1405 South Shields to Newcastle by river boat

Once upon a time people would travel from Newcastle to London by passenger boat as a more effective method of travel than coach and horse, or walking, and one upon a time coal was taken from the Tyne all over the world. Yesterday a polish ship or may be it was Russian, was unloading coal at the Port of Tyne which has now moved down river and located at South Shields for freight and at North Shields for Passengers. No ships are built but at South Shields and Hebburn there was repair work continuing on a drilling platform and a few ships, one an ice breaker, There was one freighter on the North bank of the Tyne at Wallsend, so named because it marked the effective end of the Wall and the there are still ship building cranes as well modern industrial plants and processes along both banks of the river all the way into Newcastle and Gateshead.

Some three decades ago when I first took a boat from South Shields Ferry landing up river, it was a very different experience. True there was ship building taking place on both sides of the river but no one was fishing because of the pollution, and everywhere there was sign of decay and abandoned workplaces and no where was there cared for land, new homes to admire the view, or to attract visitors from afar. I have been looking forward to making the trip again for more than decade, although I was in no rush because I wanted to see change. I had tried last year but all the places were taken so this year I kept in touch with the Nexus site on the internet and booked online a ticket on the first outing of the year and hoped for good weather.

The ticket said that one could board from half an hour before the sailing time of 1pm so I decided on an early sandwich lunch with a banana and was ready to leave midday thinking I would start or join the queue after a brisk mile walk to the ferry landing. Such was my enthusiasm for the trip that I forgone going to see the Masters Football talking place at the Newcastle Metro Arena, or watching England play New Zealand before a packed house at Chester Le Street. England was put into bat first and after an excellent start given by Bell, Petersen had come in and looked as if he was going to score a ton which later I learnt he did, and which would have left the great crowd feeling they had had their money's worth in what was otherwise a one sided game, as had been the 20 20 match I had watched on TV on a recent evening. Many missed the first part of his knock because of horrendous traffic jam and parking problems which left the ground looking only three quarters full at the start and with cameras showing the long queues lines at the gates waiting to have their bags searched to ensure that alcohol was not being taken into the ground. England were having such a good start that for a moment I regretted that I had to leave when I did for the river trip.

There was sunshine between lots of grey cloud, but none looking like rain, so far. It had rained briefly, heavy drops but not fierce rain as I made my way to watch Riot at the Custom's House the previous afternoon. Then it had been warm but today there was a chill edge to wind although it was still pleasant in the full sun, There was no cause to rush and get into a sweat so I took my time arriving just after 12.15 to find no queues but several passengers already on board with several other small groups making there from the Custom's House car parks or down the walk onto the fixed pontoon on which the all weather waiting area has been built. There are berths for three ferries. One at each side and one at the front which is used for the short journey across the Tyne to North Tyneside Our vessel was at the side facing the Custom's House and up river although from the shape it was unclear which was the front and which was the back of the ship, although I hoped I got the back so that I could view the Shields, Jarrow, Hebburn bank as we made our way up river. I was too late for the ideal seats at the side where you could sit at the railings but still found a place under the all weather awning which had been raised along with a few flags. However such was the cool breeze that one party at the end of the row by the railings decided to go for seats against the hull while others from choice had chosen the lower boarding deck close to the refreshment tables where later I was able to buy a large mug of coffee and a chocolate biscuit for the excellent value of 70p. There were Stottie sandwiches and a variety of cakes as well as constants large pots of tea as well as beer and soft drinks.

I settled down in my spot and made notes in preparation for the trip, scoffing some chocolate covered raisins while also watching late arrivals some who appeared unconcerned as the departure time arrived. Then I remembered from the previous occasion, from all those years ago, that the off time was flexible to ensure that no one was left behind including those who had taken the ferry from North Tyneside. Then we were off, going out first to the end of the river to just before reaching the two piers providing great views of the Lawe Top and the Bay of South Shields as well as Tynemouth and the North Tyneside Fish Docks and restaurant area.

There was a fierce sharp wind and choppy sea and as we had motored stern first so those of us at the back had got the full blast which sent several scurrying down below or to the front. As we set on the full thirteen mile course to Newcastle, the Newcastle to River mouth boat passed us so it was possible to take picture of a craft similar to our own.
Between the Custom's House and the Port of Tyne Authority buildings and the port docks I was interested to see that the land has now almost been cleared ready for a planned development of mixing housing, offices and recreation facilities, although I may not live to see completion which could take five to ten years, depending upon the economic climate and political vision. Attention was the directed to the North Tyneside bank where a Thompson Cruise ship was tied up next to a North Sea Ferry. Both large vessels but not as large as the freighter which was passing us mid river on its way Poland, Russia, Japan or China, These are not guessed destinations because at work on a Sunday scrap metal was being loaded onto a huge ship while coal from Poland was being unloaded from another and beyond these vessels there were acres of completed Nissan cars from the Sunderland Factory on the former Jarrow slake, a area of marshland when I first arrived, waiting to be shipped from its own dockside to Japan, Europe, the USA and South America. After the Port of Tyne there is the entrance to the river Don at Jarrow and the few minutes trip to St Paul's of Jarrow where the Monks would commence the sea trip to the early part of their monastery at St Peter's Wearmouth Sunderland. Here there is the Shell oil terminal now on strike and a Chemical works whose pong has dominated the town centre from time to time since it was built. You can also see the building from where escalators take you down under the Tyne along the pedestrian tunnel now used only by cyclists although once tens of thousands of men would cross over to their work in the ship yards and pits on both banks of the river, You can also see the large funnels releasing toxic car fumes at both ends of the road tunnel where work has also commenced on the second tunnel, such is the congestion on weekdays and summer weekends.

Just outside of Jarrow Town centre and before reaching Hebburn on the south bank there is the purpose built headquarters of the river police and helicopter landing. I nearly forgot to mention the river pilot tug station. Although the river is wide and deep enough to take the largest of ocean travelling vessels this was not always so and at South Shields there used to be a bar which enabled a foot crossing at certain times and which meant that pre Victorian sailing craft could sometime be held up for weeks in port or waiting to enter port at Newcastle until the water level was high enough. Clearly this was not acceptable once the industrial revolution was underway so the entrance was dredged but this did not affect the infamous rocks close by which has caused the untimely end of hundreds of vessels and which still make the need for pilot boats with the latest technology.

Then we reached the second remaining area of river based activity on both sides. At Hebburn there is ship repair with three customer vessels at the dockside, one an ice breaking ship. The ship building cranes are still there at Wallsend. The official end of the Wall and where ash South Shields there was a larger and more important Fort than that at Newcastle. At Wallsend then is now a modern observation tower which I imagine is similar to the one which had been suggested for Arbela at South Shields but where for the moment those of small minds, no vision and little concern for the welfare of future generations have held sway. Hebburn was once only an industrial working class town where the Catholic club was the posh club and Unionist Club the smaller one, and where it was unknown for a non Catholics to be elected to the town council. Now the extraordinary tall spire of the Catholic Church still dominates the skyline but there are expensive posh houses at the waterside and non Labour Councillors have been elected to the borough council.

Perhaps the best symbol of the civic leaders recognising the opportunity provided by the river is the creation of the Hebburn Marina and the exceptionally attractive riverside park which rises high above creating a country feel space. There are several such spaces between here and Newcastle, as well as Marina's on both sides of the river. Approaching Newcastle on the north bank there is the first of the residential developments along the River Tyne created in the early 1990's and where nearby is the entrance to a tributary from Jesmond and its Dene and an area of cultural development making use of former industrial use buildings.

However the greatest transformation has taken place on the South Bank at Gateshead. Here first next to a small Marina and the oddly named Elephant Hotel there is a large development of contemporary flats being build with river views and then the embankment from the Gateshead Stadium is also being enhanced to create riverside parkland from the former slag heaps and industrial wasteland. There are continuing industrial sites along the river with a derelict area at Felling between Hebburn and Gateshead, but at Wallsend there is a company providing a major transport fleet and another providing tone of the biggest cabling services in the world. There is a major International Paints factory at Gateshead and Spillers has a large and major Mill on the north Bank.

However it is as one approaches journey's end that the extent of transformation becomes apparent. First at Gateshead one can see the £60 million Gateshead College development, then the high rise apartments, the conversation of the former Baltic Flour Mill into the Contemporary Arts centre and then the International Sage Concerts Halls. The transformation is continuing. One the Newcastle Bank there is the recently opened high rise City Lofts projects, the new Law Courts, Hotel developments and Legal Offices as well as the development of the Victorian Buildings into one of the great night life areas in the world. The one aspect which is different from elsewhere is that this is a city which has life throughout the day and night and as with other areas of the river the intention is to create new communities who live and work without reliance on the car.

