Transatlanticism

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2009-04-13T01:12:00.002+01:00

138/365

2008-11-05T17:42:00.001Z

Yes we can!

137/365

2008-11-04T17:37:00.000Z

Sweet victory today! I took part in a work pub quiz. Last year we came in a disappointing 2nd place, losing by one point. This year we snatched victory back, coming in 1st place out of 13 teams. We won 2 bottles of wine, 4 books, and £50. I walked away with a tenner and Delia's Cheat cook book.

After the quiz I came home and we stayed up until 6am watching the election coverage. What an absolutely momentus day. I'm so proud of my country!

136/365

2008-11-03T17:40:00.000Z

Having a dirty desk really grates on me.

2008-11-02T20:16:00.002Z

Just an update...as I mentioned in a previous post, my computer is being a bit tempermental lately and has decided to stop turning on for now. Photos are still being taken but won't be posted until I either A) Somehow get used to using Andy's laptop, or B) get my bastardly machine working again. So short hiatus until then, but will be back soon!

135/365

2008-11-02T17:34:00.000Z

The plus side of darkness now coming so early is that the Quayside looks lovely at night.

134/365

2008-11-01T17:32:00.000Z

Assignment for the week - Red.

This is my favourite beer. It is cherry flavoured and the perfect mixture of hoppy and sweet. I love it, even though it is often horribly over priced.

133/365

2008-10-31T17:29:00.000Z

Out shopping today. This is the war memorial in the centre of town. It is also surrounded by a patch of grass and every weekend you'll find hundreds upon hundreds of teenagers loitering here. It used to be called hippy green for this reason, but is slowly evolving into 'goth green'. It can be quite scary sometimes. I've witnessed several full on fist fights between kids here and I often wonder how intimidating that must be to some of the little old ladies just trying to make their way to Boots.

132/365

2008-10-30T17:26:00.000Z

Building materials sat outside The Centre for Life means that they're going to be building the annual ice rink. It is so much fun to come out of work every night and walk past all the families ice skating.

131/365

2008-10-29T17:25:00.000Z

After work drinks underneath the Tyne Bridge.

130/365

2008-10-28T17:23:00.000Z

More darkness. Thanks a lot to Gateshead Council for shutting off the street lamps. Surely there has to be a better way to save money!

129/365

2008-10-27T17:20:00.001Z

Walking home in the darkness now that the clocks have changed. Boo!

128/365

2008-10-25T23:30:00.000+01:00

We got a new TV today as well as an Xbox 360. Andy is over the moon.

127/365

2008-10-24T21:26:00.001+01:00

This week's assignment: Water

The piggies needed a refill after we got home from dinner this evening.

126/365

2008-10-23T21:20:00.001+01:00

My computer is crapping out and we can't seem to figure out why.

125/365

2008-10-22T21:14:00.002+01:00

Now that we have our juicer, we needed to invest in some sturdy bottles to take our juice on the go. I found this cute Hello Kitty bottle in the clearance bin at TJ Hughes for 50p and it makes me smile.

124/365

2008-10-21T23:37:00.002+01:00

Got a last minute ticket from a work mate to go see Alphabeat tonight. The gig was pure awesomeness.

123/365

2008-10-20T23:33:00.003+01:00

Uuuuurrggggh. Hot water bottle day.

122/365

2008-10-19T18:35:00.002+01:00

I went into Gateshead today and being Sunday, not much was open save for a few poundstretcher type shops. So I decided to see if I could find any bargains and I found some hilarious little photo canvases to remind me of the US. For £1 each, I couldn't resist.

121/365

2008-10-18T22:49:00.004+01:00

The piggies again. They were given their first bath tonight, and they weren't happy about it. This is them giving me the evil eye while I tried to dry them off using a big, warm towel.

120/365

2008-10-17T22:46:00.003+01:00

Okay so this is a cheat. I didn't take this picture. Instead I stole it off Google Images and fixed it up in Photoshop after realizing that I accidentally deleted the one and only picture I took on Friday from my memory card.

Went out with people from work for a manager's leaving do. We went to Revolution, cocktails and shots were had by all and it was full of drunken weirdness.

119/365

2008-10-16T21:06:00.001+01:00

The pigs, being the spoilt children they are, have a whole bedroom all to themselves with loads of space. But since the room is bare save for a bed and one huge window, it tends to get quite chilly. Tonight promises to be extra chilly so we've built them a temporary towel mansion in our bedroom to keep them warm for the night.

