Daily Archives: Monday, 9th April 2007
Important research findings
It’s good to know that in times when government funding for research is being cut, that truly significant work is still being done in the UK. Work that will be of great importance to many people in this country and beyond. Researchers at Leeds University have found the answer to one of those important questions: how to make the perfect bacon sandwich.
A long walk
After the excitement of the bin fire, I set off on the walk I’d promised myself. My plan was to walk into Newcastle and take some pictures of some buildings I’ve neglected so far. But when I got into the centre of Gateshead, I remembered something else. I’ve been meaning to have a look at the sculpture trail along the Gateshead bank of the Tyne. So I did. I got some pictures of the various sculptures along the way, then followed the path as far as Dunston Staithes. I walked back along the river, then crossed over the Swing Bridge and headed into Newcastle.
I had a nice little wander, including a walk up Westgate Road – I hadn’t been up there for years. The view down the hill into Newcastle is quite impressive, especially now Westgate House is gone.
I then had a look at the new Eldon Square bus station, which is a great improvement on its predecessor. When the Eldon Square centre was built in the 1970s, someone thought that what amounted to a dark cavern with no natural light and not very good ventilation was the ideal place to put a bus station. It was never a very pleasant or welcoming place.
I was a bit tired after that, so I came home. That was the longest walk I’ve had in a long time, and my legs are aching a bit now. It seems to have worked off some of the extra weight, which is a good thing.
I’ll be sorting out the pictures soon. Well, fairly soon.
Related posts
Arctic Monkeys – Brianstorm
And they’re back! The second album from that damn fine Sheffield band is out in a couple of weeks, and the first single from it is now available[1]. The sound on this track is slightly beefier, but as ever, it’s Alex’s lyrics and delivery that makes them stand out from, well, pretty much everything else. Watch the video. Enjoy.
[1] OK, it was available on download a week ago, which is when I got it, but now it’s out on round shiny thing too
Don’t Cry For Me Aberystwyth – Malcolm Pryce
I’ve been waiting for this, the fourth of Malcolm Pryce’s bonkers Welsh-noir novels about Louie Knight, Aberystwyth’s only private detective, since I read the last one, The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth, back in November 2005.
It’s Christmas in Aberystwyth, and someone has brutally murdered and mutilated Santa. Well, a guy who was working as Santa in a department store, anyway. In his last moments, Santa writes the name “Hoffman” in his own blood on the pavement. And that’s just the start of Louie Knight’s problems.
I could give you a plot summary, but that would spoil the fun, wouldn’t it? But I will tell you that the story hinges on a terrible secret from the War[1], the director’s cut of Bark of the Covenant (a movie about Chip, the Welsh Lassie), and what really happened to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Along the way, Louie has to deal with the local police, who aren’t at all keen on “peepers” taking on murder cases, the Queen of Denmark (maybe), and the usual collection of grotesque and eccentric characters.
Can Louie crack the case? Will Calamity make it on her own as an associate of the Pinkertons? And who is Hoffman? All these questions may be answered.
It’s at least as bonkers as the previous books, and I recommend it to anyone who appreciates silliness. And if you don’t you’re probably not reading this site. 
[1] This being the war in Patagonia that has influenced events in the previous books
Fire!
I finally got it together to go out for a walk with my camera today. I was just about ready to go, when I happened to glance out of the back window and saw flames. A wheelie bin had been left outside a nearby house[1], and it must have been too tempting a target for some idiot or other. I immediately called 999 and reported it to the Fire control room. And then went out to watch, and take the odd picture. I’d just got into position when the Fire control called me on the mobile, asking me to confirm the exact location, which I gave them. A fire crew arrived soon afterwards, and dealt with the fire. You can see what happened in the album.
Once the fire was out, I popped back home to download the pictures so I could have an empty memory card for my walk, which I’ll tell you about later.
[1] Normal collection day is Friday, and it had probably been there since then. As Friday and today were holidays, the actual collection day will probably be tomorrow. I think.