Then unexpectedly we had the treat of the day as we stopped mid river just before the brilliantly designed Millennium pedestrian and cycle bridge and waited for it to be cleared and then opened to let us briefly pass under continued to the second of the seven bridges across the Tyne which is a feature of Newcastle and Gateshead especially because of their close proximity. Here below the Tyne Bridge, the Sage and the Quayside the ferry did what I can only describe as a twirl and is whirled around and around for several minutes enabling everyone to photo everything before charging back home and allowing the bridge to be closed again.

I know from personal experience, from what I have read and seen on the telly at the cinema that there are grander and many more spectacular places around our planet, some natural and some human kind created, but I know of nowhere else where against odds and the hardships of two world wars, and the financial devastation of the 1920's and the endings of major industrial and manufacturing in the North East on any scale sufficient to support its population, there has been such a determined revival and to recreate communities where people want to live, work and have fun, and have a welcome smile for any stranger. Oh I nearly forgot to mention that the Port of Tyne was recently voted by its users as the best Port in the world because of its efficiency and the welcome of the people. The trips continue fortnightly until September 21st. The cost to adults was £11, concession £8 a family ticket including three children £36. Accompanying the trip is an ad hoc commentary by local men John Grundy or Jonny Johnson. John Grundy's style was perfect, chatty, spontaneous and as thrilled as the rest of us by what was happening along this great river.

1365 Whitley Bay and North Tyneside by Metro and Ferry. Amy Winehouse. Lost and Cold Case. Young musician of the Year

A glorious sunshine day with a cool breeze on the coast and along the river, but inland and in sheltered positions it was warm and indeed hot. However the coat was needed at times when I reach the sea front at Whitley Bay so the solution was to wear or carry according to the situation. I worked hard in the morning so as to be able to have a joyous afternoon, certain the weather would continue until I was ready and this feeling of wholeness continued into the early evening as I watched the young musician of the year thrilled by their abilities and at creating a second successful Stir Fry a la Grech and then in the early hours I watched a recording made of the 10 pm programme on how Amy Winehouse became as she is and I was overwhelmed by the inevitability of her self destructive genius and where the escalation further into the abyss was quickening.

I did not venture out until 1 pm having trained myself well over the past five years and once the decision was taken to complete certain work first I shut the outside out until I was ready and the tasks completed. I was able to keep my attention focussed. I completed the writing of yesterdays Blog with one revision, correction and read through so I may have made even more mistakes than usual. But as my writing is part of reflecting how I remember feeling and thinking at a contemporary moment as well as an aide memoir to remember and re-evaluate aspects of the experiences in the future, the unintentional mistakes and loose expression becomes as important as when I attempt something better crafted.

The next and main task was to write to the authorities for the community and hospital health records of my care mother. It will be interesting to see if they are immediately available or if there is any problem because she is my aunt, although I understood that as a complainant about her care I was eligible but obviously if they have been used and continued to be required by the investigation then this may not be the opportune moment to request copies.

I also enquired if there were known to be any separate records referring to me or my birth mother. I hope that when patients registered with a doctor, at least after 1948 when the NHS service was established. and when a patient then transferred, there might a register of this information. The position before 1948 is likely to be different but there is nothing lose from making enquires. Time was taken with sorting out the National Insurance numbers and the NHS numbers for the three of us and it was noon before I was ready to change and sort out what I would take and what I would not. I decided to have lunch, a single cheese and salami sandwich and a cup of tea. I had a coffee and two toast breads for breakfast. I watched Bargain Hunt while I eat, a programme I had seen before and even remembered some of the items, what the judges thoughts and how they went at the auction although not the individual prices or result. I was ready to go out.

I took with me my back pack although wisely I had decided not to bring a bottle of water, ice bag and a banana, because of its weight. The back pack was needed because of the camera but I also resented the constraint. I was out for four hours, about two and half hours of walking exercise.

I commenced by walking to the North Marine Park where I wanted to photograph what was left of the beds Spring planting. However because my priority was the post office I only covered those at the western side of the lower park before making my way along Ocean Road, deciding I would begin to photograph this year, the Pubs and Clubs, perhaps also the restaurants, given that they are forever chopping and changing sometimes with very expensive make-overs such as the Beach Bar and the Palma Cafe Bar recently. The who three story edifice of the Palma building as been reworked.

At the post office there was the expected long queue which put off some people who came in and went out immediately again. I felt confident about using the automatic machines with touch screens, which weigh, then price, which you pay individually, then receive the individual postage paid stickers, and only then, the accumulated receipt. At this point I could have continued the Shields walkabout with my camera, taken a bus or the Metro and the decision was to take the Metro to Newcastle and perhaps to Tynemouth or to Whitley Bay, the latter a journey of 26 station and an hour's travel whereas I could have walked to the Ferry and then walked to North Shields station or taken a bus, and then to Whitley, the third station along the coast. It was a journey I had never made since the Metro system came into operation.

South Shields town centre is usually full of elders with walking sticks and some mobility vehicles such is the impact of a life working in the pits or other heavy industrial processes. Today there appeared to be more young people about, perhaps it was the change of clothing into summer weather with bare midriffs and short skirts without leggings. I had been able to get a copy of Metro the free weekday morning paper which is usually unavailable from 11am. In the entertainment section there is a play at the Customs House which interested me when I first saw the particulars, about a widow who sells up to go to the sun, sounds familiar though and it ends on Wednesday. A possibility for tomorrow evening. "In Bruges" is showing at Bolden this week but only at 9pm and therefore a possibility for Thursday. I been to Bruges on a visit to Belgium spending two separate days there. I debated spending the afternoon in Newcastle, but I would have visited the Baltic and other galleries and this was the day for that. I continued to Whitley Bay. I was pleased that the TV critics shared my misgivings about Flood. I also noted a film about Amy Winehouse which was showing the same time as Lost part two of this new seasons. I would sort out later.

I decided to stay on the train as it continued north of the Monument and Haymarket, Jesmond and Gosforth, two places I will visit with my camera sometime, and then turned towards the coast and none of places en route appealed as places to visit. I have only been two Whitley Bay a couple of times and I cannot remember ever stopping, perhaps once in thirty five years. It was once a major holiday centre for those in Southern Scotland, not rivalling Blackpool. This continues to puzzle me because South Shields has better Beaches and reaction facilities for the family. At Whitley as it is along the rest of the coast to Cullercoats which I visited last year and then to Tynemouth the beaches involve a long descent from the coast roadway, similar to that at Roker Beach Sunderland. The two week family holiday have long since stopped and the hotels along one main road to the front have become trendy bars and clubs - Havana, Banana Joe, with fake florescent coloured Palm Trees, Caprice, Easy Feet,, Zynk, Vegas, Jimmyz Bar, the New Quay, Envy, The Hairy Lemon, Sin, The Avenue,42, Deep and Heat were noted. Furtherest away from the coast is the shopping centre which comprises a mixture of traditional ships with butchers, bakers and grocers, and small shopping complex with parking above, Here there is a Wetherspoons called the Fire Station, set back off in small alleyway but the most popular is the pub in the main street The Bedroom with many street tables all occupied with everyone enjoying the sunshine and the company. On the front I walked northwards to the derelict Spanish City former amusement centre and stopped to look towards the cultivated lees which are very different from those unspoilt at South Shields. I decided to return home via North Shields and the ferry and leave a walk along the front to Cullercoats and Tynemouth for another day, I needed a cup of tea.

At North Shields there was a coffee house with comfy settee opposite the station and I enjoyed two cup pot of tea and a lemon drizzle cake slice for £2.40. Around the corner there was a bus stop with the choice of 333 and 19 going to the ferry. A 19 came and passed to the next stop, I got on but the driver worked out that I was on the wrong bus as this was going in the opposite direction. A young woman came and sat on the seats in manner which I returned to the first stop and a young woman arrived, sat down and appeared reconciled for a wait. I decided to walk having noted that the bus journey took seven minutes going first to the fish quay. On reaching the boat quay the ferry was in so I hurried and reached the entrance as the 33s bus arrived and one of several passengers was the young woman I had left at the bus stop. I worked out that the buses time themselves for the arrival and departure of the ferry.

On the walk to the ferry I observed a sickening encounter. Across the street from me, a few yards from the bus stop, a young women in her early twenties was telling someone not to be a f…… s….t. The person proved to be a boy about six or seven years of age with a scalped hair cut who had entered a shop selling sweets, comics and ice creams. Whatever he wanted he was told no and he started to cry and this produced not one but several mouthfuls of foul swearing towards the child who announced he was running away. The mother said good and told to him to p..s off. I had to cross over the road and then crossed over another road along side them. The boy who momentarily continued to run along without crossing the road, suddenly reversed and put his hand out to his mothers. She continued to verbally abuse him. There was nothing I or anyone could do. He could be removed from her care if his life is threatened or if he requests help to someone but what then?

