It is Sunday 27 October 2013 after several hectic days of experience and much writing since my last notes were published hence the gap. It is only 8 o’clock as the clocks have been moved back one hour bringing the darkness even earlier each evening .
On Wednesday afternoon I watched the witnesses to the Home Affairs Committee on the subject of Police Leadership (Plebgate for you and me) and then read the 150 plus pages of written evidence together with the draft minutes and commenced to write a summary of the issues which emerged and the reaction of the committee to what was and was not said .I judged the media reaction and the comments This Week. There was no mention on Any Questions. On Friday evening I went to the Sage at Gateshead for the opening lecture to the BBC 3 Free Thinking weekend and then yesterday to the choice of Music from Chris Mullin. I had planned to attend the creation of other broadcasts, including this morning but decided to listen to the Chris Mullin broadcast as we were not able to hear the selected pieces in full and then watched the Tyne Wear Derby in 3 D.
It was never my intention to write a note for publication every day or to so in the form of a comprehensive Diary, but I did so in the beginning to indicate something of the flavour of my Autumns as I switched from trips, primarily to watch Cricket and or see my family to remaining at home for months on end, apart from Christmas and the New Year until the Spring, with at the same time returning to the cinema where films are shown planned as entrants to the Oscars, the Baftas and other awards across the pond and elsewhere. It was also a time for live relays of Opera, the Theatre, Ballet and Sport and in a return to exercising at home with Wii although a major decision had to be made about the new Leisure centre with Swimming Pools, fitness machines and dance studies as well as Sauna, Steam room and restaurants which opens on Monday at the bottom of the my hill overlooking the Mouth of the Tyne.
What else has happened of note? On Thursday while exercising I learned from the radio that my bankers have issued a credit card where although you pay 3% up front for transfers here is a cash back upon completion which reduces the sum to 1% so that means £10 fee for £1000 credit over 15 months. It took me less than 5 minutes to do the transaction on line. And while the card has not arrived the transfer of expenditure for the trip to experience Carmen at the Royal Opera House in January has been executed, I also learned during This week, the late night political programme, that the Cooperative Bank is now 70% owned by two Hedge Funds!
I have also acquired a rail card for £70 over three years which means that I have to make a saving of more than £23 to be in profit. I made £16 on the fare to London having previously booked the return for the special fare of £15. It will be interest to see if I was able to also gain a third off on that. I am therefore all booked up for the New Year London Opera trip with four nights stay. I provided information about my photo driving licence as the rail card does not require a photo and has arrived already. I also completed an application to renew my passport for a further ten years although with the sleep apnoea machine I am hesitant about travelling beyond the shores of the British Islands. I completed the form online my information has now been printed out and received for me to sign and to add the photograph.
Yesterday I visited the new central development to Gateshead across the banks of the Tyne from Newcastle and always the poor relation, especially in terms of shopping capacity with the Metro centre on its outer boundary and Eldon Square and the rest of the stores, restaurants across the seven Bridges. I made a mistake thinking my first programme of the day was at 2 when it was 12 and therefore I shall listen when broadcast or on the pod cast. I did depart early but then made the mistake of deciding to go to the Haymarket and taking the 02 down to the Quayside. The mistake was a double one as first the first of then every ten minutes buses was cancelled and I had to wait close to 20 minutes for the bus which understandably was packed. Second I had forgotten what a climb of steps it is once over the Millennium bridge with two levels of car parks and a further long series of steps. However the climb did me good and I took my time enjoying the different perspectives of Newcastle as I rose in height.
The reason fro arriving early and only to find my first programme was in fact not taking place until 4 was that I could not find my phone on arrival to turn it off. (Listening to a Geoffrey Smith download on Jack Teargarden. Diane his 1926 debut. After you have Gone, Jack his the Road with his Bud Freeman 1935 with his own vocal on Muddy Waters. Somebody Love me 1944, with Louis Armstrong All Stars 1947, Baby wont you Please come Home with Bobby Hackett. Basin Street Blues and Way down Yonder in New Orleans. 100 years from Today.
The phone had been handed in but alas was worse for wear and looked as if it may have been clipped by a passing car as the screen is cracked a third will not function. So I then had two hours of time before arriving for the Chris Mullin programme which I shall cover when I listen at 12. I decided to go and look at the new central shopping and entertainment development on the site of the famous Get Carter car park. In fact the site has been converted to a range of uses which somehow feels odd with a small modern open precinct dominated by a huge Tesco and where I purchased a can of coke for 57pence, a new multiplex not yet complete and two possibly three huge blocks of posh flats. There is also a NHS centre. It is a few steps from there to Metro station and Interchange bus complex. Before taking a bus into Newcastle I walked around the older part of the town centre to view, as it happened the incomplete new cinema and noted that the busiest place was a Wetherspoon’s pub, now serving meals, as they all do from 8am until 11pm. I noted that the existing stores offering household good at bargain prices were still being well patronises rather than investigate the Tesco. Perhaps they had done this and realises Tesco prices are significantly higher that the other stores.
