1167 Jarrow Town Hall

The sun continues to shine, creating a warmth absent for most of the summer, so the inclination is to abandon plans and enjoy. I had some unease arising from a prior enquiry about my visit to Jarrow Town Hall but in fact the occasion proved memorable because of the contact re-established.

Jarrow was first created as a local authority only in 1875 by Queen Victoria, having been created a town by the decision of Charles Palmer to bring a shipyard and the workers from Ireland and Scotland to the banks of the Tyne. The first election was held on 10th August 1976 and Mr Palmer, having been elected to the South Ward become the first Mayor. Without St Paul's and the Monastery it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Jarrow would been renamed Palmerstown.

It was not until 1899 that the decision was taken to build a town hall and the foundation stone was then laid by ten Sir Charles Palmer MP in 1902 and the present building was completed in 1904 at a cost of £12000 The building is classical renaissance style finished with red terracotta and red brick. The main staircase is of marble with oak panelling. The Council chamber at the front of the building on the first floor is of fumed oak and red morocco and the stained glass windows were gifted by Lord Northbourne, Sir Charles Palmer and the Town Clerk. The building also housed the County Court reached by a separate entrance. The Town Hall Clock was only added in 1951 at a cost of £1000.

The building is present used by council department providing direct services to the public and by Councillors representing Jarrow wards and the Mid Tyne Parliamentary constituency. From 1974 the chain of office of the Jarrow Mayor has been worn by the deputy Mayor of South Tyneside. I did not make enquiries as to whether the resentment at losing separate municipal status along with Hebburn and the Boldens which also covered Whitburn and Cleadon as second tier authorities to Durham County Council has changed over time, but there is no question that the development of private housing will change the political complexion in the future, but hopefully not the outlook where political representatives are regarded by the public as servants to get things done or put right 365 days and nights a year.

After the visit and a cup of coffee there were more photos to be taken, having been reminded that the 65 town centre pubs had been reduced to half a dozen and then a visit to the Supermarket after a second and more leisurely look at the shopping centre which has a greater range of shops and stores including Woolworths and Wilkinson's, but not a McDonalds or similar, but at least one Italian bistro with one line of well used outside tables. The Old Ellison's has become a bingo centre and I did learn that the new Ellison's retains a male only room while the Community Centre has full stage performance facilities.

My anticipation that Morrison's would meet my food shopping needs better than that at Sunderland together with Azda near my home was more than justified and I had stayed up the previous evening ensuring that the freezer was defrosted and ready for restocking. The purchases were mixed between those designed for healthy eating and controlling weight to self indulgence. One love is stuffed shoulder of lamb which even when crisp has lots of edible fat. I have resisted for almost a year in which my weight has maintained at 16 stone and along way from the target of 14. Another is the kipper and a pair caught off the North East Coast would do for tea, as did an experiment of mussels. I have enjoyed the modest winkle since childhood but these like peanuts are best heavily salted and which has become taboo, but the mussel like the oyster has never appealed. They were the most expensive of fish buys and were OK but nothing special or justifying the price. Perhaps I will have a go at oysters, but not immediately. I did have a snack of some parcels of cream cheese with smoked salmon on crackers, also costing more than the kippers, trout bought fresh and frozen, or the lamb. Other buys which should have been resisted included chopped beef in a rich peppercorn sauce, one portion eaten for Saturday lunch, some chicken breasts wrapped in bacon and cheese and a penne bake in more rich sauce. There will have to be a lot more compensatory walking

There was an exciting afternoon before the television as the English cricket team bowled out India for under 200 runs and then after a shaky start in which two quick wickets were lost the match was won and I was able to set off to visit my mother for late afternoon and evening and the vital European finals qualifying game against Israel at Wembley. I was able to watch this at my mother's bedside and then during the evening meal for the patients after which they were prepared for the night, I moved to the day room where some patients and other relatives required to vacate wards enjoyed parts of the second half of a game which was won 3.0 with some great goals and several bad misses.

The evening was spent writing including a draft letter to the author of a New Work, play in progress.

1165 Jarrow and St Paul's

Three miles from the mouth of the Tyne at South Shields is the village green of Cleadon, and within a few minutes walk in any direction there is functioning agricultural land, and within a 15 minute walk you reach the Cleadon Hill nature reserve with its shell of a windmill and the former tower of the Cleadon Waterworks in enclosed wooded grounds which includes a number of dwellings converted into private dwellings

There has been a village at Cleadon for 1000 years, and there are a few older properties but the majority are post World Ward II To the south of the village there are exceptional properties valued between half a million of over one million pounds and the rest of the village is comprised of properties at above average value for the region. Cleadon is regarded as the best residential area south of the Tyne and there are no former local authority properties in he village to my knowledge. There are a few shops and stores and in addition to the pub restaurant there is one Italian Bistro which I visited when it was the French Blackboard. There used to be a post office and one is still listed in the Wikipedia internet encyclopaedia updated 11th August of this year. This contrasted with the queue waiting for the post office to open just along from the Town Hall on the main road to Sunderland. The population of the village was last estimated as 4500.

The most famous visitor resident to the village was Charles Dickens and he developed his character Miss Haversham in Great Expectations while staying at Cleadon House. Oliver Cromwell also stayed in the village and in recent times it has been the home of several professional footballers although the most well known sportsman visiting friends on a regular basis has been Frank Bruno. Other well known personalities do not advertise their presence.

It is therefore not surprising that my attempt to locate a Community Home with Education on the premises did not find many local supporters. The South Tyneside Council owns an important stretch of land to the east of the village with uninterrupted agricultural and open land to the coast a mile away. Originally there were two storey Cottage homes for children in care and these were then converted into homes for the elderly when national policy against large children's homes and villages changed with post war legislation in 1948 which created Children's Officers and Departments and an emphasises on small family group homes and foster parents. After 1948, a day centre for mentally handicapped adults was created by the Health Department and a school for Mentally Handicapped children. About the time social services departments were created the term mental handicap was not considered appropriate changed to mental disability and then to children and adults with severe learning difficulties. When after 1974 the local authority built three purpose designed single floor establishments for the elderly in South Shields the Oakleigh Gardens accommodation was closed and eventually demolished. Less than three decades later one of these establishments was closed and then demolished to make way for a new purpose designed health centre. While the centre for adults with learning difficulties was located in an attractive environment the facilities the range of activities was limited and tended to reinforce the attitude that these young adults were children. A purpose designed factory type unit was built in an area of similar premises in South Shields and the building also included leisure and full catering facilities. The intention of the Adult Training centre was to provide a grounding which would enable some trainees to graduate into employment with commercial enterprises. The Social Services department did make use of the Oakleigh Gardens site for a market gardening and garden furniture making for adults with learning difficulties during the 1980's. A public enquiry failed to establish the justification for the children's centre project given the availability of other sites in the local authority area.

I commenced my walking from the carpark adjacent to the Britannia Inn. The Inn has been reorganised and recently changed ownership from Beefeaters to a Toby Carvery. Thirty years ago the Inn attracted family parties throughout the year because tables were located in small Dickensian style room alcove complete with pictures and books. These were a great favourite among young children and a first choice for birthday celebrations. During the later 1980's early 1990's the rooms were demolished to create a traditional open plan restaurant with a popular fixed price three course lunch menu with a concessionary price for those over sixty.
Even more popular was the special bar menu where there was a choice of main course for an amazingly low price. The bar area was also attractive with a traditional fireplace and nooks and crannies. Since being taken over by Toby Inn. the former restaurant area has been transformed into a brightly decorated and warm dining area with floor to ceiling pictures. My reservation about the carvery is that the evening and weekend main course rate enables unlimited visits to the choice of roast meats and multiple vegetable selections which are available buffet style, and the extent to which plates are piled high has to be seen to be believed.

The Inn is opposite the busy main road from South Shields to Sunderland and overlooks flower beds and arrangements and the attractive village pong where one road leads to the village of Whitburn. The weather being uncertain I decided to take the car between the attractive Cottage Tavern Inn and the Esso Garage where for several decades I fuelled my car during journeys from work to home when not taking the coast road and then the road leading from the residential housing to the entrance of the special school and farming land to a stopping point adjacent to a stile which led onto the nature reserve and Windmill.

My walking stick was needed as the bank up this part of the hill was steep but the effort was most worthwhile as I soon had panoramic views across South Tyneside to Hebburn Gateshead and Newcastle (10 miles 16km), to the new town of Washington with its turbine wind mills and the Nissan car manufacturing plant, over looked by the Penshaw Hill donated by the Marquess of Londonderry for the building of a replica of the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens built in 1844 and dedicated to the Earl of Durham who became the first British Governor of Canada Province. The Monument stands 136 metres above sea level.

To the sea the view extends across the whole of Sunderland, five miles distant, with both piers to the river Wear and then along the coastline to Hartlepool and Middlesbrough. However the view North is obstructed by a second high hill dominated by the former Cleaden Water company grounds with its tall imposing Tower and pumping station control buildings.

