For the last 3 weeks I've been picking the blighters at the rate of half a pound a day (that's an absolute daily minimum, sometimes it's been a pound and a half). I've eaten them raw, added them to yoghurt, made them into jams, jellies and crumbles, frozen them, pickled them in alcohol and vinegar, given them away....I'm running out of ideas. Would a bramble curry work?
because I'd buy a pair....and the whole family would know what to expect for Christmas!
Good news from the BBC for folks like me that have problems watching programmes at a regular time each week, or even once a week for that matter. From 13th of September programmes available on iPlayer will be 'stacked' (up to a maximum of 13 episodes or for the length of the series) Read the press release here for more details
Things were a lot simpler in the 40's and 50's.....I love this up-front advertising spiel for Clippercraft Clothes.... they sold them hard at the beginning of the programme then left you alone. Picture of 50's clippercraft coat at left...now it looks well worth the $40 quoted (but if I was a bloke I'd possibly add a pair of trousers to the ensemble), however it will now set you back $125...though no doubt the moths' quarantine charges are included in the shipping costs. Soundclip lasts about 3 mins
EARLY VISUAL MEDIA "is an online Media_Museum explaining intriguing and mostly forgotten Early Vintage Visual Media and their history." Worth a click!
....that's the 1970's not the 18's I hasten to add. Though, as far as I remember, the shop front wasn't a whole lot different from the picture above...the guy behind the counter probably had the same moustache but maybe had shortened his apron and ditched the jacket in favour of a tie-dyed t-shirt. Bullock's the Bakers was conveniently placed at the end of the street (Albany Gdns) on Station Rd....and they still baked their own bread and did a mean bacon sandwich.....so the perfect excuse not to learn the intricacies of the frying pan when there was plastering and hanging of radiators to be done. Long gone and not sure what it is these days, it's not on my way home from the station....but I have a sneaking feeling it's a tattoo parlour.
....but quite nice for all that
I found this air photo of Tynemouth Castle and Priory (dated 1927) down at the Local Studies Centre while sheltering from yet more rain....now they weren't QUITE so keen on maintaining the country's historic fabric in those days, just look at that abomination built round the front door! For reference, here's an aerial shot from today (from a completely different angle but the best I could find)
LATER....Re the gatehouse, found this at the Tynetown Gallery
"The Banks and Castle Tynemouth, c. 1915
In the background to the left of this photo can be seen Tynemouth Castle gatehouse with a brick built office block covering the original castle structure, it was built by the War Office in 1783. It caught fire in 1936 and was demolished restoring the gatehouse to it's former appearance."
Due to the recent inclement (hah, that's an understatement!) weather I've been spending a lot of time delving into the (local) past in nice, warm, dry libraries. I came across a copy of my house deeds (that I'd forgotten I'd sent in to the Local Studies Centre some years ago).....here's the last covenant added in 1964 when it passed out of Methodist ownership (it had been the local manse until then, the church has since been demolished and replaced by a bland housing development)
From The Victoria Tunnel website.....
Scam-o-Rama is always worth a click.....
I remember telling Sarah about this collection of scans from The King Novelty Co "Curio Catalog No 81" at I'm Learning To Share ages ago, but I don't think I posted about it.....time to put that right!
I took the seafront route when I was walking back from the library today (having had an enjoyable afternoon wading through their local history section) , but the scenic route it wasn't. Here's the old Alletsa Ballroom at the bottom of the Esplanade, very much saggy-porticoed, down-at-heel and feeling sorry for itself, the gaudy paint peeling from it's previous incarnation as a sleezy nightclub....the sight made doubly sad because I'd been reading about Whitley Bay's glory days for the previous 2 hours. Picked up the Whitley Bay News Guardian that was waiting for me on the doormat and it seems WB's regeneration plans are yet again in a state of flux, read stalled. What a waste!Trying out another way of posting a file to the blog....bear with me!!
Middle Eastern Cookery.pdf
Various bits and pieces down the right hand side have stopped working over the last couple of days, Blogger has been rolling out some changes that may, or may not, have had something to do with it. In the meantime I've taken the easy option and removed them. Will try to reinstall the Box Files at least, suitably weeded, sometime over the weekend.
