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.

off to Carnival

back soon

tins at RE

from RE  in  Corbridge , Northumberland

Beach Huts

Beach huts on the promenade at Blyth in Northumberland.

Temenos #2

Temenos

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.

Middlesbrough College #3

Middlesbrough College (detail)

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.

a wall in Shieldfield #3

a wall in Shieldfield #2

a wall in Shieldfield

Graffitti in  Shieldfield   Newcastle upon Tyne

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

sheer drop

A sign warning of the dangers of the   ha-ha   at Belsay Hall and Castle in Northumberland

Caribbean Hut

A Caribbean  food stall   at the recent Tall Ships race in Hartlepool. The flag flying is that of  Jamaica..listen to some reggae

Goats on the Roof Cafe

The recently opened Goats on the Roof Cafe near Rothbury, Northumberland; and here are the goats:

 

Headland in Bloom Competition

An entrant in Hartlepool's Headland in Bloom Competition

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.

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.

The Headland, Hartlepool

Houses on the Headland in Hartlepool on the Durham Coast.

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.

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.

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)

watching

at the Mela  in Newcastle at the weekend

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.

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 .

street art

a street artist at work near Grey's Monument   in central Newcastle upon Tyne