118/365

2008-10-15T21:05:00.000+01:00

Walking home from tesco, I had to set my bags down on the sidewalk and snap this picture. The sky was breathtaking.

117/365

2008-10-14T21:03:00.000+01:00

Autumn has been really beautiful so far. After such a horrible summer, I just assumed the rest of the seasons would follow suit, and while fall hasn't exactly been drought-like, there have been some absolutely beautiful days.

116/365

2008-10-13T19:59:00.002+01:00

Yesterday when we went to the market we got smoothies & juice from a small stand. It was just a woman and a juicer, selling lots of goodness in a cup. We each loved ours and when we got home that evening all we could think about was how nice it would be to be able to make our own little fruit concoctions. We browsed eBay & Amazon and said we'd think on it for a few days. When I got in from work today, I found Andy in the kitchen with a surprise. Now we have our own lovely juicer. This was it's first use- orange, carrot and apple. It was delish!

115/365

2008-10-12T18:19:00.002+01:00

Today we went down to Baltic Square for the final event of the South Asian Festival. We got some delicious Indian food, then we walked across the Millenium Bridge and checked out the Sunday Market.

We briefly considered having some ice cream to cool our tongues from the Indian food, but instead decided on donuts and smoothies.

We stuck around and people watched until dusk.

114/365

2008-10-11T18:14:00.000+01:00

Went out shopping on Saturday and then got drinks in one of our favourite bars. It doesn't have a roof over one of the sections so you get to sit indoors but outside.

We we're having such a good time that we ended up staying there well into the night.

113/365

2008-10-10T18:12:00.002+01:00

Reading at the pub with my husband. Can you tell which book belongs to who?

We're slaves to our gender roles it would seem!

112/365

2008-10-09T18:09:00.001+01:00

Got a pumpkin!!

Going to be munching on pumpkin seeds.

111/365

2008-10-08T18:01:00.001+01:00

British cucumbers are HUGE!

110/365

2008-10-07T19:16:00.002+01:00

More rain, more rainbows and more dramatic evening skies.

109/365

2008-10-06T22:08:00.003+01:00

We bought a new duvet cover. Not because we particularly liked it, but because it was dirt cheap and the more duvet/sheet sets a person has, the less stressful washing them becomes. For these reasons, the 80's theme doesn't bother me so much. Maybe that is just me getting old and nostalgic though.

Shortly after I made the bed and smoothed out every crease, Andy was there with his laptop and Lloyd Grossman's damned cantucci.

108/365

2008-10-05T11:31:00.003+01:00

The Red Arrows flying over The Tyne in celebration of The Great North Run.

107/365

2008-10-05T11:29:00.001+01:00

Fantasies for Naughty Boys and amusement for pedestrians.

106/365

2008-10-05T11:28:00.002+01:00

The demolition is finally complete, as seen from my bedroom window.

105/365

2008-10-05T11:26:00.001+01:00

Walking home after a day full of rain... The lighting was surreal.

104/365

2008-10-05T11:25:00.000+01:00

103/365

2008-10-05T11:24:00.000+01:00

I think the city lights at night, when walking home drunk, are absolutely ethereal.

102/365

2008-10-05T11:23:00.000+01:00

Who knew demolition could take so long?

101/365

2008-10-05T11:21:00.004+01:00

The wood panel that hides all of the meters for the apartments... Is it just me, or does it clearly have a huge chimpanzee?

100/365

2008-09-24T09:31:00.002+01:00

More of Demolition Watch 2008.

99/365

2008-09-24T09:30:00.001+01:00

The Toon, as seen from the stairwell at work.

98/365

2008-09-24T09:29:00.001+01:00

More construction next to my building. An old, abandoned building is finally being torn down but will probably be replaced with office buildings or something equally useless.

97/365

2008-09-24T09:28:00.001+01:00

Andy sleeping on the train down to see family.

96/365

2008-09-24T09:27:00.002+01:00

Self portrait in front of the bridge.

95/365

2008-09-24T09:26:00.003+01:00

Surley keeping the lights on at all times, particularly ones directly next to bus stops, would be the smart thing to do?

94/365

2008-09-24T09:25:00.002+01:00

The rain appears to have stopped for now.

