And car petrol caps opened all along Allenfields, Lonkley and Leadgate. What’s going on? It all sounds like a case (or two) of mental health, to me, rather than anything more insidious, though that’s challenging enough. By now the begonias…
Month: August 2019
Roman Wall District, 1932
I emailed Liz Conway, local bookbinder, to chat about preservation binding of this valuable old, and very tattered guide to the Roman Wall District, that came to my attention recently. Yes, she said, she could do it nicely in either…
Gordon the guinea fowl
I saw my first guinea fowl at Beamish Open Air Museum, probably twenty-five years ago. They were scurrying around the miner’s cottage, just near to the Methodist chapel, and they even rated a descriptive legend. Apparently they were favourites of…
Working towards pleasure
Sometimes, probably most of the time, we work for survival. Sometimes, if we’re lucky, we work for pleasure, for the sheer delight of work, and then it doesn’t feel like work at all, of course. But there are times, and…
North of Tyne Mayor visits . . .
In a great publicity coup, Higher Ground entertained the new mayor of the combined North of Tyne authority, this past Friday at their garden space. Jamie Driscoll, the successful Labour candidate at the 3rd of May election, is in charge…
Bank Holiday Monday
We drove back from Yorkshire yesterday after a week of interesting workshops to stimulate our brains, and on the way home we marvelled at the delight of folks enjoying the sunshine in all the towns and villages on our journey….
The August Bank Holiday Weekend
It’s the last holiday weekend before school, isn’t it? So what’s everybody doing, I wonder? I went to Allendale area notices on Facebook a week ago and asked! Not overwhelmed with responses, but a few came in. Someone is going…
Allendale Horticultural and Industrial Show
Always held the week after Allendale Agricultural Show, the Flower Show is now in its 166th year! That must make it the longest-lived organisation in these parts, apart from the churches, of course. The plain text poster has gone up…
Allendale Caravan Park
On the site of the former railway spur line from Catton to Hexham, which once hauled lead out of the Allen Smelt Mill nearby, and latterly milk from the valleys’ dairy herds to Tyneside, stands Allendale Caravan Park, a static…
Susie Tate, dancer
In an earlier item, I promised to feature Susie Tate’s work in the diary, and I’ve spent a delightful half-hour chatting with her on the phone for this piece today. Recall that Susie was featured on Look North for her…