In the situation of Amy Winehouse she had talent from her childhood and appears to have been significantly influenced by her father and his liking for the songs of Frank Sinatra and of Big Band Jazz. She was given a place at the most well known stage school in London from the age of 12 Then her father separated from her mother for a new relationship and normal adolescence became a nightmare and she left the school without examinations but was helped to begin her singing career by the head of the school and as a fifteen sixteen year old she moved from home to Camden Town where it is event from someone who worked with her that she was into dark sex when still most of us would regard her as more child than young adult. The programme did not mention her mother and it is interesting that later it was her father's husband who also did the talking on camera.

The programme explained the intensity of her relationships as she was launched with her first album and her voice and songs were first recognised as the work of a great talent. One journalist described how Amy explained that in the daytime she drank wine with vodka, and then in evenings she drank a concoction of mind numbing spirit without anything to lengthen the cocktail. She was drunk all the time, public as well as private. It appeared she was unable to cope with the fame she had craved for in her first interview essay to the stage school and it appears that she only commenced to experiment with a cocktail of drugs after she married. While some therefore point the accusing finger at her husband, the programme suggested to me a more complex collusion of mutual spirits, although the husband does not appear to have any talent other than as a partner in Amy's inner world turned outside.

It seemed go me that the programme touched on the truth and then moved away as if it could not bear the implications until towards the end when it admitted that she had reached the point when she was beyond anyone's influence and where because of her interests and inclinations she was unwilling to help herself.

She appears to have convinced herself that she needs to feel pain in all its forms to be able to create new songs about pain. She has not grasped that you do not need to experience the reality directly to understand and feel the pain of that reality. Whether she can translate such experience into new songs of the same quality of those in Black to Black we may never get the opportunity to know. Meanwhile the ghouls of the popular media track every second of her life in the hope she will give that ultimate picture, the moment of her total self destruction and she is so presently crazed that she will invite them to watch while listening to a new song about the experience she has created as her epitaph.

While the programme about Amy was recording I watched the new episode of Lost in which Ben tries to save his daughter from being shot by pretending she is not his daughter and does not mean anything to him. The episode moves forward to the future when Sayid has also escaped from the Island and is mourning the murder of his wife, the girl he had loved for a decade and found and married since his return from the island, only to lose. We then find that Ben has also left the Island and is on a mission to destroy the man, Charles Widmore, who faked the discovery of the no survivors plane crash and sent the freighter with helicopter to kill all those on the island especially the survivors of the crash. Ben arrives in Tunisia, makes his way to Iraq for the funeral of Sayid's wife and then helps him to kill the man who murdered her and he enters into a pact with Ben to destroy the architect of their misfortunes. Ben breaks into the Penthouse suite of Widmore to explain that he will kill his daughter so he will know at first hand the torment he has experienced. Meanwhile back on the island Jack finally accepts that the mission of the freighter is not to rescue them, and Sawyer and Claire decide to make their way back to the others on the coast, leaving Ben and Locke and Hugo going off to find the mysterious Jacob " to learn what they should do next"

On Sunday I had watched a programme celebrating the thirty years of British Young Musician for the year which has been a must for me to watch throughout its time. The programme highlighted some of the most famous winners and the first ho became a leading player as part of orchestra's around the world. Recent winners become instant celebrities with concert and media demands from around the world and the BBC has now arranged a support agency to help them cope, especially the younger ones who will still be at school. I then missed the first of this year's instrumental finalist but all is not lost as the full performances are online. In fact this year's presentation is a great disappointment, concentrating on the background of the four instrumentalists, this evening the strings, a 14 year violinist who was not ready for the performance stage, the head girl of the same musical school a harpist who nearly reached the final, a cellist who did not impress the judges with his music selection and an extraordinary guitarist, born England with one parent a Croatian and all now living in Norway and who is my first tip so far. His brother also entered the competition as a pianist The hour long programme spent over half on the background and only played snippets of 15 mins performances of three works by the four young musicians although the full performances are on lime. I will make time before the final on Sunday to view what is available.

I watched the first part of Cold Case on lime this evening while eating my meal having decided to have the chicken stir fry with mixed veg and chill sauce noodles back to back. It was as enjoyable as last night, more so as the ingredients were all prepared and I knew how to cook. I prefer over the home made curry's and the omelettes, but there is risk of over doing and becoming tired. I will try and spread the two helpings over the week. I then watched a recording of the second part after midnight/ This episode was even more grim and biblical than usual with a Nazi sect with a prospective Member of Parliament Leader burning to death the Aids infected black brother of a local priest. His, also infected. gay lover, and a Jew, infiltrates the sect and infects four of those involved in the burning of his lover by using his own infected blood when tattooing a new work to mark the first anniversary of the event, including in the design the Hebrew words, the message Burn "in hell". He successfully attempts to take and hide an incriminating tape of the fire and death and horrifically tortured in the search for the tape and becomes the Cold Case which the team sort out. More interesting is the ongoing struggle of Trevor Eve to help his wayward son, delinquent, drug addict, on the streets and with unresolved conflicts in relation to his father, knowing he needs professional and parental help, testing his parent beyond the limits.

I watch the Amy Winehouse recording and as the programme reaches is composite truth her father admits he is considering using the Mental Health Act powers in a last ditch attempt to break with destiny.

1284 Ferry Across the River and Resistence

Glorious, glorious, glorious day. I say it three times to mark the three days of continuous sunshine there has been from shortly after day break until late afternoon when dusk set. My original intention was to include another walk of an hour or more as part of a day of the final stages of coming up to date with the 100.75 project, and completing the current work in relation to my mother before commencing my main writing project for 2008. I did not get off to a good start because as I was about to create artman development cards, having recently completed 2000 development sets, a millennium stone, or two to be more precise, and stopped symbolically at 2008 I realised that the card numbering did not make sense because the numbers were in the 4700's and it should have been self evident that 2000 times 24 is 48000. Now I need to check back to find out for how long the error has been made. I usually check card numbering every few sets with a computer calculator but hopefully was just carried away with completing 2000 sets that it is just a small mistake in terms of numbering work to be revised. Usually having discovered something like this I continue until the matter is rectified, however I had already decided to go out make the most of what was said to be the last of these days of joyous beingness, with tomorrow cloud and lower temperatures beginning for the rest of the week. Moreover I had decide to make the trip considered yesterday, as I stood at the end of the pier at South Shields and saw what looked like a pocket Cathedral building and which for the Tyneside map looked to be located more at Cullercoats than Tynemouth. Before reporting on this most satisfactory experience which involved some five miles of walking, the Metro and a bus, in addition to ferry rides across the Tyne to North Tyneside and back, returning home at 4pm, I must begin with what could have been a great humiliation and disaster.

The cost of the ferry ride is 50p for those entitled to free bus travel and who have then paid the annual sum of £12 for free travel on the Metro system, after 9.30 am weekends. The adult fare is £2 return or £1.10 for a single journey. Around 1.15 in North Tyneside shopping centre I passed the second gentleman's hair dressers in quick succession and thought why not, not realising that the sign on the door said closed, which was confirmed as I entered. There was yet another barber's but this was full so I decided on a cup of tea and perhaps a cake in the shopping centre. There was a modest queue and the assistant apologised for a short delay while she cleared used crockery. It was at this point that I discovered that I only had about £1.50 in coin and no banknotes. My thought at the time is that for the second time in living memory I had given about £50 of notes a good wash and dry, with the garment on the list for ironing later in the day. I could afford a cup of tea and the return Ferry fare but nothing else until I found a bank. The medium size tea was served in a giant mug so I wonder was you get for the large size. I continued to explore this part of the shopping centre and turned a corner to find two banks, with my own around the corner on the outside, I was therefore cash solvent. What would have happened if I had the hair cut and then discovered I did not have the cash funds to pay for it!

It was before 11 am when I set off having prepared two rolls and placed a portion of defrosted prawns in a carton after drying them with paper towels. The internally hard green bananas had yellowed so I took one although later it proved as inedible as the others. I also made another mistake in choosing the route to the ferry, adding a couple of hundred yards. The most direct route is down the hill to the roadway outside Asda, then across to below the Metro station, through high street to Market Square, across Market Square and then across the road to the entrance to the Ferry Landing on a pontoon in the river. The advantage of this route today is that with the absence of foliage that it was possible to look down as well as across the river and to where the ferry was just setting off from the North Tyneside landing. Usually this time of the year there is just one ferry operating a half hour service but today there were two, unloading passengers as I reached the landing on my side of the river. I stopped to take some photos of the artwork silver sailing ships in one of the former docks now surrounded by yuppie dwellings. There was a wave effect which I have not seen before and which was not created by wind as there was none. The sign said 1 mile to the Arbeia fort although I would have said the distance was less until giving some thought.