The windmill was extensively damaged during World War one when it was used for target practice by an artillery regiment. The present outer shell was restored about twenty years ago, but because of the previous damage it is unlikely to qualify for the kind of grants which enables nearby mills at Whitburn and Fullwell to be restored. I then walked down and up towards the second hill dominated by the Water Tower, built in Italianate style in 1863 by Thomas Hawksley it is along with Penshaw Monument, Sunderland, Grey's monument in Newcastle and the Angel of the North in Gateshead the most prominent and interesting of such buildings in the North East. The heavily wooded grounds are full of botanical interest and theatre was major fight locally when attempts were made by the owners of the land to develop part of the site included listed buildings also in the Italianate style for private housing, although a modified scheme was agreed and the area has a fortress appearance wall and secured gates.

I walked around the wall in an attempt to gain a view of South Shields and was confronted by a tall wire mesh fencing which reminded me of a World War 2 prison camp. In this instance it was put up the South Shields golf club following two incidents when stolen vehicles were driven to the area and set on fire , and there were also break-ins at the club. At one corner of the fencing there is a small gateway which appears to lead into dense flowering shrubs but venturing forward I quickly came to the edge of the golf course and a gravel path between the fence and masking shrubbery which enabled several photographs to be taken across the town and river to North Shields and Tynemouth, including one the ferries returning to its base.

I had reached this point taking the road way north until it became a track leading into Cleaden Park a large area of mixed housing, private and affluent the closest to Cleadon Village, and then an area of over 100 single storey properties designed for the elderly up a hill a miles away from the nearest shopping and therefore totally in appropriate with being able to drive and run a car. There is there older council and housing association properties with those closest to the main road opposite Temple Park most demolished to make way for an interesting new housing development. It is not surprising that when I made preliminary tour to find access points to the hills I encountered groups of young people trying to entertain themselves on the streets. Given the number of secluded pathways in the area it is not surprising that the thick high stone walls and tall fencing surrounds the private developments.

The most interesting aspect of this area is the extent of the greenland corridor from the Leas at Marsden to Souter Point, The Whitburn gold course, quarry and farms between the coast road and the parallel Lizard Lane, the agricultural land and South Shields golf course from the other side of Lizard Lane leading to the Cleadon Hills and agricultural land down Cleadon village and then across to the villages of Bolden with the Tilesheds nature reserve to the west and the in the north west the vast acres of Temple Park and the apicultural land to the South of Gateshead and the north of Washington. It is understandable the many are protecting all this land from alternative uses, although the reality remains that if the communities are to survive and prosper then thousands of additional jobs must be created and those in the leisure and tourist fields will not be sufficient. It is fortunate that there are several miles of riverside to be developed.

1164 Cleadon Village and Hills

Three miles from the mouth of the Tyne at South Shields is the village green of Cleadon, and within a few minutes walk in any direction there is functioning agricultural land, and within a 15 minute walk you reach the Cleadon Hill nature reserve with its shell of a windmill and the former tower of the Cleadon Waterworks in enclosed wooded grounds which includes a number of dwellings converted into private dwellings

There has been a village at Cleadon for 1000 years, and there are a few older properties but the majority are post World Ward II To the south of the village there are exceptional properties valued between half a million of over one million pounds and the rest of the village is comprised of properties at above average value for the region. Cleadon is regarded as the best residential area south of the Tyne and there are no former local authority properties in he village to my knowledge. There are a few shops and stores and in addition to the pub restaurant there is one Italian Bistro which I visited when it was the French Blackboard. There used to be a post office and one is still listed in the Wikipedia internet encyclopaedia updated 11th August of this year. This contrasted with the queue waiting for the post office to open just along from the Town Hall on the main road to Sunderland. The population of the village was last estimated as 4500.

The most famous visitor resident to the village was Charles Dickens and he developed his character Miss Haversham in Great Expectations while staying at Cleadon House. Oliver Cromwell also stayed in the village and in recent times it has been the home of several professional footballers although the most well known sportsman visiting friends on a regular basis has been Frank Bruno. Other well known personalities do not advertise their presence.

It is therefore not surprising that my attempt to locate a Community Home with Education on the premises did not find many local supporters. The South Tyneside Council owns an important stretch of land to the east of the village with uninterrupted agricultural and open land to the coast a mile away. Originally there were two storey Cottage homes for children in care and these were then converted into homes for the elderly when national policy against large children's homes and villages changed with post war legislation in 1948 which created Children's Officers and Departments and an emphasises on small family group homes and foster parents. After 1948, a day centre for mentally handicapped adults was created by the Health Department and a school for Mentally Handicapped children. About the time social services departments were created the term mental handicap was not considered appropriate changed to mental disability and then to children and adults with severe learning difficulties. When after 1974 the local authority built three purpose designed single floor establishments for the elderly in South Shields the Oakleigh Gardens accommodation was closed and eventually demolished. Less than three decades later one of these establishments was closed and then demolished to make way for a new purpose designed health centre. While the centre for adults with learning difficulties was located in an attractive environment the facilities the range of activities was limited and tended to reinforce the attitude that these young adults were children. A purpose designed factory type unit was built in an area of similar premises in South Shields and the building also included leisure and full catering facilities. The intention of the Adult Training centre was to provide a grounding which would enable some trainees to graduate into employment with commercial enterprises. The Social Services department did make use of the Oakleigh Gardens site for a market gardening and garden furniture making for adults with learning difficulties during the 1980's. A public enquiry failed to establish the justification for the children's centre project given the availability of other sites in the local authority area.

I commenced my walking from the carpark adjacent to the Britannia Inn. The Inn has been reorganised and recently changed ownership from Beefeaters to a Toby Carvery. Thirty years ago the Inn attracted family parties throughout the year because tables were located in small Dickensian style room alcove complete with pictures and books. These were a great favourite among young children and a first choice for birthday celebrations. During the later 1980's early 1990's the rooms were demolished to create a traditional open plan restaurant with a popular fixed price three course lunch menu with a concessionary price for those over sixty.
Even more popular was the special bar menu where there was a choice of main course for an amazingly low price. The bar area was also attractive with a traditional fireplace and nooks and crannies. Since being taken over by Toby Inn. the former restaurant area has been transformed into a brightly decorated and warm dining area with floor to ceiling pictures. My reservation about the carvery is that the evening and weekend main course rate enables unlimited visits to the choice of roast meats and multiple vegetable selections which are available buffet style, and the extent to which plates are piled high has to be seen to be believed.

The Inn is opposite the busy main road from South Shields to Sunderland and overlooks flower beds and arrangements and the attractive village pong where one road leads to the village of Whitburn. The weather being uncertain I decided to take the car between the attractive Cottage Tavern Inn and the Esso Garage where for several decades I fuelled my car during journeys from work to home when not taking the coast road and then the road leading from the residential housing to the entrance of the special school and farming land to a stopping point adjacent to a stile which led onto the nature reserve and Windmill.

My walking stick was needed as the bank up this part of the hill was steep but the effort was most worthwhile as I soon had panoramic views across South Tyneside to Hebburn Gateshead and Newcastle (10 miles 16km), to the new town of Washington with its turbine wind mills and the Nissan car manufacturing plant, over looked by the Penshaw Hill donated by the Marquess of Londonderry for the building of a replica of the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens built in 1844 and dedicated to the Earl of Durham who became the first British Governor of Canada Province. The Monument stands 136 metres above sea level.

To the sea the view extends across the whole of Sunderland, five miles distant, with both piers to the river Wear and then along the coastline to Hartlepool and Middlesbrough. However the view North is obstructed by a second high hill dominated by the former Cleaden Water company grounds with its tall imposing Tower and pumping station control buildings.

The windmill was extensively damaged during World War one when it was used for target practice by an artillery regiment. The present outer shell was restored about twenty years ago, but because of the previous damage it is unlikely to qualify for the kind of grants which enables nearby mills at Whitburn and Fullwell to be restored. I then walked down and up towards the second hill dominated by the Water Tower, built in Italianate style in 1863 by Thomas Hawksley it is along with Penshaw Monument, Sunderland, Grey's monument in Newcastle and the Angel of the North in Gateshead the most prominent and interesting of such buildings in the North East. The heavily wooded grounds are full of botanical interest and theatre was major fight locally when attempts were made by the owners of the land to develop part of the site included listed buildings also in the Italianate style for private housing, although a modified scheme was agreed and the area has a fortress appearance wall and secured gates.

I walked around the wall in an attempt to gain a view of South Shields and was confronted by a tall wire mesh fencing which reminded me of a World War 2 prison camp. In this instance it was put up the South Shields golf club following two incidents when stolen vehicles were driven to the area and set on fire , and there were also break-ins at the club. At one corner of the fencing there is a small gateway which appears to lead into dense flowering shrubs but venturing forward I quickly came to the edge of the golf course and a gravel path between the fence and masking shrubbery which enabled several photographs to be taken across the town and river to North Shields and Tynemouth, including one the ferries returning to its base.

I had reached this point taking the road way north until it became a track leading into Cleaden Park a large area of mixed housing, private and affluent the closest to Cleadon Village, and then an area of over 100 single storey properties designed for the elderly up a hill a miles away from the nearest shopping and therefore totally in appropriate with being able to drive and run a car. There is there older council and housing association properties with those closest to the main road opposite Temple Park most demolished to make way for an interesting new housing development. It is not surprising that when I made preliminary tour to find access points to the hills I encountered groups of young people trying to entertain themselves on the streets. Given the number of secluded pathways in the area it is not surprising that the thick high stone walls and tall fencing surrounds the private developments.

