Solo Adventure: Part 9 - Car Boot Sale & Aston Villa Stadium

Oleh kerana plan mau ber-kabut (car boot) terpaksa cancel the day before due to miscommunication on the exact venue, haruslah balas dendam the next day. Kami sempat singgah on Sat tapi sebab hujan renyai hence the market tutup awal. Lagipun kami sampai agak lewat, most of the vendors pun sudah balik. 

 Less than 30 minutes from Saltley.

Siap ada website, siap ada facebook page. Semua update pasal car boot boleh refer at their page. Best! Agak² boleh kah tu ah kalau buat di KK. 

Surveying. As the weather started to turn cloudy & dark, kami buat pencarian & pembelian secepat mungkin. Takut berhujan lagi sana.

U can find lots of different things sold at the market. Sangat murah; berbaloi untuk dibeli. Memang barang 2^nd hand tapi kalau rajin cari, boleh dapat yang dorang ndak pernah guna. And ada juga gerai yang jual 1^st stuff tapi agak pricey lah.

Mother's love...memang mainan si anak ndak kan pernah miss. 

Minta duit mau beli icecream...cute!

Returned home full with joy & satisfaction! I managed to grabbed things I so wanted to have. Paling penting, impian mau ber-kabut with Ernie sudah terlaksana. Thanks bawa saya pigi sana kio mandak!

After lunch & berehat kejap di rumah, off we went to Villa Park. Dekat jak sama rumah.

Ada event for a new kit the club launched recently. Patutlah ramai orang...siap ada mini concert.

Ndak pernah kan bergambar sama lori bomba before ni. Tiba² sampai sana gaya macam ulu gilak.

Joined the tour for £2 only. As per Ernie selalu harga adalah £10. Rezeki si Err lagi...ok yang ni aku tambah.

Before entering the stadium. Mirror reflection with Aariz.

Kan best masa enter bilik ni, ada real reporters waiting for me inside. Ehem berangan itu free, kan? 

Behind the jersey, ada safebox. *as seen in the pic below*

The place where the players keep their belongings during match. Barang kemas kan dilarang bawa masuk padang. 

I didn't buy anything here. Sebab aim utama adalah untuk menerjah Emirates Stadium. Kira tour stadium ni sebagai intro lah, ambil feel before tour yang sebenar di Arsenal. Ahaks. 

And this day was my last day I got to spend with Ernie's lil family. As I departed for London the very next day; where my real adventure begins. Stayed with strangers in the same dorm room...shared bathroom etc. Itu kita story mory nanti ya. 

eryantierdabdulkarim

Solo Adventure: Part 8 - Majlis Ilmu at Saltley & University of Birmingham

Biar di mana bumi dipijak, ilmu Allah wajib diamalkan & dikongsi sesama saudara Islam. Itulah yang dipraktikkan oleh komuniti Muslim Malaysia yang tinggal di bumi Birmingham. Tidak kira mereka itu pelajar ataupun yang telah lama menetap & tinggal di situ, majlis ilmu diadakan 2 minggu sekali bagi kaum Hawa manakala setiap minggu bagi kaum Adam. Lokasi perjumpaan berbeza setiap kali; mengikut giliran. Ia bukan sekadar majlis berkongsi ilmu tetapi juga untuk mengeratkan ikatan ukhwah di antara satu sama lain. Di samping juadah yang disediakan oleh tuan rumah, mereka yang datang turun membawa oleh² untuk dikongsi bersama. 

Jap...kenapa aku tiba² poyo bagi intro skema gitu. Ayat kalau memang macam report ndak pa juga, ni memang ke laut. Anyway, joined Ernie pigi majlis ilmu hari tu memang banyak dapat ilmu baru. Malu besar di situ masa sesi kuiz, rata² soalan yang dikasi...aku blur ndak tau jawapan. Sed! Luckily soalan yang bukan pinpoint aku untuk jawab. Kentara banyak lagi yang perlu aku belajar. Sila rajin membaca & praktik ya Bie. Jangan kau sibuk plan mau bercuti jak memanjang. 

Ni selepas sesi tazkirah, sesi soal jawab cum memalukan diri sendiri sebab langsung ndak tau jawapan. Sesi menjamah juadah adalah yang paling auwm! Ernie made yorkshire pudding to bring to the majlis. Oleh kerana aku sudah telan 2 biji at home jadi aku tahan nafsu makan puding tu lagi. The hostess made soto yang super duper slurp. 2x kami tambah; serius muka ndak malu kan. 

Ni lah muka² ndak pandai kenyang kekenyangan. Confused kejap...attend ni sebab mau timba ilmu or sebab mau makan sedap. Erk, logik kan kalau aku pilih both. Ngek.

Before headed home, we stopped by at the place where Azwan studies. University of Birmingham. Students Malaysia yang study sini mostly tinggal nearby jak. Selly Oak nama area tu. But Ernie lives a bit far from the uni...ndak lah jauh sangat tapi kena naik bas or drive lah if kena attend lecture.