I enjoyed the brief crossing of the river, noticing that the three section building adjacent to the former docks development appears to be more than a new block of residential units. Must investigate further. From the ferry I decided to go towards the Fish Quay where the former Newcastle fishing fleet was moved, but where the number of vessel has significantly reduced. The fish Quay is long with an inner dock and on the other side of the road there are now several large fish restaurants, two Italian and one Inn with another across the way. There are also several fresh fish and sea food outlets and a small commercial centre with at least two fish production units. Staff from one of these appeared to be eating fish and chips outside a pub which is similar to taking coals to Newcastle, which is of course what also happens to day. What surprised me was that as soon as lunchtime arrived the restaurants were packed. I do not know if this is a daily occurrence or because of the unseasonal weather.

Yesterday I recounted how a passer by had commented that it was a great day to be alive so day when I was greeted by a man as he also looked back up above the quay to the various developments taking place, I made the same comment to him, and he responded, I was just thinking that myself. Beyond the fish quay there is a promenade around a sandy bay which provide yet another perspective to the mouth of the river, Someone had set up a camera on a tripod. One of the difficulties of taking pictures today was the penetrating brightness of the sun making the constant changing of directions and angles, or just missing out on a picture because I knew the result would be unsatisfactory because of my failure to master the digital technology.

From the bench were I sat for my lunch it looked possible to walk the continuation of the promenade under the elongated building which has become flats, perhaps they always were, and which dominates, in an unattractive way, the skyline at this point, along to the Collinwood monument, the castle and ruined priory and then the north pier. It was a long way, a mile and half to two miles I speculated, but not a distance which could not be tackled.

Although there are ongoing industrial and commercial enterprises along this part of the Tyneside river bank as there are further inland at Shields, with many derelict, the sites are being cleared and warehousing converted into attractive residential lofts, or new properties created on the cleared space and hillside viewpoints.

My mind however was on other things and a trip to Cullercoats and the church I had viewed from the end of the pier at South Shield the previous morning. Although I had not breakfast I eat the prawns with one roll. The banana was too hard still. I resisted the temptation offered by the ice cream seller and went in search of the next public art work. I had viewed the first listed on the North Tyneside published art walk, one of nine included in a booklet. A full size, painted wooden dolly in oak wood, by Martyn and Jane Grubb. This replaced the figurehead from a collier brig in 1781 and stands by an inn. The second work was closer than I had appreciated, outside another public house called the Dolphin, This work is the Dolphin Mooring post made of timber, brick and metal with a bird drying its wings at the top. The structure is based on the many Staiths that used to exist in the Tyne, remnants of which now only remain. I had also seen part of Naters Bank seascape, a mixture of stone, concrete ceramics, a collective effort led by Maggie Howarth. On my way back I decided to take the stairway to look down on the Wooden Dolly set against the Prince of Wales Inn, and then decided to use the steps, some 100, which led to a small to a small square next to the Maritime building from which there is a spectacular view back across the full width of the Tyne,

Another man was looking at the same view and he commented that he had never seen the perspective before having also used the ferry to come and purchase fresh fish from the Quay for the family tea. Fish is not cheap these days even if it is good for you. Live everyone encountered he too wished to share in the joy of this great burst of late spring in winter time.

I decided not to look for the statue of Stan Laurel by Robert Olley 1992 outside the residence where he lived from 1897 to 1991 between the ages of seven and eleven years. I now have a photograph of the Admiral Lord Collingwood, Nelson's second in Command at Trafalgar on its plinth eternally watchful over the mouth of the Tyne, shot from a distance with the inbuilt telescopic lens. I had also seen close hand the listed Queen Victoria statue when on my visit to Tynemouth for the mouth of the Tyne Festival last summer. On this part of my venture I noted three others, including group of two with cameras, who appeared to be following the same trail.

I considered a cup of tea as I made my way into the town centre from its eastern end in search of the Metro station, tempted to a cup of tea, although all the establishments passed were full of lunchtime custom eating meals, I was feeling a little tired as I had been on my feet for over an hour and half with a brief sit on the ferry and then some fifteen to twenty minutes on the bench. It was then the near humiliations of having the haircut without being able to make payment occurred and over my cup of tea I remembered the film about a boxer, titled Someone up there Likes me and on this day someone was. The chosen tea shop was part of a covered walkway of shops and stores.

The first part is a bakers and sandwich provider with cakes, some with icing, some with cream, very enticing There is also an eat in sales counter offering, soup, breakfast filled rolls and toast with a small row of tables the length of the shop and a double row at the far end. There is one of this chain of shops in Wallington where I would go for a breakfast roll, midmorning coffee with toast and read the supplied newspapers and there were similar in South Shields, two in close proximity which I have used from time to time in early morning shopping, perhaps when going for the free Metro weekday paper supplied at the metro and bus station. There were three tables vacant and two individuals in the queue. I went in search of bank note as I knew I had less than two pounds in coin from paying for the ferry crossing. I could find no notes, not a problem with sufficient for the tea and there was bound to be a bank or two nearby. However what would have been the situation had the barber's not been in the process of closing and I had the hair cut then found I did not have the immediate means to pay for the service?

The barber I have used three or four times over the past year, had a similar experience last autumn, however the individual who said they were off to the cash dispenser never returned. What if news of this event has crossed the Tyne, what then? Only within the past week or so the regional news programme had featured a man from North Tyneside who had gone to his local B and Q store to try and replace a sink plug, taking the old one with him which he had returned to his pocket under the eye of a security guard who assumed he was stealing, apprehended him, and he was taken to the police station in handcuffs where he was able to demonstrate that the plug was his own and in fact was not stocked at the store. The most recent reference was to the decision of the store to send flowers and a £100 purchase voucher, not an unreasonable gesture, but the man, a couple of years older than me was so incensed that he had instructed lawyers to seek a more appropriate level of compensation. Earlier over lunch and again over my mug of tea I read and re read the front page story on the free Metro daily, IPLODS being the headline, about a commuter who had been arrested by an armed team, had his DNA and fingerprints taken before being released when it was realised that the gun a passer by had reported seeing him bring out and point was no more than his black MP3 player while waiting for the bus. However one wonders what he did to arouse such suspicion and provoke a call to the police?

Only over the past couple of days did I hear a radio discussion about the need of the general public to assist the police more in anti crime measures rather than attempting to intervene directly. This followed the sentencing of youths who murdered a householder for complaining that they were damaging cars. However despite mistakes, and even with the Oval police shooting to death, the most notorious incident, our situation is a long way from that of the Australian film the previous night called Resistance, the second of recent months about a state of emergency being called in that country. In this instance it features a rural outback location where groups of itinerant workers move to areas recruiting season workers on an regular annual basis. This group of ladies are notorious for hard drinking and man chasing as well as for hard work, with one returning for the first time in a year to visit her aboriginal mother and sister who were encamped nearby to the a fuel, rest and restaurant station near to the job supplier, who this year required less than a third of the usual number because of a work programme using men from a nearby prison establishment. He makes a false promise to go back to the original contract after 24 hours when he has been warned a state of emergency has been declared.

For some reason which is not properly explained in the film, this is the very spot where the government decides to set up a road block checkpoint with the latest surveillance techniques, and in addition to the use of the army and local police, brings in some ruthless, trigger happy bullies who would have done well in Nazi Germany or under Stalin. The film is about a series of unwarranted outrages in which people are brutally killed or assaulted and the situation is covered up, until the locals learn to fight back with the assistance of a member of the army. While the behaviour of most of the participants in the film is significantly over the top there was a horrible ring of truth about how people can behave when given power, especially with the abolition of the normal protections and restraints of the rule of law and citizen rights. It is to the credit of the British that there was such panic on mainland UK with the Irish troubles but I suspect it will take only a handful of new terrorist outrages to swing substantial public support behind states of emergency as the national mood swings to the right. The showing of the film coincided with the apology of the new Australian Prime Minister to the aboriginal people for the action during the last century when children were removed from their parents and made to live indoors and be educated according to the white man's ways. This is a welcome first step to the making of appropriate reparation.

The finding of a bank nearby and the Metro Station together with the continuing sunshine put these thoughts to one side as I made the short trip from North Tyneside to Tynemouth and Cullercoats. Although the covering and metal work of the old railway platforms before the present Metro platforms and main station building at Tynemouth have become dilapidated and an eye sore, the rest of station will be worth a closer examination on another occasion.

