Yesterday morning came and we started getting ready to take Conor to his Nana's, once ready I took Fate our lurcher for a walk to make sure her bladder etc was empty. Then for reasons I dont want to go into instead of heading out for the 10 am train after we dropped Conor off we went to our local A&E were we stayed until about 10:40, once let out and given a half hearted all clear we called Tracy's brother who gave us a lift to the train station just in time to catch the 11:00 train. The journey took about 50 minutes or so, arriving at Newcastle we done our usual toilet stop when we found our all clear as given from our local hospital was wrong. We met with Stacey and her boyfriend and explained what was going on, saying we would have to basically head back home on the next train which was due in about 30 minutes. We went to Burger king and all got a Hot chocolate, I had a cup of tea which was horrid, talked for a bit and exchanged photos. Stacey had included a letter giving a brief account of what had happened in her life. I didnt take any pictures, after about 25 minutes we headed to platform 5, hugged each other and returned back to our home town.  We have all said that when we next meet we are going to have our kids with us, giving Stacey a chance to meet her little brothers and my three a chance to meet their big sister and their nephews and niece. It will also mean Tracy and I can meet our grandchildren.

Anyway Today came and I was at the train station with Tracy, my legs were like jelly, I felt sick, hands shaking, I could not think straight, all in all I think I could say that I was a mental disaster area. Then the train pulled up at the station, Tracy was stood by a wall, I was further up the platform trying to see someone I had only seen in one photograph taken by a mobile phone. I am embarrassed to say I did not recognise her at first. When we did finally see each other I could not move, I had no idea what to say or do, Stacey was fighting to keep the tears back, luckily Tracy stepped forward and took over the quivering mess that was her husband and his daughter. Once we were in the car heading off to Asda we managed to start talking, a little at first but this was to be expected. Once Stacy had picked up some cigarettes we headed off to the Merry-Go-Round for something to eat and a chance to talk in a more neutral environment. We ordered some food which I must admit was in my opinion anyway was horrible, over cooked veg and tasteless gravy. Anyway after about an hour or so we left and headed back to our home so we could get to know each other in a less noisy area. By this time we were talking a little more relaxed and even managing to laugh at the uncomfortable silences. We managed to find out a little more about each other, including how Daniel her youngest son was born on exactly the same day as Keith our youngest. But Alas the time passed so quickly and my daughter and her boyfriend had to return to Newcastle. We took them back to the station, getting there just as the train pulled in, we hugged and Stacey and her boyfriend got on the train.

Stacey has sent a message saying that when they got home they had a visit from her Uncle and Aunt, no doubt wanting to know how it all went. You will be glad to know we are going to keep in contact, taking things nice and easy so we can get to know each other a day at a time, I dont want to loose her again. We are already planning our next visit, this time Tracy and I are going to Newcastle, we may also visit her Family while we are there, you never know. It will be so strange seeing her Uncles and Aunt after so long. Funny I am not really worried about that, I am just so happy to have my daughter back in my life. Thank you Stacey, thank you so much. I am also so very grateful for the support and help my wife Tracy has given me, She is my strength.. Thank You Tracy. I dont think I could have done all this without you..

Photographer Ken Lam explains:

Emily and Kin found me over the internet 3 months ago. We didn’t meet each other until the actual engagement photo shoot in Newcastle. However, it wasn’t an issue at all as we discussed everything through the email and telephone. Communication is key. Kin is a Marketing Consultant and Emily is an accountant working in London. When I heard that they are both working in the same company, I thought “isn’t it great!!!” How come I can’t work the same company with my lovely wife.

Emily and Kin met in the University while studying in Sydney Australia and have stayed there for 12 years. Emily and Kin are keen travellers; their love for travel have brought them to England to work 7 months ago. I could feel their happiness and how comfortable they were in the presence of each other. They have been together since 8 years ago and now, before they get married, they want a set of photographs that can capture their free spirit as a young, energetic couple very much in love. Emily and Kin, I hope you like these photos!

Pictures here.

Novocast UK's Youtube channel has been awarded the number 73 spot in Youtube's list of the 100 most viewed reporters this month!  You'll see our fledgling channel on page 4 of the list!  Huge thank you's to everyone who got us there!

