There are 7 significant rivers in the North East of England that run into the sea, the Tweed, Coquet, Wansbeck, Blyth, Tyne, Wear and Tees. I have given them the definition of significant though nationally, only the Tweed, Tyne and Tees make the map of major rivers on Wikipedia. There are many other brooks, streams … Continue reading Towns, rivers and their mouths
Goodbye Eddie
Goodbye Eddie Howe, Though I never knew you at all… To me you were (are) one of the good guys and that is important to me. I want to see good people doing well and in my book you did a good job. You embodied everything that I believe in leadership. When Newcastle United did well … Continue reading Goodbye Eddie
Tot ziens Duolingo
Three thousand, seven hundred and eighty eight days is approaching ten and a half years. This is how long my streak has been on Duolingo, an American language learning platform. That’s a long time, every day sitting down to study a language that I am increasingly less likely to use in what remains of my … Continue reading Tot ziens Duolingo
A trip to the Farnes
Image thanks to Third Eye Traveller It’s the long summer holidays and there are six or seven weeks to find things to do to keep the children amused and stop the adults from imploding. It’s always a challenge to get the balance right between doing too much, creating an expectation that cannot be met, or … Continue reading A trip to the Farnes
There’s always 2030
Image thanks to CBS Sports It’s over and, in a way, thank goodness. Despite my protestations I ended up watching far more of the FIFA World Cup than I meant to. Politics aside, it has been a good competition, with new teams emerging yet it is the old guard that has won again. Europe or … Continue reading There’s always 2030
Do I or don’t I?
As I have already written, despite my protestations and best efforts I have been caught by the World Cup bug. With the matches being played in a different hemisphere to where I live it was inevitable that some of those I wanted to watch would be on at stupid o’clock. Sure enough, after a less … Continue reading Do I or don’t I?
Football crazy
I was determined that I wasn’t going to get caught up in the World Cup frenzy this time. What with the politics, the blatant corruption and the distances involved I was going to take a stance and ignore the whole affair, as much as I could. The thought of the orange one lording it up … Continue reading Football crazy
What If?
Between reading the world and trying to get through every Booker Prize winner, I am also reading a very amusing book called ‘What if?’ by Randall Munroe. It bills itself as serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions. It certainly lives up to its billing. Whilst some of the questions are indeed absurd, it made … Continue reading What If?
Social Media Spat
I came off Twitter partly because of its obnoxious and poisonous content but also because of the online arguments that I would occasionally get into. It has been different on BlueSky, up until now that is. A few days ago I got into a spat. I won’t bore you with the details yet it was … Continue reading Social Media Spat
What to throw away
Clearing out your deceased parent’s house is never a happy occasion. Not only are you grieving for your loss but the work can be a momentous chore. Only once the people have gone do you start to question the value of the items that have been kept, or hoarded in some circumstances. Of course, life … Continue reading What to throw away
Thoughts from a Retired Guerrilla Worker 