Tyne view

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.

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

Clocktower Cafe @ Hoults Yard

the Clocktower Cafe at Hoults Yard, Newcastle upon Tyne

on the Longsands

at Tynemouth Longsands yesterday

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.

a plant

In the Great Glasshouse at the Botanical Gardens of Wales, about 300 miles south west of Newcastle upon Tyne

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

New York, Byker, Paris, Tokyo

at The Clocktower Cafe, Hoults Yard, Newcastle upon Tyne.  Byker?  just Google 'Byker'

The Donald

spotted in a North Shields window

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.

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.

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.

Hadrianus Augustus

Albion Inn

The Albion Inn , in  Willington Quay Wallsend,  can be dated back to around 1853.

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