Our former industrial heritage

I usually experience a degree of pathos when visiting old industrial sites, for despite often being dirty, unsafe and noisy, they provided employment and represented a British industrial heritage that is lost for ever.  Recent visits to the riverside walk at Newburn on the old Stella Power Station site and the nature reserve created from the former Weetslade Colliery spoil-heap, reminded me of just how much heavy industry has vanished from Northern England, with inevitable socio-economic consequences.  Although the areas now provide wildlife habitats, ghostly echoes of a different time when coal was king and life was hard, still linger.

Stella Power Station 1991 by Aidan Doyle

Weetslade Colliery

The Stella Site 2015

The former Weetslade Colliery site

Oh the irony!

With a security audit imminent at work, we’ve been reminded repeatedly about the necessity of securing laptops to desks with steel cables, locking computer screens and removing working papers from desktops, even when taking a short comfort break. So it was with great amusement that some 20 minutes after the auditors had gone on a tour of the building, I peered through the window of the unlocked room where they were based to discover loose paperwork and an unsecured laptop and notebook on the table.  Oh, the irony.  And how sweet it was to present them with the photographic evidence!

Bruise.....don't look if you are squeamish

A fortnight ago I tripped as I was carrying a bundle of washing upstairs.  The result was an impressive bruise on my upper arm despite immediate application of ice and arnica.  Having had several, painful, night-time awakenings from turning over onto the bruise in my sleep, I’m relieved that the discolouration and tenderness is fading but I’m now left with a gruesome lumpy knot under the skin.  Despite all the warnings about googling symptoms (they all lead to stroke, heart attack or tumour!), I undertook some research and am satisfied that it’s a normal hematoma that will disappear in time. 

An evening with......

Last night Nerea and I shared a meal with some of the ladies from Coanwood to celebrate a friend’s retirement. As it’s been a while since Nerea and I last saw many of them and people’s lives move on, I was slightly apprehensive about the evening. But despite everyone looking a few years older and wiser our shared history stood us in good stead and the evening was fine. But what was most apparent to everyone was the transformation of Nerea from a teenage schoolgirl to a beautiful, articulate and confident young woman. She’s a daughter to be proud of. 

Caching Comforts

With Mr Glis working away AGAIN, the busy schedule I adopted some weeks ago continues! With extra early starts to take Molly for her morning constitutional and drives across to Newcastle office several times a week to work long days, there have been times when I’ve felt exhausted.  However, every cloud has a silver lining as on my way home, I’ve tried to find a geocache in some of the delightful villages along the Military Road.  Stopping the car, taking a short walk and finding a cache may only take ten minutes but is hugely therapeutic and lightens the day!

Geocaching Lightweights

As Mr Glis and our long suffering caching friends Robin and Cathryn know, I enjoy solving the odd puzzle cache.  So why did we merely feel relief instead of an enormous sense of collective exhilaration today when, 50 months after starting out on a particular quest, we finally found “gold”?  Quite simply, over-engineering of the puzzle meant that it lost its appeal months ago and although we were determined to conclude the unfinished caching business, the glitter became tarnished. Too many elements detracted from the experience. So are we caching lightweights in not sharing the enthusiasm of most other finders?

Lodgers in the nest box

My celebration of the small things really works! For the last few mornings, I have heard the demanding chatter of baby blue tits in our nest box which has set a cheerful tone for the day.  Andy and I spotted adult birds flying in and out some weeks ago in a “nesting” type way and then a few days ago, we heard the cheeps of what sounded like several hatchlings. It’s actually very rewarding to know that we have contributed to the ongoing procreation of these enchanting little birds and provided a safe haven for them to raise their brood

Paper Bridge

I simply had to take a walk along Grisedale Beck yesterday, below the imposing fells of Helvellyn and St Sunday Crag to see Steve Messam’s temporary art installation “Paper Bridge”.  What was remarkable, besides the impressive construction itself, were the number of happy families queuing in the drizzle to clamber up and pose for photos with huge beaming smiles. The overwhelming sense of shared joy was palpable, this simple project bringing happiness in a way that I'm sure the artist never imagined.  And, if one or two people decide to explore the fells as a result, then that's a bonus!

