the terrors of the leaf covered bench

That part of the Ring Road still gives me the chills whenever I walk past there... ;)

And yeah, I was sad to see the arty café disappear. It looks like the one in Selly Oak is still going (though renamed Bisque & Bean) but Merry Hill is short of such things. Weirdly perhaps, when I've been there recently the nicest coffee places have been the Wetherspoons out along the canal, the McDonald's in the retail park and the Costa above Next. I suspect it's because all three are outside the main mall building and so are relatively free of five-year-olds screaming their heads off until they get more food. :P