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| rabbits in Newcastle |
The day I visited Newcastle; Flicking through my photos with nothing much to do, I came across an old file, and there was absolute proof that I had seen rabbits in Newcastle. They lived on those gardened islands surrounded by moving traffic. I had wondered at the time how they managed to get off the traffic islands but I suppose at night when it was all quiet.
I do not like towns, they frighten me somewhat, there is this ugliness in the form of buildings everywhere with no shape or pattern. We had gone to Newcastle to see the university for Tom, one of three. I quite liked it but Tom was to move down to London.
Here I suffered an embarrassing moment much to the amusement of my companions, I tripped over in front of the entrance of the university and truly fell flat on my face, so I well remember Newcastle for both humiliation and rabbits. Also the last time I have been to Ikea, we bought the table I am typing on at the moment and on the way back from a distance The Angel of the North was spied. This great rusty figure is somewhat symbolic of man's dominance over the landscape, so thereby scores nowt in my estimation.
Two towns I would think of being symmetrical in their appearance, Bath which is of course a city and Whitby with all its cottages. Both have grown out of a pattern of social needs. Whitby with its fisherman's cottages and Bath with its Georgian exteriors.
I enjoy seeing your many different cities. Quite a change from my imagined "merry old England"!
ReplyDeleteYes Ellen I think 'Merry Olde England' is part of the books that tries to sell this image. We are an overcrowded island to be honest.
DeleteOh dear. I took quite a dramatic fall in (I think) Milton Keynes. Flat on my face in the dark just outside the underground. Scared my daughte. Embarrassed me. There were no rabbits, but we did glimpse a rat scurrying across the path.
ReplyDeleteYes Debby it is very embarrassing, getting your dignity back takes a long time! As for rats, they say, you are never far from one.
DeleteI've never been to newcastle before.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was at Cambridge, a big old rabbit used to jump into our gardens and I would rush to snap a photo of her. They're usually gone in a flash so well done on getting a snap. Liam :)
I used to keep rabbits Liam, they can be quite tame. Also quite gruesome, listening to a book last night, it said they ate their young or another's young should they be disturbed or overcrowded. Newcastle doesn't seem to have the Victorian buildings built for show that we have in the big towns round here. Or I did not see them anyway.
DeleteI think that Newcastle suffered from the corrupt influence of T Dan Smith in the late 1960s, and a lot of historic buildings were wiped out to make way for the Central Motorway and other developments. Like so many other towns and cities at that time, and only now do we realise just what we have lost and how bad were the replacements.
DeleteInteresting read on T. Dan Smith and to quote from a newspaper article "“I was corrupt because I condoned things on many occasions. I think I would accept that I was the corrupter, although I was as much corrupted as I corrupted others.” So much corruption through time in council and governmental offices Will.
DeleteGiven power, whether conservative or socialist these people changed the urban landscape and sadly put up some shoddy buildings.
i loved the angel of the north..... but then how boring would it be if a) we all liked the same thing and b) art was never divisive or c) art did not inspire conversation
ReplyDeleteThe Angel has a very dominating effect on the landscape, somewhat frightening I would say A/F. But I have never been close to it so shouldn't really express an opinion.
Deletei took the time to drive out to it once..... it's pretty formidable..... but then that snaking road that you drive on to get to, and around Newcastle, that runs within an arm's length of it is pretty industrial and bleak too
DeleteAfter four stays in Newcastle, I grew to very much like the city. While I found the houses externally very boring for all their sameness. I loved how behind a row of housing could be an area of wilderness. Public spaces can be left unmown in flowering season. With excellent public transport, people walked, and walked a lot. The city respects its history and embraces the new. And the people. Australian is often said to be friendly but I've never seen friendliness like I found in Newcastle, along with such humour.
ReplyDeleteWell the humour Andrew can be seen from the Yorkshire bloggers, people are indeed very friendly. As for houses, the sameness comes from the industrial era, when row after row of terraced houses were built to house the workers.
ReplyDeleteTerraced houses take up less space, and hardly ever had any garden just a small back yard with an outside loo if you were lucky.
That is called 'sense of place' which is what we all feel but are unable to articulate into words. ;)
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