The most interesting aspect of this area is the extent of the greenland corridor from the Leas at Marsden to Souter Point, The Whitburn gold course, quarry and farms between the coast road and the parallel Lizard Lane, the agricultural land and South Shields golf course from the other side of Lizard Lane leading to the Cleadon Hills and agricultural land down Cleadon village and then across to the villages of Bolden with the Tilesheds nature reserve to the west and the in the north west the vast acres of Temple Park and the apicultural land to the South of Gateshead and the north of Washington. It is understandable the many are protecting all this land from alternative uses, although the reality remains that if the communities are to survive and prosper then thousands of additional jobs must be created and those in the leisure and tourist fields will not be sufficient. It is fortunate that there are several miles of riverside to be developed.

1161 Riverside Morning South Shields and daily Chronicle

Usually when I sit down to write I know my purpose. The most basic level is to practice attempting to find a combination of words which will accurately communicate to someone else what I am thinking. It is only possible to establish the success or failure of doing this if someone else reads the words and indicates that their understanding is similar to my own. This creates the first problem because my understanding changes over time and this is only known to me or to others if I also publish every draft, both mental and written. The same process also applies to any other person who communicates in written words about what I have written. The process is simpler if the thought is emotionally neutral. If I write that 12 words are divided into 4 groups of 3 everyone reading the statement will have the same understanding once they have accepted the basics of number and division. It is not as simple when I ask the question : "what happens when I divide the number 4 by 3," because the factual answer 1.333 recurring does not directly communicate my intended purpose of raising the philosophical issue of what has happened to the missing portion of 4 as three times 1.333 is only 3.999 recurring? However it is still an emotionally neutral statement which requires a process of further thinking about to grasp.

Such writing is not intended to have an emotional reaction although it will have if for example a reader knows that some one else has previously written about the subject using the same or similar words and I have not made an appropriate attribution, or if the reader does not like me and therefore reacts whenever they encounter something that I have written. It is normal to react to what someone writes because we know of them and like them or we do not know them or like them. A reader is more likely to pay attention to writing which asks the question what happens when you divide 1 by 3,6, or 9 if they are interested in issues of number or philosophy or the use of language and I was able to add to the writing that I was a Doctor of Mathematics, Philosophy or Language or I had just won £50 million pounds in the European Lottery or the Big Brother House, become elected Prime Minister or engaged to be married to Prince Harry or William. Alas being none of such individuals no one will pay attention.

Sometimes when I sit down to write, I am a clear what it is I am trying to say but frequently I decide to concentrate on something very different because it is of greater interest to me or I realise that I have not thought enough or undertaken the research and that the effort required will take more time that I am willing to allocate because of other things I need or want to do. Today for example I had decided to start to write about the Jarrow Crusade for work, as I am in the process of reading the definitive work by Matt Perry of Sunderland University who published his work The Jarrow Crusade, Protest and Legend 2005, and which I purchased last year and decided to read as part of my walk to St Paul's and around the Jarrow town centre where I lived for six months when I first came to work in the North East in 1974. A week to day the Jarrow Town Hall will open its doors as part of Heritage weekend.

Now I will stop and lose my train of thought because there is the clearest of blue skies and ideal for walking. Yesterday it was similar but by the time I went out dark clouds emerged with a cold wind and I was at the hospital when it changed once more, and I wanted food, a rest and to experience the final moments of Big Brother House when for once I successfully predicated the order of departure, Jonty, Carole, Ziggy, Liam, the Twins and Brian the winner, although I hoped that Ziggy would be the first to depart of the seven.

Saturday 1st of September, the first day of Autumn and I set off midmorning with the intention to walk around Cleadon Village and its hill. I decided on a stop off at the town centre which involved investing 60p for a minute's walk go find that the bank was closed in order to check that a £20 note issued on August 17th is legal tender because if so it will be worth significant more because of nature of the potential mistakes rather than a fraudulent intentioned fake. Later I am told these are the new type £20 note and this is confirmed which I check on the internet.

It is not only sunny but warm I change my mind again and decided to try and work out what is planned for the Riverside development although I do not have the plan to hand. The area begins by the ferry landing which is opposite the Market square and former Town Hall building and where there is now an open space of grass and the beginnings of the proposed riverside embankment which presently ends outside the Customs House Entertainment and Arts Project at Mill Dam. The first question is to find out what is proposed for here? Restaurant bars, artist studios and workshops or the present open vista across and along the river in both directions?

Then them there is the important roundabout first with the Riverside Pub at the head of the road down to Mill Dam and then two roads with rub westward parallel to the river coming to an apex at the roundabout where once the La Strada night club stood but now a humorous work of contemporary art. There is also a road at right angles to the river parallel to market square and the King Street shopping centre which runs to a development of new upmarket brand stores

I first take the Commercial Road and stop the car in a side road leading down to the riverside. I have passed the new Law Courts on my left covering both Magistrates and County Courts. There is also the rear of the new police headquarters with its entrance off Station Road where there is a B and Q store, a Nationwide AA garage part of a retail store selling everything you may need for the car or bicycle. Across from this is remains of St Hilda's Pit as a tourist attraction, small business units and a couple of larger household stores. There are substantial sites in this quarter of a mile, half mile area without direct access to the riverside although close to the McNulty Yard at Middle Dock there is a small grassed area with a close up of the drilling platform to the left and of two North Sea Ferries across the river. Tuck away close to the river among dereliction and site clearance is an very attractive public house restaurant the Rose and Crown, a little away long the forlorn deserted Commercial hotel and then at an apex junction leading to the Port of Tyne Dock and Jarrow slake there is the attractively modern Trimmers Arms with its Lobster restaurant and across the way the more traditional looking Dolly Arms. It is presently difficult envisage how this will look in five to ten years time.

There is a second roundabout at the inland Station Rd junction Crossgates which leads directly to the splendid Victoria Town Hall which I first encountered in the late autumn of 1973, a lifetime before and the long Western Approach which marks the Eastern boundary to the development plan area. Along the first part to the next roundabout at Laygate there are blocks of flats which reflect the continuing sad facts of local life that over three decades the local authority has overall failed to progress from having the greatest level of unemployment and urban deprivation. Twelve of twenty of the local government wards are among the most deprived nationally with the second highest unemployment rate of 9%, and where there significantly fewer economically active adults 20-34 than the national average and significantly more older people 64-84.Mortality from circulatory diseases is 65% higher than in Europe and 30% above the UK average. Teenage pregnancy rates are 50% higher than the national average and there is below average educational attainment.

The situation which the borough continues to face is summed up in the area of my second walk after parking my car near the modern pharmacy health centre between the Western Approach and Frederick Street. In 1974 Frederick was a thriving shopping street which served local needs but which also had a range of specialist enterprises. Now only half the 100 premises continue to function with the majority at the southern end not only closed but showing quickening decay. At the Northern end is Laygate with what was then an attractive street, and a half, of colourful post-war shops with flats above. One side of street is being demolished to make way for a new supermarket development. Opposite this is Ahmed's international store which equals anything you will find anywhere for range of groceries, especially spices. However near by is a Public House where several decades ago I ventured and heard talk which suggested extreme right wing leanings with a short distance away a National Unionist Club and then the South Shields Mosque where Mohamed Ali held a marriage ceremony within a couple of days of the Queen's Silver Jubilee visit held at Gypsies Green and which is now to become a major hotel and conference centre. In between there is Laygate Assessment centre. Originally a traditional day nursery there centre has been developed over the years to provide an importance local resource for children and their families. Together with the Law Top area and Ocean Road the area is home to the small well established ethnic minority community although this has been significant increasing over recent years with the enlargement of the European Community and the expansion of the Marine, general technology and education College with its two centres in Shields and Hebburn.

Parallel and running almost half the length of Frederick Street is a large factory unit now deserted. This used to part of the Plessey empire, and then Viasystems and then the Electronics firm Circatex. There were some 750 jobs here five years ago, and 650 a year later. There were less than 200 with a management buy out from the Administrator three years ago. All is not gloom and doom however because next to the closed factory is an estate of manufacturing and other business which includes a substantial modern looking factory producing Asian frozen foods. Tucked away within the estate is an adult training centre for adults with learning difficulties intentionally located in an area where it was hoped there would be possibilities for some to transfer into more commercial enterprises. The move of this centre from the outskirts of Cleadon Village with open views of the Cleadon Hill will be covered as part of my walk around the village to hill overlooking Temple park to the west and the coast at Marsden and Whitburn to the east. Meanwhile I barely wait until next week to re-examine the ambitious riverside development plan with its3400 additional jobs and 2000 training places with 400 business enterprises.

I returned for a prawn salad before going to visit my mother in the hospital for the afternoon. She was asleep for the three hours of the visit so I was able to listen to Newcastle managing to miss a hatful of easy goals against the ten men of Wigan, although the curse was lifted when after nearly six months of failing to score a goal at home, Michael Owen was able to do so within seconds of the full time whistle. I was then able to return to watch the warm reception with Roy Keane received from over 70000 Manchester united supporters as he brought his Sunderland team to the city. Sunderland looked as good as they had in the first match of the season when they beat Spurs at home, which is just as well as he further signings brought his total of spending to £40 million in one year and to the purchase of dozens of players to gain promotion and to now survive in the Premier League. This time the team gave away a goal at the end of the match, but by the time of the next home game after the break for international Euro cup matches over the next fortnight, I am confident he will have created a survival force.