93/365

2008-09-24T09:23:00.001+01:00

Cleaning up the last of the railworks. A whole month just for a 20 yard brick wall along the top of the rail bridge? Seriously??

92/365

2008-09-24T09:22:00.000+01:00

More rain & filthy sidewalks.

91/365

2008-09-24T09:20:00.001+01:00

For most of September, there were works being done on the railway right next to my building. It was really annoying because not only did the work only take place between midnight & 5am, keeping me awake, but also they blocked off the arch under the rail bridge which was a quick and easy shortcut to come home. Luckily today it was opened back up.

90/365

2008-09-24T09:19:00.001+01:00

During the deluge of rain, I decided it would probably be wise to invest in a pair of wellies. It turns out every other bugger in the city had the same idea at the exact same time as me, and by the time I got to the shops, they were nearly all sold out. All I could find was this horrendous pink pair.

89/365

2008-09-24T09:17:00.003+01:00

Lots and lots of rain. During the flooding around Morpeth and the surrounding areas, the Tyne was chock full of crap.

88/365

2008-08-23T17:53:00.006+01:00

Okay, so I obviously haven't posted in a long time. I had quite a long battle with a horrible stomach flu and didn't get out of bed for about a week. I didn't take any pictures during this time but will try to catch up and keep things in numerical order from the best of my memory! Newest first...

We went down to the coast today and I've got 3 pictures because I can't decide which I like best...

We started out at Marsden Grotto for a lovely pint. There was a small girl and her mum sat next to us when all of a sudden a kittiwake landed on their table and started to try to drink their tea. It was quite amusing for the little girl, but her mum was not impressed.

After the grotto we walked along the coast road. As Andy stopped to pick some tall grass for the guinea pigs to munch on, I was looking towards the sea and noticed a very bizarre little fairy had been tied to the safety bar.

After walking a ways we finally stopped by Souter lightouse and had a nice, hot cup of tea.

Took a trip down to Oxford for work and tried grabbing one quick picture from the train platform without looking like a weird tourist.

The most common sights along British streets....abandoned umbrellas. That bastardly wind!

Still not feeling 100% better after being ill so being lazy and getting the bus into work.

Walking home from work, there was a very strange sight at my feet.

Every day I walk past this archeological site and I never thought much of it because it looks like a dump. But then the BBC reported that two Roman sarcophagi were just found here and now it suddenly seems very interesting.

Will it ever stop raining?

Our 'local'. It is hard to have a local when you live in the city centre, but this is the closest one and it is housed in an old medieval market building and is absolutely gorgeous.

Going very Londonesque and converting the railway arches into offices.

I find it very strange that card companies are starting to simply scour the internet for ideas now.

The Arts Council building. They have a very nice cafe inside which I think might be for employees only but Andy and I sometimes go there for lunch because its great and conveniently located between both of our buildings.

87/365

2008-07-30T21:35:00.001+01:00

A fruiting tree behind the rail station.

86/365

2008-07-30T21:33:00.002+01:00

The first time I saw a tyre shop in England, I thought that it was just an unfortuante misspelling and felt very bad for the person responsible.

85/365

2008-07-30T21:32:00.002+01:00

Eeek! The long wait begins!

84/365

2008-07-27T17:07:00.004+01:00

Alright, so I'm going to cheat and post three because I couldn't decide between them!

It was yet another gloriously sunny day out today so we decided to take the girls to the park so they could munch on some grass and get some sun (we live in an apartment so they don't get the chance that often!)

Unfortunately our view was the river, which is normally quite nice but when the tide is out you get to see all the nasty things people have tossed into it.
And finally on our way back home, I just had to stop near the Tyne Bridge to see if infact, 'The Boat' had been tugged away today as promised. Sure enough there is now a big, empty place where the Tuxedo Princess once resided. It's strange, the bridge view just doesn't look the same without it!

83/365

2008-07-26T16:56:00.007+01:00

Decided to do away with the piggies' cage and block off a chunk of the spare bedroom for them instead to give them more space. They're getting to be so big!!

82/365

2008-07-26T16:56:00.003+01:00

Another day in the beer garden.

I love summer.

81/365

2008-07-26T16:52:00.002+01:00

This Sunday marks a momentus occassion! The Boat is finally getting tugged away! The Princess Tuxedo is a Newcastle institution for all the wrong reasons. Nearly all my friends have fond memories of drinking on the boat when they were 15ish and far too young. I suppose it was the classy rotating dance floor that was the big draw. It also happens to be the place where some of the roughest people in the city go to get their groove on so it has seen more than it's fair share of fights and fistacuffs. Now that the land next to it is being developed into office space they are finally getting rid of the thing.

