Herbert, Sherbet, Maggot and Rusty, as well as Rusty’s pet Metroshoposaurus, make up the very popular Metrognomes. They come out at the Metrocentre during school holidays with free shows to entertain children, performed four times per day throughout the holidays – a brand new show for every holiday. It must surely be the job from hell for the actors by the end of the run, not to mention the workers in the shops nearby!

Despite the frequency if the performance, The Metrognomes always attract impressive crowds for each performance, which I guess is testament to their popularity. There’s also a website with a free-to-join online Metrognomes Kids Club, which entitles kids to a free wristband and Metrognomes comic. The Metrocentre also sells oodles of Metrognomes merchandise, including DVDs and cuddly toys.

Lots of shopping centres have characters and similar schemes that appeal to kids, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that’s quite as successful or comprehensive as this!

This is one of the footpaths on the High Level Bridge linking Newcastle and Gateshead. The top deck of the High Level Bridge carries trains, whilst pedestrians and road traffic cross on the lower deck. It was opened by Queen Victoria herself, and if you’re wondering about the dates and designers, this plaque might help:

The bridge was the world’s first major wrought iron tied-arch design, and spans 1,337 feet across six spans. During the Great Fire of Newcastle and Gateshead in 1854, it’s said that the bridge “vibrated like a thin wire”.

One has to wonder whether these not-so-good vibrations caused the first flaws in the ironwork that developed to severe cracks found when the bridge was due for restoration in 2005. These led to the bridge being closed for three years, and road traffic now being restricted to only taxis and buses in a single direction.

In the first year after it re-opened, though, some 32,000 drivers – my dad and brother included – ignored these restrictions. Perhaps, like dad and Glenn, all of them got lost and confused, ended up at the entrance to the bridge before they knew it, and were unable to turn round!

In response, Northumbria Police launched a crackdown, and fined over 1,000 drivers £30 in a few short weeks. Electronic registration number capturing monitoring equipment now automatically issues fines to anyone who breaks the rules.

I promised a second photo today, and here it is: Newcastle’s old Post Office. It’s just opposite St Nick’s Cathedral, though was built rather more recently, in the 1870s, to James Williams’s design. Williams also designed twenty or so other Post Offices, from London to Carlisle.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this building is that it marks the centre of Newcastle. Whenever road signs give a distance to Newcastle, it is the distance to this very building, and all signs to the “city centre” point in this direction. Tourists are sometimes confused about the Metro’s decision to label the nearby station “Central”, rather than reserving that title for “Monument” which is rather closer to the retail centre of the city: now you know why.

These days, the building is used by a subsidiary of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and Newcastle’s main customer-facing Post Office is in the corner of the first floor of WHSmith. I wonder what Williams would make of that?!

As I’ve logged on to post this, I’ve just realised that I didn’t post a picture yesterday! I’ll have to do another later to make up for my forgetfulness!

This is the Lime Street Chimney here in Newcastle. It was part of a flax mill built by John Dobson in 1840, now converted to The Cluny, one of Newcastle’s most famous bars. Everyone who’s anyone on the music scene has performed there, from the Arctic Monkeys to Danni Minogue, from Mumford & Sons to Kate Nash.

The chimney has been out of use since about 1900, and was once converted to a blacksmith’s workshop. At some point around the 1930s, the chimney was reduced in height and filled in. I hope the blacksmith had left by then, or he’d have had an awful shock when he turned up to work!

This is a really bad photo of perhaps Durham’s most famous statue: that of the Marquess of Londonderry, Charles William Vane Tempest Stewart. He was an Irishman, born in 1778 in Dublin. He became a politician, soldier, and owner and developer of a lot of land.

If you’ve an astounding memory, you’ll recall that I’ve mentioned this family before: they owned both Wynyard Hall in County Durham and Mount Stewart over in Northern Ireland.

But here’s another connection between County Durham and County Down: Charles William Vane Tempest Stewart’s other memorial is Scrabo Tower. Wendy often says we should go for a walk near Scrabo Tower when we’re visiting her family, but she’s never taken me yet!

When we were first going out, Wendy once spent most of day in here painting a plate for me. She apparently had quite a crowd watching by the end of the day! She returned a year later to paint a plate of herself, and both now sit together on the bookshelf in our study (the plates, that is… we sit on chairs!)

This is the lighthouse at Donaghadee. It’s 16m tall, was first lit in 1836, and is very picturesque on a sunny day like today!

I think Newcastle Airport is brilliant – I’ve always found the staff very friendly, and on a good day I can go door to departures in about 3 minutes.

Today, though, wasn’t a good day: a very early start and hoards of holidaymakers conspired to leave me less than delighted. It’s still my favourite airport, though!

I’ve featured Old Eldon Square before, but perhaps this shot from above gives a better sense of the space as it currently stands. I wrote more about the bronze statue of St George last time round.

About nine years ago, I was living in these halls of residence and watched through my window as these trees were planted. This is a curse. I feel as if my first year at uni wasn’t very long ago, but every time I drive past these trees I’m reminded that it was longer ago than I imagine! At least they still look fairly young!