Masa kami tengah gelenyah lompat sana lompat sini, lari sana lari sini bergambar depan building ni...ada van putih parked in front of the main entrance. Kalau ndak silap, a wedding was held there that day. So I assumed building ni mesti ada multipurpose hall dalam tu.

Azwan's school. Ernie pernah post in her blog, pictures of her posing in front of this building not long time ago. Masa tu diorang pun baru arrived bumi England. Excited tengok tempat sang suami study, kan beb. Kena bagi semangat gitu.

Memang sah kan muka tiada malu sudah. Posing ndak hengat dalam kawasan uni orang. 

Jari jemari ku memang bengkok & ndak cantik meruncing...jadi bentuk square yang aku mau buat sangat ndak kelihatan. Hampas.

Gambar kami berdua perlu ada ya! Membuktikan aku ndak bercamwhore sendirian. Kawan hantu kamera pun join sekali. Sebenarnya, dia lagi suka beraksi depan kamera if to be compare with me. Serius wei! Because when she's around I rather enjoyed to be the lady behind the lense to photograph her. 

UoB version of Big Ben. I was told that every clock tower in the country has their own name. But I forgot to ask what's this tower called. Sila rajinkan diri untuk google.

Actually patut pagi tu kami pigi car boots sale tapi kerana dek hujan...and information pasal the venue dapat lambat, maka kami ketinggalan. When we arrived, semua tokeh sudah bergerak pulang. Hampa tersangat hampa tapi apa kan daya sudah bukan rezeki. Memang antara plan paling tegar is to go to the sale. Before sampai UK lagi sudah pasang angan² berjaring²...Allah ndak makbulkan plan on Sat sebab ada acara lagi penting petang tu. Alhamdulillah, time untuk bergila di car boots sale jatuh on Sun. Itu nanti aku update ya.

eryantierdabdulkarim

Solo Adventure: Part 4 - The Black Country Living Museum, Dudley

After purchasing my flight ticket, I immediately search for the places I should go visit. Since I will be staying with a friend on my 1^st week in the UK, I looked for places that are near & easily accessible to her house. Google 'suggested' me this museum. And not long after, the bestie spoke the same place to me.  Speak of sisterly instinct, huh. The Black Country Living Museum, definitely is one of the place I so really love to go. Located less than an hour drive from Ernie's place; we decided to give this museum a visit. 

A bit of introduction before moving to the pictures. 

The BCLM is an open air museum of rebuilt historic buildings. It occupies 26 acres of former industrial land partly reclaimed from a former railway goods yard, disused lime kilns & former coal fits. The museum preserved some important buildings around the Metropolitan Borough; mainly in a specially built village. One very interesting fact is that most of the buildings in the museum are original & relocated from their original sites. As a living museum, these form a base from which knowledgeable local demonstrators portray   life in the period of 1850's to 1950's. (source: Wiki) 

We departed at 10a from Birmingham. And singgah untuk refuel sebab fuel at Asda is cheaper. Stesen minyak pun ada drive-thru service ah di sana.

I just admire bricked-house...ndak membazir cat. Look natural. 

Arrived! Beli entrance ticket...sila jangan convert. 

To the left of the main entrance is a conventional exhibition area. Vehicles made in the Black Country; home to some early manufacturers of motors cars & motor cycles. 

Trolleybus from Wolverhampton.

The museum is one of the three in the UK with working trolleybuses. Electric trolleybus transport visitors from the main entrance to the rebuilt village situated by the canal basin. But of course, we preferred to just stroll around. 

In the Cast Iron House; a semi detached council house which was built as part of a major housing development in Dudley. It is built in 1925 & listed as building of architectural & historical interest. 

That woman is real human. *lol* She sits day all day long; knitting. The pieces she made are super neat. And she also answers ur questions regarding the house.

The house interior.

Pure iron! Very heavy indeed. Although cast iron house could be built with relatively unskilled labor, only two pairs of houses were built. Because they proved to be twice as expensive as the brick. 

The Rock & Fossil Shop continues the tradition of Dudley's long history of limestone mining for it's early marine fossils. This shop cater for collectors of all age. Unfortunately, it was closed that day. As a souvenir; I think printing the picture above; postcard-like would be nice. 

Pitt's House owned by Sam Pitt. Who worked at a nearby quarry & later at the Caponfield Ironworks opposite his house. His wife like other housewives of the period kept pig in a sty & next to earth closet in the garden. 

It is a one storey house originally constructed in 1890. It was self built by the Pitt family using second hand bricks. Which resulted in a the uneven brickworks, out of plumb-wall & general homespun look. 

Jerushah, the Tilted Cottage. Constructed around 1840, originally situated at Cooper's Bank. Its crooked appearance was caused by the coal digging beneath the house. 

The interior reflects the lifestyle of 1910 when occupied by the fairly well off family Joseph Bradley; a colliery clerk. The decoration on the wall as well as the furniture do reflects the term well off for that period I guess.

And few hours of walking, take five for makan time! This is the garden or picnic area at Folkes' Park where we enjoyed our lunch. Homemade & packed with love by dear bestie. 

