Up on Melancholy Hill

Actually it's not, but this is the title of a lovely Gorillaz song.

This is Beacon Hill in South West Birmingham - bequeathed to the city by the good old Cadbury's (some of them still live in these parts).

We went up to see if we could catch some good "Volanic ash sunsets" but it wasn't to be. Oh yes, there was a beautiful sunset, but could we do it justice, no. Seems sunsets are one of those things your own eyes do so much better than a camera (or I'm technically inept, which is highly likely).

Anyway, there were lots of young people having fun up there in very tranquil settings, overlooking the city. Tranquil apart from a swooping hang-glider buzzing about above us.

Being up here really brings the city into scale - and particularly the enormous mass of the new PFI hospital, Brum's latest major building project (and where a certain politician made some pointless speech about the health service this week and how they're going to make it all better. Oh the irony - in a PFI hospital of all things).

Away from the politics - let's go back to tranquility. Ahhh.