The River Tyne

On my visits to Newcastle, I’m always drawn to the ever changing face of the River Tyne. The stretch that I walk along is tidal and wide as it’s only13 miles from the sea. Its south bank is dominated by the famous 1709ft long Dunstan Staithes, used until the 1970s to load coal onto transport ships, with the north side, housing a cycle way and footpath that runs along the footprint of former factories.

Be the tide in or out, the weather grey or sunny, the river flowing endlessly to the sea always brings a smile to my face.

How to influence?

Standing in the supermarket queue the other evening, I overheard a conversation between a parent and child.  A tired looking mum was maintaining a robust line about something and despite privately agreeing with her stance, I couldn’t help but admire her daughter’s persuasive powers and negotiating skills. At age 7 or 8, she clearly understood the need for compromise, positive triggers likely to appeal to her mother and when to cut her losses and  try a new approach.  As I waited, I reflected on how women in the workplace to seem to lose those skills, sometimes voluntarily, to their detriment

"It was so very appealing", he said.

Despite being married for 30 years, Mr Glis can still surprise me. Last week, he’d been working away in the South West. On arriving home after an 8 hour journey last Friday night, with a sheepish grin, he presented me with a carrier bag and ‘fessed up to a minor indiscretion.  Excitedly, I opened the box inside to discover a cute, ornamental leveret. Made of clay, with a bronze effect finish, it was very appealing and seemingly, had leapt off the Exeter gallery shelf into his shopping basket. So much for our futile attempts to declutter, just a little bit!

We all scream for ice-cream in Cockerham

Yesterday’s reunion with my girlfriends from school was as enjoyable as usual. We lunched on  light snacks before indulging on delicious ice cream sundaes at Wallings Farm in Cockerham. After a turn round the garden centre (Have we turned into middle-aged women who enjoy plants?), four of us took a windy walk along the coast to Cockersands Abbey. Chattering too much on the return, we found ourselves on a higher level path. Faced with the option of clambering down or detouring through a ruined building, we opted for the adventure and immediately reverted to our 13 year old school-girl selves!

Nostalgic for James Herriot

A recent geocaching visit to a farm that still uses heavy horses left me feeling nostalgic for the James Herriot stories. As our paperbacks are now too fragile to read in bed, I decided to download them to my kindle. And what a joy they’ve proved to be during wakeful hours in the middle of the night. The stories are charming; equally moving and entertaining and portray a genuine picture of rural life in the middle of the 20th century when life was slower, treatment by antibiotics was a “miracle” of the future and Yorkshire pockets were still shallow! . 

I do like a stroll along the prom, prom, prom

Maybe it’s because I was brought up close to the seaside but I love a walk along a promenade on a windy day. Walking in the wind and rain as the sea roars nearby exhilarates like no other. And so yesterday, with the prospect of rain a strong possibility, after a day on the laptop and phone, I took Molly to Silloth for her evening run.  By the time we arrived, the sea was a murderous grey and the wind was so strong, Molly could barely keep her tail upright but we still enjoyed our blustery battle along the prom!

 

A Wet and Windy (Bank Holiday) Weekend

Being a Bank Holiday weekend, there was a certain inevitability about the indifferent weather!  As  Mr Glis had work commitments on Monday, it didn’t matter too much that the weekend was cold, wet and barely spring-like. But being brave (or foolhardy) we set out for a short hike during an extended “clearing shower” to get a breath of fresh air. We decided to stay close to home and crossed the Border in order to visit the Joe Graham monument on the Annandale Way above Dalton.  The trip was worth making as both the Obelisk and the limited views were impressive