Makan tengah padang nan hijau...even duduk atas batu² kecil, ini adalah menu untuk kecurkan liur. Ernie's sambal for her nasi lemak certainly is something I can't easily forget.

Nex to the park is the Cradley Heath Workers' Institute building. It is the landmark to one of British most significant yet hidden achievement in labor history. This is also where the cafe is situated. 

Upstairs of the building is a memorial exhibition of Mary Macarthur; one of Britain's greatest union leaders. She is the first Labour Party candidate for Stourbridge in 1918.

Builder's merchant back in 1921 when brother Joseph & William first traded. By early 1930s, the business had grown. The shop supplied a range of i.e fireplaces, grates, W.Cs, sinks.

The Trap Shop. Originally constructed in 1913 is a typical example of a small purpose built factory of the period. It is once a major manufacturer & worldwide export of small animal traps. 

Cobbler's Shop ran by Mr. Lawrence Davies. He is a typical of the many shoe repairers in the Black Country in 1930s. Shopkeepers at the period was open all hours & would be called on by a customer if urgent repairing is required. Main work for a shoe repairer was re-soling & heeling. Also would do patching, toe-capping & re-welting. As competition was fierce, the prices were kept low. Although busy, few of them made fortune in the trade. 

The children dressed as in the period. They were running & playing at the yard. I really felt like I was transported to the old days; to witnessed all these fun things right before me was truly a blissful experience I would never forget my entire life.

Some of the toys they used.

This chapel was built at Darby Hand, Dudley. Providence Chapel played a central part in the life of the community for 140 years. Not only a centre for Christian belief & practice, it also functioned as a social centre for the community.

Us in between the row of shophouses. 

Kaki wayang haruslah alert with this thing, ara? Limelight Cinema ran by a family affair owned by Mr Revil & assisted by his nephew Leslie Ball. His daughter Violet; played record on a wind up gramophones as the musical accompaniment for the silent films!!

The building was moved brick by brick from its original location at Harts Hill where it stood since 1921. Its auditorium could accommodate up to 103 people on wooden benches & 18 padded tip up chairs. Light source for the projectors as the old fashioned method of an electric arch light. Adjacent workshops houses the 2 engines used to generate the electricity required. 

Standing next to the Ironmonger's Shop. Established in 1860 supplying both domestic ironmongery & works trade. They sold every conceivable commodity needed by householders & business in the area. They cut keys & mended locks at the back area of the shop. 

Replica of Mr Harold Emile Doo's shop. The shop front is original as are the fittings & early 1920s stock. Mr Doo had a considerable reputation locally for his some home made medicines & pills. 

Range of early 20^th century cosmetics are displayed in this original mahogany cabinets. A demonstrator will explain about the equipment & strange ingredients used by chemists. 

Baker's Shop. This is a replica of the one standing in front of the bakery in Birmingan road, Oldbury. The original shop built in 1840 with a single story shop & later extended to double story in 1870. The bakery not only sold bread & cakes but also wines. Range of products are produced by a local bakery but are similar to those sold in the original shop.

Small glasscutter's workshop. Stationery engine at the shop's entrance powers the line shafting driving the cutting frames. And that man is a real glasscutter; inherited the shop from his family. His work can be bought directly from him. 

Underground Mine. Black Country was famous for the Staffordshire Thick Coal which lay beneath much of the area. The coal occurred in seams of up to 10m thick & its extraction led to problems of subsidence as the ground dropped to fill the holes left. 

Listening to safety instruction before entering; "Into the Thick". Underground experience created by the museum to show how miners work the Thick Coal & other seams in the Black Country in about 1850. It is a drift mine with slopping tunnel down which we could walk into a maze of roadways & working areas. 

Out from the dark & black tunnel in 35 minutes. Audio visual & advance techniques; also explanation from the guide were used to bring to life the conditions of the workers in mines. Pretty scary & dangerous I reckoned. Bare in mind, miners back in the period had no insurance policy to cover anything should accident happened to them.

The original steam engine was built by Thomas Newcomen in 1712. And it was the first steam in the world used to pump water from coal mines. After more than 10 years of research, the Museum completed the construction of a full scale replica of that original engine. Rods hang from the outer end of the beam & operates pumps at the bottom of the mine shaft which raise the water to the surface. Unfortunately, the Newcomen Steam Engine was closed to visitor due to repair work being carried out.

Tripping ladies...

At the souvenir shop...last stop before we make the exit. Of course fridge magnet adalah benda harus dibeli.

And I made a souvenir for myself out of a 1pence coin. Through that machine, I only had to pay 1pound & magically turned the coin into a Black Country Museum coin souvenir. Yihaaa! 

What's my rate? Ehem, adalah rahsia kerajaan si Err. Sekian.

I know this is too long. Its my first time ever writing such entry. Most of the explanations here; I got from the Black Country Living Museum's website itself. 5 hours we did spent at the museum yet we didn't quite managed to cover the whole area. Despite that I had so much fun exploring, that is what matters the most. 

Go read Ernie's version of BCLM...<here>.

eryantierdabdulkarim