Your flight is delayed until 1909

This week I've been staying at the Holiday Inn hotel near Birmingham International airport. The airport is at Elmdon, which was one of the places where Edith used to walk and make her observations for her Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady.

The Birmingham Airport Holiday Inn.

In September 1909, just 3 years after Edith wrote her famous diary, Alfred P Maxfield flew the first aeroplane in the Birmingham area. The History of Castle Bromwich for Young People site has a photo of this plane and explains the history of the aerodrome that was to develop there. It tells us about:

• the early, hair-raising, fun days of flight
• the serious business of WWI when the aerodrome developed to accommodate war planes and trainee pilots
• the development of commercial flights in the early thirties
• the move of non-military flights to Elmdon (now Birmingham International) airport just a few years later.

The old terminal - now used as offices.

The photo shows the original, 1939, terminal. It looks a little forlorn now as the passengers now leave from the big, new terminals on the North side of the airport. Here's a video from the glory days.

Britsh Pathé news - The opening of the airport in 1939 (advert at start)

The visitors to the hotel are a friendly bunch. On the shuttle bus (to the station/airport) and in the restaurant, there was much talk about the new Emirates Airbus A380. The Birmingham Mail tells us that it is starting regular trips to Dubai from today, Easter Sunday, 2016.

I could tell you about this huge plane but far better to watch @DMTaylor90's amazing video of it coming into Birmingham.

@DMTaylor90's video of the New Emirates Airbus coming into Birmingham.

A footnote ...
On 3rd February 2017, the Holiday Inn Birmingham published a post that said
"Originally built as the Headquarters for the RAF, the Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport is celebrating it's 80th year."

https://www.facebook.com/HIBhamairhotel/photos/a.1539738669598377.1073741836.1517099785195599/1829746453930929/?type=3&theater

Went to the daffodil field again

In her entry for the 20th of March, Edith says:

Went to the Daffodil field again; The buds are just breaking into yellow. Found two Thrush's nests both in holly bushes, one nest was empty, the bird was sitting on the other, she looked at me with such brave, bright eyes, I could not disturb her, much as I would liked a peep at her speckled blue eggs.

Rabbits in the NEC's daffodils.

When I was in Birmingham, from the 8th to the 10th of March, there were certainly plenty of daffodils in full bloom. While walking through the NEC grounds one night, a colleague spotted some rabbits amongst the bright yellow blooms.

I find myself wondering what sort of daffodil field she meant. Maybe it belonged to a commercial grower. The first show for the Midland Daffodil Society (now the Daffodil Society) was held in the Botanical Gardens, Edgbaston, Birmingham 1899. The programme, available from the Northern Group's website tells us that a number of commercial growers from the area were exhibiting:

• Simpson and Son, Birmingham
• Hewitt and Co, Solihull
• John Pope, Birmingham
• Robert Sydenham, Birmingham

In her diary, Edith mentions visits to Packwood in February and July. Ragged Robin's splendid blog describes both Edith's and her own visits. Ragged Robin's post shows Packwood's lovely, naturalised daffodils. However, if Edith Packwood, I'm sure she would have mentioned it.  

Wild daffodils and other spring flowers from my Sussex garden.

I think that it's most likely that Edith's daffodil field contained the wild species. She certainly painted some on a nearby page. The Warwickshire Wildlife Trust runs the Harvest Hill Nature Reserve, which "is one of the last remaining wild daffodil meadows in the area." That tantalising "remaining" suggests there would have been more in Edith's time. 

Daffodils under an illuminated tree, Birmingham NEC.

I'm sure Edith never saw daffodils and trees lit up like this! The lights run through a cycle of red, blue, green and magenta. I find them strangely compelling to watch although I suspect any nesting birds will go elsewhere.

Resort World - there are bird boxes in the dark area to the right.

However there are bird boxes nearby, close to the Resort World hotel and, last year, I saw young Great Crested Grebes so even though I didn't see any nesting birds, they are sure to be around somewhere.

I had to carry my cycle ...

Edith's entry for 10th March 1906 describes seeing birds with nesting materials and a variety of wildflowers. She was clearly very determined to find particular flowers and says:

I had to carry my cycle nearly a quarter of a mile down a steep, muddy fordrough set thick with thorns, with high banks on each side. On these sheltered banks I found numbers of small celandine blossom ...

If you were wondering, the Topographical and Land-Use Terms page of John Morris Jones' site, tells us that fordrough means farm track. I am in awe of this young woman who, encumbered by long skirts and carrying a heavy Edwardian bicycle down a rough muddy track, explored and found the flowers she was looking for. My little walks have been far easier. This week I stayed at the Crowne Plaza hotel from Tuesday the 8th to Thursday the 10th of March, which is at the edge of the Pendigo lake in the NEC complex.

Gorse and Traveller's Joy.

I didn't have to go far to find my first wildflowers. There is a Gorse bush, smothered in its own yellow flowers and the fluffy seedheads of Traveller's Joy (clematis) just outside the hotel.  The Traveller's Joy is particularly apt as it is a friendly and well-placed hotel. I found Colt's Foot flowers while walking round the South East edge of Pendigo lake. This was first thing in the morning on Wednesday the 9th of March, 110 years and 5 days after Edith recorded finding some while on "a long walk".

Coots near the Crowne Plaza.

Coming back to the hotel, I found a pair of cheeky Coots grazing the newly laid turf just outside, having taken over lawn mowing duties from the rabbits that were there the previous night.

Sky Walk - close to the site of the former Pendigo buildings.

In Edith's time, the area was already associated with the name Pendigo. However it was a cluster of buildings, presumably a farm, rather than the lake that is there today. The buildings were roughly where NEC hall 5 is now, just south of the Sky Walk. Hall 5 is one of the halls being used for Crufts this year.

While I was staying at the Crowne Plaza, the NEC was preparing for Crufts.

My Thursday morning walk to the office was enlivened by trails of dogs, from stumpy bulldogs to tiny Chihuahuas converging on the NEC. In 1906, when Edith wrote her diary, Crufts had been running for 15 years under Charles Cruft and was held in Islington. The best champion (the forerunner of Best in Show) was a Scotch Collie called Wishaw Leader. Both Crufts and Pendigo have come a long way since then.