1160 South Shields Riverside

Awake 8am following interesting dreams arising from my walk around Old Sunderland Riverside and docklands area. Mist was in and only commenced to break up around 10 and by then decision to make this a work day.

Great news as an email advises that Don McLean who sings Vincent on Myspace is to appear at the City Hall Newcastle Thursday 11th October and I have booked a ticket in the central balcony at a total fee of £32.50. I will not moan at the cost of concert tickets these days, for once.

Further thoughts on 2007 Northern Rivera Project and decision to transfer and reorganise photos into major folder Northern Rivera with sub folders of Sunderland River Mouth, Sunderland Seaburn and Roker, Whitburn, South Shields Coast and Inland and River Tyne to Jarrow, This has been accomplished by 10 am except for Seaburn Seas, Skies, the airshow weekend photos. Trips planned South Shields down to Hotel to Customs House. Customs House to St Paul's, St Paul's Bede World and Jarrow. Cleadon Hill and Village, Fullwell Mill.

Introduction to include key photo of St Peters and St Paul, Wearmouth Bridge, Tynemouth Castle and Priory, Marsden Grotto, Souter Point Lighthouse, sweep of Bays at Shields and Seaburn. Need to think more on this for 10-12 photos have places now for Jarrow Town Hall Heritage weekend Sat 10.30 and Theatre Royal Friday at 9am.
Could not book Vie en rose Tyneside film theatre box office not open until afternoon evening. Do tonight on return from Hospital. Visit next week Sunderland Bourne film and Empire Visit re Heritage Day. Arranged later 7.55 Sunday September 2nd. Remember to claim over 60 concession ticket.

Will do shop by car beforehand say 1pm. (Cereal Salad Milk Cherries for weekend - work freezer clear means two Pizza's pork chops Fish, need some prawns. Change of plan as the sun breaks out and I cannot resist going for a walk. Go to Supermarket after hospital visit. 2 Litres Asda water for 19p, They are out of milk. Change of plan for evening meal have a prepared stir fry. Beef, onions, peppers, noodles and sauce. Takes 14 minutes and provides oversize helping for one at £3 special offer. Buy two fresh pineapples which together with cherries bought from market earlier in the day and bananas purchased previously will provide fruit for the weekend. Pay Credit card and order some cinema tickets with points accumulated.

Last night's programme on small French village properties Burgundy Region 2-3 bed with ground £75000 raised once more the issue of major change after Mabel without achieving major capital/income injection age health and other issues dream dreams unfulfilled. I am pleased that others will however be having the experience. My two weeks was just a taster. It is amazing that it happened over 15 years ago

Big Brother House enters its last week. Individuals continue to surprise with creativity and greater depth. Last night two task organiser were made to participate in a couple of their ideas) has my suggestion of an insiders programme taken some root? There have been some magic moments for the group over the past two weeks which have been shared with anyone with the time and inclination to participate. I am reminded of the week to ten days I spent at Oxford with a group of friends from Ruskin college after the courses had been completed and we waited for the results to be posted outside the Examination Schools and where we did all the things which Oxford is famed for from punting to a picnic at Blenheim Palace, meals and drinks and chat into the night, speculating on our individual futures and the changes we would make to the world. The experience was irreplaceable and unrepeatable .

I also share the reservation expressed by other about Ziggy and it would be disappointing if be won the event. The public has generally been right about who to evict in that there is only one individual; who I would have preferred to have remained, Gerry, replacing Ziggy.

After an early lunch I took the car to the Little Haven Hotel where it looked as if an all female association was having a lunch in the promenade restaurant. A two or three course is reasonable priced and there is a two or three night special rate which works out around £40 a night BB but is per person. On the river side at the junction with the river mouth beachside there is an ornate metal work bench on its own with a plaque explaining that it is for John who loved to watch the river from his family who watched he river with him. I sat and thought of John and of his family who had provide the facility. Later in the evening I received an email announcing that a former work colleague had been called by his Lord. He was a man of life long public service through his professional work for local government, as a lay preacher and through a political commitment to social justice. I was able to walk around the yacht club slipway noting that the tide was exceptionally low as it had been at the Wear yesterday, on to the promenade around the riverside development where once oil storage tanks dominated the skyline. I had also take more photos of the telly tubby men and women, but forgot to count and note their number about fifteen I think.

I then moved the car, and me, to housing development around the two former small dock inlet west of the ferry terminal to take a close up photo of a sea siren embracing a golden galleon. The roadway now divides the two inlets, creating enclosed rectangular areas of water and in the second, across from where I had parked my car there are now seven model galleons made from steel several feel in both length and height. It was an exciting artwork discovery in the midst of a private housing development where fee travellers venture unless they are residents or visiting residents.

I then was able to walk along the riverbank to the customs house taking photographs as the clouds turned to grey. In the car park at the back of the Customs House project there are also about fifteen white metal sculptures fixed on the high wall avoiding graffiti. There are ships, a crane, an anchor and a navigation wheel. However the amusing sculpture work is nearby on the site of the former La Strada nightclub. What I do not understand from having one visited the club is the limited area of the present site, given that there was the dance floor and bar and a small office area in one corner where I spent most of my time keeping clear of the action, surviving on soft drinks because I was not only driving but was needed as a chauffer. Now there are raised beds of flowers where once were the outer walls of the club , The art work consists of five ten foot or so posts, with bar height round tables on which are glasses, bottles, mobile phones, a hand bags.

Having written about the two ancient churches and monasteries of St Peters and St Paul, mention should also be made of St Hilda's off market Square and the old Town Hall building at its centre. The church is also over 1000 years of age, founded in in 647 AD. The surrounding buildings are unattractive post war structures reminders of the extent of bombing. Earlier by the Custom's house project I had stood in remembrance of the statue to merchant navy men unveiled by Lady Mountbatten in 1990. Thousands who sailed from the Tyne during the second world war perished, with the largest number of deaths from any town or city coming from South Shields. There is a terrace of ancient pubs leading to the Customs House including the Waterfront and the Steamboat, and then a terrace crescent of restored buildings commencing with the Mission to Seafarers building which includes the Flying Angel bar, and a former church no converted into flats.

In the High Street there was a new entertainer, a traditional one man band with a drum and symbol on his back played by a foot, a banjo and mouth organ and playing and singing something which sounded Cajun New Orleans and which brought a great smile to many a face because of past memories, and he was good and great fun. Somehow even the leaden sky above started to smile again and the sun strengthened and it stayed warm for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Tomorrow is going to be a difficult day, a day, tomorrow has already arrived.

1159 Northern Rivera Begins

I have lived, and worked, close to the Rivers Tyne and the Wear, and the seven miles of picturesque coastline for thirty years, half my lifetime, and during this period I have witnessed the attempts of the local authorities to meet the challenges created by the demise of shipbuilding, coal and steel, and which together with the River Tees made the North East of England, the industrial capital of the world. I am not an economic or social historian or claim to have studied the history of the North East and its peoples in any depth, but I am confident that academics of the future will applaud the action taken over the past decade to begin the transformation of the region into one of the most interesting and exciting cultural, educational and tourist areas for young people and their families.

I believe I can demonstrate through pictures and simple words that commencing with the ancient Cathedral and University city of Durham, to the former industrial port of Sunderland beside the banks and mouth of the river Wear, and then along a coast to rival that of Devon and Cornwall, and then inland once more with the twin beacons of the ruins of Tynemouth Castle and Priory on the north bank and the now hidden ruins of the what was once the biggest Roman supply fort in Europe on the other, and onto what has already become the great tourist city centres outside of London in the United Kingdom, Newcastle with its twin local authority Gateshead this area can now claim to have become the Northern Rivera.

Durham, Sunderland, South Shields, Tynemouth, Newcastle and Gateshead, are all also excellent places from which to explore the region with to the North, the deserted coast of Northumberland and the film set Castle at Bamburgh, overlooking the dawn of British Christianity at Lindisfarne and the other Farne Islands, and in land the vast forests and sheep lands, and the grand reservoir lake of Keilder, merging into lowlands of Scotland, with its capital city, an hour away by train, and to the immediate west the Cumbrian Pennines and northern Lakes, with in the south west the country towns and wild open hill lands of Durham on over the mountains to Southern Lakeland, while in the South there are pretty villages of the North Yorkshire Moors, the land of Heartbeat and leading to the picturesque Robin Hood's Bay and Whitby, with the former Northern Rivera seaside spectacular of Scarborough, and the extraordinary city of York Minister to South, also an hour away by train.

For 2007 I have concentrated on the northern bank of the river Wear from main road and pedestrian Bridge into the City centre, to the new Roker Marina Village at its mouth, stopping first at the new university of Sunderland Campus, then the National Glass Centre and then the proposed world heritage sites of Wearmouth St Peters-St Paul's Jarrow where the journey will end, then along the beaches of Roker and the perfect Victorian style Roker Park, and then to Seaburn, where I lived for three decades, with a detour to Fullwell Mill and onto to the picturesque former mining community of Whitburn, and its coastal park from where over one hundred men and boys as young as twelve perished under the sea before the creation of the National Coal Board, in 1948, passed the Souter Lighthouse to the former Smugglers hideaway of Marsden Grotto where there are several bird sanctuary Rock stacks, with detours inland to the Cleaden village and hills, and to the vast Temple Park with its indoor leisure complex, and then back along the two miles of sweeping cliff topped grassland, the Leas, to the mile long sandy beaches of South Shields with its three month summer festival of free entertainments from local rock bands at the beachside amphitheatre to international entertainers commanding crowds over 10000 in one of three attractive adjacent parks, on up to the Lawe Top and the Arbeia fort where I live, and then back down the Tyne River bank to the new Ferry landing and the theatre cinema arts complex created from the former Custom's house, and on through the imaginative and boldly planned redevelopment of the riverside to Tyne Dock and Bedeworld at St Paul's.

