Sunday 29 May 2011

goats
























goats near Holystone, Northumberland, having escaped from their field, decide the bush is greener on the other side of the fence dry stone wall.

Friday 27 May 2011

The Crestway

















The Crestway, seen here near North Shields, has been dredging the River Tyne, on behalf of The Port of Tyne, for over a month now, keeping the river clear for shipping access to the increasingly busy port.

The Crestway is a trailing suction hopper dredger  and was launched at the IHC Merwede yard in Kinderdijk, Netherlands  on Friday 16 May 2008.

The comings and goings of the Crestway and other shipping movements  in and out of the Tyne can be followed  on the Port of Tyne website

Monday 23 May 2011

Tynemouth Longsands























A combination of a low tide and very strong off-shore winds uncovered an unusually large beach area at the Longsands this afternoon.


Sunday 22 May 2011

Saturday 21 May 2011

A Walk on Part


Writer Michael Chaplin outside the  Live Theatre on Newcastle's quayside, where his play, A Walk on Part , which is based on the political diaries of former MP Chris Mullin, is playing until 4th June

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Tyne Cranes


click photo to enlarge

The River Tyne and its near neighbour the River Wear  once formed  the largest ship building area in the world. Sadly, the industry wilted under cheaper competition from overseas , and cranes like those shown here, which  once lined the banks of the Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and North Shields, are few and far between.

Monday 9 May 2011

Cullercoats Harbour Walls















click to enlarge
The harbour walls at Cullercoats are undergoing substantial repair and renovation; the  work is carried out at low tide as can be seen here. The ships off shore are waiting to enter the River Tyne at high -tide.

Sunday 8 May 2011

Hadrian's Cycleway


Hadrian's Cycleway  is consdiered to be one of the best long distance cycle routes in the UK. Starting at the Roman Fort of Arbeia in South Shields in the east, the route runs the whole length of the Roman Wall.

Friday 6 May 2011

Thursday 5 May 2011

Polling Day








Today is Polling Day across the United Kingdom. Most areas of the country are choosing their local government but in addition there is a Referendum to change the voting system from the current First Past the Post system to an Alternative Vote (AV) system. 
Since 1950 the current system has  allowed every Government to be formed with less than 50% of the overall vote. As can be seen from the graph below the Parties that have formed the Government have generally  done so on a declining share of the overall vote. The current voting system suits the Conservative Party best and they in particular have been campaigning hard to keep the current system. So is the current system rotten to the core?




















for a short video depicting the two voting methods, watch Dan Snow here.


The photo was taken on the Shields Ferry on the River Tyne