thin equine line

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mounted police ready for trouble when the EDL came to town on Saturday

thin blue line

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Extra police from around northern England were drafted into Newcastle upon Tyne yesterday to manage a march by the English Defence League, a political organisation formed in 2009 whose stated aim is to oppose what it sees as the spread of Islamism , Sharia law and Islamic extremism in England. Some people however consider the EDL to be a racist and fascist organisation.

rainbow

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in the skies above North Shields recently

electric fence

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this shows a solar powered battery which powers the orange electric fence to keep foxes and other animals off the tern nesting site at Long Nanny

birders

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"Birdwatching or birding is the observation and study ofbirds with the naked eye or through a visual enhancement device like binoculars". THis couple were observing the terns at Long Nanny, Northumberland.

Beadnell Bay

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Beadnell Bay on the Northumberland coast is a 3km long dune backed sandy beach. From late spring through summer it plays host to the largest mainland colony of Arctic Tern in the UK. Over the weekend the area had blazing sunshine and was also breeze free, rare for the North-East coast, as can be seen from the calm waters in this photo.

Alnmouth

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Alnmouth is a small town of around 550 residents on the Northumberland coast at the mouth of the River Aln.

On September 23rd 1779, during the American war of Independence, Alnmouth was attacked by an American ship, The Bonhomme Richard skippered by Scottish born John Paul Jones.

Terns at Long Nanny

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terns at Long Nanny nesting site, spooked by a crow ( not visible here ) which has taken several eggs recently

Long Nanny

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This is the warden's hut at the bird sanctuary at Long Nanny, near Newton Links and on Beadnell Bay on the Northumberland coast. A large number of Arctic Terns and smaller numbers of Little Terns breed there. National Trust wardens mount a 24-hour watch to prevent
disturbance to the colony there during the breeding season

Belsay flowers #5

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Belsay Flowers #4

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Belsay Flowers #3

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another flower picture from Belsay with a nod to Robert Mapplethorpe's flower shots

Belsay Flowers

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Belsay Hall was built from stone quarried in its own grounds; and it now has a wonderful 'quarry' garden in addition to its more formal garden near the Hall

Flowers at Belsay Hall

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A flower in the grounds of Belsay Hall, Northumberland

Love

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an old Morris Minor with a Peace and Love message, as seen in North Shields recently.

Swans at Belsay

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Male and female Mute Swans work together to build a nest out of plant materials and then line it with feathers and down. These swans have built theirs on a pond near Belsay in Northumberland

Extraordinary Measures at Belsay Hall

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A table for two. by Slinkachu, part of the Extraordinary Measures exhibition which runs until September 2010 at Belsay Hall, Northumberland

Fifteen Pints

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Translation from Geordie: "The credit crunch? It's awful, I'm down to ( drinking) fifteen pints ( of beer) a night!"

The beginning of the war.....

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The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead.

race onwards....

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... across the windswept dunes.
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one of several installations at Blyth Promenade

'Give and Take'

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'Give and Take' is a granite sculpture by Peter Randall-Page and was installed in June 2005 in Trinity Gardens near Newcastle's Quayside

Blyth Beach

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The Church of St Peter, Chillingham

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A tombstone from 1730 in the grounds of Saint Peter’s Church in Chillingham, Northumberland which occupies the site of a 12th Century church.

beware of the bull

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one of the warning signs at the wild Chillingham cattle estate.

The wild cattle of Chillingham

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The unique white Chillingham cattle are believed to be the only survivors of the herds which once roamed wild through Great Britain. Today they are kept enclosed , but wild, on a 365 acre estate at Chillingham in Northumberland which has been their home since the 13th century. There are around 80 in the herd and they receive no intervention from their keepers apart from the provision of hay during particularly severe winters.

Polling Day

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	People across the UK have been casting their votes as the country votes for its next government. Our polling station is in the local school, shown here. Polling stations are open until 22.00 hours this evening.

Dubai Wedding

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approximately 3503 miles south-east of Newcastle

Lagos Engagement

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Lagos, Nigeria, is approximately 3363 miles south of Newcastle upon Tyne and was the location for a delightful engagement ceremony I attended recently.