80/365

2008-07-26T16:47:00.002+01:00

I posed the question to my husband...

Where would a ghost walk go? It isn't as if there are many dark, spooky places. Did you know they will let you stay over night at the castle keep for a ghost watch?

Yeah, but considering the castle is right next to The Bigg Market all you'll be able to hear is people fighting and throwing up and slappers screaming... they've got worse things to be scared of than a few ghosts.

79/365

2008-07-26T16:46:00.003+01:00

Just look at that blue sky! I don't want to jinx it but it looks like summer has peeked it's head out!

78/365

2008-07-26T16:43:00.002+01:00

Half decent weather means a trip to a beer garden!

77/365

2008-07-19T00:05:00.003+01:00

The Bamboo bridge across the Tyne was all lit up last night for the opening of the SummerTyne festival. It rained, of course, but luckily the fire didn't go out!

76/365

2008-07-17T20:24:00.002+01:00

The sky was angry and dark today. It also rained. Just like it has every day for as long as I can remember now :(

75/365

2008-07-17T20:17:00.002+01:00

Seagulls are my enemy. I have to walk under 4 bridges on my way to work, which is precisely where they like to hide out and drop bombs on unsespecting pedestrians.

74/365

2008-07-17T20:15:00.002+01:00

The balconies on the flats next to my work.

73/365

2008-07-17T20:09:00.002+01:00

Mondays require many tea breaks. This is the view from work's kitchen window.

72/365

2008-07-17T20:05:00.002+01:00

Suspicious Guinea Pig.

71/365

2008-07-12T19:06:00.003+01:00

Went shopping and my hands were loaded with bags so I decided to be lazy and get the bus home. Took a quick shot of the centre while sitting in front of The Theatre Royal.

70/365

2008-07-12T19:04:00.000+01:00

On our way home Friday night and since it was late and we didn't feel like cooking we decided to get a Chinese. Across the street from the take-away we were lucky enough to witness some fat, topless man shouting obscenities and trying to start fights. The police were on the scene within minutes.

Just your average night in the toon.

69/365

2008-07-12T19:01:00.003+01:00

You know you're in a geordie bar when...

68/365

2008-07-12T18:50:00.003+01:00

In celebration of The SummerTyne Festival, there is a strange sight over the river. A bridge made out of Bamboo is being constructed. The finished thing will be on display from July 18th with much fanfare and celebration, though it won't actually be open for use!

67/365

2008-07-08T20:12:00.002+01:00

Curved bricks under the rail bridge.

66/365

2008-07-08T20:11:00.002+01:00

Stopping to smell the flowers on the walk home after a long day at work.

65/365

2008-07-08T20:08:00.003+01:00

The long dark walk over the river.

64/365

2008-07-06T14:11:00.002+01:00

Cleaning up the aftermath.

63/365

2008-07-05T13:08:00.003+01:00

The 4th was an excellent night. There are quite a few pictures to choose from, but I'm sure most of my friends don't want their drunk faces posted on my blog so I've picked a ghosty one instead- Me rocking the sparkly American hat and Shaun rocking a Detroit Pistons jersey, discussing something very important, I'm sure.

62/365

2008-07-03T23:10:00.003+01:00

How exciting!!!!!! I literally squealed like a child when we were getting ready for bed and heard the boom of fireworks echoing around the courtyard. After running swiftly downstairs, I got a great display from my living room window. I'm totally in the spirit now!

61/365

2008-07-03T23:09:00.002+01:00

Preparing for the 4th with some American bunting!

60/365

2008-07-03T23:08:00.002+01:00

Chilling the drinks for Friday night. I promise, my fridge doesn't always look like this.

59/365

2008-07-03T23:06:00.001+01:00

I ordered a cheapy bookcase and put it together all by myself (2 hours and one broken screw-driver later). I was quite proud.

58/365

2008-07-03T23:02:00.002+01:00

Okay so have had some camera malfunctions and after giving up on my Canon I am now using a Nikon. This means I've missed some days unfortunately, but I'm going to attempt to catch up a little.