I stepped off the bus just before the station which enabled me to walk through to the Eldon square centre noting that the adjacent centre is still closed as the major structural change and refurbishment is still underway. My purpose was a T Mobile, Orange EE store not to replace but to find the options from 3 and 4G phones, to home and mobile Internet, contract and Pay as you Go plans. I will probably still do a cheap replace and pay as you Go but I might do open with Internet connection to place photos on Face Book, I will sort on Monday.
It is nearly time for the Andrew Marr Show where I will make a note of anything of interest while I continue. There was an important interview with Sir Hugh Orde, head of the Association of Chief Constables who contribution proved a significant one and which I will include in the special piece on the subject which I will work on again from tomorrow, if not late today. It is also the week where the Government take to the Privy Council the Charter on press regulation which the owners egged on by their editors are saying they will refuse to sign up to in the week when key figures in the News of the World will appear in court charged with serious offences, which means yet to be proved but cover the disclosure which led to the Leveson Inquiry and the proposals which he made for a truly Independent new complaints system. There was reference to the great storm of hurricane proportion as it approaches later to day, to silly man Shaps the Chairman of the Conservative Party an extraordinary lightweight issuing a warning to the BBC that if they are unfair to the Tories in the run up to the next election the corporation could face a significant cut in public after the next Generation or worse, designed to appeal to its extreme right and fascist supporters, another own goal. Now to the programme I missed yesterday which was Broadcast at 2 and recorded at 12 hence the misunderstanding which led to my missing the show, the programme last half an hour which will work perfectly to the Chris Mullin Live at noon. The Saturday classic show explored the connection between Music and Freedom. A Childhood memory, The Magic Flute Overture. Fidelio, The Song of Freedom and then Verdi’s Aida. Sibelius Free Finlandia, Smetna My Country. Much of the rest of music I did not enjoy so ended my listening appreciating that I had not attended the live show.
I came out of the Eldon centre back into Northumberland Street and went in search of the1 bus which takes one to the Baltic Square which is just out the Sage (in this instance I had no wish to have visited the Baltic during the spare hours as this would have meant climbing the stairs again unless there was a bus on its way up to the Square. Having failed to immediately find stop for the bus as central bus station I got on the first bus back to Gateshead which in fact was the fast bus from Newcastle to Middlesbrough and which mentioning has caused me check out the long route time tables with a four hour trip to Berwick each way but with some great places along the route including Bamburgh, Alnwick, Amble and Warkworth. I shall explore next Spring Summer although with some good weather later in the week I do not rule out an earlier exploration, at least to some of the closers places given that I cannot get to Newcastle until 10ish and it will be dark around 5. We shall see
Having arrived back at the Gateshead Metro centre I did not have to wait long but noted the drop in temperatures for the short one stop journey to the Baltic, via the road down to the swing bridge, the bus then does a circular trip via Gateshead college into Newcastle via Baltic square and to central station before coming back to the Baltic square for Gateshead thus as I discovered bus for both directions use this stop to the bewilderment of the rest of the queue where fortunately the driver explaining this fact to them meant I was able to arrive become he second passenger heading for the Gateshead Interchange where I had to wait nearly ten minuets for the train to South Shields, the walk up the hill and home, having decided to miss the final programme for the day where I had tickets.
I had decided to get back for some food having enjoyed three small home baked rolls with salami at noon and forgotten to take the small quiche with me on the original basis I would not be home until around eight. I enjoyed the quiche plus the small carton of M and S spicy chicken wings. I was therefore able to play some attention to Strictly Come Dancing and then the X Factor before the second new series Montalbano. I continue to be impression by a number of performers in this years X Factor with a Great Performance from former Prison officer Sam Bailey singing the number from Titanic- All I want is young. Hannah Barrat with that great soulful voice gave masterfully performance of Skyfall and Tamara Foster closing he Show with Listen. However I also liked Luke Fiends Kiss from a rose, but others did well although I was not keen on Albi Alton’s Moon River which got a beating from the judges but she was not lowest on the night but I would not be surprised to see her in the sing off later.
I took my radio on the trip to Newcastle to listen to England’s First game in the Rugby League world cup held in the UK where they took a great 10 lead at the start of the first half only to drop balls in vital moments with the consequence that Australia came back to take the game thus suggesting the best the team can do is to reach the semi Final state where they will meet New Zealand. Italy hen demonstrated that their win in the friendly against England was no fluke by beating Wales by wide margin and look certain to book their place in the semi finals if the continue at the same level.
It is 11.40 and time fro exercising having just booked to see Les Vepres Siciliennes from the Royal Opera House, Tosca from the Metropolitan opera House and the Habit of Art from the National theatre all over the next ten days at the Cineworld Bolden. Time to close this session. 11.25.
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