Mindless busywork vs Hogging tables in cafes

Posted by Holly Hudson on October 1, 2007 11:16 AM

GOOD THING: Mindless busywork

I’ve just come back to work following a week’s holiday, and although I did manage to achieve some useful things, I also rediscovered my love of mindless ‘busywork’, as Americans term it.

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Back to the (Home) Front

Posted by on October 1, 2007 1:29 PM

As an historical interpreter and re-enactor, (alright somoene who new grew up and likes dressing up), I've covered most periods from Roman through to 1945; (with the exception of Napoleonics as I can't afford the kit), but it does appear that WWII is the most popular era.

I'm not entirely sure why 1939 - 1945 has such an enduring fascination; obviously we learn about it, even in this benighted age, at school and we're constantly reminded of the Holocaust. 'Dad's Army' has a lot to answer for though it provides some ready lines for Home Guard Re-enactment.

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The media: US and them

Posted by Graeme on October 3, 2007 12:42 PM

I have just returned from a holiday in America (get me!) where you experience a media that is very different from ours.

The TV news programmes are particularly odd, doing many things that would be completely illegal in Britain - such as interviewing jurors on why they jailed someone, or even speculating about whether someone was guilty before his trial.

The newspapers are also very different: either wildly tabloid scandal sheets or serious broadsheets that seem stuck in the 1950s.

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The Battle of Hexham 1464

Posted by on October 4, 2007 9:23 AM

Fought in the Spring of 1464, the Battle of Hexham marked the end of a significant phase in the series of dynastic conflicts in late fifteenth century England, we now call the Wars of the Roses.

Unlike previous and indeed later battles such as Towton (arguably the bloodiest day in British history), Barnet and Tewkesbury, Hexham, in purely military terms was a relatively small scale affair.

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Cafes on a wintry afternoon vs Inexplicable power cuts

Posted by Holly Hudson on October 8, 2007 7:26 PM

GOOD THING: Cafes on a wintry afternoon

Having spent the past few weekends either hunting for flats or cleaning up our own, we decided to do something nice this weekend. Of course, on Saturday, when the weather was lovely, we ended up doing housework and then spending two hours in the dark of the cinema, only to discover that on Sunday, the day we’d set aside for a day-trip, the weather was miserable.

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Che Lives

Posted by on October 9, 2007 10:50 AM

Well, actually no he doesn't; yesterday marked the fortieth anniversary of the death of this revolutionary icon; when I was a lad only the junior golfers didn't have one of those iconic posters up on their bedroom wall.

Radio 4 had a remarkable interview with the revered guerrilla's CIA interrogator; the one who received the order from the Bolivian government not to spare his captive's life.

In the circumstances, like Elvis and Princess Diana, this proved to be a huge PR coup.

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Seasonal food for October

Posted by Anna Heywood on October 9, 2007 1:02 PM

Yey, its apple bobbing time again!
English apples and pears are at their most delicious right now and foragers should also look out for damsons, elderberries and sloes in the hedgerows.
My mother is in her element at the moment as she prepares all that sloe gin for Christmas.

Here is a comprehensive guide to what other local food is in season this month.

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Ice Angel

Posted by Anna Heywood on October 10, 2007 1:40 PM

Word is getting out about Blog Central and I have started to become something of a green agony aunt as my inbox takes in more and more queries from Journal readers.

Jean Oliver from Ilford Road has written in about her freezer and to be honest with you this lady deserves my green halo of the week award.

Dear Anna
I wanted to say that I really enjoy reading your blog and am writing to you as I need some advice about freezer usage.

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Tiger Woods PGA Tour vs Battling the School Run

Posted by Holly Hudson on October 11, 2007 5:11 PM

GOOD THING: Tiger Woods PGA Tour

I’ve never been particularly into ‘gaming’ and I don’t like golf, so my recent conversion to Tiger Woods PGA Tour for the Playstation is difficult to explain.

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Chateau Midden: Festering Elbow

Posted by Brenda Boyd on October 11, 2007 10:58 PM

This is the second week I’ve missed Tyne Bridge's dance practice due to family commitments.

