Alexandra Taylor: Writer

It’s Valentine’s Day and you’re on your own. But this is no reason to feel down. This is an opportunity to spoil and indulge the most important person in your life - YOU! While others are running around desperately trying to guess which romantic cliche will persuade their partner to put up with them for another year, you can spend time and effort pleasing yourself, indulging and spoiling the one person guaranteed never to leave you. One option is to take yourself on a classy date. Get dressed up in your smartest outfit and admire yourself in the mirror. Perhaps even pay yourself a compliment or two. Set the table with the good crockery and prepare that exotic dish you’ve been wanting to try. Who better to experiment on? You won’t hold it against yourself if it doesn’t come out quite right. Buy yourself some flowers and chocolates, and even write yourself a card listing all the wonderful things about you. After all, you know yourself better than anybody. Forget modesty and self cr...

Anyone familiar with the local music scene will almost certainly have heard of Steve Ajao. As well as performing with his band The Blues Giants for over three decades, he’s played with trumpet legend Red Rodney, supported Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and once took blues giant BB King for chips down the Ladypool Road.  However, what many people don’t know is that Steve’s creative talents don’t end with music - the visual arts have also played a huge part in his life. As a child he was asked to paint the school hall with murals, secured a place at Moseley School of Arts and Crafts and went on to study graphic design at Art College in Coventry. Over the years he’s worked as an illustrator and printer. He’s also produced drawings and portraits to commission and has two workshops at his home where he makes and repairs guitars.  It’s a miracle that Steve’s still here to tell us about his fascinating life. Ten years ago, he was hit by a car which put him in a coma for three week...

Hardev Singh Ruprai was just thirteen when he started working in his parents’ shop. He learnt every aspect of the business from the ground up and it’s why winning the title of ‘Convenience Retailer of the Year’ means so much to him and his family. “Over the last thirty six years there have been good days and bad days, we’ve been open through sun and snow and everything in between. I’m so proud that what my parents started and what we’ve achieved has been officially recognised. No one can ever take that away.” After being nominated for the award by one of their suppliers, three judges from the English Asian Business Awards spent over an hour in the shop, talking to staff and customers, before awarding the title. What helped Ruprai Food and Wine stand out from the crowd was their wide range of alcohol, their charity work and their contribution to the local area. “Our aim is to be a place where people can do a quick shop for the essentials. All our staff live locally, and we wan...

On 26th March 2013 fire ripped through Cash Converters on York Road in Kings Heath, destroying a building that, in its heyday as the Ritz Ballroom, played host to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, the Who, and many other world famous bands. For over eighteen months the burnt out shell has stood neglected, nothing but charred and twisted remains, now partially hidden by colourful murals telling the history of the building. But out of the ashes a phoenix is finally beginning to rise. Plans are underway to turn the historical site into a community arts centre, celebrating and commemorating Kings Heath’s illustrious music history, as well as providing a venue to nurture the stars of the future. Bob Prew is one of the chief figures in pushing the project forward. “Everybody who became anything in the 1960s played here, on this little back street in Kings Heath,” he says. “It would be great to be able to mark its significance. But it’s also important to look to the future. A...

Every year, on 1st January, millions of us pledge to put the festive indulgences behind us and change our lives for the better. Yet every year nearly 80 per cent of us fail to stick to our New Year’s resolutions. Why? Most people aim too high, pledging to eat healthier, get more exercise, stop smoking. But these laudable goals are long term commitments that require fundamental lifestyle changes that are hard to maintain once the New Year hangover has dissipated. Perhaps the answer is to choose something that requires a one-off burst of energy. For example, book all those appointments you’ve been putting off - visit your GP for a check up; have the nurse take your weight, height and blood pressure; research how to properly self-examine your breasts or testicles; go to the optician for a sight and hearing tests. And while you’re there, make a follow-up appointment. Get all that done in January and you can sit back smugly for the rest of the year, mission accomplished. Another ap...

Carters of Moseley has been named the Good Food Guide ‘Readers’ Restaurant of the Year’. It’s a national accolade which will undoubtedly bring more diners to St Mary’s Row, but for co-founder Holly Jackson it’s about so much more than bolstering business. “It’s particularly special because this award is voted for by our customers, and we were told that it wasn’t only the quantity, but the quality of the comments that were submitted. It’s amazing that people went out of their way to write in and say such nice things about us.” Their loyal customer base is testament to the restaurant’s strong local roots. Chefs Brad (Holly’s fiance) and Peter (Holly’s brother) both trained at the College of Food (since renamed University College Birmingham). Holly first fell in love with the area when she got to know it through her dad, who worked as a painter and decorator around Mosley and Kings Heath.  “I love the music scene, the vibrancy, the independent shops. I also love the mix of pe...

If you prefer your Halloween more atmospheric than alarming, then head down to Sarehole Mill on 30th or 31st October for an evening with a difference.  The idea is simple. Families bring along a pumpkin, carve it and put in a candle. Once lit, the lanterns are put on floats and sent bobbing off across the millpond, candlelight reflecting on the water in the gathering dusk beside the picturesque 18th century watermill. Add a carving competition, a storyteller and some toasted marshmallows and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a family evening out. “There’s limited space, so people will have to register,” says organiser Irene, “but we’re hoping it’ll be a simple, low key but magical evening. All the floats are made by our volunteers from recycled materials and the flotilla provides a very satisfying finale for the pumpkin carving.” For more information visit the Sarehole Mill website . Published in  My Moseley and Kings Heath  magazine, October 2014

Once upon a time, a teenage boy ran away to join the circus. It sounds like the start of a fairy story, but that’s pretty much what happened to Joe Fearn. He landed a summer job in a circus aged eighteen and discovered a magical place where unique people come from all over the world to share their skills and become part of a strange and eclectic family. He lived the circus lifestyle for the next eleven years, attending circus school, travelling the globe and honing his skills.  However, Joe never lost touch with his Birmingham roots and three years ago decided to return and put his talent to good use by establishing a circus community in his home city. From a few informal classes, CircusMASH quickly grew and expanded. Now run by him and his partner, it has brought circus skills to over eight thousand people, and is now involved in a huge range of activities, such as youth programmes, workshops, classes and school visits. They are also working with Solihull College to develop uni...

Ava's Wedding is a brand new original English opera. The libretto was written by me and the music was written by Michael Wolters from the  illustrious  Birmingham Conservatoire. It was performed at the Crescent Theatre in Birmingham (UK) from Thursday 26th to Saturday 28th February 2015. One performance was filmed and will shortly be available online. For news and updates, 'like' the  Facebook page or follow  @AvasWedding on Twitter.

Business and the arts are not obvious bed fellows, yet when two organisations in the Jewellery Quarter were thrown together six years ago, they developed an unlikely partnership which has blossomed into a successful relationship. Performance company Stan’s Cafe has been creating innovative artistic projects in Birmingham since 1991. In 2008 they secured Arts Council funding for acclaimed work ‘Of All The People In All The World’ and the hunt was on for a suitable presentation space. Meanwhile metal pressing firm AE Harris, based in the Jewellery Quarter for over 130 years, decided to reorganise their business operations, leaving the site at 110 Northwood Road empty. They were asked if they’d consider leasing the space to Stan’s Cafe. “I figured half a loaf is better than no loaf at all,” says Managing Director, John Sloyan.  What began as a ten week arrangement back in 2008 proved so successful that it turned into a two year commitment on a rolling contract. Both parti...