So given a night without all three of our kids, what did we do? Did we grab a takeaway, a DVD and an early night in our own, very comfortable king sized bed? Did we hell. We decided to make like teenagers and go on an adventure. Only adventures these days come really rather well prepared. I consulted Twitter and Facebook for recommendations for Birmingham (I thank you and I love you all for being so forthcoming in telling me the great and the good of your home city) and this is what happened.

We stayed at the Bloc hotel in The Jewellery Quarter. Now, I booked this pretty much based on the fact it was under £50 and didn’t look like the kind of place where I might catch bed bugs. Oh and our room didn’t have a window (though did have a blind pretending to cover a make believe window) which for me is a big plus. I HATE being woken by light. I have been known to unplug hotel alarm clocks as the red numbers pollute my inky space. I know this is strange, but I need to mention it.

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