Day 364. Inside the wall.

We're ending the year with a trip to the North East. Three days in Winter, on the NE coast, with three children means finding indoor activities for when the weather is just too miserable for outdoor entertainment.

A trip to the local climbing wall seemed a good idea. It was left to me to find the number and a quick google brought up one in Byker with a kids training session available in the afternoon. Off we headed in two cars. When we arrived to confirm the booking it transpired we'd booked at a different centre because I'd mistaken the description of the place for its name.

Fortunately the other one was just a few minutes drive away otherwise we'd have missed our slot. Next time I'm asked to find the contact details for a venue I don't know, I think I'll just double check it's the right place before we head off...

These little monkeys (continuing the theme from yesterday's post) had a ball and the consensus was that this was actually more fun than the centre where you climb on ropes. And we got to head inside the Byker Wall which reminded me of a place in Liverpool close to where I grew up. Success, even if it was accidental rather than planned.

Day 199. Spot the spotters.

Heading North for meetings in Newcastle and Sunderland I spotted (see what I did there?) this adorable group of train spotters. When we pulled into the station they were actually standing in a line passionately discussing some train or other. I was so engrossed watching them that I was slow to the camera. Look at the guy in brown at the front. So smart.

Day 86. Let's get ready to RUMBLE.

In the week that P.J. and Duncan stormed the download charts with their 1994 hit, Let's Get Ready to Rumble, I headed up to Newcastle and Sunderland for the day to run a couple of workshops for O2. The day started well when Bea's sleepy face appeared at the landing window as I reversed out of the drive just after 6 a.m., especially as I hadn't seen her since yesterday morning.

Twelve hours later I was back at Newcastle Station ready to board the train home. I managed to entertain my fellow rail passengers when I accidentally knocked up the volume to max on my iPhone and jumped out of my skin. The polite middle-aged, middle-class men around me smiled wryly and I conveyed an expression that was essentially a facial bow to the audience. Before you ask, I was listening to Bruce Springsteen not Ant and Dec.

Arriving home bang on 10 p.m. it was a long and tiring day. Tomorrow I think any sort of rumble will be out of the question.