Maybe next month we can crack the top 50!  That will all depend on getting more content of course, so here's hoping something interesting happens nearby in the next month!

We're going out to celebrate!  Cheers!

Posted by Adam

This video shows the controlled explosion of the old Scottish & Newcastle bottling plant on Barrack Road, Newcastle, opposite St. James' Park.

At 9:25am on Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 a siren heralded the final five minutes for this piece of Newcastle's history. At 9:30 the charges detonated.

Seconds later it was gone.

Posted by Adam

I went to see the latest Indiana Jones movie this weekend, and its very easy to see why the people behind the film were abit shaky over premiereing it at the Cannes Film Festival  - the reason is simple; its absolutely sh*te. And thats real french.

It is quite frankly not worth spending sodding £14 on 2 cinema tickets, nor was it worth wasting 2 hours of my life; or the fact I could have gone and got 2 tickets for Girls Aloud off some touts:'( definitely not worth missing Girls Aloud for.

I HATE Indiana Jones, and I have a slight disliking for Steven Speilberg for giving the public such a shameful piece of filmmaking to the BFC. It was quite the farse. I don't care if you were planing on going to see the film, I'm going to tell you the end anyway, (plus I'm saving you the money and the time too)!!

The Crystal Skull, it would appear, belongs to the body of an 'alien' ROFL. its absolutely laughable. what on earth was Mr Speilberg thinking? My theory is that they thought, 'sod this, lets see how far we can take it', ie, taking the piss on purpose; theres no way, NO WAY, at all that they thought it was a good idea. or is there? I HATED THE FILM. I just cant believe it was made in the first place. Its absolutely unbelievable to be honest!

My boyfriend said, 'well at least the special effects were good', but actually, they weren't! they were as believable as as the sodding aliens rofl.

And what the hell was Cate Blanchette thinking?! Her accent was appalling! Is she french? English? A posh American? A nazi?! NO, she was allegedly RUSSIAN! hilarious.

-The skull from the film.

-Meanwhile, this is what a REAL Crystal Skull should look like.

The skull isn't even crystal either! Damian Hurst has nothing to worry about! rofl. It looked like a rubbish perspex helmut. horrendous.

All in all, the worst film of the year.

Ms. Judy Pink.

1 St James’ Park
Specifically the fact that it is in the centre of town. God botherer, BBC pundit and former Toon Star Gavin Peacock described it as being “up on the hill, in the centre of town – where the church should be."

Gavin, you enjoy your church and I'll worship at mine.

On match day, the whole city knows there is a game going on. That feels right. None of your out-of-town, flatpack, identikit, blando, modern grounds here.

2 The Ouseburn Square
There are various pubs that could have made this list but all the best ones are in stumbling distance of each other. It used to be a triangle, now it’s a square. The Free Trade wins for views and old style grubbiness, The Tyne for cosiness and friendliness, The Cluny for music and the arts and The Cumberland for outside drinking and ping pong played like you’ve never seen it before.

3. Tyneside Cinema
Our arthouse cinema has been on its holidays in the the ‘heed while its old home is done up. Excitingly it’s due to re-open in the Toon this Sunday. I’m not sure what to expect of the new look site but I think we’re still going to get velvet curtained loveliness. I just hope that fabulous street level coffee bar comes back too.

It was always one of the few places you could get a decent coffee without feeling like a corporate shmuck. Being surrounded by old Italian gadgeys reading foreign newspapers only added to the cosmopolitan feel.

Update: Tickets now on sale for first flurry of films in the new place.  Not exactly arthouse but I just booked two seats in the classic circle for the Indiana Jones flick. Can't wait.

4. Hall 2 Sage Gateshead
Believe the hype. I tend to dislike places that other people harp on about just because I am awkward bastard but the Sage is breathtaking. It genuinely is. Absolutely awe inspiring (see my pic above). But the best bit is not the cavernously beautiful hall one, it’s the intimate hall two. The best place to watch music in Tyneside. Nah forget that – I can’t believe there is a better place in any city anywhere.

5. High Level Bridge
I could have gone for the iconic Tyne Bridge, the flash new Millennium Bridge but for me it’s the High Level every time. Solid, sturdy, unflashy and it suited Michael Caine a treat.