Cullercoats is only a recent community between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay, as there was nothing but a few agricultural dwellings until coal was discovered and mined briefly for a couple of generations in the 18h century. Then the community turned to the sea and at the commencement of the twentieth century there would have been hundreds of small craft in the bay below the cliff. However since world war 2 and the creation of a European Fishing policy to protect dwindling stocks for future generations, the number of commercial fishermen and vessels has rapidly reduced. Nor is Cullercoats ideally placed to be other than a day trip seaside resort although there are good sands below the cliff from the southern end of the community to the Tynemouth promontory.

It is also at the Southern end that the mini Cathedral of St George stands, built only from the 1880's when the sixth Duke of Northumberland built the church as a monument to his father, named George, the fifth Duke. I have used the word spectacular much in recent days and this building full justifies its use once more. Last year I visited the early Christian Churches at Wearmouth and Jarrow, built by a former Northumbrian nobleman converted and influenced by the buildings and presentation of devotion by his visit to Rome. St George's surpasses them internally and externally and I can recollect only a handful of instances where I have been affected by the building before, Iona, Scotland, Mont St Michael, Cornwall, at Bezier in South France and a few others. It was a wondrous experience. Glorious, glorious, glorious and Gloria.

1255 Rivera Coastline

I live within a day's walking of the most varied and attractive coastline as anywhere in the British Islands. Sure its lacks the isolation of Scottish shores, the rolling sands of Southport, or the seaside of Scarborough, but I can experience aspects of all three, enjoy fish and chips from the voted best restaurant in the North or a quality three course meal at the National Glass centre.

I am fortunate to be able to have the time and the means to do this as I share the environment with some of the most economically and socially deprived people in Britain. The problem is not the lack of political will or effort at local and national level. The reality is that it has become cheaper to important coal for our power stations and only a minority of domestic households burn coal, while ships are built in other places, as is much of the steel. It is cheaper and more environmentally friendly and consumer popular to have Scampi sent half way across the world to be hand shelled and then returned home to be packed for the supermarket shelves, or for our Christmas time decorations to be made in China, than locally.

Various actions have and are being taken to change the local economy to the modern world, and tourism is one of these. However the task is how to ensure an increase in the all year number of visitors staying in the wide range of hotels and guest houses, or taking a good meal in the dozens of restaurants, pubs and cafes, along or close to coast and riversides, without destroying the special nature of the environmental mixture.

Seaside South Shields
The stretch of wide sands between the Tyne river mouth and the south harbour pier wall is known as Little Haven, and this is the name of the purpose built 62 room modern hotel at the beginning of the coastline. Here you can a couple can stay for £64 at weekends, including full English Breakfast, or for £94 with two children in a family room, or for that special treat the Penthouse Suite at £180 a night. Between the hotel and the pier wall there are public care and coach parks and a wide beach overlooking the river mouth, which is used for those who wish to keep close to the funfair and fish and chip outlets.

The amusement arcades at the Ocean Park Fun Fare are open all year and the rides from Easter until September from 10 am until late. Part of the Funfair is the Dunes complex which includes a pub restaurant, a ten pin bowling centre and billiard tables, as well as traditional amusements. There are several fish and chips restaurants, tea rooms and ice cream outlets. To one side of the Amusement Park there are beachside homes and between the park and the beach the Local authority has developed an all weather outdoor centre for skate boarding, football and other sports.

The depth of the sands of the beach is extraordinary, with an area of dunes and a small row of beach chalets homes which have been improved to the extent that they are hired out for both week and weekend holiday homes at reasonable rates. Next to the chalets is a popular Italian restaurant which incorporates two railway carriages. Along this stretch of costal main road there are two other restaurants bars with the popular Sand Dancer recently renovated to create a beach bar atmosphere. There is also the amphitheatre with entertainments for family, teenagers and children throughout the summer months of July to August. There is also a covered walk way which doubles as a band space and entertainment area if it rains and from the top there are great views in all directions. There are glorious banks of flowers on the other side of coast road and a former wall of fountains is also used for flowers. The three parks, the caravan and camping site and the football recreation pitches are all on the other side of the road, together with the amateur theatre, the original Life boat, the Sea Hotel and the Ocean Road parade of restaurants and guest house hotels.

Trow Rocks, Frenchman's Creek and Marsden Grotto. At present the Sand Dancer and the old Bandstand marks the end of Seaside South Shields, with the former New Crown Hotel across the coast road to Sunderland. There are plans to convert the bandstand into a café and build a hotel and conference centre on the Gypsies Green Stadium, and which each year becomes part of the end of Great North Run facilities. The land between the beach road, used for emergency and public vehicles, and the Coast Road widens considerably at this point, all the way to the former Trow Quarry and Rocks, above which sit's the former World War 1 gun emplacement.

The beach can be used for sunbathing but swimming is prohibited as this is the designed area for water sports and at different times of the year the surfing is highly regarded.

It is from a recently closed beachside restaurant before the former Quarry that the coast line changes with the majority of the bays and inlets hidden from the Coast Road and from parts of the Leas. It was coincidental that on an early day of my summer walking, a three mastered and rigged sailing ship was anchored off the entrance to the River Tyne, reminding of former times when such vessels would anchor off shore and lower boats to bring in contraband. The most famous location is the cave inside the cliffs at Marsden Bay, subsequently turned into a restaurant and bar.

The story begins with an Allenhead miner and his wife who decided to live in the cave when he retired aged 80 with the consequence that gentle folk came on horse and in their carriages to look at this phenomenon, and couple had the great idea of providing refreshments. The cave was then developed into an Inn and a smuggler was shot with his ghost haunting the place ever since and a pint is left out each evening and is sometimes drunk. Another man who betrayed his comrades was imprisoned in a barrel which was held by the winch which took the contraband up to the cliff top through a cave shaft.

The main development of the cave into a major building occurred between 1828 and 1874 resulting in eight rooms including a kitchen, ballroom and bedrooms. The facility was then aquired by the Whitburn Mining Company, which in turn became the Harton Mining Company and a barrister was installed as tenant whose main interest was gambling. Tenant after tenant followed and the establishment degenerated. In 1898 the lease was acquired by Vaux, the former Sunderland brewing and hotel owning company, and became the freehold owners in 1939. The Marsden Grotto has a lift alongside the cliff which takes visitors down to the first floor dining room, or the lower bar with beach veranda where snack meals can also be purchased. Towards the end of the twentieth century the fortunes of Vaux changed and the establishment closed its doors. The vast River Wearside plant was demolished and has remained vacant for over half a decade because of an ongoing dispute about its future use. Oxford Hotels acquired the Grotto in 2006 and it has been developed into a fish restaurant with the lower level now Jack's bar.

It was a bright sunny day when I made the walk down the pathway from the Leas, and then across the rocks and sands to the Inn. There are also two sets of public steep stairs, leading to he beach, although one was closed for safety reasons. It is wise not to walk too closely below the cliffs because of the risk of falling rocks. I arrived at midday and was able to take the last vacant table on the veranda, enjoying an overflowing prawn baguette with a little salad for £5.50. An accompanying full salad costs an additional £2. I spent a pleasant hour overlooking the famous Marsden Rock, once arched, until it too began to fragment so it had to be blown up to prevent serious injuries to the many young and old who like to explore at the base.

My journey exploring the rocky coast land was only halfway.

1752 For Northumbrian towns on a hot day

And so Thursday July 2nd, Mediterranean Hot reached the North East and enveloped Tyneside for twelve hours of the day. It was the kind of day to inspire into action and not the day to stay inside pretending it was just another day. It was a day which reminded of why I had once wanted to create a new life in a climate where such days are the norm. Unfortunately the weather forecast for us was that heavy rain would following during Friday. I was uncertain how to enjoy this reminder of what might have been

It was not until 11 am that I ventured out deciding to take fitness walk but accepting my age and condition sufficiently to take the car down the hill and parking just before Ocean Road. I went down to the front to look at where the Council is proposing to build a new swimming pool. There was no estimate of when it would be completed but hopefully I will live to see it finished and in a physical condition to use. There will be no excuse then although I assume that during weekdays especially in term time there will be school parties and it will be necessary to get up early or go late afternoon or early evening. I still have to lose another stone before considering such activity.