In an effort to curb needless spending, I like to get £5 notes out of the ATM, because if I get a tenner out I'll spend it. The only place I know of that has an ATM that gives out fivers is Lloyds, and I get to walk through beautiful Central Arcade to get there.

57/365

2008-06-22T12:59:00.001+01:00

Went down to Hartlepool to visit family for the day.

It amused me greatly to see a bar offering £1 drinks all night long, yet encouraging the patrons to drink responsibly.

56/365

2008-06-22T12:55:00.004+01:00

Friday - Met up with the husbinator in a beer garden after work. He decided to challenge me to a scrabble duel that was in the daily paper.

I won, of course.

55/365

2008-06-19T19:23:00.002+01:00

Woo Hoo!! My kit for my 4th of July party came today!

54/365

2008-06-18T19:16:00.002+01:00

53/365

2008-06-17T18:11:00.001+01:00

Getting bored with my usual route home so have been exploring a bit.

Tonight I walked down behind the train station and passed the 13th century city wall.

52/365

2008-06-17T18:06:00.003+01:00

Monday morning was a very bad morning.

Sunday I did not watch or read any news so I was oblivious to the fact that a father's rights campaigner was perched on top of of the Tyne Bridge, just outside my window.

So imagine what I felt when I went on my daily walk to work and saw this (click full size for full effect):

I was absolutely horrified thinking someone was actually strung up from the Tyne Bridge. Luckily when I got to work visibly shaken, my co-workers kindly informed me that it was just a dummy! (Oh and for the record I took this on my way home, with the knowledge that it was not, in fact, a horrific tragedy)

51/365

2008-06-15T14:50:00.003+01:00

Beer-battered fish for dinner. Yum yum yum!

50/365

2008-06-14T19:30:00.002+01:00

We decided to spend a lazy Saturday evening at home, watching movies and stuffing our faces. Though in an effort to try to improve our diets, we have opted for a sensible snack.

49/365

2008-06-13T18:24:00.002+01:00

Those pesky teenagers!!! *shakes fist!

48/365

2008-06-12T20:44:00.003+01:00

I love when the market is on 'round Monument.

47/365

2008-06-12T09:30:00.002+01:00

I'm trying to be good and prepare in advance for my 4th of July party (quite a feat for a chronic procrastinator). I was having a browse of the pound shop for paper plates and balloons and the like when I came across something fantastic- Ping Pong Balls!!

Beer Pong Go!

46/365

2008-06-10T19:50:00.003+01:00

The thing that is amazing about living in England is all of the historical heritage. When I was young, I can't say I ever envisioned living next to a castle and it is truly bizarre to walk past it every day. It makes me immensely sad, though, to see it being 'restored' using brand spanking new, modern looking bricks. It takes some of the charm away, although I understand it is a necessity!

45/365

2008-06-10T19:48:00.003+01:00

Monday was another glorious day! The High Level Bridge has been closed for a couple of years due to structural work being done, but it finally opened last week so now I can walk over it to work, which cuts about 5 minutes off my journey. Plus the views aren't half bad.

44/365

2008-06-10T17:50:00.001+01:00

Sunday - Beautiful weather for a day in the beer garden. Granted, not that sunny due to choosing a bar directly beneath the Tyne Bridge, but beautiful nonetheless!

43/365

2008-06-07T21:10:00.005+01:00

Okay so I have been really really bad and haven't taken pictures in about 2 weeks! No good excuse really, just never got around to it. But I'm back on track and will be making an effor to get a pic every day from now on!

Tonight my husband made me a great meal. It is our 2 year wedding anniversary and he made my favourites.

For a starter we had prawns fried in garlic olive oil

And our main was garlic & herb pommes puree, filet mignon, and savoy cabbage

And not surprisingly, when we exchanged our cards we realized both revolved around food :D

42/365

2008-05-25T03:16:00.002+01:00

It is 3:15am. I've stayed up to watch the Eastern Conference Finals between Detroit and Boston and my Pistons are currently making me a very sad, very tired lady!

41/365

2008-05-24T01:34:00.004+01:00

Since we have been gone all last week, we had quite a lot of catching up to do with Great British Menu thanks to BBC iPlayer. We simply could not watch a marathon GBM without junk food so I made a quick run to Tesco and was looking in the ice cream aisle for Phish Food when I ran across some Newcastle United ice cream. Perhaps it is completely normal for football clubs to have their own ice creams, but I found it to be absolutely bizarre!