6. Civic Centre Rabbits
I like to think of them as our version of Ninja Mutant Hero Turtles. Fearless Urban Geordie Rabbits. The first time you see them you're so surprised. Then eveytime you pass after that you can’t help but search for them.

They’re nearly always there. Brave little feckers. (Not to be confused with the Toon's vampire rabbit)

7. Heaton Park/Jesmond Dene
Stretching from the comparatively mean streets of Heaton to the leafy suburbs of Jesmond – an absolutely gorgeous strip of green that really does make you feel like you’re deep in the heart of the country. In my early twenties I can recall getting very drunk with mates and deciding it would be fun to sleep on the rocks by the waterfall. Twenty minutes later we got spooked. Three hours later we were back in Heaton after incredibly getting lost walking home.

Oh and don't miss the Shoe Tree.

8. The Metro to the Coast
Sun is shining? Head to the coast – you can be there in 15 minutes. The Metro is our tube, the only difference being is it’s actually pleasant to ride.

Old jowly tosspot Harry Redknapp reportedly said he didn’t want to manage Newcastle because he liked being by the coast. Look at a map dickhead.

9. The Monument
Speakers corners, meeting place and busker venue all rolled into one. The statue itself is pretty cool too but its just the space that really makes it work. It’s loved by Goths and office workers alike. The Christmas market is just too tasty. I am still losing the weight.

10 Baltic Viewing Platform
The art isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I know there is always something there that I enjoy seeing. But the best bit is still the view over the river and its bridges. I could do without the nanny state glass screens but still – nice. Very nice.

Feel free to add to the list in the comment box.  I am a bit short on restaurants - any ideas?

Update: Quite by chance two other Toon bloggers have posted their favourite things.  Look here and here for tales of Tyne Gods and post boxes.

I've been having an ongoing email conversation/row with Stagecoach about Heaton's Number One bus.

To cut a long story very short, the bus which is supposed to come every 7-9 minutes was cut drastically without announcement.  In fact, during correspondance they have admitted that they simply did not have enough buses to meet their advertised service. 

I don't know exactly how drastically it was cut but I waited 35 minutes for a bus - which would mean they were running a service at around only a quarter of its promised capacity.  To compound this, they chose this time to put up bus fares yet again.  They did this without prior warning or explanation.

Those of us who try to do the decent thing and leave our cars at home, are not being helped by woeful service.  It took me an hour to get from Heaton to the City Centre yesterday. It takes ten minutes to drive it myself and 40 minutes to walk. 

The Chronicle recently reported a Number One bus gone mad.  I feel for the poor driver.  Stagecoach make me go nuts too.  I can imagine the crap the poor guy has to take from irate customers.

Anyway, therir Operations Director has offered to meet me to talk through my concerns.  I know from friends living in Heaton how much the Number One bus annoys them all. 

Is anyone reading this on the Number One bus route and uses it (or doesn't use it for reasons you can relate)?  Anyway want to add anything that I could bring up? 

*Sidenote I'm actually moving out of Heaton in just over a month. I've always had something of a tie to this suburb so I am feeling quite nostalgic about it. It was the first place I lived in Newcastle 17 years ago (I'm from up the Tyne Valley originally). Anyway, good to see the Flickr Heaton photoset is swimmingly healthy at a very nearly impressive 101 photos.

* Update:  I received this note which will also be added to the"moan list"

Its entirely shabby that a private company can get away with such a dismal service in what is essentially a pulic service. For what its worth xxx and I both wrote letters of complaint in around mid October, xxx's concerned some quite wreckless driving, mine was for having to wait for over 40 minutes when they should be running at 8 an hour.  We received letters saying how these issues would be looked at. Clearly nothing was done.  

In April 2002 the Government created the Pathfinder Funding Programme that will make available £1 billion of government money to deprived areas of the country by 2015. Newcastle will be recieving £95million of the goverments funds.

The area west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne's city centre has aready shown a hike in property prices, drawing many young affluent professionals. The area was ranked 21st in the Top 35 Yappy property hotspots.

