Postcard from a writer's room 2

That table is incredible. On it, some of the most well loved works of fiction in the English language came to life. Look how tiny and unassuming it is. No room for laptop, notes, reference books or any of the other paraphernalia I pile up when writing. Even if I'm just scribbling in a notebook, I tend to take up plenty of space. But that table was all Jane Austen had. In a corner of the dining room in the house she shared with her sister, mother and a cousin.

The house is completely charming. Jane Austen did not live in luxury, but her brother made sure she was comfortable there and the cramped and shared conditions didn't seem to harm her writing. My other favourite item on show was a woven silk shawl which belonged to Jane. I can just picture her bent over the table, scribbling out the novels, shawl tucked around her shoulders. And ears always alert to the squeaking hinges of the door, warning her that someone was coming and the page she was writing should be hidden. No password protected documents in those days!

I guess not that much has changed about the writing process. It's still ideas moving from brain to page. I envy the simplicity of Jane's method though. Oh, and her genius of course…

Postcard from the towpath

Call me lazy, but sometimes I don't want going for a walk to be a challenge. So a walk along a stretch of canal not overly troubled by locks was a great way to spend the afternoon. Fradley Junction marks the point where the Trent and Mersey Canal joins the Coventry Canal; I guess that means it's been the perfect place for a pub for a while now!

Holidaymakers and boat dwellers were out in force along both canals – taking in the scenery at just above walking pace. It was a bit noiser along the towpaths of Gas Street Basin later that night though. Gas Street Basin, at the junction between the Worcester and Birmingham Canal and the Birmingham Canal Main Line, is also a popular watering hole. They were spilling out of the bars at the Mailbox, although I guess fewer of the patrons had arrived by boat.

I have to admit that I didn't walk the entire distance between these canal junctions, and sadly didn't travel by boat either. But I did take refreshments at both, perhaps what canal junctions have always been best for.

Postcard from the curry house

Is it a bad thing when the staff recognise you as soon you walk into a restaurant? Well, I've been eating at the Kababish in Moseley for about fourteen years now (no, not every day!) and, as it's been owned by the same family for that time, I guess we've got used to each other's faces. There can only be one reason to return so often: the food is excellent. There is nothing wrong with the current spice-coloured décor (although I have fond memories of the old Parisian street scene mural), and the location is pretty handy. But it's the quality of the food that makes this a favourite (although I also miss the days when pick-and-mix balti was on the menu, things are a little classier now).

That's the Lamb Borti Bhuna on my plate – extremely tasty it was too. Across the table are the Lamb Pinnee, a side order of Brinjle Milaana, rotis and rice. Cobra to drink, obviously. I never intended the postcards blog to become the place for restaurant reviews but such a lovely meal deserved some kind of thank you. Apologies for the poor quality of the photograph, I was keen to get on with my dinner!

Of course, in the time I've lived in Birmingham I've been to many other good curry houses so, to spread the recommendations out a bit, other places I'd promote are Sylhet Spice in Kings Heath and Al Faisal's on Stoney Lane. I'm not a fan of Indian sweets, but the selection box I bought from Milan's Sweet Centre on Stoney Lane recently were demolished rather rapidly by those who know good from bad. All are independently owned, long established businesses with no city centre pricing. And all get busy, so make a reservation first.

Postcard from a sea of blossom

This weekend felt like spring had arrived in full bloom. A walk through Greenwich Park was a treat - sunshine, flowers and warmer than summer often is. 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy. Follow the link if you want to know more; for me it's as good a reason as any to use a photo of the Royal Observatory. Sadly, I wasn't there at 1pm to synchronise my watch with the ball's drop. So, if I'm a few minutes late, you'll know why.

Quiet contemplation of blossom is one of the few good things going on in Greenwich just now. Long running roadworks are creating traffic chaos, bringing the bottleneck town centre to gridlock. If one hole in the road can cause that much trouble, just imagine what an Olympic event could do. And without the option for pedestrians and residents to take a break from the traffic by escaping into the Park for a breather. I've mentioned the issue before, you can see the details at NOGOE's website.

Of course, there's plenty of time for Spring to be a wash out yet. But, for now, it's all about pink blossom, yellow daffs and the orange ball of Greenwich Mean Time. Next weekend, the clocks go forward. So I won't be the only one whose watch is wrong.

Postcard from the seaside

Surf's up! Well, it looks a bit rough actually. So much for a holiday in the sun, Fuerteventura's famous winds blew a lot of cloud my way. The kite surfers were well served; the sunbathing book readers weren't so impressed.

On this hazy day we travelled from the soft dunes of Corralejo to the lava shores of El Cotillo (pictured), taking a loop through the mountains of Betancuria. Perhaps in the photo you can just make out the mountains in the distance? So much varied landscape in one small island, and all so much greener than expected because, just my luck, it's rained a lot recently.

Of course, one of the best things about being beside the seaside, is eating a meal at a beachside restaurant, looking out across the water (and eating fish caught in those waters). The food certainly made up for the weather; although, some sunbathing was managed - with interruptions.

Postcard from The REP

The Birmingham Rep is a hideous building. I suppose elephant-hide concrete cladding was the height of architectural design in the 1960s, but it now stands between the classical proportions of Baskerville House (named after John Baskerville, an innovator in typesetting, writing-trivia fans) and the 1990s plate glass and tubular steel of the International Convention Centre. The Rep doesn’t bear up well to the comparison.

What goes on inside, however, makes you forgive surface ugliness. I saw the Kneehigh Theatre production of Don John - Mozart’s Don Giovanni revisited as 1970s rock opera. Hilarious stuff with a quality soundtrack. Kneehigh deserve the accolades they attract, I loved their version of Brief Encounter with song and dance. I wonder if they had to tone down the Brummie accents when they took it to the West End though?

One other thing makes the Rep stand out from other theatres - their restaurant: WineREP. Not only is the food delicious and keenly priced. Not only, as you’d guess from the name, is the wine list superb. But the stroke of genius is the showtime deal. Eat your starter and main course before the performance, return to your table for your pudding and coffee in the interval. So civilised I can’t imagine why nowhere else does it. They should.

Postcard from underwater

There are places in Britain that are further from the coast than Birmingham, but not many. The city doesn't even have a major river running through it. So, it's an apt location for a Sea Life Centre – bringing the best of the underwater world to Brummies.

Highlights include the Bay of Rays, a huge tank filled with weird creatures gliding through the water, flipping and turning like kites. It was hard to draw the smallest member of our group away from the fascination of this drama playing out at toddler-eye level.

My favourite though, was the seahorses. Tiny, delicate, vibrant-coloured and strange shaped, it seems hard to believe these funny fish could survive in the open ocean. Fortunately, they appear to be happy at home in the big city.