RE: OPEN ALL HOURS - 248

Good Day each, its not raining and I don't think it can make its mind up what to do. By the was SB I never fished Edgbaston Reservoir. Like most of the ponds in Birmingham it was overfished and understocked.

Phil

As it happens there is a very good cafe there called Gossips. But it also happens I have just had a bow of Bran Flakes.

SB

What is it with you and Cafés, don't you get fed at home or is it the wifes cooking?

Phil

Good morning Philip. As it happens it was the good lady Astoness wo mentioned Cafes this morning not me. I do like a good cafe when the occasion arises, I don't have to explain that. To anyone.

So is it the café or is it the staff (of the female variety) ?

Phil

Phil remember the old days in a pub when people actually used to respect you and talk to you. Well I use cafes mostly very early in the morning, so you see a fairly regular group of people, characters every one of em. Espcially the market traders. It's a meeting place, an eating place and bloody good entertainment.

SB

Well you would have liked Fred's on the corner of Highgate Rd and Kyrwicks Lane. Thats all they did in there talk and play chess or sit and read the smutty postcards on the wall around the room, I don't think any of the builders ever got any work done. It was the first café in Birmingham ever to have an automatic tea dispensing machine it was a horrible brew I would never drink it even when he topped it up with whisky at Christmas.

He was an institution though and his bread pudding was legendary, he was full every day and every night until closing time. Loads of customers used to eat in there all week on the slate and pay up on payday. He never got done and they always paid up, because they knew if they didn't pay Fred they couldn't go back and there was n where else they could go.

Phil

Phil Exactly. Some people like to watch telly, even in the mornings. I prefer to enrol in the university of Life.

Posted by signman

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SB, you talk a load of twaddle, Phil. I used to go in Freds most days, lovely bacon and tom, or a tom dip.

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Thank you John,

No offence meant Graham, but this is why I don't come on here much any more, there's nothing to interest me.

Posted by signman

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No offence meant Graham, but this is why I don't come on here much any more, there's nothing to interest me.

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John it takes a membership to make a forum, most of us join in with your posts. Why not post something that does interest you and see what happens.

John

If we knew the magic formula that makes a forum interesting to all we would be overrun with members, as it is a forum can only be as interesting as the content posted by its members. I have asked on numerous occasions what members would like to see on the forum and we have tried to be as accommodating as possible to all suggestions. I can only repeat while our membership is so low the choice of subject matter is also going to be limited.

As far as Fred's is concerned I didn't use it much myself as I only lived just down the road, but I did call in there occasionally because my mate Alf used to use it, until I convinced him to join me at the Talbot over the road for a sandwich and a pint. That reminds me I haven't seen Alf for yonks, I must call in and see him, I would get him to join but he couldn't tell a keyboard from a typewriter.

Phil