Dunstanburgh Castle

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Dunstanburgh Castle stands on a rocky headland on the Northumberland coast. It is seen here from across Embleton Bay. The main remains of the castle date from 1313 when Earl Thomas of Lancaster, cousin of King Edward II, began construction of this massive fortress. The castle is maintained and managed by the National Trust

Lady-Hare

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Crawling Lady-Hare, 1996, Bronze, by Sophie Ryder.
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This large bronze sculpture of a hare with human attributes can be seen about 100 miles south of Tyneside at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park near Wakefield.

The Leek

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the humble but delicious leek is national symbol of Wales and also a favourite vegetable of allotment growers in the North-East and elsewhere.

Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy

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When the Boat comes in is a traditional folk song from Northumberland , one version of which contains the line Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy, which I was reminded of when I saw this collection of objects at a friends house in Newcastle today.

Spring

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. table setting by Susan
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a table set for Easter recently in a Jesmond residence.

The Shipley Gallery

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Youth by Waldo Thomas Storey (1855-1915) at the Shipley Gallery, Gateshead.

The Shipley was opened in 1917 thanks to a bequest from Joseph Ainsley Davidson Shipley (1822-1909). His will left a significant sum of money and his entire art collection to the the City of Newcastle, but they rejected it, so now this small gem is to be found across the river in Gateshead whose representatives had the good sense to accept his generous gift.

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The gallery is currently hosting the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2009 until 27 June 2010.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

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In Mind of Monk by Peter Randall-Page
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Yorkshire Sculpture Park is about 100 miles South of Tyneside near Wakefield; it is set in 500 acres of 18th century parkland. The work shown here is by Peter Randall-Page.

Dere Street, Pennymuir

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The site of an old Roman marching camp can be seen near Pennymuir on what was the Roman road called Dere Street which ran from Eboracum ( present day York) to Scotland.

Newcastle United secure promotion to Premier League

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from Getty images via the BBC

Newcastle United secured a return to the Premier League today even before their home match against Sheffield United kicks-off at 19.45; as rivals Nottingham Forest were held 0-0 by Cardiff earlier this evening.

Church of St. Gregory the Great

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a window in the Church of St. Gregory the Great, Kirknewton, Northumberland

Cheviot Sheep

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The Cheviot Hills, on the border of England and Scotland, are where the Cheviot breed of sheep originated . The breed prospers in the windswept and sometimes very harsh conditions that prevail there . Whilst some argue, quite reasonably, that using arable land for animal husbandry is an inefficient way of producing food, uplands such as the Cheviots are useless for crop production but do facilitate the rearing of sheep . Buchtrig is to be found on the Scottish side of the border near Jedburgh in Roxburghshire.

Churchyard, Kirknewton

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The church of St. Gregory the Great is to be found in the small village of Kirknewton, Northumberland. Parts of the Church date back to the 11th Century and nearby is the site of Gefrin where, in the 5th Century, Saint Paulinus baptised King Edwin of Northumbria. This photo shows a grave marker in the churchyard.

Carter Bar

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Northumberland is England's most northerly County and the Cheviot Hills, along the border with Scotland, are still in the stubborn grip of Winter. This picture was taken today at Carter Bar where the A68 crosses the border.

Messis Ab Altis

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This eroded plaque bearing the Latin Motto MESSIS AB ALTIS shows a pitman and a seaman; two occupations which were chosen as bearers for the coat of arms of the old Tynemouth Borough. Mining, sailing and fishing used to be mainstays of the local economy so a motto meaning ‘harvest of the deep’ could not be more apt for the pitmen who worked deep underground hewing coal and for the fisherman catching fish from the depths of the sea. This plaque can be seen at King Edward School, North Shields which was opened 12th September 1908.