After a couple of good nights of friends over for dinner, and a really brain-sapping week at work, it was time to clear the head with a Sunday afternoon walk along the canals. It’s a nice and fiscally undemanding way to spend a weekend-between-paydays. A bus into the city, and then – within seconds, there you are surrounded by the parts of Birmingham that you go out of your way to show visitors.

Spring really is out in full force. People were cheery and said hello. The ducklings drifted past like small balls of fluff on the water. The queues for coffee frappamilkshakes were both long and worth persevering.

Even the sky was showing itself in all its blue (though, it has to be said, a less committed and thoroughly convincing blue than its antipodean equivalent).

A stroll from the Mailbox, where the BBC lives, along Brindley Place and as far along the canal as our legs could be bothered before walking back would seem unreasonable, and over the bridge and back again.

We played with the idea of living on a riverboat. Then we played with the idea of being millionaires and living in a huge apartment with a balcony overlooking the water – sort of up by Crescent Theatre.

Then we sat at the bus stop opposite Tesco and took the number one home.

Still – having borrowed the data projector from work, we get to watch last night’s Dr Who versus the Slitheen (part two) in our own private cinema – so that feels like living rich.

I think now that the snow has stopped and it’s no longer nighttime at 3.30 in the afternoon, we’ll be doing that stroll more often.

In other news, I presented a ‘radio screening’ at the university on Friday afternoon. A selection of some of the best radio from around the world (you’d be amazed at the proportion of ‘best radio’ that originates from Canada and the US).

It was a resounding success. Only six people came (which is five more than some in the department had anticipated) – but all of them insisted that there be more of them in future. They’d prefer they didn’t take place on ‘the weekend’ (student weekends stretch from Thursday afternoon to lunchtime on Tuesday), and they would bring more people with them next time.

So – your suggestions? What’s the best radio you’ve heard recently? What should I play them? What’s so good about the radio you like? Can you send me copies?

Mp3s of your favourite bits of audio can be sent with a helpful descriptive note to radioscreening at gmail dot com.