"THE GREAT North East’s tradition of prize leek growing has been dealt a blow with the scrapping of one of the country’s biggest shows.
A bit of local folklore, though I have to admit it was news to me.....found, accidently, while I was checking the weather for Hexham tomorrow (Ma and I didn't particularly want to get drenched when there were other, possibly more pleasant, wet-weather destinations on offer!)"Andrew Marr takes to the skies exploring Britain from above.
An epic journey revealing the secrets, patterns and hidden rhythms of our lives from a striking new perspective.
Britain looks very different from the skies. From a bird's eye view of the nation, its workings, cities, landscapes and peoples are revealed and re-discovered in new and extraordinary ways.
Cutting edge technology allows you to see through cloud cover, navigate the landscape and witness familiar sights as never seen before."
OK, confession, I've just watched both series back-to-back. But here's the game at the BBC, I'll maybe leave playing it till the next rainy spell.....so that'll be tomorrow then!
Before you ask....not my picture, it's just gone in the oven. I've got one of those 'google gadgets' on my iGoogle homepage courtesy BBC Good Food Recipes ...and this one looks like it might hit the spot.
I've just downladed Mrs Beetons Household Management etc etc (1907 edition) from Archive.org (big download at 288mb, but it's 2266 pages are well worth the bandwidth!). I rather like 'the slipper' mode of folding, now you won't see THAT very often in your local bistro!
Stream of consciousness post....George Orwell wrote an essay about saucy seaside postcard artist Donald McGill, you can read it here 
"From 9th August 2008, you will be able to gather your own impression of Orwell’s face from reading his most strongly individual piece of writing: his diaries. The Orwell Prize is delighted to announce that, to mark the 70th anniversary of the diaries, each diary entry will be published on this blog exactly seventy years after it was written, allowing you to follow Orwell’s recuperation in Morocco, his return to the UK, and his opinions on the descent of Europe into war in real time. The diaries end in 1942, three years into the conflict."
"Telemegaphone Dale stands seven metres tall on top of the Bergskletten mountain overlooking the idyllic Dalsfjord in Western Norway.
As in links to...click on the images in this page at Creativecloseup.com for direct links....the UK weather being what it is, I might be visiting in August rather than November!
"FloodSim puts you in control of all flood policy decisions and spending in the UK for 3 years. Whether its deciding how much money to allocate to flood defences, deciding where to build houses, or how best to inform people about the risk of flooding, you are in control.
"Amongst the outcrops and boulders of northern England keen eyes may spot an array of mysterious symbols carved into the rock surfaces. These curious marks vary from simple, circular hollows known as 'cups' to more complex patterns with cups, rings, and intertwining grooves. Many are in spectacular, elevated locations with extensive views but some are also found on monuments such as standing stones and stone circles, or within burial mounds. The carvings were made by Neolithic and Early Bronze Age people between 3500 and 6000 years ago. The original meaning of the symbols is now lost but they provide a unique personal link with our prehistoric ancestors."
Check out that trusting look on the ageing mum's face and the dogged determination on Nursey's!
Scans of "Physical Culture" mags from the deepest, distant past.....available from Ball State University Digital Collections
Well worth a visit. Entrances on Newgate St and inside the Newgate Shopping Centre in Newcastle....there's a wide range of goods at VERY reasonable prices, so prepare for gorilla arms if you're shopping on foot! There's also a cafe in the shopping centre that sells a range of fresh-baked bread, sliced on demand.....which is fast proving a disaster for my waistline!
Now that Anne and John are well into the potato harvest, Agence Eureka has come up with a handy worksheet giving sensible suggestions for things to make when they get fed up with eating mash.
"The object of the game is to keep the scarecrows alive by launching the seeds that grow in the trees above them, so that they land on the scarecrows to bring them to life, but for only a moment. From time to time a bell will appear, dangling from a tree. Hitting the bell with a seed will resurrect one scarecrow from the dead."
Yeah....like I'd be smiling broadly too if I could have that particular shade of mouldy aubergine I wore in my youth through all the ages!