The new Italian Restaurant appears to have become established as it remains open until late at night. It offers a three course lunch for just under £8 which includes a choice of any Pizza or past on the menu with prices around £7 to £8 which means that one gets a limited choice of special starters. and ice cream or coffee for free. Then there is usually a drink to start with, so call it £10 a person. I wondered how many takers they have. However it compares favourably with the pubs offering two main courses for between £7 and £9, because if you add a starter drink, a food starter and pudding or coffee to finish the final tally will be closer to £10 than the£5 I used to pay when I eat out regularly at midday several times a week between twenty and ten years ago.
I climbed the sand dune behind Dunes, well the link was with Las Vegas, but it is a good dune giving a different perspective on the Bay as from the Hill the view is obscured by the trees in the parks. There was a refreshing strong breeze coming off the sea and one longer for many more such days, although my on going work would be more seriously affected than it has been since taking the decision to make my seventieth a different experience from the sixty nine beforehand, and if possible sufficiently memorable to help me through the ordeals and processes of increasing old age.

As I walked down the other side of the dune I re-jigged what had been in my mind when I set off and walked as far as the Amphitheatre. If the weather held I would attend the first free evening gig of the year having missed all the eight held during June for one reason or another. I walked back though the park commenting to myself that the Council had made a mistake in not recreating a Victorian tea room to replace the popular facility which had existed before, no doubt under pressure from the nearby outlets on the sea front who wanted the custom.

I was home just after midday and checked the score at Durham. As I had anticipated Worcestershire had not collapsed in the same way as Durham and the match was likely to go into its fourth day. I had a lunch of smoked mackerel salad with the rest of the cherries and checked the score at the midday interval 60 for 2 and judged that my assumption of a fourth day was accurate. I would go on an explore into Northumberland in search of Wilkinson stores and black display folders and found the locations of three others at Cramlington, Ashington and Blyth to that at North Tyneside where I knew where it was located from having gone in search of a cup of tea on a previous explore of the town centre.

In forty years I have previously driven through Ashington once. This is a medium size town of under 30000 people situation three miles from the coast and was once the heart of the Northumberland coalfields. It still regards itself as a village with its own dialect which is a variant of Geordie and Mackem

It is also the birthplace of a number of internationally known professional footballers who all played for the Ashington Football Club. The best known are the Charlton Brothers of Bobby and Jackie. Bobby survived the Munich air crash and went on to play for England and become the ambassador of British Football and his beloved Manchester United. Jackie made his name at Leeds had less of an international career as a player but went onto manage both Newcastle and Middlesborough and the Northern Ireland National side. Both players were part of the 1966 successful World Cup squad.

In Ashington’s pedestrian town centre there is a statue of one footballer, Wor Jackie Milburn who scored 238 goals for Newcastle, a club record to this day. Others includes Peter Ramage who also played for Newcastle but has since moved to a London Club in a lower division. The two present day outstanding sportsmen are Cricketers, former World number one fast Bowler Steve Harmison and his brother Ben were also born in the town. The Former owner of Newcastle who built the largest indoor shopping mall at Gateshead, the Metro centre and developed St James Park into the present stadium Sir John Hall was also born in the town. I once took a party of Councillors from Wuppertal to meet Sir John and tour the Metro Centre. He spent an hour explaining the importance of the centre to the North East. I had told him in advance that their Council had voted to prevent a shopping centre in or near their town. I then met his son and son in law for a drink while the visitors went shopping. Among others from the town was the first head of Scotland Yard’s bomb squad, an astrologer, an opera singer and an author and architect.

Ashington survives but it still has the look of a town with a past rather than a future. There are approved plans for an open cast coal field outside the town with will provide 60 jobs where once thousands were employed in the central coalmines and those in neighbouring communities such as Ellington, Linton. Woodhorn and, North Seaton. I found the car park tucked away at one end of the high street behind the now closed and grim looking building which was once converted into a Netto supermarket but had a prior history lost except to the oldies none of whom were about so I could ask. Wilkinson is located at the other end of the High Street in a new building close to the railway station which is now only used for freight trains. It is sad but Ashington is not a place anyone would chose live or even visit. You received an education which hopefully took you away from the pit and to Newcastle, or down south or across the world. It is not surprising that there was also the emphasis on sport. Another outlet used to be painting as a hobby and the work of Ashington Pitmen Painters has become internationally known.

Whereas Ashington is struggling to survive, Blyth about he same distance from Newcastle as South Shields presents a very different face. Yet Like Ashington it was once the centre for coal mining, the transport of coal, ship building larger than on the Tyne or Wear. and fishing and is located on the river Blyth as it reaches the North East Sea. It is medium size town with around 35000 yet as a superior shopping centre to South Shields over twice its size. While there were some shuttered establishments in side streets the feel of the town centre is very different and this is also reflected by the port remaining in use bringing in pulp from Scandinavia for the newspaper industry. The Quay area had been developed with new buildings and sculptures and a wind farm of nine turbines. However a large number of resident now work on North Tyneside and Newcastle to use the tunnel to the South Tyneside and Sunderland. A superficial reaction but I immediately had the sense of a town with a future and an identity fit for the 21st century.

In between these two towns is Cramlington, a new town created around a former village. It is an artificial community bland without character. The town is bigger than either Ashington or Blyth and comprising large wide avenues of new semi detached and detached housing around a functional indoor shopping centre. There are several large industrial zone separate from the housing with an emphasis on pharmaceuticals. It gives the impression of being a model town for the 21st century, souless, colourless, cultureless.

As for the purpose of the visits, Cramlington provide four black display folders and Ashington 3 whereas Blyth had only one green 40 page folder in stock. The reason why none of the stores has ordered more of the 40 page volumes is that no one is buying the 20 page and all the stores have two or three boxes of these and obviously hope once the 40 page editions have sold out people will take the 20 page size.

The treat of the afternoon was to visit Newbiggin by the sea, an attractive town with straddles a large bay Although once a small port for shipping grain and for coal mining reflected in some of the housing away from the high street, the atmosphere is very different from the others town visited. It is in fact a large village with a population of around 7000. I parked at the far end of the main road which ends at two car parks and the church. One belongs to the golf club and the second is public and free and headland to a grass covered headland with a stone monument created for the millennium under which there is a time capsule containing creations by local school children. From here you have a commanding view of the bay and its fine sands. The sand is new as the former beach eroded and £10million of new sand had to be imported with additional works to prevent further erosion. On this warm day the bay was a splendid sight. There is none of the usual seaside attractions here. The Parish church is imposing and originates from the 14 century. There is small heritage centre nearby. John Braine the author of Room and Life at the top wrote his first novel while working here at Newbiggin public library 1954-1956.

Looking at the time I decided I would not attempt to go to North Shields where I knew parking would be a problem and head for the Tyne Tunnel before the rush hour. I was tired on returning home but resisted sleep listening to the Worcester radio commentary on the game at the Riverside. Durham had bowled out Worcestershire for a lower total than anticipated and pressed ahead with scoring runs in their second innings closing the day with 120 odd runs to win and 9 wickets in tact. It was then I remembered that it was Thursday and there was a concert at the amphitheatre and the sun was still shinning.

I made an evening meal of salmon fish fingers and mixed beans in tomato sauce and then took the car to the sea front to find somewhere to park. It was very busy with a constant stream of traffic in both directions along the sea front and similarly pedestrians. mainly young. I found a space on the road itself before realising that the charge was 1 pence a minute or 90 pence until the free time from 8.30. I went on to the public car park at the Sanddancer but it was full so made an exit and came back around the roundabout and on to the parking area on the grass on the other side of the roadway. I parked opposite Minchella’s and the show off motorcyclists and went off to investigate the parking charges at the only ticket machine at the entrance tot he site which extend the length of the fromt from the caravan and camping site to the Gypsy Green stadium. The charge is 70p a hour or £2.30 all day which is very reasonable. There was a stiff cool breeze and although still warm from the evening sunshine I chose to remain in the car with the windows open listening to the music, although shortly after eight I closed the one on my side of the car which gave the best of both worlds, warmth and the music from the passenger side window.

There were about thirty five motorcycles when I arrived and this increased to fifty at one point with constant comings and goings and around 100 calling during my period of stay. It was difficult to work why they went coming and going with some only stay for a short while after finding who was there and exchanging a few words. What was interesting is that no one paid for parking and only some joined the queues for service from the cafe.

There were two bands. The First Eureka machine was formed in 1972 and is Leeds based, playing a traditional form of hard rock. I rate them as OK. I have been unable to find out about Mugshots the second band of the evening. I did prefer their sound better but around 8.30 I grew tired and returned. I was in bed by 10pm and went immediately to sleep.

1710 A shopping expedition to Mid Tyne, National Politics and American Idol Semi Final

As forecast the weather around the country has changed with long periods of rain overnight and continuing in places.

