To toon.
R and I caught the bus to toon and had a wander and some lunch. It was pleasant and nice to be on our own. R decided he needed a puffer jacket to ward off the cold. We found some for a very reasonable price in Primark but the didn't have his size. Just as well really. We found a much nicer puffer jacket in M&S...yes for a good bit more.
Grey's Monument.
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Through the sharp toothed hoops and fire the busker ran. It was all over in two seconds after such a long build up.
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Coronation tat. It was selling.
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A protest, I believe.
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Complete with a band.
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One of those pedal beer bikes. Hard work on the steep streets of Newcastle.
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Home for a rest and then a catered party had been put on for us at a local pub. It was a fun few hours and I think about fifty people came and went.
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I like that the coronation tat (and I bet a lot of it was) and the protest could co-exist. And like looking at the buildings too. The pub sign is great too. I wonder who the Greene King was. Charlie boy could probably claim that title
ReplyDeleteEC, as I discovered, they are not very royalist in The North. Good point about the Greene King.
DeleteIt was cold enough fora puffer jacket? R will feel so much better with it on. The weather is crazy everywhere this year. I like seeing your shots of Newcastle.
ReplyDeleteStill in April Pat. We had a couple of days of below ten degrees. R went out in a polo shirt and a light jacket. Of course he was cold, as I told him more than once, but he is very pleased with his jacket.
DeleteYou can't beat a brass band!
ReplyDeleteA good ol' oom pah band JB.
DeleteThe monument is majestic. A stroll sort of relaxation exploring any towns is my favorite too. Not a fan of royal family really. The sight of seeing him on poster turns me off.
ReplyDeleteRoentare, the monument is worth its own post. The town was quite busy and interesting. Not all of us are royal fans but I think they are of a positive benefit to England.
DeleteI love a good brass band. Maybe if more protests used them people would take notice!
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point Caro. Perhaps our protests need to toned down without losing the message.
DeleteA marching protest with a brass band? What a great idea. Almost like a paprade. Much more civilised than yelling crowds disrupting traffic and glueing themselves to odd parts of the city. I see Adelaide's beer bike now and again in the summer.The catered dinner party sounds like a nice end to the day.
ReplyDeleteRiver, it was essentially a workers' rights parade and there was an extreme left wing young man preaching impractical idealist demands.
DeleteThe band sounds good but what were they protesting for I wonder!
ReplyDeleteLovely selection of photo and I bet people queued for awhile to see that man go through fire.
How nice that a catered party was put on for you both - that's a lovely thought carried out Andrew.
Margaret, workers's rights above. See comment above for more. Yes, people did queue for quite a while as the performer supposedly built tension.
DeleteThe party was a lovely idea. It was only days later we learnt roughly how much it cost, a lot, and that Sister 1 was harassed by security guards.
The Tyne and Wear May Day Rally started on 29 April weekend in Newcastle. Celebration of industry, trade unions and support for strikers.
ReplyDeleteAh, thanks Rachel. I should have done my own research. It was rather good that a brass band was included, presumably sympathetic to the cause.
DeleteIt was traditional for every colliery in the day to have a brass band. Many of them live on.
DeleteIt does look a little chilly there in your photos. An M&S jacket will last a heck of a lot longer than a Primark one. Most Primark stuff ends up in landfill within a year.
ReplyDeleteJay Cee, I am sure it will and it is so much more stylish than the bulky Primark version. Lordy the disposal of modern fashion is a crime that needs addressing.
DeleteI have a couple of coats bought on trips when it was colder than expected, reminders of wonderful trips.
ReplyDeleteReally TP, and you an American.
DeleteDaughter still living there, along with other she was with at Uni. They don't seem to feel the cold. Otherwise it's a great place.
ReplyDeleteHow cool Tasker. She must like it there. It is not a bad town at all.
DeleteNewcastle has preserved much of its central architecture very well indeed: shops, pubs, offices etc.
ReplyDeleteHels, quite so. It really has. Preservation by neglect?
DeleteIt was the PedalBus that fascinated me. I'd never heard of one. Then I wondered how, if it was a drinking part aboard it could be legal never mind safe. Apparently, though the steerer and brake man is not one of the people pedalling.
ReplyDeleteGraham, being England of course there would be regulations. We've seen the same in Amsterdam and Budapest and I've seen them online in the US. Yes, there would be a person in charge who does not drink and i guess steers. They seem to be a bit of fun, just not my kind of fun.
DeleteNor mine!
DeleteThe band is good! I want to take off behind them marching in time.
ReplyDeleteStrayer, doesn't a brass band make you want to jig at least.
DeleteNothing like the Royal circuses the British put on. Always a good laugh too that they take it all so very seriously along with the tat, no doubt made in China.
ReplyDeleteLove that they had a party for you both in a pub, no cleanup.
XO
WWW
WWW, come Coronation Day, the northerners showed their true colours. They tried cleaning up uneaten food a bit too soon and were told to leave it.
DeleteThank you for sharing this. I enjoyed your stories alongside photos. Be well, my dear.
ReplyDeleteThanks Darla.
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