Today I've mostly bin...

[Bunnylump]

Getting home to plumbing and son catastrophes...

[Wulfruna]

Welcome back Bunnylump . We've missed you. And so has the son by the sound of it

[Bunnylump]

A visit to Geordieland 2012

We arrived at the National Trust cottage, Peel Bothy at Once Brewed in the late sunshine. We were pleasantly surprised by the cottage itself, which had a fantastic situation, right next to one of the most dramatic points of Hadrian’s wall and overlooking the valley below. The cottage itself had a plaque on the wall, which proclaimed that it had been opened by HRH Elizabeth the Queen mother in 1989.

Weather was, with the exception of the day we left, hot, clear and sunny. The bonus was that we had clear skies and were therefore able to lie outside on the picnic bench in the garden and watch the shooting stars in the clear starry sky at night.

We walked both ways, directly from the cottage, one day to Houseteads Roman fort, and another to Hlatwhistle. The walk to Houseteads was fairly strenuous, involving much upping and downing on steep, rocky paths over the crags. Housteads itself was interesting to look at the ruins, however, the national trust display was uninspiring and the facilities (e.g. 2 portaloos!!) were poor for the £6 50 entrance fee. However, a visit to Vindolana (privately run and owned) later in the week, for the same entrance fee was nothing short of inspirational. You would walk round the ruined street with its shops and houses, then round the fort, which had explanations all around. The museum had some amazing artefacts including the Vindolanda tablets, which gave an insight into normal Roman life – for example:
“I send you a warm invitation to come to us on September 11th for my birthday celebrations, to make me day more enjoyable by your presence…”
There was also a message from a mother to her son, a soldier on the wall, enclosing socks and underpants!!

Another day was a visit and walk to Allen Banks and Stewards Gorge – which was a pretty area, formerly owned by the Bowes-Lyon family, with lovely walks by the river and a bouncy suspension bridge to play on.

We also took out a second mortgage and visited Alnwick (pronounced “Anneck”) Castle and gardens. The castle was where some of the Harry Potter films were made. I preferred the gardens, with interestingly designed fountains and a guided tour of the POISON garden. That gave me some good ideas for how to poison D when I’ve REALLY had enough. I was also horrified to learn just how many deadly poisonous plants I have in my own garden, and that the Laurel (which I knew had poisonous berries) would emit cyanide gas when burned (a task I had allocated to D for when we got back). Whilst we were so far up the NE coast, we had a look at the lovely broad swathe of sand and dunes that was Bamburgh beach, overlooked by the massive castle, then up and across the causeway to Holy Island, which was a strange sort of a place, a bit back-of –beyond.

On our last day we drive over the Northumberland national Park, to Kielder water and forest. We had a walk in the forest and then decided to brave the “forest track” toll road, which went up and over the brilliantly named “Oh Me Edge”. To be fair, it DID say it was a 12 mile drive, suitable for 4X4 vehicles, and other cars “with caution”. I think we grounded the car about 6 times…

Other thoughts…
PEOPLE – very friendly
FOOD- all very traditional, and the biggest quantity of food you’ve ever seen in your life.
ROADS – lots of lovely straight ROMAN roads, but lots of ups and downs and blind summits, but with real comedy value roadsigns – my particular favourite was ROAD LIABLE TO FLOODIN’
WEATHER – contrary to popular belief, there is sun in Northumberland. So much so that D got sunburn one day when we were out walking.

[eirian]

sounds like you had a fab time.
I remember visiting that part of the country when I was 16 with a group of young people from Liverpool. (It was an ecumenical group led by the Bishop & Archbishop of Liverpool). We went to Holy Island, and Alnwick (really loved visiting the castle, but that's because they had a two-handed sword on display) and stayed at Alnmouth. Curiously, although Alnwick is pronounced Annick, Alnmouth is pronounced Alun-mouth..
One thing I remember about Alnmouth is that there was a pub there run by the friars from the local monastry!

[gill216]

I found it interesting that you referred to having visited geordieland but had been in Northumberland- not Newcastle upon Tyne. That led me to research the term geordie and I find its not what I grew up believing it to be. I believed it to be supporters of King George and that didn't include Northumberland.

