The first weekend of summer took Wendy and I for a walk along the spectacular coastal footpath between South Shields and Sunderland. We stopped for some lunch at the unique Marsden Grotto, carved from the cliff face.

The last time we did this walk, we were soaked to the skin by lashing rain, but nevertheless enjoyed ourselves. Repeating it in glorious sunshine was a treat.

Our route from South Shields Metro station to Sunderland Metro station was 10.7 miles in all. I dare say it won’t be long until we tackle it again.

It’s reputedly the UK’s best, and it was lovely to get out for a decent walk before the cold weather returns.

This was the view as I left a meeting this morning… It was a challenge to convince myself that I really did have to head back to the office!

This big wheel is next to Asda in South Shields. I guess it’s related to the remnants of St Hilda’s Colliery which are next to Asda, but whether it’s a bit of the colliery or some artistic interpretation I’m not entirely sure.

The colliery was active for 130 years, during which 118 miners were killed, many of whom were in their teens or early twenties. Some were as young as 9. Fifty-one miners died in a methane-fuelled explosion on 28th June 1839.

Next time someone complains about ‘elf ‘n’ safety, remind them that there are few workplaces these days with mortality figures quite like that.

Putting “award winning restaurants” on a road sign seems like a great low-cost way for a local authority to provide free advertising, promoting local businesses and boosting the local economy. I wonder if it works in practice? And if so, I wonder if the benefits are great enough to outweigh the (probably small?) risk of diverting drivers’ attention from the road for a little longer, and making the sign (marginally) more difficult to interpret?

South Marine Park in South Shields opened in 1890, designed by John Peebles. It underwent an extraordinary renovation in 2008, returning many of the lost Victorian features to the park, and restoring those that remained.

The overall effect is quite remarkable, even on a dull grey day like today.

These statues have been a source of some disquiet since their first installation, with many campaigning for them to be removed, even up to the recent restoration!

But all-in-all, this small park seems a lovely place to take a stroll. Today was my first visit, but I’m quite sure I’ll be back!

John Simpson Kirkpatrick was a man from South Shields who deserted the merchant navy, and then enlisted with the Australian army at the outbreak of the First World War. He landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in April 1915, and found Duffy the donkey within hours of his arrival.

Over the following weeks, John and Duffy ferried wounded soldiers back from the front line and no man’s land while under Turkish fire. It’s said that he sang and whistled while rescuing his comrades, ignoring the rifle fire and flying shrapnel all around him.

Unfortunately, this was to prove his downfall, as he was killed by machine gun fire on his 24th day of ferrying the wounded, aged just 22. His actions saved the lives of over 300 soldiers, and he was recommended for the Victoria Cross, though this wasn’t awarded – a decision that remains contentious in Australia (and South Tyneside) to this day.

Duffy the donkey survived the attack, and continued to ferry wounded soldiers after Kirkpatrick’s death, under the guidance of Richard Henderson. As the soldiers couldn’t bear to leave him behind, Duffy was evacuated to Greece when the army retreated from Gallipoli. He then disappeared, much to the disappointment of the soldiers who wanted to parade him as a war hero in Australia. Reports differ as to whether the Greeks stole Duffy and sold him (donkeys were worth a lot of money), or whether he broke free and ran into the sunset to live out his days in the wild.

This statue of Kirkpatrick and Duffy by local miner-turned-artist Robert Olley stands on Ocean Road in South Shields town centre.

As a public health doctor, I was very pleased to see the Stoptober team out in force when I popped to the supermarket today. I wish anyone taking part every strength and every success!

If you smoke but haven’t yet signed up, there’s still time to get involved: sign up at the Stoptober website.

If you don’t smoke: good for you!

I forgot to take a photo again yesterday, but will catch up with two today!

This first one shows a big industrial apparatus that I pass every day in South Shields. I mean the big thing right in the middle of the shot. This was about as close as I was able to stop to get a photo.

It looks quite fascinating, but I’ve not a clue what it’s for. If you’re cleverer than me and know what it does, please let me know in the comments!