The River Tyne

Back to my daily walk to work, at least while I was staying with John and Lucy… The weather’s been amazingly mild for this time of year apparently. One day it even got up to about 12 °C! Hardly any rain, and that usually conveniently at night or early morning, and lots of bright clear days, at least as long as the sun lasts. I’ve taken heaps of photos and included a few, but I’m afraid my photography skills don’t do it justice.

The walk starts from the apartment complex on top of the hill down these steps, which must be treacherous in icy conditions, then along the quayside, past the Millennium Bridge and all sort of funky modern architecture. Like others before me, I was stunned at how modern and attractive Newcastle is. I’d expected a rundown, dingy, grey old coal and steel town. Apparently, the whole quayside area was only really developed about 12 years ago, and after the Thatcher years it was rundown and dingy. I haven’t worked out yet exactly what drives Newcastle now that the ships aren’t built here anymore. The university perhaps? I’ve met students from all over England, as well as Poland and Malaysia. Plus, it supports a big (in UK terms, not Australian – you learn a new scale real quick) rural area.

That slope just says toboggan all over it doesn’t it?

Then along the river, past sculptures, cafes, the law courts and more new apartment blocks (oodles of them). And on the other side, the old Baltic Flour Mill, now an art gallery, the opera house/concert hall whose walls and ceilings move to adjust the acoustics and a disco ship permanently docked under the bridges. I did take these photos on different days – don’t worry, the weather here’s not quite that changeable.

This wasn’t only really sunny day I’ve seen, but I did take some photos of the sun, just in case I wouldn’t see it again through winter!

It took me a while to work out why, every time I went to walk out, I felt like something was missing. I’d step through the litany: “ok, wallet, phone, keys”. Of course, the thing that’s missing – sunglasses! Even bright days like this, you really don’t need sunnies unless it’s about 3pm and the sun’s directly on the horizon about to go down for the day. Plus, I’ve been told in no uncertain terms that only posh celebrity types wear sunglasses!

Of course, the talk of the town is global warming, so maybe they’ll get more common. The oldest folk can’t remember weather this warm in December. People in the office talk in wonder at still having to mow the grass in November. And they laugh at me when I talk about this being a pleasant place to spend winter. “Don’t worry, you haven’t seen winter yet”. Hmmm. It’s 4 °C when I go out for lunch, I say, what exactly should I expect? Whatever it is, it comes in February. Hey, sounds just like summer in Perth.

I really like the way the new apartments have been designed to fit in well with the older architecture. Sometime it can be quite hard to tell old from new around here. The ones shown here in the statue photo are a pretty good example of most of them, although of course they’re right on the river, so a bit nicer than most. None of the real estate agents offered to show me a flat in this block!

The opera house/concert hall certainly adds to the modern look of the river. I haven’t been there yet. The walls and ceiling supposedly move to adjust to give the correct acoustics. What sort of acoustics do they have for the Christmas pantomimes do you think? Do I want to see Neighbours’ stars dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood, or whatever it is they do in a panto? Or worse still…. Harold dressed up really badly as a woman?

Side issue: I was told in a pub on Thursday night by more than one young colleague that Harold Bishop is the ultimate Australian hero in this country. OMG!!!! I escaped to get another Fosters (just kidding, although every pub here has it on tap (I’m not kidding about that – I haven’t seen a pub without it yet), I haven’t had one yet – although I haven’t had a Newcastle Brown here on tap either, because you can only get it in bottles and it doesn’t taste the same at all), and came back to hear the rider “apart from Steve Irwin of course, RIP”. I’ve already had someone list their favourite Australian music, new bands like the Vines and Wolfmother, plus those great classics like INXS, ACDC and …. wait for it…. Rolf Harris. Need I say more? Not that I don’t love Rolf. But comparing him to ACDC?

(That reminds me – the only thing left uncrossed off on my Western Australia to do list is going to Bon Scott’s grave in Freo. I mention this just in case anyone is reading this in WA who might also leave one day. Bon Scott, people. Priorities. I forgot mine, to my shame.)

I’m told that the ship docked under the main Tyne bridge there is in fact a nightclub. I haven’t been there yet either. If, as my boss tells me, I’m leaving Newcastle for Manchester in just a couple of months, I’m going to have to get cracking on my Newcastle to do list, that’s for sure.

I was going to try and get across to the old Baltic Flour Mills, now an art gallery, this weekend, but I was just too slack. Instead, I went grocery shopping so now I’m sitting down writing this with a lovely bottle of Spanish wine and a xmas discount bulk mix of mixed nuts to write my blog. I’ve only really got out once on a weekend, and that will be the subject of a future blog. I think that after all the stress of packing up to leave, then the car debacle, the holiday’s in Victoria, Tasmania and Phuket, then getting sorted out here in England, not to mention starting work again, I’m just really enjoying being able to sit in my own flat on the weekend and do not much at all.

As soon as I finish the George Martin books, that’s all going to change, and Newcastle won’t know what hit it.