Tuesday 31 August 2010

Back from Carnival

The largest, loudest, most lively and colourful cultural festival in the UK, the annual Notting Hill Carnival  took place in London over the Bank Holiday Weekend. It is estimated that more than 1,000,000 attended  the two days of Carnival. The noise of one sound system proved too loud for one young visitor.

Sunday 22 August 2010

Temenos by Anish Kapoor

 

Temenos by Anish Kapoor is to be found near Middlesbrough FC's Riverside Stadium  which can be seen in the background here.

Thursday 19 August 2010

Middlesbrough College


















Middlesbrough College  serves the people of Middlesbrough   and the Tees Valley and has a student roll of around 16,000. It is build next to the old Middlesbrough dock.

Sunday 15 August 2010

Slinkachu at Belsay Hall

























One of several pieces  by Slinkachu  dotted around Belsay Hall as part of Extraordinary Measures  a wonderful collection of varied art works set in  aristocratic grounds in the  Northumberland countryside

Thursday 12 August 2010

Tuesday 10 August 2010

Andy Capp


     Andy Capp   is  the working class charachter depcicted in a newspaper cartoon of the same name . He  was created by cartoonist Reg Smythe (1917–1998) a native of Hartlepool which is where this bronze of the charachter can be seen.

Monday 9 August 2010

Chicago Bull in Toon
























click on pictures to enlarge

Luol Deng of the Chicago Bulls seen above scoring a penalty shot in the new sports hall at Northumbria University yesterday. Deng was in Newcastle representing the Great Britain basketball team against Macedonia. Later with only seconds  of normal time left  GB needed a 3 pointer to tie and take the game to extra time; Deng duly obliged. GB won.  Below Deng executes a slam-dunk.

Saturday 7 August 2010

The Astrid

























The Astrid   seen here  approaching Hartlepool  which is hosting the Tall Ships Races 2010.  The Astrid was built in 1918 as a freighter and until 1975  transported cargo in the Baltic.

Friday 6 August 2010

Tall Ships 2010


Sailing ships began to arrive in Harlepool today for the  Tall Ships Races 2010 having sailed across the North Sea from Kristiansand in Norway. The ships will be berthed at Hartlepool until  Tuesday 10th August 2010.

One of the first arrivals was the Wylde Swan  a two mast topsail schooner from the Netherlands; its young crew performed an amazing  co-ordinated dance to a throbbing disco beat as they entered port, which enlivened the grey and overcast day:


The Wylde Swan was preceded by the Norwegian Christian Radich


The Christian Radich  is a full rigged three masted steel hulled vessel and was built in Sandefjord in June 1937.

Thursday 5 August 2010

the view from Simonside
























 This is the view north from the Simonside Hills  which lie to the south of the   River Coquet  near the town of Rothbury  in Northumberland. In the distance  can be seen the Cheviot  hills which straddle the border between England and Scotland.

Northumberland

Heatherland and bent-land,
Black land and white,
God bring me to Northumberland,
The land of my delight.

Land of singing waters,
And winds from off the sea,
God bring me to Northumberland,
The land where I should be.

Heatherland and bent-land,
And valleys rich with corn,
God bring me to Northumberland,
The land where I was born.


Wilfred Wilson Gibson (1878–1962)

Tuesday 3 August 2010

England v Pakistan


























With diplomatic  relationships currently strained to breaking point and with a cricket test series   against Pakistan underway; this display of key rings at the recent Mela  provided a clear visual metaphor.

Monday 2 August 2010

Kulfi

























Kulfi  is a  flavoured frozen milk based dessert which originated in India. This van was at the Mela
in Newcastle's Exhibition Park  at the weekend .