I've ridden around here you know!

I used to do endurance riding and so am often found to say as we drive somewhere obscure that I have ridden around here and it really annoys people. At the weekend we went up to Northumberland to stay with friends of Rob. I used to live in Newcastle for about two years and as I loved the area so much when I was back in London and later I returned to the area for week long riding holidays which were brilliant.

The horses stayed at a different farm every night and we were ferried back and forth to a hotel via coach. Except one holiday when we had a coach crash thrown in for free and various farmers were pulled in to take us about in their smelly cars.

So by chance on the way home yesterday we passed the crash site and I was also able to say I've crashed around here you know!

It was on a very steep hill and vehicles are requested to test their brakes before they go down it. Our driver had tested ours and found he didn't have any. We had no inkling that there was a problem until he lurched the coach into the side and into the run off area provided hitting the crash barrier for good measure. He then leapt out the coach and went back up the hill to a Pub for a stiff drink to calm his nerves leaving us all on the coach wondering what had happened!

Because he had put the coach so emphatically in the run off area a crane was required to remove it. So it stayed there all week. Brilliant.

We went out Saturday night to the new Armadillo (not the real name) in Newcastle for a Jazz Concert by somebody we later discovered was the leading Jazz singer of our time! She even had a write up in the Sunday Times the next day. I think her name was Carol Martin but I could be wrong.

We had Tapas before and crossed over the Millenium bridge that was open to allow the trip boats under and made us late. It is supposed to look like an eye opening but I will take their word for it. Good design though. I tried to take photos but they are crap.

Much has changed since I was there, shame we didn't have time for a wander around the university and where I lived.


Anyway ...
Back to the boat.

Liz has painted the bows.