Can you spare 50p for a cup of tea please?

My good friend with my dog Rocky and her Dog Arnie, this what all three of them get up to when i am not around.

Amazing Koalas asking people for water

AT 40 DEGREES IN AUSTRALIA , IT WAS SO HOT FOR A WEEK THAT KOALAS
WERE ASKING PEOPLE FOR WATER. IT'S NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE.

ONE WENT TO A HOUSE TO TRY TO HIDE FROM THE HEAT AND TO GET A BIT OF SHADE AND HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN?THE OWNER GAVE HIM SOMETHING TO DRINK. IT'S REALLY CUTE.

"Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened."


93% WON'T FORWARD THIS, WILL YOU?

Again all these Koalas were sent on to me from my good friend Yvonne, they are to good not to share so i hope you pass them on

Polar Bear I come in peace....Unbelievable

Polar Bear: I come in Peace 

Norbert Rosing's striking images of a wild polar bear coming upon
Tethered sled dogs in the 
Wilds of Canada 's Hudson Bay. 

The
Photographer was sure that he was going to see the end of his dogs when the
Polar bear wandered in. 

The
Photographer was sure that he was going to see the end of his dogs when the
Polar bear wandered in. 

It's hard to believe that this polar bear only needed to hug someone!

The Polar Bear
Returned every night that week to play with the dogs.

May you
Always have love to share,

Health to spare,
And friends that care.

These pictures have been passed onto myself from my good freiend Yvonne, i thought they should be shared with as many people as possible, i hope you pass them on.

Thank you for looking.

HGV'S and Kings Heath

This article is in reference to a posting written on the  i love Kings Heath website and sadly it refer es to a young person who was killed in the high street by a HGV, this happened whilst we were trading in our shop Phoenixrgv in Dads lane kings Heath so we also saw first hand the damage it had done to Friends and to family as they did not live far from our shop.

I am sure there are many questions to be asked, but to me the main question is how dose something like this happen in  a relatively small high street were there are cars parked, bus stops, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings etc all of which  would slow down the traffic which should be driving at a safe speed any way!
love kings heath website

Here is an extract copied form the link below and will give an insight into inadequate investigation's when accidents happen with HGV'S, trailers and caravans.

Copied text from part of the more detailed blog.(copied because there is far too much for me to put in to my own words and i believe far too important not to be mentioned)

INADEQUATE POLICE QUALIFICATIONS ARE CONTRIBUTING TO A FAILURE TO INVESTIGATE ALL THE CAUSES OF ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE TO HGV’S

Peter W Jones

The West Midlands Police Authority have informed me under “the Freedom of Information Act” that it would be “against the public interest” to let me have a sample of Police Road Traffic Accident Investigators’ (RTAI’s) reports on accidents involving trailers (HGV, Caravans and small trailers).

Similarly (under the foi act) Devon and Cornwall Police have told me that it is the established custom to keep the above reports confidential to families involved and the insurance companies.

I am sure that many people are aware of the fact that Air, Marine and Rail accident reports are already available for scrutiny on the internet.

The police accident investigators are seriously under qualified for the job they are being asked to do. Hence the real reason, in my opinion, for ACPO trying to keep accident reports confidential.

The West Midlands Police confirmed to me that they did not employ any suitable person of Chartered Engineer (CEng) status or higher to advise the RTAI’s and are therefore ignoring an “Aim” laid down in the syllabus for the Police City and Guilds (C&G) certificate in Forensic Collision Investigation ( Ref 1) that RTAI’s should be able to recognise the limits of their expertise and know how to seek appropriate help.

I also know this from personal experience as for about 2.5 years starting from 2003 I was an Associate of the Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators (ITAI). (Ref 2) .I was invited to join by members who were concerned about their lack of knowledge in some areas. This would not have happened if the Police had a system for ensuring that the RTAI’s received adequate support. (The ITAI membership is almost 95% police or retired police officers).

An important aspect of this matter was first drawn to my attention in 2009 when Professor Stephen Glaister of Imperial College, London University held a press conference which highlighted ( amongst other items) the Professors’ opinion that the Police normally only investigated the causes of accidents that were attributable to law breaking. In his retirement the professor is now the Director of the charity RAC Foundation and you will see on their web site an extensive analysis of many aspects of road traffic accidents.

In particular I must draw attention to the fact that the professor’s associates at RAC Foundation have shown by Mathematical/Statistical analysis of Police, Hospital and Insurance company records that there is an under reporting by the DfT of serious injuries/fatalities on our roads by a factor of around times three.

Most University Academics devise their of own schemes of work but Leicester Simon de Montford University have had a specially designed syllabus presented  A more detailed blog

We love helping our animals big & small

We have had an exceptional service from the Blue Cross, and we do everything we can to help promote them donate food & toy items. Rocky our dog came from the Blue Cross and he helps them too. He makes regular visits to the Blue Cross with his food parcels for all the animals still waiting to get lucky like him

.

You will find links on our website to the Blue Cross, Hounds for Hero's, The Cat Rescue Resource, if you help or run  a charity and with to have a banner on our site please do get in touch, it can be for any charity we will be adding more as time goes on.