In future years I will travel and part walk the length of the Tyne, stopping to cover the extraordinary developments at Newcastle and Gateshead all the way to Keilder, and then concentrate on the City of Sunderland to Durham.

These walks and travels are part of a contemporary art installation project 101 in which I am reflecting on my lifelong experience in the form of A 4 size cards, one for each hour until the age of 65, over 600000 cards in over 20000 sets representing each day, with between a quarter and a third of the work completed, divided between material which will be accessible and that which is confidential and will remain private, plus photographs with 260000 completed, 100 audio tapes and over 20 hours of unedited digital film.

1145 Temple Park, Freud and Andrew Davies

This morning (Friday 10th August 2007) the sun was shining bright when I woke around 7.30 and refreshed from a good sleep and planned the day. Some writing, some internet work and go out again by 11am, this time take a weekly car park pass at the hospital, as it was evident that the condition of my mother was serious, but I wanted to know more before working out how existing plans and he pattern of my life was to change.

I would make up a salad, possibly as a back up for what was available at the hospital. I would take my camera and walk Temple Memorial Park, the vast open space between the hospital and the Whiteleas Estate but where buildings had been allowed, the Leisure centre first and then the fire station opposite the back end of the hospital complex.

While I was preparing the salad I switched on the radio, a big mistake because of two programmes which followed on from each other. First Desert Island Disks with the extraordinary writer Andrew Davies, now a Professor of Drama at Warwick University and who has effectively cornered the market on period "costume" drama for TV but who has also created great contemporary work ranging from the TV series House of Cards to the Bridget Jones films and is working on Brideshead Revisited, which is perhaps is greatest challenge because the TV series was outstanding and watchable time and time and time again

I immediately had to listen because of several of his choices of music from Chris Barber to Faure Requiem and Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart, but most of all because of the opening work from Jazz on a Summer's which was so appropriate for the spectacle of yachts which reflected the core of this film which I saw the day after release from prison 47 years ago. Now aged 70 he was of my generation but who had dared to risk his future on being a writer working for 15 hours a week at a teacher's training college as his base for providing for his young family, becoming an Honorary professor at the university in 2004 which absorbed the teacher training college during its creation and where over the years he has conducted workshops and talks about his writings. I also enjoyed two of his responses when quizzed about the extent to which he introduced sex into his writing, giving the example of Moll Flanders where there is no explicit references in the text although she has five husbands, one unknowingly her brother, and worked as a lady of the day and night. His defence was that this was far more enjoyable and a good thing to do than all those works about serial killers and human slaughter. He also emphasised that despite the continuing male tendency to think of sex explicitly and implicitly most of the time his excitement and enjoyment tended to come from writing and from food, a common old man's "complaint", so beware young ladies who marry old men, unless of course you are only interested in good food and their money, but also remember that
not all old have this "complaint."
There was still time to do some more work and write these notes later but then I had just had to listen to the last part and abridged version of the Death of Sigmund Freud on his settlement in London and death from cancer during the year of my birth and in which the celebrated his eightieth birthday. There were two important connections with the earlier programme because first related to emphasis on Andrew Davies on Eros versus the fascination with death where Freud argued that all living organisms are attracted - pulled to their own destruction extinction. The writer argues that Freud who had experienced the first World War and the build up to the second, the removal of Eros from Piccadilly Square along with other statues or their encasement before the bombings, symbolised his loss of youthful vigour and decided to yield to ending his life when the cancer returned and that his death that year was hastened by deliberate excessive doses of morphine in what was described as an assisted suicide.

In London he was said to have had an interesting but difficult relationships with the English publisher of his writings, the husband of Virginia Wolf who hotly contested Freud's emphasis on female Narcissism, arguing that men have the greater self love, a view which I have to agree but only in terms of my knowledge and experience, rather than based on any systematic study and proof. I was also unaware of his last and perhaps most controversial of works in which he argued that Moses was in fact an Egyptian, and then is said to put up the case why his Jewish ancestors had deified the man after having murdered him because of their denial of one God and his demand that they abandon their idolatrous behaviour. I would like to know if I had heard the programme correctly, if what was said was accurate, because it would confirm a belief that those who build a reputation and develop some expertise develop the tendency to believe they are experts on everything and are sometimes encourage by the media and public opinion in this self delusion. Now to what was more important to me.

I discovered that I had to feed 8 coins into the machine for the weekly carpark pass at the hospital which meant a journey to the hospital coffee bar for a banana, which was fine, and a packet of crisps which was not, both consumed as it was approaching midday before the walk which I decided to make without the rucksack, but taking the camera. Temple Park was owned by the Church Commissioners, maybe still, and maintained by the local authority. It is a vast area of hilly woodland and shrubs, with stretches of fairway and lighted paths, and with the South Shields Sunderland road to one side and the South Shields road from the Marsden coast to the junction roundabout which leads to Jarrow and the AIM and the Tyne Tunnel. There are council housing estates on the two other sides and the whole area is similar to Hyde Park or Regents Park, but without any cultivated areas of flowers, or water. When I arrived in 1974 there no buildings. There was risk then than any major releasing of the land to the council would have resulted in low cost housing for rent. My walk around the park took place at midday during school holidays on one of the sunny and warmest days of the year, but outside the leisure area and complex I only saw ten people in the hour. This suggest to me that the area is underused with reconsideration required as the nature and economy of the town and surrounding areas of the local authority is transformed.

The move of the fire station from central shields to purpose built opposite the general hospital came after the new ambulance station was built only to find that the new ambulances would not fit in the garages. Temple Park adjacent to the hospital and the Fire station would have been a better location, although the distance between the two locations is short and the traffic on the roads is similar. The ambulance site is however tight.

The indoor leisure centre complex is vast with the swimming pool, three full court size sports halls where on my visit there was basket ball, and cricket in two, table tennis and badminton in the other. There are fitness centres, a large restaurant area and other activity areas. Major entertainment events have been held in the facility and there are small conference/training facilities. I got some leaflets including those on memberships and concessions, and programmes for those over 50 and for females only. If only I wanted to make the time to participate.

Outside there is a large all weather floodlit surface for football, a skateboard facility which was being used by a dozen youngsters and a purpose designed adventure play area for children which was also well used. However apart from the main housing estate to the far west and south of the park, the estate immediately across the South Shields Sunderland road which forms the Eastern boundary has is been knocked down and replaced by a private housing development. There is the added problem that both this road and the East West boundary road are dual carriageway and busy, so making use of the centre is mainly restricted to those with cars. Given that the authority has miles of beaches and coastline, and riverside which is to be developed, that there are five other parks in the town alone, and with parks and public open spaces, and rural walks and vista in the other separate communities which make up a local authority where the population the total population was around 160000, the continuation of Temple Park as it is questionable.

It would have made a great site for a major supermarket development and multiplex cinema, restaurants garage, but one has already been built at Bolden near the junction between roads from Sunderland, to Newcastle, to the AIM and Durham and through the Tyne Tunnel. Another entertainment facility is am indoor bowling centre but there is one on the sea front and another not far away on the main road into Sunderland as there are swimming baths. Another option is the edge of town retail park, white goods, computers, furniture DIY and garden centre. A couple of DIY garden, carpets furniture have developed with varying success close to the riverside, and more recently a small complex of major fashion and designer household store has been created as an extension to the town centres and public transport system. The problem, for four of the five Tyne Wear local authorities, including the two cities, is that on the banks of the Tyne at one edge of Gateshead is the largest indoor shopping complex in Europe with all the major stores also situated around the four wing indoor centre and leisure complex which includes an multiplex and amusement park. There is now just the biggest Ikea but another Scandinavian competitor next door and a short distance away there is every other well known furniture store you can think of and a separate supermarket from the one included in the indoor complex. Therefore any development within South Tyneside will only serve its and any immediate adjacent population. So having decided that this was a space to be developed I was unable to then or now to think of what could be its use. Housing did not seem to me to be an option although there was part towards the Whiteleas Estate where this was a possibility without significantly affecting the rest of the site.

My walking was brisk and my shirt and back had become soaked with sweat so they were removed and I was forced to zip the sleeveless two way jacket with multipockets until the shirt dried by holding it in the wind and then attaching to the window of the car while I eat my salad lunch. It was then time to face what had to be faced.

1144 About Shields and my mother goes into hospital

It is 11am Thursday but this time I am not in a condition for a major walking adventure. One loses stamina with age but not the inclination. What a tragedy? It is as bright as yesterday and the work and some commitments remain unattended. I am determined to lose weight and like the look of myself in the mirror once more. I will do it for me. So what are you doing still sitting here then? Go now. I did.

