Birmingham Mail

Barn Makes Grade

ABARN conversion in Bournville seems an unlikely style of home to find in the Cadburys' model village. However, the land used to consist of farmsteads so it is perhaps not surprising to find a few of the rural outbuildings still lingering, just as the bluebell glades of Stocks Wood are said to be a relic of the Forest of Arden and Roman remains are testament to even earlier inhabitants.

Room to Breathe

PPEARANCES can be deceptive. ABehind the front door of this pleasant looking semi-detached bungalow lies enough rooms to fill a sizeable house that is twice its height.

Go with a Tracker or Tie in a 10-Year Deal

A Lifetime Tracker Rate: If you think rates are staying low then HSBC Bank has a lifetime tracker rate with a competitive starting rate of just 2.19 per cent. This is Bank of England base rate plus 1.69 per cent and lasts for the full term of your mortgage. There is a booking fee of pounds 99 and you will need to pay for a valuation and lawyer's fees. Conveniently there are no early redemption penalties even though it is a long term rate, which could be useful if rates did start to increase. ...

Experts Agree to Disagree On the Best Deals

TELLING the future has always been a bit tricky and not many people are any good at consistently getting things right. Nostradamus could apparently tell the future but his writings were so vague and incomprehensible that they could be interpreted to mean just about anything. At the moment economic forecasters keep coming up with their own predictions for the future regarding what will happen to the economy and therefore what will happen to interest rates.

108 Tiverton Road

16 Sir Johns Road

22 Milner Road

2 Wibert Close

Price: pounds 89,250 Agents: R J Long 0121 472 6337 Pleasant warden-controlled bungalow in communal grounds with views of parkland. It has a large lounge, bedroom, a refurbished kitchen and refurbished shower room, walled courtyard garden.

Knock Down Price ; Builder Demolishes House Extension in Row Over Pounds 32k Bill

A BUILDER used a digger to smash a house extension to rubble after getting into a bitter dispute with a Birmingham homeowner. An argument over a pounds 32,000 bill and the length of time being taken to finish the project in Perry Barr led to the drastic action by MA Building Services Bham Ltd. West Midlands police said they are investigating an allegation of criminal damage.

Force Want to Raise Profile

K-Ville (Five, 10.55pm) WOULD you believe that we're nearly at the end of this short-lived New Orleans-based crime drama? However, that doesn't mean to say that things have been getting any easier for detectives Cobb and Boulet. The pair grudgingly agree to show New York Herald reporter Jodi Mazetta around the city as she writes a profile on the police force and local life two years after Hurricane Katrina.

Paris On Mission to Find a Friend ; Reality

Paris Hilton's Best Friend Forever (ITV2, 8pm) SHE needs her friends now that she's been sued $35million for breaching her contract with Hairtech International to wear their hair extensions, so expect Paris to take her responsibilities on Paris Hilton's Best Friend Forever even more seriously than ever before. In tonight's episode, the socialite takes the remaining contestants to a hotel to give them advice on how to handle the media, before the hopefuls head to a different location to take p...

Chefs Tasked to Make Feast From Waste Food ; Tvchoice

Great British Waste Menu (BBC One, 8.30pm) AS ANYONE who has ever watched the early stages of Masterchef will tell you, sometimes it's difficult to make one great dish even when you have a selection of the finest ingredients to hand. But in Great British Waste Menu (BBC One, 8.30pm) chefs Angela Hartnett, Richard Corrigan, Matt Tebbutt and Simon Rimmer face an even more difficult challenge - making a three-course feast for 60 VIPs from food that would otherwise have been thrown away.

Womanising Catches Up with Charlie ; Comedy

Two and a Half Men (MTV Shows, 8pm) PREMIERING on Five in 2004, Two and a Half Men soon had audiences on both sides of the Atlantic in hysterics. Hollywood hell-raiser Charlie Sheen was the perfect choice to play Charlie Harper, a successful advert jingle-writer who has a penchant for alcohol, money, women, gambling and expensive bowling shirts.

Pick of the Day

Great British Waste Menu (8.30pm) Angela Hartnett, Richard Corrigan, Matt Tebbutt and Simon Rimmer prepare a banquet for 60 VIPs, using discarded food to highlight the nation's wastefulness. The Wounded Platoon (9.00pm) This World investigates the story of how 17 soldiers from the same battalion who served in the Iraq war have been charged or convicted for murders. Sam West narrates. Live UEFA Champions League (7.30pm) Tottenham Hotspur v Young Boys (Kick-off 7.45pm). Adrian Chiles introduces...

Yourstars with Claire Petulengro

YourStars WITH CLAIRE PETULENGRO Keep your wits about you in business this week. If you are doing your shopping or paying bills, double check that you are not paying more than you should for the items you require. Phone me to hear who get you off their mind. What you are about to find out this week Taurus, is that powerful faces are finally willing to give you the break you have needed. Ask for what you want, be pleasantly surprised. Ring me now for clear vision and clarity in your life.

The Record Breakers

PUPILS across the Black Country celebrated recordbreaking GCSE results, said education chiefs. More youngsters in Walsall this year look to have got five or more A-star to C grades than ever before - with an increase in those making the achievement up by more than five per cent.

Fun at Firm

Home Blessed

Finding Out Who You Are

PEOPLE interested in tracing their family roots can get help by popping into Birmingham libraries and community centres. Birmingham Family History Week runs until August 28 when free taster sessions will be held by staff from the ancestry website www.familyhistorydetectives.co.uk During the sessions people will be shown how to use library resources to dig into their family past.

Thieves Swipe Pounds 8k Audio Haul

OPPORTUNIST thieves stole pounds 8,000 worth of professional audio equipment that was left on show in a car overnight. The valuable haul - taken from a vehicle in Reservoir Road, Olton, between 11pm on July 28 and 7.30am the following morning - included 'Sennheiser' radio microphones, transmitters, amplifiers, antennae and two Dell laptops.