Mouth of the Tyne Festival

The Mouth of the Tyne Festival takes place every July in Tynemouth and South Shields, towns which lie either side of the mouth of the River Tyne. This morning there was a children's carnival procession in Tynemouth

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.

Alnmouth and the American War of Independence.

Alnmouth  is a  village on Northumberland's North Sea coast. Given its' geography Alnmouth played an unusual cameo role in America's War of Independence. click here for more information.

lobster creels

Lobster creels are a common site at harbours along the Northumberland coast. Creels have opening which allows lobsters to enter a tunnel of netting to get to bait set in the middle, once inside the creel  a lobster is trapped and unable to get out. A typical modern  creel is  constructed of wood, nylon rope, wire and plastic.

 Lobster pots are  dropped to the sea floor  and  marked by buoys which float at sea level and allow the fishermen to retrieve them later.

coastal erosion

Coastal erosion is clearly evident here at Druridge Bay, Northumberland, ancient peat beds under  later deposits of sand are now exposed. The problem is not soley caused by rising sea levels but by extensive sand extraction in the past for  Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC).

socks at RE

socks at RE  in Corbridge, Northumberland

3'8

pre-decimal price tags at RE, Corbridge, Northumberland

at Linhope Spout

the water above Linhope Spout, Northumberland

wild swan

a swan takes advantage as an ice cream van waits for the tide to recede and clear the causeway across to the tidal island of  Holy Island  in Northumberland.

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

Goats on the Roof Cafe

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

 

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)

Dunstanburgh Castle

Dunstanburgh Castle   dates from the 14th Century and lies on a rocky  headland on the coast of Northumberland  between the villages of Craster and Embleton.

"from fairytale to nightmare"

"The young English artist Tessa Farmer has found a clearing in the quarry and filled it with macabre sculptures: a squirrel whose tail has turned into a cobweb trapping moths and iridescent beetles, skeletal fairies cannibalised from dead insects, butterflies and bees suspended from silk threads in a fluttering danse macabre.In this crepuscular bell jar of a clearing, the art is glass-cased like a Victorian spectacle, flora and fauna turning from fairytale to nightmare." laura Cumming , The Observer.  At Belsay Hall as part of Extraordinary measures

Tessa Farmer at Extraordinary Measures

Meadow above Barrowburn farm

barrow burn tearoom

footbridge across the Long Nanny

Long Nanny is the name of the burn that runs down to the  sea across Beadnell Bay in Northumberland

Saint Ebba

St. Ebba III, an abandoned boat at Beadnell, Northumberland. Saint Ebba  was a sister of St. Oswald and Oswi, both kings of Northumberland in the 9th Century. She and her fellow religious sisters were to die as martyrs at the hands of Danish raiders from across the North Sea.

Wayne Rooney missing in action?

Observers of last night's abysmal and dismal 0-0 draw in England's World Cup match against lowly Algeria agreed that the English players simply did not play well enough; most appeared to be missing in action; Rooney's poor performance could be explained because he was actually in Sainsbury's car park in Alnwick, Northumberland.