Yesterday the government suffered an unexpected defeat in the House of Commons as a number of Labour backbenchers voted for a Liberal Democrat, Conservative supported motion against their approach to allowing retired Ghurkha soldiers and their families to have an automatic right to live in the UK should they wish. A number of others abstained bring the total discontented on the government supporting Party benches to 100.

The government side party administrators were clearly stunned by the result. This morning the Daily Mail said the Home Secretary was blamed for underestimating the opposition and a government member tried to explain that the problem was opposition from within the Ministry of Defence. I thought the Minister of Defence and the Government ran the country not the military brass or Civil Servants at the Defence Ministry. What a pathetic response if accurate from a government Party in charge for over a decade.

Usually in such a situation irrespective of its merits the House of Commons Party managers know in advance who is likely to abstain and vote against and has prepared a series of concessions to announce as the debate progresses if the vote looks like being lost. It appears that this time the concessions were circulated too late and individuals who might have reacted were not informed. Others suggests that the rebels were not interested and sensed blood. This suggests incompetence or does it? I tend to see something more Machiavellian here as a warning shot to the Prime Minister that he does not have the clear run into leading the Party into the next election as he might want to believe.
That the government has got itself into a corner over the claims of the Ghurkhas is extraordinary and does reveal either incompetence in not understanding public feelings or shameful bloody mindedness. It is true that previous administrations were reluctant to make changes to the situation because of the financial and political implications of allowing the Ghurkhas and their families any right to come and live here when their period of service ended. With the regiment now based in the UK this means that without settlement rights the whole family is required to leave unless they meet the present and recently proposed revised criteria.

The government has improved the position and proposed to do so again after a legal judgment that the present situation was unfair and should be immediately changed. However what it has failed to recognise is the immorality of the position that people who are prepared to die for this country should be given not just equal rights to everyone else but should be better treated. The situation is even more extraordinary given the rights of anyone from any of the members states of the EEC to live and work here and is again different from members of the Commonwealth who have also fought alongside the UK.

While there is a strong anti ECC and foreigners mentality among British workers and the trade unions this does not apply to fighting men or the Ghurkhas in particular.

Later on Thursday it emerged that the Government has indicated it will respect the views of the Commons although one suspects formal implementation will be dragged out. Hilary Benn on Question Time attempted to place what has happened in context but all he did was damaged his own standing and reputation as well as digging a bigger hole for the Prime Minister. Whatever he does now it will be difficult to remedy the damage. There is a death wish emerging.

There was the prospect of further humiliation and embarrassing difficulties during Thursday when the House considered proposals of the Prime Minister for changing the situation of expenses payment and second Home allowances in particular. The background is illuminating. The Prime Minister was hostile to the whole issue of the details of Parliamentary payments being disclosed and his solution has been a single payment for those living outside Greater London who attend, again without Members having to disclose the details of how the money is used. This smacks to me that he knows that the Government is going to have a series of major embarrassments when the details of receipts for the past few years are released over the summer and papers, lacking the usual political in fighting to report because of the recess will study every document in the hope of finding anything on which to attack politicians over their gravy train. The Conservatives also appear to have reluctant agreed to the disclosure of incomes form sources outside employment within the House of Commons. One Shadow Minister on Question Time admitted that four months ago he started to received £24000 a year for attending Board meetings as the non executive director of a business which he did not identify arguing this was because he wanted to learn at first hand the problems which business faced. The incredulity on the faces of the audience was a joy to behold. One presumes the invitation would not have been made had the business in question not felt they would be getting value for money in establishing links with someone who was likely to be a member of the next Government. It is customary for all such links to be severed once a member of the House becomes the member of at the links, the contacts will have been established and it is unlikely the Minister would then ignore requests for a meeting or personal telephone calls after any Ministerial appointment, or perhaps a holiday or visit to the Opera or some sporting event. Was he serious suggesting that the firm were shelling out 24 grand a year in order to giving him information about current business issues?
It was evident that the Government Minister and the Conservative Shadow Minister still do not get it. The public has had enough. Both main parties should find this out at the next Euro Elections this month, the public are like to demonstrate their contempt by a vote strike and the Liberal Democrats, anti EEC candidates and others will be the beneficiaries. On the bright side Labour Party Members of the House of Commons realising they are doomed to lose their jobs at the General Election will start to vote according to conscience.

There was no cricket Thursday morning which meant that in theory there was opportunity to attend to other matters.

Priority was my feet where the skin has become rough and I had been intended to apply some special cream in the hope that at the end of the course the position will be improved. I have the tendency to go about in stockinged feet such is the quality of the carpeting and since covering the kitchen tiles with wood flooring. About a week ago I clattered my left big toe into the exercise bike which had been moved from its usual position in order to find something in the unit cupboard adjacent. It has been painful, and awkward to avoid pain when in bed. I have gone out wearing sandals which have more comfortable than show although required due care with the exposed damaged toe.

I was right about the cricket in that there was little play, fortunately everywhere, so that most teams playing the fist division will only draw. I was also right that it would be difficult for Durham to repeat their success on Wednesday and Marcus Trescothick and James Hildreth added nearly one hundred runs to reach 170 runs without the loss of their wickets.

In the evening I enjoyed American Idol where there were some stunning performances of ballad type numbers with Jamie Foxx the tutor. On Friday evening the result of 45 million voting calls was announced Throughout the series Adam Lambart has produced spectacular numbers highly theatrical and confident and reminding me of Rhydian who has gone on to have a career on the West End stage and to make an album to-date. He is appearing at the Apollo Hammersmith this Sunday and last minute discount tickets are available! The surprise was that Adam was not in the top two and finished fourth to Matt who had been saved by a judges vote towards the end of the series and had been in the bottom three before.

Adam is aged 26 and grew up in San Diego California and attended Mr Carmel High. His main interest was the theatre and becoming an Actor although he sang in the choir and played in the school jazz band. He moved to Los Angeles to further his career and before beings elected for the American Idol series he had moderate success. He has been the best supported of all the last ten by all four judges and therefore his relegation to being an outsider in the final came as a shock to many.

Not a shock was the placement of Danny Gokey in the top two this week. First his performance Come Rain or Shine was outstanding and showed a stage presence not revealed before and where the role of Jamie Foxx appears to have been crucial. There were two other reasons why he is evidently commanding votes in their millions. The first is his personal story Danny grew up in Milwaukee party of a large family with four sister and one brother. At the age of 17 he met his future wife and they had a long engagement before their marriage in 2004. He was aware that his wife had congenital heart diseases and had required several operations and four weeks before the first audition for American Idol his wife unexpectedly died from a routine operation. Thus through his performance he has communicated a man who has known great sorrow. The other reason si that Danny is not just a strong Christian but has been an active member of the Faith Builders International Ministry and is presently Worship director for his evangelical church. One suspects that Danny could sing the phone book badly and still command significant support. However he is a brilliant singer and open forecast he will have a great career, tinged with sadness.

The second surprise of the evening is that eh shared the top two spot with Allison Iraheta who has just turned 17 years. Although also living in Los Angeles she is of Salvadorian descent and ahs already own a talent show with a monetary prize and a recording contract when she only 14. Her voice has a maturity way above her years and Simon in particular has been critical because of lack of confidence and super star stage presence. He predicted she would not survive this round after her performance. In addition to gaining the non white vote and the youth vote she has been the only female among five, then four and now three males.

The fourth finalist Kris Allen is also an evangelical Christian who has undertaken missionary work in Burma, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Spain and Thailand although he is only 24 years old. He self taught himself to play the guitar at thirteen and can also play the piano, viola and the ukulele. In the autumn of last year his married a long standing girl friend. He had recorded three songs with limited success before appearing on the show.



There was also an interesting new Taggart in which one of the team finds out the hard way the peril of mixing business with pleasure as to villains, one a big villain are shot in the head by a besotted but vulnerable casual bed partner. Such is life.

Friday started sunny and warm and I decided to undertake a shopping expedition in search of a replacement Cafetiere and a travel alarm clock as well as more black folders. Originally I was just going to Morrison’s at Jarrow but then decided to take the Metro to Gateshead Interchange centre where I found the Get Carter car park surrounded by hoardings but not yet demolished. The visit was a great success finding a six cup Cafetiere in an attractive stainless steel holder for £10 and then as a bonus two new thermos in steel but with a two for £5 offer with one having a blue and the other a crimson red attractive covering. One of my existing ones had become smelly and he other did not function as I liked if used for and these two cost less than one of the originals. Now I shall use the original for cold which appears to work and one of the new for coffee and the other for soup with perhaps a fourth later for tea. I also obtained four of the black set folders. However I forgot to look out for a simple travel alarm clock but made a note to call in at the Jarrow Wilkinsons which I would pass on the way back.