I wanted to be out in the sun and fresh air, still had no inclination to travel far or walk long. I walked down the hill to the supermarket and bought sandwiches with the intention of having a picnic somewhere. I fancied a prawn baguette and but settled for a three half sandwich pack, 25% less quantity, if price can be a judge?. Usually I will walk through the supermarket to the escalators to street level but it was so warm that I came out again and went down the side passage way which has barriers at intervals to prevent youngsters using for skateboards or cycles. The gradient is steep so mothers with push chairs or young children as well as the very old have to take care. This time a mother is in a rush and is only half aware that the young children with her are rushing about and using the barriers as a duck under game. This time there is no accident or banging into a passer by!

The news board for the local paper reads that a £15 million hotel is planned for the gypsies green stadium at the northern end of the Leas, the only area not given over to National Trust. This does not seem a lot of money. I decide not to buy the paper but read the story on the internet. Before doing this I think over the situation, This is an excellent position for walkers and a good place for east coast stopovers to Edinburgh, the Cairngorms and Inverness or south to York and the East Coast and the A1 route to London, or those who prefer a quite location to the hubbub of Newcastle city who use the A!M. Given that it is only in the last decade or so, that the major hotels in the town have been increased from one to three, with one motel at the outskirts at the end of the A1M and the dual carriage way between Newcastle and Sunderland, talk of a fourth suggests more business men and women as the economy of the riverside is revived. While the forty odd guests house family run businesses appear to do well with contract work, including with the local authority.

I check the internet and WOW was tight about the money angle because the plan is for a regional conference centre catering with seating for 1400 and banqueting for 800, so we are talking in terms of several hundred rooms, hang on the number of rooms only 104, so presumably there is a plan to get support from other hoteliers and use the transport system to convey guests when using the conference and banqueting facilities. I read further on and find that a hotel group has obtained council approval for the developing the project which promises between 140 and 200 jobs with a completion date in 2009. Things are moving quickly.

Thinking about the accuracy of the media information I make a mental and now written note to write to the BBC regarding their statement in the Whitburn Wear walks material which stated that the Windmill was passed to South Tyneside Council several years before the local authority was created! Just as I know things like that I cannot remember the precise times when things happened in my life and I am hopeless at judging ages and distances. I must get a pedometer and re walk the coastal venture before undertaking the commentary for the pictures, some 750 so far. I have previously managed to lose pedometers which you fix to a trouser belt because I am fat, or just clumsy.
I walk on towards the town centre and a few yards further, with public houses on either side and the Minchella's ice cream/tea snackery with tables in the sun, as has one of the pubs, musicians who could be South Americans are setting up their amplifiers. This governs the decision about return route. However there is already live music coming a little further down the main shopping road. Under the Metro station road bridge there is the sound of a ballad singer, who is also playing the guitar, a middle aged man in a wheel chair accompanied by a young man and woman perhaps twenty also playing guitars. There is no where near to sit so I stand in the sun by a barrier which hopefully will avoid passers bumping into me. I stay only for one number eating the first two prawn sandwiches. But the next song does not interest sufficiently so I decide to continue my journey to the Wilkinson's store, a have everything inexpensive household store which does what Woolworths used to only better. There is a two floor Woolworth nearby but it rarely has what I want at the price I am prepared to pay. There is no market today and the opportunity is taken to reconsider the post war created concrete buildings which form two and half sides of the Square after its bombing. In the bright sun they look better than in dark cold winter. These will always be functional and a reminder to the scarcity of post war materials and urgency to replaced bombed sites. Present generations and non Europeans can have no concept of the physical devastation, except for those in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The twins towers was a shock put a pin pick to what the greater part of Europe experienced. I refer to physical destruction and not the loss of life. In one corner near to the traditional shoemaker and locksmiths a premises has been attractively modernised. There is no going back to the Victorian style of the ornate fronts and tops, but different window frames and the use colour could make a substantial difference

In Wilkinson's I find the tincan opener and buy two for less than a £1 and then decide to replace the saucepan used to boil eggs without water. I buy the wrong size unintentionally. I remember to buy another packet of three blade disposable razors and fancy a drink, resisting a two for diet Pepsi or coke offer and go for a similar offer of still cold still water. I ought to have brought my rucksack and small drinks cool bag.

I cut through the market square by Wilkinson's to the riverside and the passage way to the ferry landing just as a vessel is arriving. I fancy a boat trip and make a note to check if there is a river trip this Sunday. There is not, there is one still available the weekend I am in London for the Cricket, but the two in September are already sold out. I have missed out again. I hesitated booking this year because of the weather conditions. There is now a large stretch of grass between the ferry and the Customs House building which provides a vista across the river to where the North Sea Ferry is loading vehicles through its two large cavernous doors for an afternoon sailing. There appears to be only one storage level rather than two as in the channel crossing ferries, but it is impossible to judge at this distance. There are three decks the full length and width of the ship and then two, possibly three others which are within its width to allow for outside walking. These ships are suitable for ocean travel but do not have the length to become cruise liners.

1143 Whitburn

Whatever else happens in my life, I have had a glorious walk today around Whitburn. There has been a sun shining blue sky from before 7am until the dusk descended just before 9pm while I stood above the amphitheatre listening to heavy rock from The Summer of 68, a local band and regular at the Cave Tyne Dock. I have walked at least five miles in two sessions and been out in the fresh air for nearly five hours.

I awoke, went back to bed and sleep but still was at work before 9, having a double breakfast of cereal and two boiled eggs around 10, knowing that I would be eating later than usual because of the walk planned. I also planned lunch, packing a cool bag with a separate drink's bag inside. I responded to some of my internet inbox promising myself to attend to the remainder before bedtime. I failed because of the decision to go out again in the evening

There was the clearest of blue skies on looking out and up through the workroom window. There was no progress regarding the Foot and Mouth Inquiry, but later listening to an interview with the Chief Executive of the Environment Protection agency she was more specific that other interviewees in ruling out airborne and drainage reasons and fixing on human transference in some way. This confirmed my interpretation of what was said yesterday

I also shared the views of those listeners who found the interview with the mother of the child who "disappeared" from the holiday room on Portugal where she had been left by her parents alone without adult supervision while they eat a meal very odd, odd. indeed and reminded of a recent film experienced again on DVD and mentioned in a writing. The nature and form of questions by the BBC interviewer echoed my thoughts. I was being unfair, prejudiced. Later police in Belgium announced the DNA on the bottle checked from a motorway restaurant where a passer by had become convinced she had seen the child with a couple who had then gone off in a car, was that of a male. However despite media pleas the family have not come forward, although the possibility exists they were going on holiday to a land of a different language, and keeping away from current media is part of the holiday. There are always different possible explanations for every behaviour, and who is to say which is the correct one?

There was good news that it was reported that the Scottish number one goal keeper is to sign for Sunderland for a reported fee of £9 million, making him the most expensive goal keeper purchased as well as the most expensive player ever signed by the club. Later the signing was confirmed.

I managed to leave the house and arrived at the Whitburn car park about 11 am. The sun was bright and the sea glistened to provide some fantastic photographs. There was a pleasant cooling breeze but I was right to put on some heavy duty suntan lotion, neglected until now. The walk along the working farm and then behind the target embankments for the territorial shooting ranges was longer than I remember, although did recall the rock and sand bay with banks of wild flowers above. I had also forgotten the extent of Whitburn Leas although they are small in comparison to those at South Shields, one cannot see one end from the other, with council rented property backing on to them before attractive individual styled private houses several with first floor veranda's. About half a dozen properties in the village have established palm trees growing in gardens. Walking towards the end of the Leas the air was clear enough to see the coastline extending beyond Sunderland to Hartlepool and Middlesbrough and the Tees, twenty to thirty miles away distant..

I stopped for a polystyrene mug of tea and a packet of crisps at the kiosk by the car park at the end of the Leas and above Whitburn sands. I enjoyed a sit at a table before photographing the Bent's Fisherman's cottages which had been bombed during World War Two. Then crossed over to what I had always thought was Bents Park South, the last coast road park in South Tyneside only to find it is called Cornthwaite Park. Is this a recent renaming? There is a small narrow area of water and stone which I do not remember from before, and the flower bed displays are attractive as anywhere else in the Borough. Whitburn Cricket Club is also very attractive ground, previously under attack from developers at one point. It has one boundary with the former Whitburn Hall now developed into flats. Petrol is no longer sold at the Whitburn garage but the fresh fish outlet remains. There are still small fishing boats which are moored at sea off Whitburn sands, and then brought up a slip way for severe weather protection or major repair. There was a good crowd using the beach but nothing approaching the thousands at weekends or summer bank holidays.

If felt sufficiently refreshed from my cup of tea and sit, to walk through the Whitburn Village Green, one should say Greens to be more accurate. On the right as I walked westward there is a wide steep bank of green above which are the large houses two of which will be in the £500000 plus class over one million in a London suburb. However the most expensive house on the local market is at Cleaden at £1.1 million and where its owners have only recently added an indoor pool, Jacuzzi, fitness centre building in its grounds. Did they know they would selling? Were the running costs too great? I wish I was in the buying market to make an enquiry and get an answer

The council has provided several seats at the lower end of the bank to sit under trees and admire the twin greens broken up by one attractive villa and where the war memorial is the centrepiece of the second green. The area is much bigger than from memory and even more attractive than my previous boast that it equalled those found elsewhere, especially as it is within years a couple of hundred meters of the cliffs and beaches. I did not walk the full length of the greens along the road which continues past agricultural land and the Sunderland AFC, but turned right to reach the parallel road which also continues along a rural road into the heart of Cleaden village. The purpose of the diversion was to photograph the village pond. On a roadside stretch of green alongside the road and the Barnes playfield there were several attractive banks of flowers. There is also an attractive row of stone villas and outside the Methodist church football boots and Wellingtons had become flower pots. Back on the village centre coastal road I passed the two pubs which serve meals, having missed to mention the little tea café where my mother and aunt used end their walks from my former home on their visits two to three decades ago.

