Souls found heaven
The New Hartley Pit Disaster of 1862 claimed the lives of over 200 men and boys. It decimated a small but tight-knit Northumbrian community and even tugged at the heart…
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New Year Fresh Ideas
Happy New Year and all that. I’ve not blogged for over a month. Ran out of energy last year but the New Year brings a burst of energy and a…
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Northern Stars
When I lived in London I practically tripped over celebrities. I walked past actors in the street (Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman) and served Hollywood stars and musicians in shops (Whoopi…
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Bricky-Dry
Throats are described as being “bricky-dry” in Rudyard Kipling’s poem Gunga Din, one of the many poems shared at last Thursday’s Poetry with Friends at Whitley Bay Library. My throat…
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Fenwick Fervour
Fenwick is a retail institution here in Newcastle. John James Fenwick of Richmond, North Yorkshire chose to open a shop on the city’s main shopping street in 1882, a whole…
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Fireworks, Soup & the Silver Screen
The theme of Tuesday night’s Poetry with Friends at The Mission in North Shields was “Fireworks and Other Celebrations.” I struggled to find poems to fit so took along Fleur…
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We have lift off!
Not one but two book launches last Tuesday 27th October. That’s right, two book launches here in North East England. Who says there’s no culture up here? I got invited…
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Moon Drunk
“Anger is an Energy” sings John Lydon in PiL’s Rise. This 29 year old song still sounds great and he’s right, you know, it is an en-er-gee. Anger was one…
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Wholly Thursday
“Never work with children and animals” is the ol’ show business adage still used today. How about “never talk about politics and religion in the same Poetry with Friends”? If…
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Mellow & Fruitful
Today is National Poetry Day so it’s the right day to report on Tuesday evening’s Poetry with Friends at The Mission in North Shields. The theme was “Autumn” and naturally…