Real estate specialists claim that Newcastle has all the factors necessary to allow residential and commercial property to boom. Newcastle's property outlook was boosted this month by news that the city's council would be investing an affordable housing programme to boost residential property stock in the west of the city.

Other areas to receive up to £95 million, over the next three years, Oldham (£90m), Hull and East Riding (£87m), Birmingham Sandwell (£53m), Tees Valley (£35m) and West Cumbria (£6m).

For the latest information, see the 2007 Housing Green Paper Homes for the future: more affordable, more sustainable from the Communities and Local Government website.

Hadrian's Wall was constructed over a period of six years by order of the Emperor Hadrian, who came to Britain in AD 122. According to one of Hadrian's Roman biographers it was built to 'separate the Romans from the Barbarians' a feat it achieved for over 250 years. Today, the area between South Shields and Ravenglass is studded with forts, milecastles, temples and turrets. These 2000 year-old remains are brought brilliantly to life by museums, reconstructions and fascinating visitor centres, all with something different and all waiting to be discovered (ref: the Hadrian Wall Official website). For more information of how to get there, please visit http://www.hadrians-wall.org/.

Começarei a jornada amanhã, quando pego um vôo bem cedinho para o Porto, em Portugal. Chegando no mesmo horário, um vôo do Brasil trazendo minha vó! :D

O roteiro pela terrinha inclui 4 dias inteiros no Porto, incluindo um bate-e-volta para Guimarães e outro para Coimbra, depois mais 5 dias inteiros em Lisboa, incluindo bate-e-voltas para Sintra, Alcobaça e possivelmente uma tarde em Cascais.

Depois desses 10 dias passeando com a vovó, parto sozinha para Barcelona para encontrar um amigo. Serão quatro dias apreciando as obras de Gaudí!

Saindo da península ibérica diretamente para a Escócia, onde me encontro com a Alyssa e o Nathaniel para começar a explorar as outras partes do Reino Unido. Ficamos 5 dias em Edinburgh, com bate-e-voltas para o Loch Ness, castelo de Eilean Donan e algumas caminhadas pelas Highlands.

Seguimos viagem de volta para a Inglaterra e estacionamos em Newcastle upon Tyne. Visitaremos a Hadrian Hall, o distrito dos lagos e Durham. Continuamos descendo até York e depois Birmingham, onde visitaremos o castelo de Warwick e por último, para fechar a viagem com chave de ouro: Cadbury World, a fantástica fábrica de chocolates inglesa!

That's all folks! I'll be back... eventually! :D

 Newcastle Upon-Tyne is sunny today!!!! we have nice warming sun, and the air is more like spring now than winter. The sky is all blue, and I hear birds singing. yup, sounds pretty good doesn't it ?!?

I guess newcastle is truly one of a kind ;-)

You can almost smell the Geordies ;-) (I know, euuuuw...hehe..)

But seriously, it's a great city, a nicle place to live.

Enjoy!

!!!

When I lived in Vietnam it was always a source of severe irritation that I never read one international news report about the country that didn't mention the war.

Even the ones that tried to highlight the new 'nam would ultimately have to compare it with its war torn past.

Now back in Newcastle the same can be said.  In today's Guardian Stuart Jeffries pens a piece that is obviously supposed to reflect the new Tyneside.  In his standfirst he talks of  the area as a a "heartland of culture and science".  So far so good.

Scan through the article and we get to culture in the 15th paragraph and science in the 21st.  In the meantime we get:

Shearer's sports bar, Kevin Keegan, collapse of Northern Rock, ham and pease pudding stotties and the over consumption of alcohol. 

In addition he's done that awful thing of writing Geordie quote in, well, Geordie.  No one ever quoted the Queen as saying "mey hesband and ey.  You're only ever written up in your own accent if you're from North of London.

Funny, as I write this, a colleague has come in with a written version of the piece.  It's a nice spread - slightly ruined by the fact that, although the article references the wider Tyneside, it is about Newcastle - but the cover shot is...Gateshead.

Maybe the designers didn't know the difference, but I guess we should be pleased that it's not Newcastle Under Lyme.  It wouldn't be the first time.