I did not find the statue of Lewis Caroll and must assume that it had been moved from the Library to the park and not vice versa. The entrance to the Cemetery was looking exceptionally cheerful because of the colourful flower beds. A young pony rider training around the Windmill added to my picture, before I crossed over the road and walking through a council housing estate on to a path which first bisected a field west east and then ran south north and then west east once more with lots of brambles and nettles to be avoided. At this point there was the choice of continuing eastward to rejoin the cliff edge path or take a parallel path a little distance from the housing between trees and large flowering shrubs above head height so that the houses to the left and the sea to the right was blocked from sight. This created a different environment and atmosphere, and although tired I could have continued for longer, coming out within feet of where my vehicle was parked.

It was around 1.30 and there were several picnics on the grass surrounding the car park. I quickly unpacked my chair and enjoyed lunch of chopped orange pepper, cucumber, tomato and prawns, with Ciabatta bread and a banana. I lingered longer than I should because it was so enjoyable and then returned home reluctant debating staying out for longer but I remembered the evening rock bands at the Amphitheatre. (At Marsden there were more fire engines again but the groups of firemen indicated that this was a planned training exercise). I stayed longer than usual with my mother, as I have over the past three days because she is unhappy with a throat cold condition.

This evening I had a glass of red wine and a chilli pepper and chicken pizza, saving grapes and water melon for later and now. It was about 7.20 when I made my way across the parks to the rock concert. There was chill so I buttoned the sleeveless jacket although later standing against a wall overlooking the band the chill disappeared. The evening was as glorious as the morning reminding of balmy Mediterranean nights, amidst a local community atmosphere. There were between 750 and 500 attending for the second session a local rock band Summer of 68, the number reducing as being turned into night time, plus a mum of one vocalist guitar player with his young sister, About thirty bikers in leathers congregated round the ice cream tea outlet. There were two full Mohicans, one in brilliant purple and the other orange, plus other spikey hairs. One long green haired lass and one vivid in a bronzed dark red which I can still see. There were many children and younger teens with the majority 18-25, but there were about a dozen grey and white hairs like me, several with pony tails and two perhaps three, older.

There were people all over the sands, some in the water, and of all ages and many of the younger people moved on to the sands as the concert ended. The coloured lights were coming on in the amusement park and amusements centres, the purple blue of Dunes standing out and the lights were also on the beacons at the end of the two river entrance piers. The castle and priory ruins became silhouettes on the Tynemouth headland. Some young drivers continued the concert with blaring music from the cars, and two young men burnt rubber defying the speed restraining road humps as they departed up along ocean road, as I returned up my hill and home.

I attempted to end ended the evening with an internet rented DVD Renaissance, a French film production with Miramax which took six years to create using actors wearing black suits with markers dotted on the surface which recorded movements of limbs, faces and eyes against a blue screen with digital backlot. Each scene was then recorded using computer software to create 3D animated models around the motion captured data. The blue screen created a virtual setting around the models and the black and white effect was then added using lighting. The film has a Sin City atmospheric but without any colour. So much for the technology and the film and its subject? I dozed off a couple of times, abandoned the viewing and went to bed and immediate sleep. It was before midnight

1141 Whitburn Coastal Park

This has been a day of contrasting emotions. On my way to visit my mother after an excellent walk in the Whitburn coastal park and a cup tea and a slice of lemon meringue pie I approached the Marsden junction on the coast road where I turn inland, I could see two fire engines, not an unusual sight because as previously mentioned the cliff here is used for training purposes. However as I turned the corner I was able to see two police cars and a coastal rescue vehicle. It was still possible that this was training exercise but as I continued to cut across the southern part of South Shields two more fire engines came past at speed with sirens and lights on, and then an ambulance. It still could have been a training exercise and there was nothing on the local news, and teletext checked at 9.15pm.

On the evening regional TV news which I viewed with my mother, there was a heart rendering story of the effort of parents to create a fund which will provide a two year old with the artificial hands after she lost both from meningitis. Tonight a local footballer is using his testimonial game with a Newcastle eleven for the fund. The main item on local news was a return visit to some of the farmers who were affected by the last outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease including a couple who had taken every precaution but had still to put down all their animals. The farmer explained that her used to get up in all weathers looking forward to his day until the losing the animals. Earlier this year they had decided to sell up and move to New Zealand and the news of the outbreak, even though its source had been identified and contained, had affected them again and reinforced their decision to emigrate.

There was a different kind of story which warmed the heart last week when another two year old who has spent the greater part of her brief time on life support because of heart problems and had become dependent on an artificial heart having experienced half a dozen heart attacks, was then put to the top of the European transplant list and a suitable donor heart had been made available about a month ago. The programme showed the girl who was about to return home with her parents, together with the surgeon who had performed the operation. The behaviour and smile of the child was magical, unaffected joy at being with her parents, but the surgeon stole the show in the nicest possible way when he described what he regarded as a miracle, the extent of her recovery, adding that if it had been him he would be still flat on his back. The child smiled oblivious to the all the fuss, or so it seemed.

I have walked through the Whitburn Coastal Park before, once when walking from my former home to the Sand Dancer at South Shields and once with a friend exercising his dog. On returning to my car had stopped near to the gate way and a young woman appeared to be paying close attention to my arrival and then enquired if I had a dog with me which I did not. She then released three dogs from the back of her car who were exceptionally lively one of whom came playfully towards and at me, although had I been a child or someone frail I could have been knocked over.

I can remember when the Northern offices of the National Coal Board were a little way back from the roadside but the pit had closed for good in 1968 having lasted just under 100 years during which time 139 men and boys died but none after Nationalization in 1948. Before then one 12 year old, one 13 year old and four 14 years olds were among those who died in the mine. They were all individual deaths but no disasters

In 1894 the Whitburn Colliery Village was described as an area of mining, quarrying and farming, with the latter two continuing to this day. There were two shafts one 115 fathoms and the other 180 and one mile under the sea. The seams were four feet to six feet and production was 1500 tons a day with 1600 males employed. The number working below ground reached just under 3000 between 1920 and 1930.

The present Park in an area about the size of Green Park in London, perhaps greater, but with small wooded hills, on the coast and with a rocky and sandy bay which can be reached by two pathways. There is one road way into the park with two car parks close to the light house to the North and the other close to the Cliff edge to the southern point but both landscaped from long view. Around the perimeter of the little hills there are now mature flowering shrubs. Since the coastal walk was created wooden benches have been placed at regular intervals each dedicated to a loved one and these merit close attention. While many are for those who had full lives of many years I have come across several in remembrance of those in their twenties, several loved to walk the pathway and some although living in other parts of the UK are remembered for once being part of local communities. I did not see any memorial to those who had died in the mine and just as many a war memorial have a statue of some soldier, that of a miner would be appropriate, perhaps sitting on one the benches looking out to the see where so many men perished, both below and above the waves. Along the 26 miles of coast from the River Tyne to the River Tees there are an average of 44 shipwrecks for each mile, some 1150 sunken vessels. The most famous event occurred on 17th October 1940 when a group of destroyers heading for the Tyne ran aground in the mist on the rocks at Whitburn. Then men, the ammunition and the supplies were all removed as a priority because they were sitting targets for enemy bombers, but the ships were re-floated and taken to the Tyne for repairs, Locals had feared that the invasion by Germany had commenced. Their fear were not unjustified because of the regular experience of bombing raid on the docks at Sunderland and that early on bombs had fallen on the Whitburn Fisherman's Cottages

On August 9th 67 years ago, on a sunny day, as today, a 14 year old girl, Ada, came out of the air raid shelter with her mother and joined other villagers to the cliff edge just behind the present territorial army shooting ranges to watch as a Heinkel HE111H-3 and ditched into the sea at 11.52. The crew were picked up by a Royal Naval Patrol Boat. Many years later, Ada, when Mrs Berry, used a two way radio to guide Major Alastair McCluskey and his team of divers to the spot where she remembered the bomber had sunk below the waves. They were able to retrieve a small piece of wreckage.

My earliest of recollections is being in air raid shelter, of watching a V2 Rocket flying overhead and engine cutting out and going to look at the the hole in the ground where a hosue had once stood, one of several in our immediate area in the vicinity of London's airport Croydon which in fact was at Waddon with Wallington to one side and Purley on the other.

Across from the Territorial Camp is the Whitburn Windmill which is known to have first existed in 1779. The Mill remained in being until 1896 following the introduction of steam driven mills so within a few years all that remained was the tower shell. It was used as lookout post for enemy aircraft during World War 2. The Church Commissioners passed the Mill to the Durham County area local authority in 1960 and this passed over to South Tyneside when it was created in 1974. A restoration was made between 1990 and 1991. With help of a Lottery fund grant Fullwell Mill two miles away was restored to a complete working 19 century mill while on the Cleaden Hills between South Shields and the Cleaden village there are the remains of the original 1820 tower of a third mill in the area and which is said to be haunted by a miller's daughter, Elizabeth Gibbon who died of a broken heart.

