Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle

Thursday 24th November 2016

I had  a meeting to attend of Tyne andWear Archives and Museums in the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle. After the meeting I had a few minutes to have a look at a couple of recent exhibitions: Rosie Morris' "Circles are Slices of Spheres" and "Out of Chaos".

Harry Clasper again

Wednesday 9th November 2016

Breakfast required: we headed to the Harry Clasper, the Wetherspoon pub in Whickham. Full English. Very nice.

Baltic Art Gallery

Tuesday 25th October 2016

I made a brief visit to the Baltic Art Gallery on the Gateshead Quays for a meeting with the Director. It has been a couple of years since I was last there so we had a good, though short, look about the building. My favourite exhibition was by Deimantas Narkevicius whose films looked at post-Communist Eastern Europe, and especially how Lithuania transitioned from totalitarian socialist dictatorship to a free, democratic nation. Some of the films were 3D though in the photo I took, it came out as a blurred image (you need the special goggles to see the films.)





This was quite a shock to the system! The stairwell has a giant mirror at the top and bottom. It leaves the impression that you are on an infinitely long staircase. It was quite fun once you were used to it.

Fugar House

Saturday 15th October 2016

Fugar, in Washingwell Woods, Gateshead, had been occupied by a large house from the medieval period up to the early 1950s when it was demolished. The house that was pulled down then was probably not the original medieval manor house. Nevertheless, Sunniside Local History Society, of which I am deputy chairman, carried out a research project on the area and set up an information board in the site to tell people about the history of Fugar. The Mayor of Gateshead did the unveiling. With my historian's hat on, I did the catering - serving up medieval pottage.

Brown and Green, Crystal Palace

Wednesday 21st September 2016

Brown and Green is the cafe at Crystal Palace Station and is worth a visit for breakfast. I was heading back from my London/Brighton trip but had a 4 hour journey ahead of me. So the breakfast helped kick star the train journey back to the North East.

Donatello, Brighton

Saturday 17th September 2016

After leaving the Pump House, I walked round the corner to the Donatella Italian restaurant. Watch out - it's on 3 floors so it takes time to find friends already sitting at their table. Meal was reasonable but the staff were rushed off their feet serving 3 storeys packed with diners.

Pump House, Brighton

Saturday 17th September 2016

I was in Brighton for a conference and in the evening I was due to meet friends for dinner. I was early so I called into the Pump House pub to soak up a bit of time. I guess it is the same across Brighton but I had a sharp intake of breath when I paid by a small coke. London prices! I make it last while I viewed the heavy wood paneling that adorned the walls.

Taking the Croydon tram

Saturday 17th September 2016

The reason for my visit to London was a conference in Brighton. The conference was lasting 4 days but I was commuting down each day from Crystal Palace. I used the Croydon tram system to get to East Croydon train station. A clean, efficient system though its reputation has been damaged by the recent accident that resulted in the deaths of 7 people.

Dell Angolo in Crystal Palace

Friday 16th September 2016

I was back in London and so was on the hunt for a place to eat in the evening in Crystal Palace. I was advised to try Dell Angolo, a pizzeria at the bottom of Anerley Hill. When we got there, I found a tiny restaurant. It had only about 5 or 6 tables. Food was good quality and the service was very friendly. Worth a visit.

Tanfield Railway

Sunday 11th September 2016

The Tanfield Railway is near my home village of Sunniside in Gateshead. It is the worlds longest running steam railway. I visited it briefly as the Sunniside History Society, of which I am deputy chairman, had a stand to promote membership and interest in a project we were running. It gave me a chance to have a look at the trains and the sheds. Alas, I didn't have time for a ride on the trains.

Historic tractors at the Bowes Show

Saturday 10th September 2016

We go to the Bowes Agricultural Show every year to take part in the jam-making and baking competitions. This year there was an historic tractor parade which I caught on video.

Head of Steam

Sunday 4th September 2016

We found the Head of Steam on Broad Chare on Newcastle Quayside and decided to call in for lunch. It was busy, very busy. Food was good though a bit on the pricey side for Newcastle. Worth a visit.

Newcastle Quayside Market

Sunday 4th September 2016

I think the Sunday market in the Newcastle Quayside is one of the oldest in the country. In the days of daft restrictions in the UK on Sunday shopping, the Quayside market was one of the few that could trade legally on a Sunday.

We decided to pay it a visit though we weren't shopping. It's interesting for a morning out, on the way to finding somewhere for lunch.

Gibside Farmers' Market

Saturday 3rd September 2016

The Gibside Estate, former home of the Bowes-Lyon family and now owned by the National Trust, holds a farmers' market next to the walled garden. Sadly, our choice of day to visit was not a good one. There was another local market on during the same morning so the numbers of stall holders and visitors were much lower than usual. Nevertheless, we stocked up with a few goodies.

Princes Street Park

Friday 2nd September 2016

For us, Princes Street Park, Edinburgh, was a case of free music and rather nice ice cream. Musicians were playing near the National Gallery though we resisted the opportunity to buy their CD. The ice cream kiosk in the park was quite a draw for us. It was, after all, a rather sunny day.







And then it was off to catch a train back to Newcastle.

Scottish National Gallery

Friday 2nd September 2016

Having abandoned plans to go to Edinburgh Castle, we decided to stay in the vicinity of Princes Street. Usefully, the National Gallery was nearby - and it was free to enter! We were in for about half an hour thought sadly, we weren't able to see much of the exhibitions as we were catching the last few minutes of the opening times.

Edinburgh Castle from a distance

Friday 2nd September 2016

Our plan while in Edinburgh was to visit the castle but we were feeling a bit knackered and abandoned the plan. We were able to see it from Princes Street. We must return at some point to Edinburgh as we barely scratched the surface on this admittedly short visit.

Element Restaurant, Edinburgh

Friday 2nd September 2016

We took the bus from Edinburgh Zoo back to the city centre. We went in search of a restaurant for a late lunch. On Rose Street, we found Element. We didn't want to go on a long search so decided this was the place to eat. This was a good choice. Though not the cheapest of establishments, we were served good food by staff who seemed genuinely interested in us.

Edinburgh Zoo - the video

Friday 2nd September 2016

This is the video I shot at Edinburgh Zoo.

Edinburgh Zoo

Friday 2nd September 2016

The main reason for the visit to Edinburgh was to go to the zoo and see the pandas. We were in the zoo for about 3 hours. We didn't just see the pandas! There wasn't much we didn't get to see. The zoo is on the side of a hill so after 3 hours of trudging about, we were feeling the need for a rest.