Last week I stayed home because Fester, the father of my children, was on his way back from an EU biodiversity meeting in Brussels. This week is his fault again.

(Bear in mind whilst reading the following that Fester is a well educated, intelligent man in his fifties. He works for a University and is a BSc, MSc, PhD and Fellow of a scientific society.)

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Steel Bonnets ride again

Posted by on October 12, 2007 9:07 AM

A fellow was giving a talk on the Border Reivers last evening to Fenham Local History group, amazingly enough in Fenham, in the pleasant surroundings of the art deco library building.

I blame George MacDonald Fraser for the enduring popularity of te reivers as it was he who ressurrected them in 'Steel Bonnets', written, if I'm right in 1971.

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Safia so fair

Posted by Anna Heywood on October 13, 2007 11:28 AM

I was really pleased to see the interview with People Tree founder, the inspirational Safia Minney, in this morning's edition of the Journal.

People Tree was one of the original fair trade fashion houses and Safia has done for fashion what the late great Anita Roddick did for beauty.

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Get a handle on your waste

Posted by Anna Heywood on October 15, 2007 8:46 PM

How often do you wear your toothbrush handle out?

Well if you are like most people, you’ve never had your toothbrush long enough to find out.
Changing your toothbrush 4 times a year, as recommended by dentists, means that on average most people will get through around 280 toothbrushes in their life time.

About 95% of the toothbrush is made up of a perfectly reusable handle and yet we throw this away – madness.

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You have won the (postcode) lottery

Posted by Graeme on October 16, 2007 2:16 PM

Every so often a word or phrase worms its way into the national consciousness.

Newspaper journalists are not immune to this phenomenon, and indeed probably end up using stock phrases more than most people as a quick shorthand way of making a point.

One of my current favourites is "postcode lottery", a phrase that people use to describe pretty much any situation where one part of the country does things differently to somewhere else.

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Kinder-transport

Posted by on October 17, 2007 8:17 AM

On the 28th of this month I'll be offering a presentation at the Newcastle Limmud, to be held at Royal Grammar School.

This will focus on two particular aspects of the Holocaust which affected our region; both very different - the Kinder-transport, that influx of young refugees who arrived before the war as escapees from the Nazi tyranny and, the part a battalion of the DLI = 113 Light Anti Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery (DLI) TA played in the grim task of liberating Belsen.

This latter episode was the subject of a BBC TV drama-documentary earlier in the week.

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Winter worms

Posted by Anna Heywood on October 18, 2007 11:28 AM

Half term is just around the corner and I have just the job to keep the little rascals busy.

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Uncovering weirdness on YouTube vs Incompetent bankers

Posted by Holly Hudson on October 22, 2007 12:54 PM

GOOD THING: Uncovering weirdness on YouTube

I would like to reassure my boss now that I don’t distract myself with YouTube at work – for one thing, it’s way too noisy for me to ever get away with.

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Neville's Cross

Posted by on October 24, 2007 11:17 AM

Those of us who enjoy dates may recall that 17th October marks the anniversary of this famous local fracas, fought in 1346.

At this time the Hundred Years War was just gathering pace and, in that August, the English had resoundingly hammered the French at Crecy.

Even in this dismal epoch of political correctness, which brooks no opposition, beating up the French is still permitted. We apologise to all ethnic minorities everywhere, whether we've offended their great-grandfathers or not but the French are still fair game. Praise the Lord.

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Spam spam spam spam...

Posted by Graeme on October 25, 2007 3:48 PM

An unsolicited email arrives at The Journal newsdesk.

"Spam, or unsolicited e-mail," it says, "has become an accepted annoyance for any business that uses e-mail as a communication tool."

Yeah - funny you should mention that...

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Ash and the big ask

Posted by Anna Heywood on October 29, 2007 2:55 PM

Who says students don't care?
Last week a group of students from Newcastle University kindly came to the rescue at the Ash concert which was held at the Carling Academy.

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