the bridge with a difference

As a child one of J's holiday memories always involved a trip on the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge.

 

 

Last year I went on it for the first time on the way home from our trip to Yorkshire, and I loved it so much we decided to make it part of the journey tradition.

 

Passengers travel across the Tees on a gondola suspended by steel cables 50m about the river in a journey taking two minutes.

 

Which is just long enough to get out of the car and stand under the giant steel frame and marvel at the engineering.

 The visitor centre had several mechano replicas. Someone clearly had fun building them, there were miniature cars travelling back and forth in the gondolas.

Miss K and I were very entertained by the journalistic writing style on the display boards, about the opening ceremony in 1911.

"In a day of jaw dropping pomp and pageantry, industrial Middlesbrough, the Infant Hercules, dressed itself in it's Sunday best, flexed it's rippling muscles and let out a lion sized roar of pride as it unveiled its tower tribute to engineering genius, a symbol of the town's steely resolve and soaring ambition."

makes my ramblings seem rather lacking in descriptive prowess........

decisions.

I'm packing for our annual trip to the Yorkshire Coast. Well technically I'm sitting here drinking coffee and eating fruit loaf toast and typing but mentally I'm packing. There is no rush, it's less than a 3 hour drive, we don't need anything special, I shall fling a random selection of clothes in a bag and the raincoats in the boot of the car and that will do. The children pack their own things, last time I glanced into Miss K's suitcase there was a cat fast asleep in it. He is not coming......... They do it every time they see the mini suitcases, "no don't leave me..............."
Just need to sort out a few essentials and then we can leave, teabags, a book, and a craft project - can't decide between the sock yarn shawl or a basket of granny squares.................. or something new. decisions are so hard when you are in full summer sloth mode.....

wish I was here.

I'm doing jury service this week.

It's in a coroners court, not a crown court, so it's a fact finding mission rather than a prosecution and a defence, and we are there to establish what happened, but not to assign any blame.

It's fascinating to get an insight into the legal world, but there is oh so much sitting around waiting. The first day it didn't even occur to me to take a book or something to do. 

Yesterday I packed some portable knitting, and promptly left it on the kitchen table. During the 1/2 hour delay at the start, the random 20 minutes in which the jury had to leave the courtroom, and the hour delay after lunch I can't tell you how many times I kicked myself for forgetting it.

I wrote several useful lists, and wished I was somewhere else.

Here would have done, Dunstanburgh Castle.

The fishing boat full of flowers at Craster always makes me smile.

Big skies would have been very refreshing after an airless windowless day.

As soon as I got home I grabbed my trainers and went out for a quick walk along the farm roads. I convinced myself it was because I needed the fresh air, but in truth I also needed to walk off the huge portion of chocolate cake I had for lunch. 

Sometimes a sensible lunch just won't do.....

sun sparkles

Bright blue skies.

 

Sparkling sunshine.

Sometimes you need a day of rain, (and oh how it rained.... I have rarely been so wet....)

to appreciate the sun when it comes out again.

silver sparkling tree  - Hulne Park, Alnwick.