Another point to dwell on:

In the above piece it states:

Not many Toon faithful are prepared to bare their wounds or rehearse their fears before a journalist from London. The representatives of the Toon Army have not responded to my emailed overtures, while Biffa (aka Mike Bolam), who runs the nufc.com fan site and is the author of an excellent book, The Newcastle United Miscellany, declines to be interviewed. He writes: "I'm afraid that I'm still quietly fuming about the recent written antics of the enemy within the Grauniad."

It's fair to say that the Guardian is not Newcastle's favourite paper.  On Tuesday their Fiver mailout started with an (honestly) 70 line pointedly nasty pisstake.  The scornful abuse is daily - and the suggestion is that with at least two of its staffers, Louise Taylor and Barry Glendenning, being committed Sunderland fans there is a genuine bias.

I also receive their Northerner mailer.  It always feels a little sneery and aloof - like way too much of the Guardian's content when it deals with the North East.  You get the  impression it's written by Londoners who think that the best way to please is to write as many patronising "northern" stories as possible.  You find yourself looking for the whippet breeding pieces and the fashion spot on flat caps.

As a blogger I can only applaud their website and commitment to all things web 2.0.  But the attitude of their writers to the North East stinks.  If the heartland of the Daily Mail is the Home Counties, the Guardian's, whatever they might claim about Northern public servants, is London media land luvviedom and they don't seem to like us much.

If it has always been bad, you might expect it would slowly improve as we pushed back the boundaries of ignorance,  but it is getting worse and I don't know why.

Below is from www.nufc.com and refers to football but it also applies to so many other topics.

North and South divide?  It's just London, it's media and its government I have an issue with.  I, like most other Geordies I have spoken too, would quite honestly prefer to chuck our lot in with the Scots. Expect more rants.

 Now that the transfer window has closed... 

...we're out of the FA Cup, have no more trips to the Emirates or Old Trafford, have got rid of one boss, brought in another and made various other appointments of a non-Gosforth nature, can we just say:

Enough patronising bollocks from every man and his dog masquerading as news or comment on events in this region, this city and this club - you simply haven't got a f**king clue what you're on about.

Try reporting the facts instead of what you or your London masters would like to hear.

Try getting past the KK "Messiah", "Second Coming", "impatient fans" - all cliches invented by the media, not the supporters.

Try seeing past brain dead Vox Pops or meaningless online polls as spurious evidence that the lies you pen have any basis in local opinion.

Try hiding the regional prejudice that would see you branded as racist, were it to be presented as news about other nationalities.

For a club that isn't "big" (whatever that means), it doesn't half get a lot of coverage....

To anyone still paying money for The Mirror, The Sun, The News of The World, The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Mail, why not just read their continual anti-Toon tirades online instead of shelling out for the privilege of being insulted and/or patronised?

Exhibit A: The scandalous Sun and Mirror front pages this week with Keegan / £100m / Wise concoctions.

Exhibit B: The Mail's allegedly funny Dennis Wise diary stumbles to day 3 here. Somebody is getting paid for writing that.

Exhibit C: Victoria Derbyshire, Nicky Campbell, Alan Green, Eamonn Holmes, Clem, Terry Butcher, Steve Claridge - you're the shite, you're the shite of Radio 5. Bigots all.

- I was worried about the need to abandon the train in favour of a replacement bus service between Darlington and Newcastle, mostly because things that can go wrong quite often do go wrong (especially in situations that involve timetables). It seems, though, that Cross Country trains build a sensible margin for error into their scheduling when it comes to this sort of thing. Hurrah for that. The journeys both there and back went without any trouble.

- The Angel Of The North! Beautiful.

- Once in Newcastle we didn't get lost in any major way, but got lost in minor ways a few times. 'Nothing major' is still a victory, though.

- I didn't really get to see the bridges very much (it wouldn't have been fair on the other two, who don't have my bridge fetish), and that's a shame. They looked gorgeous from the glances I was able to get, though. Another time, maybe.

- Some establishments aren't exactly what they appear from the outside.

- Once we got into the arena, we found out that our seats were cer-rappy. Not only did we have a poor view of the cage, the majority of the camerapeople decided to take up their fixed positions on the side between us and it. Bah. It was a long way to go in order to spend a pretty large amount of the time looking at the big screens.

