As I watched, cringing, the car opposite performing an awkward 15-point turn into the shopping centre car park (having either not spotted the 'no left turn' sign at the traffic lights or completely ignored it), I thought to myself - some things never change. It had been a good few years since my last outing to Touchwood. I used to come here all the time as a kid, having grown up on the edge of Solihull, then as a teenager when I joined the local sixth form, and as a young adult when some of my very first nights out started at Lloyd's Bar and ended at Rosies - or rather, with a big fat portion of chips from Kings.
At first glance, as I drove past the same neatly-manicured grassy hills that I used to roll down with my schoolfriends in the summer, it seemed that little had changed. Slug and Lettuce and TGI Fridays were still king and queen of the hill, perched at either side, and it felt nostalgic stepping onto those rickety escalators that lead from the undercroft car park up to the mall. Read more: We visited Bullring in Birmingham and found out what shoppers really want But as soon as I reached the top, I realised that, actually, a heck of a lot had changed since my last visit.
The courtyard on the other side of the automatic doors was being turned into a beach for the summer and the old Bella Italia was now a colourful Spanish restaurant called Alioli. I had to jump out of the way of a little singing robot whizzing around the walkway, inviting passers-by to pop in for a few .