WME Flickr Focus - August 2026

Parched landscapes seem to have been the meteorological theme of the summer, with the unrelenting dryness an inevitable consequence of heatwave conditions. Thankfully the West Midlands Exploration photostream has avoided suffering its own form of drought, meaning I've been able to keep the update tap fully turned on...

There isn't a trickle nor have we a downpour, just a nice steady flow of new arrivals. Gushing forth therefore is Exploration Extra in a "remember me!" kind of fashion, although it is usually the case that my gallery of farther flung photos only ever operates in periodic bursts. It's been a few months since it last saw any action but EE's turn has rolled around again, helped chiefly by a series of snapshots from my 2023 Bognor Regis holiday. Bognor itself weighed in with a David Bowie mural, seafront pebbles and Reynolds & Co furniture depositories, assisted in number by cheerful Chichester for Bishop's Garden flora and a smattering of pub signs.

My stay in Bognor also yielded an intriguing set of Brighton items, including arty depictions of Jimi Hendrix and Amy Winehouse; I also glugged down the Great Eastern pub in North Laine, although one of those pictures dates from the Hove cricketing getaway of 2012. Elsewhere from the Exploration Extra hosepipe comes a cute crab in Bridlington, two Brylaine buses in Boston (Lincolnshire), a trio of Beaumaris titbits covering castle walls and the Bulkeley Hotel, then a 2019 'Nottingtram' Basford brace featuring Watts Van Hire with the Rose & Crown.

Exploration Extra wasn't the only gallery wielding its watering can, although it did dominate much of the monthly action. WME Wolverhampton encountered R2D2 getting clamped by an overzealous traffic warden before adhering to its standard rules about street sign accumulation (courtesy of Westbury Street, Thornley Street and Stafford Street this time around). University buildings offer selected architectural details, Zak the 'Wild in Wolves' Zebra crops up yet again and the Castle pub on Wood End Road ensures we do briefly get away from the city centre.

Beyond Wolverhampton however, there's very little to report at all. My only other pocket of activity comes from WME Worcestershire with three former landmarks that are no longer trading - Richardson's Newsagents at St John's, the Garibaldi pub on Bromyard Road (now flats), and the Cricketers on Angel Street. Admittedly the last of those could come back, and I very much hope it does as I was rather fond of the collection of sporting memorabilia there, but it goes to show how rapidly things can change. See you in September!