The present Whitburn Village green is more attractive than most I have known from my cycling days around Surrey, or from working in Oxford in an area bordering the Cotswolds, in Cheshire and West Yorkshire. Around the Green is a variety of attractive dwellings from stone cottages to grand houses in grounds. There are villages pubs and a couple of antique shops on the coast road into Sunderland with a development of post war individual styled houses on the small area of Leas which mark the end of Whitburn and commencement, of Seaburn Sunderland. Across the road is the Whitburn Cricket Club ground which is next to the South Bents Park which has tennis courts and attractive areas of picturesque flower beds. Between the park and agricultural land there is a walk way through fields which lead to the outskirts of Cleaden Village and on to the Bolden wetlands, or along to where the Sunderland Football Club has its Academy and training grounds, and onto Fullwell and back on the seafront at Seaburn to be covered in my next phases of the walk. From Souter lighthouse to Whitburn is three and a half miles with half the area covered in a wide circular walk today and the rest later in the week.

Just as the painter Lowry used to take tea with a former owner of my former home at Seaburn, Lewis Carroll. the author of Alice in Wonderland was a regular visitor to his cousin Margaret Wilcox who was the wife of the Sunderland collector of customs. It is known that at Whitburn in 1855 he composed familiar opening verses to Jabberwocky which was first published in Through the Looking Glass in 1872. He also visited Lady Hedworth Williamson at Whitburn Hall, the second cousin to Alice Liddell to whom Carroll's most famous books are dedicated. Some have suggested that in the Walrus and the Carpenter he makes references to walking along a beach and seeing "Such quantities of sand." The belief is that this refers to the sands of Whitburn. There is a magnificent Bronze statue of a Walrus in Mowbray Park, one of the other parks in South Shields I am yet to write about. Carroll's sister Mary married the Rev Charles Collingwood at Southwick, Sunderland. There is a statue of Lewis at the Whitburn Library.

1140 Sunday concert in the Park

It has been a super Sunday of sunshine, work, concert in the park, TV, the internet and some work. I did not mind that there was no email from the national lottery to say that there was some exciting news. I woke up for the third time before 9 am, still fixated on an earlier dream, quickly switching to the novel 2007 which I had worked on before feeling tired and going to bed shortly after midnight, leaving the residents of the Big Brother House who were all expressing anti climax after eviction Friday and the provision of a Caribbean Pool Party following the extension of the garden and pool and a cocktail bar.

Novel 2007 is slowly emerging as a comprehensive rewrite with a different time scale, greater depth and role for one character, a different format after the prologue and a different explanation for the key event.

For the first time in several days, the night before plan for the day was followed, remembering to heat the oven and commence the lamb roast for eating around 12.45. I did forget to put in the roast potatoes, so had to settle for two portions of carrot, peas and runner beans, and two bananas. I had no breakfast. This evening I started with a Ciabatta, eight mixed Bhajis and then a salmon salad and some salted peanuts, followed by a cup of tea, a concoction of a meal which required the minimum of attention because I wanted to do other things.

My preparations for the afternoon concert went well, except for forgetting the sun tan lotion, and as expected there was no parking anywhere near North Bents Park, but I varied a decision to park on the New Crown side of the Coast Road by finding a space at the end of the next parallel road. I brought with me the single movement assembly chair and the rucksack with a bottle of cold water the small cool bag with ice, plus notebook and pen, and a read.

I joined a continuous stream of people entering the park behind the stage where some enthusiasts were more interested in backstage goings on than joining around ten thousand people having a relaxed Sunday picnic lunch/tea, and found myself a suitable spot with a good view. The artist already on stage was Natalie, three young girls with a Myspace web site which I am yet to find. A previous group was Nylon. The stars of the show were the mid concert group the Sheila's (of the Sheila's Wheels Car Insurance) which excited the younger members in the park and which they performed as a finale, after a good selection of Motown type numbers.

The headliner was Ben Mills. It was six months ago that I discovered Myspace before attending the X Factor finalist concert in Newcastle and noting than Ben Mills had a site on Myspace, downloaded and the rest as they say is now history. Since then the site has developed in phases, finding a suitable layout, investigating the possibilities, undertaking component projects and various experimentations. There has been a trickle of new friend requests, mainly from music groups, artists and writers, now forming a third of friends, early on a Newcastle based group and today a site linking the Amphitheatre on the South Shields promenade with the Cave, Tyne Dock because on August 1st bands from the Cave featured at Indie night and this Wednesday bands from the Cave will provide a Rock Night. Throughout June there were 8 nights and in August 4 nights of free music starting at 7p, alongside the beach and sea. I suspect that there are few if any other towns where in addition to the concentration of 50 take-aways, restaurants, pubs, bars and night clubs within 500 meters (I have counted after previously suggesting 30-40) there are several other live music venues with regular followings.

Ben Mills is a rocker with a stronger voice the Rod Stewart and I immediately signed up for his autumn concert tour visit to the Newcastle City Hall, only to be told last month that it was cancelled and money refunded. I therefore looked forward to hearing a full set performance to judge his progress since coming third in the contest. He got off to a bad start indicating that having been asleep he had woken up to be told he was at South Shields near Newcastle, and after warming up with a couple of numbers seated with his guitar he moved to the piano organ to start rocking, but after a warm up, and starting the Joe Cocker anthem to friends he stopped, alleging this was under band instruction, switched to something else and ended the concert abruptly a couple of numbers later leaving the majority who remained to listen dissatisfied, myself included. The only explanation is that the organisers were concerned at the late running and the finish had been scheduled for 4.30.

The concerts in the park are difficult gigs with the audience closest to the stage seated in an enclosed area which includes the sound control unit. Beyond this the majority picnic and comprise family groups with young children, the baby in front of me looked only weeks old and the general chatter was significantly worse than most working men's and social clubs especially as parents have to keep the young children amused, with always some being taken to the entertainment area provided for them, or over to the neighbouring park for a train ride or the adventure playgrounds, or trips to the ice creams outlets or for some chips, or for a walk along the promenade. Even the North East home lass LIz McClarnon from Atomic Kitten struggled to get an audience response although a brave effort was made by Katrina Leskanich formerly of Katrina and the Waves who won the 1997 Eurosong contest for the UK, born in the USA and moving around her homeland with her parents, her father was a Colonel in the US Airforce, and then to Germany and Holland before coming to the UK in 1976 when she was 16.

After what had been a three hour show for the early arrivals I went to visit my mother where we watched this Sunday family film offering of a Return to the Secret Garden before the day was rounded off at midnight with a reply of Newcastle's 1.0 at home against Sampadoria I was most impressed with Geremi as the spine centre back and with Alan Smith. Viduka also impressed in the Alan Shearer role for the first 45 mins, perhaps with as much or more skill, but unlike Shearer I do not see him playing every game, or for the full 90 minutes. News of the purchase of a left back suggests that there will be several departures before the start of the season, especially when Joey Barton and Michael Owen return. The overall quality of the football going forward and the organisation of the defence was superior to most games suffered last year.

I wish I could express similar confidence about the Sunderland Performance against Juventus on Saturday, although it was the best of the pre season games and Sunderland deserved a win rather then the visitor's equalising goal just before the end. It is evident that a quality striker is required up front, but there were signs of the 90 minute fighting spirit of last season is emerging and which will needed to make up for the lack of skill and experience at the Premiership level.

It is 2.30 am and five housemates are having a swim while others have been having wicked chats in the bedroom or the smoking bench, after the four longer participators Carole and Tracey from week one Ziggy week 2 and Gerry were taken out to undertake a series of challenging tasks for the greater part of the day. The selection of these four was deliberate because it removed the individual who has taken over the running of the kitchen and the cooking of meals and the three others who knew where things were and had helped Carol in the past. This left the others in a dilemma as only newcomers Kara Louise and Amy offered previous cooking experience, albeit limited and not for a party of 11 Carole had undertaken the basic work preparing two large chickens, her home made stuffing and the made up ingredients for the Yorkshire puddings. Through a process of trial and error the meal was got underway, but disaster struck early as they realised that one of the chickens had been stuffed with Carole's and Jonty's roast mix.

The four tasking participants were only allowed back when the meal was ready to be served thus confirming the day's subplot of how would Carole react. Unfortunately she was already unhappy because she had lost her original microphone, security such as a baby's comforter and was complaining bitterly about the one provided before discovering the others had managed without her, so she fixed on their failure with the nut roast mix and that they had removed the remains of the meal she had been eating when they had been taken off to undertake the tasks. Earlier at 8pm the analysis of four subject matters by psychologists had yet provided the programme of the week. Alas, because I do not like the way she has been picked on or the way she has been treated by Liam my support for Amy was undermined when it was confirmed that she is playing a game with a set agenda although the nature of which is to be revealed. Liam has ended his spell as the good guy and is showing himself to be weak and with an unhealthy attitude towards women. If Amy has badly miscalculated and has become dead woman walking in terms of the game outcome, Carole has for the second time within a week shown a nasty streak and severely undermined her cause. At present I can foresee Brian winning with Tracey making the last four, perhaps Carol if she can avoid a public vote and outsiders Kara Louise, Jonty and Gerry in that order. The analysis of humour and separate analysis of body gestures and movements again had its effect on the presenter, Davinia. It is 3am the pool party continues but I must abed if I am to put the bin out first thing.