Church Unity and all that

Holy Saviour's Church music group did its bit for church unity when it played at Christ Church, North Shields last night. The occasion was a service marking the week of christian unity. Although the church doesn't always cover itself in glory on the unity front, in North Shields there is good co-operation and links between the various churches. There were over about 100 folk at the service who raised the roof with renditions of "One more step along the world I go" and "Thine be the glory". Afterwards there were refreshments in the parish centre. YC enjoyed a cup of tea, then decided it might be time for something a little stronger. He adjourned to a nearby licensed premise where the raging musician's thirst was duly slaked.

Thrunton Woods

The snow has all gone from the coast. But there's still plenty of it in Northumberland. YC trotted round Thrunton Woods today on a beautiful sunny morning. The running was hard work through 6 inches of snow. YC did bump into 2 other runners. John Lamont Black and his pal Shaun were out keeping fit for The Chevy Chase. The view from Hard Nab Cairn towards The Cheviots was stunning (see above). On top of Long Crag YC was reduced to a plod through the snow drifts and wished he was kitted out like the chap on the right.

Craster Coastline

After the big freeze, it's the big thaw. YC had the joy of plodging through this pool of icy water on a jog near Craster. The strong easterly winds had whipped up a big sea with huge piles of foam on the shore as these photos of Dunstanburgh and Craster show. YC had just finished his jog when The Percy Hunt passed by. So YC spent a pleasant couple of hours watching them as they ran round the crags between Dunstanburgh Castle and Dunstan Square.

The North Pole (almost)

Readers might be forgiven for thinking that this is the North Pole. But in fact it's Tynemouth where the folks of Percy Gardens tested their igloo building skills. No sooner was the impressive icy edifice erected, than Rev T rushed out with the Union Jack to establish sovereignty before Johnny Foreigner could get his hands on it.

Collingwood's Monument - a celebrity free zone

There's more snow in Tynemouth, so YC settled for a run up and down the banks by Collingwood's Monument rather than venturing forth on to the icy roads of Northumberland. Afterwards he watched the Edinburgh cross-country races on the TV. The BBC proved that it is no exception to the cult of celebrity obsession by focusing on Kenenisa Bekele. The double Olympic champion thanked them by finishing fourth behind three Kenyans. There were British runners in the race, but where they finished remained a mystery to viewers: the Beeb chose to show a panoramic shot of Arthur's Seat rather than the Brits crossing the finishing line. At least Bekele was gracious in his post-race interview, commenting: "I'm glad YC chose to run at Collingwood's Monument, otherwise I might have finished fifth".

still snowy

It's still snowy. This has put the block on beagling and fellrunning for the moment. So YC went for a run up the Northumberland coast from Alnmouth. There was plenty of snow even at the coast, as the photo of Howick dene shows. The cold weather didn't stop the worm-diggers at Boulmer who were hard at work when YC ran past (click on right photo to see them).

FA Cup Saturday

It was the Insects FA Cup Final at Wembley and this year the Grasshoppers were playing the Earwigs. The Earwigs’ number 10 was having a shocker and to make matters worse his shirt was so small that only half his number (O) could be fitted on it. As he sat dejected in the dressing room at half-time, the trainer tried to cheer him up. “The fans are right behind you,” he said. “Just listen to them.” So they all listened and they could hear the chants ringing out: “Ear-Wig-O, Ear-Wig-O, Ear-Wig-O!”

A Snowy New Year

New Year's Day has dawned cold and snowy in Tynemouth. Here are the views from YC's back garden and the Bear's Head on the Long Sands. YC's plans for a fellrace at Rothbury were thwarted by the snow which brought North Tyneside's roads to a standstill. Instead he settled for a run on the beach and a jog up and down the steps at King Edward's Bay. There he met 3 people walking off their New Year's Eve Turkey Race dinner.

Emma - so tell me about the jibs on the Turkey Race
Timothy - I was watching them like a hawk!
Pat - would that be an elderly short sighted hawk?