Deep into the Winter Woods

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173/365: Cock & Bull mural, Stourbridge
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Another of those days where there really isn't a whole lot for me to talk about. I was in Stourbridge, and anyone who knows that town will know that you have to work fairly hard to find interesting things there. Even those that do exist, such as the Glass Museum, tend not to be in the town centre. However, this mural is -- in fact, it's in the High Street itself. It's on the side of the Cock & Bull pub, appropriately enough. I see some of the mural fairly often, but there are delivery vans and the like parked in front of it so often that it's actually relatively rare to be able to see the whole thing like this! The piece is by Midlands street artist Title, and it certainly brightens up a slightly drab part of Stourbridge.

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171/365: The Public, West Bromwich
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...but before I get on to that, first and most importantly a big "Thank you!" to reynardo for the postcard! So glad your trip has gone so well. :D

Now, back to today's image. This is "The Public" (yes, just that) in West Bromwich. These days it's a sixth form college, which meant I had to wait until term was over to get a photo. It's a big building -- I had to use my phone's wide angle setting to get it in the frame at all. But it was actually built as an innovative arts centre, including a small theatre and much more besides. Sadly the project was fraught with problems from the start, with large cost overruns and underwhelming interior features -- think Millennium Dome, I suppose. Sandwell Council decided in 2013, after only five years, that they could not afford to keep it open, despite visitor numbers having risen steadily year on year, and it closed later that same year for conversion to educational use. During the brief time it was open, however, it hosted something of considerable interest to me: UK PonyCon 2010! The official UKPC site gives that year's host as Birmingham, but West Bromwich is not Birmingham. That's like calling Salford Manchester or Gateshead Newcastle! I didn't attend myself as I wasn't in the fandom in 2010, but as the con was held in late October that year it was, I think, the first ever Pony convention held after the start of Friendship is Magic!

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170/365: Wyre Forest Big Band
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It was the Bewdley Cherry Fayre this weekend. Long ago, Bewdley used to be a significant cherry-growing area, and that heritage is celebrated now. It's one of those low-key events that isn't really marketed beyond the town itself, but it was pleasant enough. Sadly the showery weather meant that the Wyre Forest Big Band wasn't able to play in Jubilee Gardens as hoped. Instead, as you can see here, they made use of a covered area in Bewdley Museum next door. They played very nicely, too.