Tudor Rose in Dunston

We visited the Tudor Rose in Dunston, Gateshead recently. It was pleasantly quiet but the staff were very friendly. We were after a meal and opted for the veggie burgers from the menu. A good choice.

Marsden

On the August bank holiday we decided to take some time off and paid a visit to Marsden, a bay on the North East England coast between South Shields and Sunderland. The site was famous for its giant arch rock which, sadly, collapsed in 1996. Nevertheless, the beach is well worth visiting.

The nightmare journey home

23rd July 2018

Getting home from London to the North East was a nightmare. The train driver was late. That was nothing compared to the line side fires that left us stuck south of Doncaster for over an hour. We had to get alternative connections to Leeds, then to York and then to Newcastle. Not a good start in my budding relationship with LNER who took over the East Coast rail franchise recently.

Meat on the menu at Domali

22nd July 2018

Domali, on the Crystal Palace Triangle, had previously been known to me as a veggie cafe. On visiting it recently, we discovered meat is now on the menu. Breakfast was a full English with sausage and bacon. Very enjoyable but I'm not aware of why the shift away from vegetarian food.

Dried up lake at Crystal Palace Park

22 July 2018

We visited Crystal Palace Park, another of my old haunts and discovered the heat wave has had quite an impact on the lakes. The smaller, shallower ones had dried up and the level of the main lake has dropped substantially. We could do with some rain. We rounded off the visit by going to the Capel Manor Farm. Lots of animals to see.

Retro in Forrest Hill

21 July 2018

I visited the Dartmouth Arms in Forrest Hill, London, and had a 1970s retro experience! The wallpaper took me back 40 years! Otherwise a rather quiet establishment. Sadly, the prices weren't retro.

Revisiting the Crystal Palace Triangle

21 July 2018

The Triangle in Crystal Palace was our regular haunt when I was spending half my time in London. We paid it a visit to have a look at the changes that have taken place over the past year. The Saturday's farmers' market is still there but some of the pubs have changed. There are now pubs called the Faber Fox and Walker Briggs though other establishments have gone. Meanwhile, Westow House pub is expanding upwards.