Frankly my dear, I do Riverdance

I've had a long standing fascination (I hold back at obsession) with Celtic hoofer, choreographer, flautist, martial artist, actor, and lover Michael Flatley.

I read this book on holiday a few years ago, and it's the most unintentionally hilarious book that I've read, full of self-aggrandising quotes and hubris.

It opens with this quote from The Independent's Matthew Sweet:

"Flatley wants to take on the world. Then he wants to have sex with it. Then he wants to do its accounts".

And it gets better from there. He prints big ups from Mandela (Nelson): "The world needs more people like Michael Flatley", and Clinton (Bill): "He is an Irish American treasure".

When I've finished, I shall watch his spy film Blackbird, extensively referenced through this work (18% on Rotten Tomatoes).

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Camp Hill Line Station Update

I attended the Railway Stations Update meeting last Wednesday, and have summarised the content, with help from the Kings Heath Neighbourhood Forum. Opening timeline The new stations on the Camp Hill Line are expected to open to passengers in 2026. No exact date has been fixed yet. Based on the meeting, the opening is likely between March 2026 and July 2026. They emphasize that this uncertainty isn’t due to construction delays: the physical works (platforms, buildings etc.) are still on track to be finished by end of 2025 as previously announced. The delay in announcing a date is largely due to the time needed for the “Entry into Service” process: testing, training, certification, and transfer of ownership to the operator. An added complication is that West Midlands Trains’ ownership is changing to public ownership in February 2026, which overlaps with that handover/entry-into-service period. Station & highway works status Kings Heath • Most...

Uncharacteristically personal post. Delete if not allowed.

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Herbert Life: Manzoni's Plan for Britain's Motor City.

Herbert Manzoni isn’t exactly a household name—unless your nan's house was knocked down to make way for a ring road. But there’s no denying the mark he left on the city. Born in 1899, Manzoni trained as a civil engineer before becoming Birmingham’s City Engineer in 1935 and Planning Officer in 1938. With war damage, traffic chaos, and outdated housing pressing down on the city, he saw a rare opportunity to start over. “ Herbert always had a ruler in one hand and the future in the other.” — Charles Bird, Assistant Engineer, Birmingham City Council (1971) Manzoni believed in mobility, efficiency, and clean modern living. Victorian Birmingham, with its cramped back-to-backs and narrow streets, didn’t meet his brief. During his tenure as Birmingham City Engineer and Surveyor (1935–1963), and with housing a major focus of urban redevelopment, he spearheaded some of the most significant and controversial projects in Birmingham’s modern history. His belief that "The slum cannot be...

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