At Gateshead you enter the bus station to reach the Metro station which is two flights of moving staircases below and I spotted a number 27 bus calling at Jarrow. However instead of taking the main route through from Gateshead Town centre passed the Gateshead Stadium we went South and then on a parallel Road to Howarth Interchange which I have used in the past but where most of the older terraced housing running down to the Metro line has been demolished without any sign of replacement building. From there we took the expected route by Pelaw until the outskirts of Hebburn where instead of continuing the bus turned South passing the Hebburn branch of South Tyneside College and the Catholic senior school. Hebburn is a mini Northern Ireland in reverse where there remains a strong traditional and predominant Catholic community which never elected a non Catholic to the Borough Council for years. The Hebburn Catholic Club which I have visited was a large modern building whereas the Conservative and Unionist building was much smaller and dilapidated. Today it is unashamedly the Orange Order Club.

The bus continued southward towards the road heading for the AIM when by a splendid sport pub restaurant it turned into the adjacent Housing estate. I know the pub well because for many year I would often call in for a meal before or after watching Newcastle play at home. They had an excellent menu full of 2 for the price of 1 offers and a large screen to watch whatever match was being shown by Sky.

I knew of the estate and many of the names including the main road of Finchale Avenue. It is a wide avenue and there are plenty of open space giving a very different perspective to the former Borough in term a of being a former local authority owned and managed housing estate. I had never had cause to visit this area as we had no establishment located. The road back, having travelled in a large oblong took us past the former Council Borough Council offices where we had an Adult Training centre which continues to exist and the second major swimming pool in South Tyneside. There were public bather in Jarrow but these are long since closed and demolished. Not so Palmer’s Memorial Hospital which I was asked to supp0rt the campaign to keep open when the District health Authority became an enthusiast for centralization. Now brand new purpose designed health centres with day surgery facilities are springing up all over the place.

I found an inexpensive alarm clock and bought two more packs of Strawberries and one of grapes at the green grocers where I called in a couple of days before and then faced the Morrison‘s shop which was packed out, presumably because of a Bank Holiday on Monday although it may be like this every Friday. I was able to purchase everything on my list. On the way out I had called in at Lidl who had advertised a sale of alarm clock among their special offers and which had triggered the idea of getting one when I found the offers where scheduled to start on Monday.

The skies darkened as I returned and it commenced to rain heavily. I thought this was a bad omen for the cricket and I was not wrong.

1230 Northern Rivera South Shields Riverside

The Open spaces

1 North Marine Park

Outside of central London where three parks interconnect, St James onto Green Park and Green Park onto Hyde Park, and where the great space of Regents Park is not too far away. I know of nowhere other than the coastal area between South Shields and north Sunderland where there is so much open space, and formal parkland, and here within moments from my front door there is the immeasurable bonus of the sea and a coastline of rocks, inlets and bays. Find me somewhere else in the United Kingdom which has so much to offer in such a compact area?

North Marine Park is a combination of three spaces on a Hill overlooking the mouth of the river Tyne. The middle space is open grass which runs from the top of the hill from where trees and shrubs obscure the river as it reaches the wide estuary of Little Haven Bay artificially created by the two long piers, one from the north bank headland of Tynemouth Priory and Castle and the other from the southern base of the south bank hill known as the Lawe Top, which as I discovered, some who live in South Shields do not know its name or ever have cause to visit, except perhaps once to the Arbeia Roman Fort.

There is a children's play area on the middle space, compensation for the lack of gardens in the former three storey terraced villas which were once the homes of the sea captains and their officers. The first space, is hidden space, a pathway surrounded by trees and shrubs from the top end of the hill to where the middle space sweeps down a steep bank to the car parks and promenade of Little Haven Bay. It is this area where consultants have suggested the local authority builds a visitor's centre and restaurant for Arbeia and construct a beacon observation tower to signal the existence of the former fort and supply depot. The edge of the bank is where a crowd sometimes assemble, a mixture of locals and visitors according to the sudden disappearance of car parking spaces, usually to watch fireworks on or around November 5th, or as part of the new Mouth of the Tyne Festival over a weekend in July, or on the two occasions when the Tall ships arrived on the river to visit Newcastle and then paraded as they left to race their next leg, or as in this year, to greet the arrival of the QE2 to the Tyne.

To mark the increasing significance of the Fort and occasions for visitors to assemble, there is now a splendid stairway down this part of the bank to the car parks and beach with the Yacht club and Little Haven Hotel at one end and the entrance to the pier at the other. At this lower level it is possible to also enter the third and main space of North Marine Park, a traditional but varied parkland which commences with trees and shrubbed walks down the hill to several bowling greens towards the sea shore, to pleasant walkways, some lined with rose bushes, other flowers and flowering shrubs, to secluded picnic areas which are given an oriental feel because of archways and a pagoda like building on a little hill. Within this area there is what appears to be the basics of the hull of a ship, a pirates' ship perhaps, and when weather permits, a putting course.

The park ends at Ocean Road, which was once a tributary of the Tyne thus the Lawe Top was an island and from here you can cross the road into South Marine Park, or walk into or from the town centre enjoying a meal at the best fish and chippy in the North East, or at one of the score of oriental and Mediterranean restaurants and take ways, having had an enjoyable bed and breakfast in the score of little hotels and guest houses, or after a good night at the Custom's House which can be reached at the far end of this road through the pedestrianised shopping area, passing the linked metro and bus station and crossing Market Square and the road to Mill Dam, perhaps then going to one of the late opening bars or night clubs which are now concentrated half way between the river and the beach.

The road between the North and South Marine Parks is always a busy one as visitors by car and motorbike make their way to the beachside car parks, the amusement park, and the sea front restaurants. It is a popular area for young people to congregate regardless of the weather, or time of year.

2 North Marine Park
Bents Park
Bents Recreation Ground

Across Ocean Road is South Marine Park, which is undergoing a multi million make over, recreating its former Victorian originality, but with the latest features. This is also a park on a hill, with a wide walkway with flower beds on either side, commencing from the lower entrance gate climbing to its southern point, from where one can look down over the park and the coast. At the upper level there are statues which once adorned the front of the Town Hall, a water feature an a series of grassy steps and this is one of the areas of the park where improvements and changes are already underway.

At the lower level there is also an area of walks among flower beds and a small wood before the main area which is more popular with local families than the beach. There is a boating lake full of swans, about eighty at the last count, and a little train with circumnavigates. There is a small open air café where I have enjoyed an early morning bacon butty and coffee, but from midday on good weather days, it is rare to find a spare seat, especially since the government introduced the welcome smoking ban in all cafés, restaurants and bars.

A new feature of the park to south west of the lake is two large children's play areas to the latest standards of safety, one for the younger children and infants, and one for the older and more adventuresome. From here, sweeping up the slope to the top is a picnic area with suitable spaced picnic tables with integral seats. During what is becoming the annual Mouth of the Tyne Festival the park is given over to entertainments on stages and walkabouts.

Across the road is the third separate Bents parkland consisting of a large open space which in July is used for what has become a major regional event with four free concerts on Sunday afternoons, but with two stages, on both the Saturday and the Sunday of the Mouth of the Tyne festival. For this event the park, together with the area of Tynemouth Prior and Castle, is covered with large flags. While the Sunday afternoon concerts attract artists of the calibre of Cliff Richard, sixties bands such as the Animals and the latest X Factor idol such as Ben Mills, the Festival includes performers from around the world which this year included Maori group Te Masterae Kapa Haka, and from India, the Jaipur Kawa Contemporary Brass band, traditional jazz from Norway, from France the Les Snob Glissssendo and Les Osieaux de Lux, from Brazil Alumino Rootsa Reggae and from Holland or was it Germany the Jo Bithune Fanfare, a kind of thirties Oomph band with dancing and from Spain, La Tal. There was New Yorker singer songwriter, Dean Friedman and regarded as a leading contemporary jazz artist Courtney Pine although the local interest was with the legendry Lindisfarne hero Billy Mitchell and there was strong support for the Blockheads which were once fronted by Ian Dury. The space is sometimes used for exhibitions but for most of the year it is a public recreation area across from the main beach.

Screened by trees and shrubs there is fixed mobile home/ caravan site, with space for touring caravans, motor homes and tents. On the other side of this official site there is the Bents recreation space, an enormous flat open area used for a dozen football games on Saturday and Sunday mornings, with on its beachside space for over flow car parking which is taken up during the summer, particular when there are special events. Across the road at the far end of the Bents Recreation space there is the Gypsies Green Stadium and the beginning of the Leas.

The Gypsies Green stadium is where there is to be a new hotel and conference centre and where Her Majesty the Queen was guest of honour at an event to mark her 25th anniversary of succession.