Bensham
I finished work at 3pm yesterday and walked from central Gateshead down to the Metrocentre a distance of (according to Map my Run) 6.9 miles. This was because I was without a car. For those unfamiliar with the concept of being in a relationship that is equal; when my car is bust I don’t have a car. When Heather’s car is bust she has mine and I’m still without a car. (By the way the header photo is one of mine taken from the layby off Bensham Bank in the early eighties. The skyline has changed a bit since then)!
This is how it is. Anyway she dropped me off at work yesterday morning and it being a lovely afternoon when 3pm came around I eschewed getting the bus and walked to the garage instead. Once there I was informed by mechanic Keith that the car which I refer to as; “The crappy little Peugeot,” whilst not being quite dead yet it’s definitely getting there and it’s time to call it a day. He’s going to get it going sufficiently well to last for another month so the quest for a new car begins. I’m not interested really, I think that cars are the most boring things on earth (apart from cricket and Wimbledon) so I’m going to enlist the assistance of my brother in helping Heather to buy a new one. I didn’t get the car back as it needs more work, so I walked on to the Metrocentre for Heather to pick me up and did the food shopping in M & S while I was waiting. By the time she collected me it was too late for Slimming World so by way of compromise we went home and had a steak dinner instead.
I took some photographs during my walk through Gateshead, Bensham, Teams and Dunston. I noticed so much more doing the journey by foot, for example I was aware that the River Team ran along part of my route on its way to the Tyne, but not that there were swans on it. Pictorial proof will follow the minute I find out how to download my photos on to here. The Rowers Hotel on St. Omer’s Road looks interesting and old fashioned as well and may be worth a closer look at some point in the future.
A change of role at work has given me an office of my own for the first time in my life and this is day two of my occupation. It was thrilling to have my own desk, own door, trays, pencil holders and a place for my paper clips and Arsenal mug, but the novelty is wearing off. No one to talk to.
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