- Paul Taylor (not only local, but a long-time fave of mine) vs Paul Kelly was the second greatest fight I've ever seen live. That's bizarre, considering that it was pretty one-sided, but we were behind Paul 'Walsall' Taylor so much. The first half-a-minute-or-so was one of the most amazing things I've ever encountered, with the two of them trading blows at an absolutely hell-for-leather pace. Taylor was more accurate and putting together better combinations, which seemed to worry Kelly a little bit. The Scouser thusly muscled the Yam up to the fence, took him down, and began to pound. Such was the pattern for the rest of the fight. Our man Taylor was very active (if not always massively effective) from the bottom with strikes and kimura & guillotine attempts, but Kelly held the dominant position for nearly all of the time. A huge cut opened on Taylor's forehead, and his fate was sealed. An amazing fight nevertheless, from my perspective. He may have lost two in a row, but I'm assuming that the UFC will bring Taylor back. It'll be interesting to see how Kelly progresses from now on, too.

- So, the American who says he's Irish fought the Frenchman who lives in England. Confused? You will be. In the run-up to the fight, Marcus Davies was happy to proclaim that every British grappler is worse than every American grappler. Presumably he sees himself as American when it comes to this. Jess Liaudin stated in an interview that "he's not really Irish, he's not fooling anyone", causing Davies to get the hump and declare this to be "trash-talk". Presumably he sees himself as Irish when it comes to this. One can only assume that he's willing to chop and change his nationality when it suits him, just like his nickname (he's "The Irish Hand Grenade", apart from when he fights in Belfast and might get some comeback from such stupidity). Whichever way up, the bad guy (i.e the Irmerican) knocked out the good guy (i.e. the Franglishman) pretty early. It's a shame. I really don't think I like Davies very much.

- I wish they wouldn't use the WWE footage in their hype videos for Block Resnar. It makes everyone look silly.

- It wasn't much fun to have a mini-domestic happening in the row behind us. We were later informed by someone nearby that the bloke we'd dubbed Roid-Rager was pulled out of the arena foyer by coppers later in the evening. I hope Lovely Curly-Haired Lady was OK.

- The second best fight of the night was Gonzaga vs Werdum. Gonzaga won the first round pretty decisively before almost seeming to throw it away in the second, but it was exciting stuff.

- B.J. Penn (oh lord, we were chanting "Bee! Jay! Bee! Jay!". Shameful) looked like an absolute monster. Stevenson showed plenty of heart but was on the wrong end of an absolute arsekicking for two rounds. We left after it had finished and thus missed Stevenson crying/Sherk entering the cage and getting booed etc etc.

- Travel Inn (my decision not to use Travelodge anymore produces its first fruit) have a security guard on their door at night, making sure the name of everyone who enters is on his list. That I did not expect.

- The Centurion (attached to the train station) is a nice establishment if you're looking for a drink in Newcastle. Black Sheep Bitter on tap, too.

So there we are. A fun trip (as our MMA away-days always are), but I don’t think I got the full measure of Newcastle from it. Maybe, as I say, another time.

Unsurprisingly, there's stuff all over the web about the UFC card. I'll recommend The 'Urtbusiness podcast which you can get from here. I'm with him on the hero-worship-y thing. His voice reminds me of Bez, too, which is good.

Todavía no he empezado a trabajar, pero esta primera semana ha dado mucho de sí. He aprendido a cocinar, he bajado un día a Londres, he pasado dos días en Newcastle upon Tyne, he ido a un concierto de Darren Hayes...

Lo cierto es que han sido muchos cambios de golpe y esta primera semana he andado algo descolocado. Entre el lunes y el miércoles estuve tres días con dolor de cabeza, algo que es muy raro en mí. Pensamos que probablemente habrá sido por todos estos cambios, unidos al estrés por dejarme la entrada del concierto en Barcelona. Hay que tener en cuenta que:

• Me he ido a vivir a otro país, a cuya cultura me estoy acostumbrando; no es lo mismo conocerla que vivirla.
• He pasado de ser un estudiante que trabaja para ahorrar y hacer viajecitos a ser una persona que trabaja para mantenerse.
• En cierta manera, me he independizado. No es la primera vez que marcho a vivir a otro país, ni la primera vez que gozo de cierta libertad, pero sí es la primera vez que dependo casi enteramente del dinero que gano; mis padres han dejado de ser mi principal soporte y han pasado a ser una ayuda, y esto se dice muy pronto.
• He empezado una nueva carrera en la UOC, donde se da una libertad al estudiante a la que no estoy acostumbrado y para la que no sé si tengo suficiente autodisciplina.