MBH, did that catch you out too or did you grow up knowing that there were several definitions? I now have to apologise to a friend who went to Northumberland last weekend and referred to having been in geordieland and I told her she hadn't been there at all. Once again it's been proven to me that you should never take anything for granted as being 100% correct.

[Bunnylump]

MBH has been sending me Geordie messages. Last one was addressed to "hinny". This prompted me to look up some Geordie terms, and a couple are words we use in Hertfordshire, but for slightly different useage. The list I read said
clag, sticky
clarts, mud

I always use "clag" for sticky, but "clart" is very specifically aimed at girls with too much make up on (you know the sort, the ones who trowel it on!) as in "Get some of that clart off your face!!"

I actually have never had trouble understanding Geordies, because my best friend was originally from quite near MBH. She's been here since we first met (age 9) so obviously she's mostly lost hers. However, she LOVES a Geordie accent and keeps me on my toes. The only time it really caught me out was when we were playing as a team with Pictionary. She had drawn a picture of something which looked like a monk's cowel, with an ear next to it (sounds like) and a big puddle. Can you guess what it was supposed to be??

[SparkOut]

At a guess it would be hood, or maybe huddle - for sounds like "puhd"-le

[Bunnylump]

No. Good try though."Hood" was the sounds like part though.This is what made me laugh. Flipping Geordies... Any other takers?

We also had a kind of background problem with the same game. I drew a house with patio doors opening on to an area of flagstones with plant pots on it (The word was PATIO). She spent ages wondering why, when she said "YARD", it wasn't right!

[giraffe]

That would be a terrace to me.

[Bunnylump]

gosh, you are posh!!

[giraffe]

I assumed it was from my northern roots!

[Bunnylump]

...Making prototype wedding invitations. I've been sitting on the patio / yard / terrace cutting, sticking and painting silk. It was very enjoyable until a great big BEETLE came and bit my toe and refused to let go!!! Ouch.

[Bunnylump]

...Wanting to afford my son an agonising poisoning. May very well be putting what I learned at the poison garden into practise tonight. Anyone for foxglove, ivy and rhubarb leaf stew??

Seriously, he didn't get his thesis in last week because of an ear infection. He got an extension. He missed the extension. He has been working solid since then, without sleep, to complete it in time for the 4pm deadline today (which would mean he would lose 15%). I was out at lunch with some friends when I got the phone call. "Mum, the trains have all been cancelled."So ever since we have been frantically emailng people and asking them to rush around London getting three copies of a 56 page thesis printed and bound. He's still on the phone now, so it looks like another deadline has gone by. I may yet have to do a mad dash drive to central London any minute.

AAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

[kathlyn]

Kids, who needs them after a certain age that is (you or them).

[Bunnylump]

Would anyone like to adopt a son? I can't claim that he's much of a catch, but is extremely tall and strong, so he does have uses like changing light bulbs and opening stiff cans. He doesn't, however, have any other uses or qualities...

[kathlyn]

Could he reach the middle of the windscreen and top of my car to wash it?

[Bunnylump]

YES - his arm span is 6 feet 9 (I suspect he is part ape). So when can I deliver him?

I can't believe this - my sister in law who works at UCL ran to the teaching office and told them about the train. His girlfriend caught a bus with no notice, we directed her, running, via google Earth street view to a place which I was looking up on another computer to get the printing done and a CD made. She managed to charm all the other people in the queue to get in front of them, then ran back to UCL with all the booklets and CD. She achieved this all within the space of 40 minutes and made it with 1 minute to go. I've just driven him to the nearest tube station, through the rush hour, to go in and speak to his supervisor.

But will he remember this horrible sick feeling of being late and losing marks? No. He'll still do it again because he is USELESS.

I think I need a glass of wine. Or four.

[Bunnylump]

Oh
My
God

Just got a phone call from David's girlfriend. She has been waiting for him at Euston for two hours. I dropped him at Watford met line at 4 45. We suspect he may have fallen asleep (because he hasn't slept for several days). Poor girl. I've told her to go home but of course she has spent all her money on paying for his b***dy printing and binding.

[Laura]

Perhaps he's got wind of your potion brewing and doesn't dare reappear just yet?

[Bunnylump]

Mystery solved. He had waited for two hours at UCL library while she waited at Euston.