Those Coastal Animals

Druridge Bay on the Northumberland coastline might sound like a sewer works but it's a good place to visit for a long walk along the sand dunes and beach. We went there at the weekend and got to see horses galloping along the beach and some rather suspicious voyeurism-like activity going on in the little pockets of the sand dunes. I know people take their dogs for walks along there but I'm sure it's not called dogging. Staying with the beach, blue skies and sunshine the next day at Tynemouth we didn't see horses, dogs or rotund bald men with binoculars but did see a lilly-white girl rubbing baby oil on her stomach only to find herself later looking like she'd been dipped in red-raw paint stripper. I laughed while I stuck a sausage in my mouth from our little BBQ. Doggers would've loved that. I wonder if doggers are bloggers, best not find out, but I like the rhyme?

Chefs don't always get burns from pans

A top day all round for me on Saturday. A full day cooking and learning with David Hall, Masterchef Finalist and recent award winner (he'll love me for reminding him about that). We'd already agreed on a menu and he got to work showing me techniques, talking about food, other things and getting to try out the dishes before I let the girlfriend sample them for dinner that night.

We started with dressed crab fresh from the North Sea, learning how to get at all that lovely meat and making our own mayonnaise. Truly delicious, well worth the wait after he had texted me 'I've got crabs' the previous day. There was also a seafood salad with razor clams, a pea and leek tart (girlfriends favourite of favourites), herb crusted rack of lamb with vegetables and fondant potatoes and the superb award winning pudding of David's;spiced pumpkin bread pudding. What a treat to cook with him, then cook and eat the food for my girlfriend, I'm such a romantic. She adored the food (and me of course, millions of brownie points).

I stuck a nice dollop of home made ice-cream on the pudding just to end the evening on a cool note. Hope David didn't have too many scratches from his day - nothing to do with the cooking; he locked himself out his house later that day after I went round to fetch the main course lamb he'd inadvertently left my house with. Sometimes you have to go back to your childhood to scale a garage roof, even if you're approaching 40...

T in the street

I had to look twice the other day watching an episode of Coronation Street. Mr. T appears to be walking along the cobbles in the background. He hates flying so he's not on his way to the airport but he could be on route to the hair-port (Audrey's). Coronation Street has been an institution in my family since I was a tiny lad, it's such a great comedy. Listen up fool...

Would you like to see some Llama's?

A trip to the Lake District at the weekend gave us the chance to stay at a farmhouse, eat lots of homely food, drink (of course) and then walk it off along the river and over fields. Saturday night was very funny, a wine and cheese quiz at the local village hall hosted by a sort of crazy hippy Richard and Judy couple. It was based around German wine and food and we didn't have a clue, but by the end of the night, I knew more about how crap German wine actually tastes. I bid £4 for some German salami in the auction. On Sunday we walked past a farmhouse and were invited in to take a look at some Llama's. What happened to the old fashioned phrase - "Would you like to see some puppies?" Anyway, they are weird looking creatures, they look like they've been glued together with body parts from a camel and a giraffe.

Nasty Pasty, Frugal Google

I've just been for a run and passed a Google car with a huge camera on top. There's been a lot of controversy about the way Google is going round the country photographing streets for its street view facility. Some people are saying it's an invasion of privacy. Imagine if you're having an affair and your wife or husband sees you with someone else! Woooo. It's supposed to blur your face, but I took a look at Newcastle quayside and spotted this fella with an un-blurred face. Classic sad photo though, the mandatory staple diet of the North East in a carrier bag! There's a link to 'report a concern' to Google. It would be interesting to report that you're concerned that people eat stuff from Greggs everyday, or that it's also a great advert for Greggs. Oh well, at least it's not a single mother with a push chair and the kid eating a sausage roll out the Greggs paper bag.

Legs n Eggs

Inbetween a few beers, a Japanese meal and an easter egg, I completed the Easter Sunday North Tyneside 10K run. A great day, glorious warm sunshine and the scenic coastal route for 2000 people. I managed to do it in 57 minutes, nowhere near the winner who did it in 31. This photo taken by my girlfriend demonstrates my ability to lift my leg at a perfect right angle.

He's not married to Sally...

This weekend it was the turn of the Live Theatre where we went to support another local comedian, Gavin Webster. We've seen him before, but this time he was much more mellow I thought. He did a lot of local gags which were very funny, including geordie roadsigns and daft short one-liner songs on his ukulele. I reckon he has spurts of genius like his panda routine where he ponders about how extinct they really are, and these are just enough to make you want more. He's done a few things on the telly in his time so watch out, he could be the next geordie voice you hear aside from Ant & Dec or the Big Brother fella.