Now the big animals, below is a link to the Born  Free Foundation they do loads of great work, they have many events so please have a look
Born Free

We are pleased to say theses days we do not buy wild animals from Harrods, but in the 60's this was a common thing and looking at the story of Christian the Lion form Harrods is is not as sad as it sounds, although should it ever happen in to days world the animals would really need help. Please watch this very enjoyable story all about Christian the lion from Harrods The lion from Harrods

A day out with mafuffinguntaston

A day out with mafuffinguntaston

Oh yes it is indeed our yearly day out, last year it was Brighton with mafuffinguntason whizzing up and down the promenade reassuring everyone and any one I’m a woman you know, or was that too much little Britain.

This year already on our 3^rd bottle of Britain’s best red, which on first tasting could be red x but after the second who cares, we are on bus sharp at 08.15am and departing the exotic and daring delights of digbeth bus station on our way to Claxton on sea with the seaside holiday bus company, not at the higher end of the market but they do give you a seat and are will to pull over on the hard shoulder should you have the urge to relive yourself of some of the red wine if only to make room for more.

Time passes quickly onboard the seaside holiday express bus even after many stops singing turns to dancing and dancing turns again in to singing then sleeping and finally awakening only to find out you had your head in some strangers lap, you don’t mind as long as they don’t dribble after all your on a day out  and it’s probably why most travellers return year after year

After arriving and staggering a long the see front we decide its time for a brown ale and a pie, so off we go to the purple penguin seemed a sort of sea fairing establishment not obvious from the name but we have a nose for that sort of thing, would it be fit to cater for mafuffinguntason and myself. Oh well only one way to find out. We enjoyed the brown al stout and slab of well matured cheese it went down well with a room full of tobacco smoke and a good old fashioned sing a long, before we new it we had scored a bulls eye a little surprising as the dart board was actually behind us, oh well time to leave as usual just before were due to pay the next round.

Fresh air made us choke as we walked again along the sea front this time enjoying a 99, she had asked me for a 69 but I knew what she really wanted men are good at that knowing what woman want, I thought it strange that she left most of it all over her face and the ice cream man didn’t want to engage in conversation I thought perhaps he was not too well paid and the children can be a bit much so we bid him good day.

Days going so fast time ticking by, just time to nip in to the off-licence and stock up for the trip home and a quick burger or two for me and for ma! Well she insisted on one of those extremely large hot dogs covered off course in mayo and mustard with relish all over it, she said it was worth the wait it has been a very long time since she had a twelve inch sausage all to her self, I laughed the way ma! Gobble it down I don’t think any one else would have got a bite.

On the coach now every one happy singing dancing sleeping and mooning oh sorry that was the driver, ma! Managed to snog six passengers before we set off I think the ice cream helped.

We all arrive back pissed and well fed and most of us with some one we never went with.

We do highly recommend the seaside holiday express bus company, perhaps you would join us on next years day out

My very special friend

Every one has a very special Friend, i would like to introduce my special Friend here with a link to her blog.
She writes a lot about real life and day to day experiences many of which we all have to go through more often than we would  want to.

With her eccentrically named blog she needs no more of an introduction.
My Special Friends Blog

Good bye from phoenixrgv

Thank you and good bye from Phoenix-rgv Dads lane

Thank you to all our customers and all our friends and good bye!

We would like to offer a big thank you for all the support and help we received form all our local customers in and around Kings heath and Mosley.

We have now closed our shop in Dads lane, not through choice but due to circumstances out of our control.

All these factors contributed

The recession and a general slump in the market place, no access in investment, no help from our cash rich bankers (no surprise)  bank holidays take business away from us and there are now even more bank holidays to be added to the calendar, we had no trade during the eight days Dads lane was closed off we had to close at 11am and our trade dropped off during the repairs done to roads leading on to Dads lane which lasted for two weeks. No compensation from Birmingham city council they blamed Amey who they gave the contract to and Amey had no intention of compensating any business affected by these road repairs, so all in all a total stitch up! (does not really go hand in hand with what government and the councils say about helping small businesses). At the start of January 2012 Birmingham city council will again cause local shops and businesses and residents an even larger problem they intend to close off the road just past Dads lane chip shop so they can re-strengthen the bridge and this is intended to last for eight months, apparently this bridge has need strengthening for the last eleven years. Last but not least the planned re-development of Stirchley  which now makes sense of all the road and bridge repairs because they intend to allow two very large supper markets to move in to Stirchley one in the middle and one at the top near ford house lane, so if the roads bridges and drainage are all in good order they can accommodate more traffic and more heavy good s vehicles making there way to the two new supper markets  plus the existing supper market. These two new supper markets would have a very big impact on our shop and on the small co-op next door to us.

Very sad after all the effort money put in to resurfacing Dads lane that was not in need of repair, they did not even have the intelligence to put in to place any traffic calming measures to cover the three accident black spots along this road, perhaps if they had of done then we would be more understanding.


Two links below with more information.

Birmingham Post

Bournville village