perfect, as the one in the adverts! (Presentation is the key to success!)

4) Can’t think of a number 4.

5) No more Ronald or Hamburglar… where have they disappeared to?

Basically my experience yesterday involved me using the drive-through and ordering a cheeseburger and potato wedges (with sour cream dip). To cut a long story short, I did not receive my dip… which is the part of the order that swayed my decision to purchase the wedges! It’s not that hard to remember that the wedges are specifically advertised with the dip. As I was using the drive-through I was not prepared to park and enter the building as that would defy the whole purpose of using the drive-through, I’m not sure if I set my standards of expectation too high for myself or what, but, let me tell you… I certainly won’t be making that mistake again in the near future by not returning to complain.

Working in the service industry myself, would I pull a pint of lager and only fill the glass halfway? Just imagine the look on the customers face handing a half empty glass to them!!!

Do any of you have similar issues with the service industry in this country?

Barry.

One in particular caught my attention because it came from a market trader who had a stall on the Brownhills market, that itself is now deceased and a long distant memory. Who remembers those fond memories from those days with the mobile butcher standing high, selling the prime cuts of beef from the fields of… Erm… Brownhills???

Anyway, it looks like the clinic ghost may have had some company across the way or indeed may be the very same ghost. The trader recalled how another fellow trader who was a genuine old boy… who himself had many years of market life behind him, was shaken to his very soul one early Saturday morning when he was preparing his stall. He told his tale to this trader who has never forgotten what he preached to him because he could never forget the fear in his eyes, when he was recalling his story about that day many years ago.

Brownhills Market in late 2012 – Gone… but… not forgotten!

Just after dawn, this trader saw a young woman wandering around the market area, in between the old steel frames of the stalls. These stalls were empty at the time and simply had the notorious weathered corrugated plastic roof panels waving around in the breeze. From the distance whereby the trader was standing to where the young woman was walking, it appeared to the trader that she was fairly normal with long brown shoulder length hair and described as curvaceous with a level of attractiveness that would satisfy every mans desires. She looked normal at this point apart from the fact that it was very early in the day and she was alone, just walking around without a purpose… But when she came closer to where the trader was setting up his stall for the day, he was startled to see her not actually walking towards him but she was in fact floating graciously. He described her movement similar to a balloon on a gentle wind, not rising or falling… just maintaining the same speed and height.

The trader was so shocked and horrified at what he was seeing that he dropped his load right onto his feet. When he looked up again, the woman had moved away to about 30 to 40 metres away in a matter of a few seconds, heading towards the church on Silver Street / Kirkside Grove. The young woman has slowly faded out of sight before actually reaching the church.

Apparently a few other traders have seen the young women too. A rumour amongst the traders is that of they truly believe the women was a customer who died suddenly with some unfinished business to take care of in the market.

Now the market has gone, has anyone seen this young woman? She would definitely stand out a lot more with the wide open space where the stalls once stood.

Barry.