Todo esto unido al hecho de que he llegado una semana y media antes de empezar a trabajar; de hecho, ni siquiera he visto el colegio todavía. Esto también ha hecho que no haya adquirido todavía ningún tipo de rutina, lo que me ha descolocado aún más.

Pero he tenido mucha suerte de venir a parar a esta casa. J, la dueña, es una gran persona. Me ha estado enseñando a cocinar varias cosas, me ha enseñado Wakefield, me ha llevado a Leeds... Pensaba que íbamos a llevar una vida más independiente y que ella sólo se preocuparía de cobrar el alquiler cada semana, pero lo cierto es que hablamos mucho, y si ambos tenemos que ir al centro vamos juntos. Cada uno lleva su vida e incluso tenemos cocinas separadas, pero siempre está bien tener a alguien que te pregunte cómo ha ido el día.

Esta noche ha llegado B, la auxiliar de conversación de francés, que también vivirá en esta casa, pero no hemos tenido oportunidad de hablar mucho todavía.

Queda pendiente para otro día explicaros mis primeras aventuras en la cocina. Lo cierto es que me estoy desenvolviendo mucho mejor de lo que esperaba e incluso estoy disfrutándolo. Quién lo iba a decir, con lo aburrido que me parecía cocinar... Y todavía me parece que roba demasiado tiempo, pero una vez ves el resultado, vale la pena.

Próximas citas:

• Sábado 29: visitar el colegio en la mañana de puertas abiertas.
• Lunes 1: empezar a trabajar.
• Miércoles 10: jornadas para auxiliares de conversación de español en Manchester.

Os dejo con una foto del martes en Newcastle, demostrando que a pesar de todo sigo igual de guapo:

Detrás mío, el Gateshead Millennium Bridge.

1. Newcastle United Football Club, my team since birth; this despite the fact that we haven't won anything since I was born. You don't change teams where I come from...
2. Negativland. In 1992 Island Records, sued a band called Negativland over the unauthorised use of a U2 sample. Negativland and their label (SST) stood to lose over $70000, more than Negativland had made in over eleven years as a band. As you might expect, the band crumbled under the pressure. This is only one of the the reasons I hate U2. As an infamous t-shirt at the time said "Bono Sucks Corporate Cock".
3. Naked. I have recently begun training for the London-Brighton Cycle Ride. Inexplicably, when I made this common knowledge in the office, a receptionist asked me if I was also taking part in the World Naked Bike Ride, she hadn't said more than two words to me before then. I'm not taking part, but I did have an invite to a private viewing of Spencer Tunick's new show.
4. New Ardri. Back in the early nineties when I lived in Manchester, I was a regular at the Herbal Tea Party; hosted at the New Ardri on Coupland Street. It was a kind of mini Megadog and attracted acts such as The Dust Brothers, Banco De Gaia, Underworld and System 7. Tops off, altogether now - 'Big Fish, Little Fish, Cardboard Box...'
5. 'Nevermind', not the album that kicked off my Grunge phase, but probably the one that defines the period for most people. I think my phase was kickstarted by a girl in Bolton called Emma Nercessian who wore an L7 t-shirt. I progressed through Babes In Toyland, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney and (eventually) Nirvana; wearing my para boots, plaid shirt and combat trousers over the following three year period, until Kurt died, and my Megadog phase began...
6. - the letter 'N' is hard. I'll add more as I think of them ;)

Comment on this entry and I will give you a letter. Write ten words beginning with that letter in your blog, including an explanation what the word means to you and why, and then pass out letters to those who want to play along.

Soundtrack for the afternoon was Ray Lamontagne's cover of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy, and the new one from Primal Scream - country girl. The video for Country Girl is a cracker, don't expect to see the full thing on Top Of The Pops anytime soon...