The Westley Arms, Acock’s Green, Birmingham

Pub # 2288:

A while back, I did a morning out-and-back to the Wetherspoons in Acocks Green and was really taken with the area.  We’re keen to buy a house this year and I convinced Jackie we should recon the neighbourhood.  We spent most of Sunday examining the streets and houses around here, Yardley, and Tyseley.  We were very hungry and Inn on the Green doesn’t serve food so we set off to the Westley Arms.

Almost there, an old woman stumbled toward us down the street yelling.  We eventually realised she was yelling at us.  “I said, how do you get in the hotel?”

As we approached, I answered, “I don’t know. We’re new here.”
She pointed a finger at me, then looked confused and without taking that digit down half-turned the wrong way so that she had to point to the hotel with the other hand at greater than 180 degrees from the one she had locked on me. “I tried the door, but it’s locked.”

I checked my watch. It was a little past 1. “That’s odd,” I said referring to both the idea that the door was locked and to her behaviour. “We were sent here from the other pub for lunch.” We stepped around her and I said, “good luck.”

She wasn’t having it. “I’ve already checked that door,” she said with obvious annoyance. “Follow me!” She headed off into a car park.

I muttered to Jackie, “yeah, like THAT’S going to happen.”
Jackie yelled off to her, “have a nice day!” Then, under her breath to me, “batshit crazy woman.”

We got to the front door — which was propped open — and greeted another customer standing there having a smoke.  By the time we ordered some baguettes and a bottle of wine, she emerged from the back door. That’s her on the stool in the above photo. I suspect we’ll see her regularly once we move here.