angel of the north & Wearside wanders
episode 12: the north, where putting someone's head through a window is just a bit of banter
wonders. wanders. wanderers?
howdy stranger!
it’s Tom, again, finally, dropping this bumper edition on a FRIDAY…what!?
it’s been a while, and i just couldn’t wait. after all isn’t Thursday the new Friday? Friday will always be the 2nd best day of the week and Tuesday the 7th. it’s all been figured out on the morning show on K.E.X.P. it’s millennial math.
since the last update i’ve been out west, up north, and back again to stimulate the film processing industry with a rescue package President Obama would be proud of.
gateshead (the heed).
every year 55,000 runners take part in a the 13.1 mile wander from the center of Newcastle to the Souter Light House in South Shields. we ran, jogged, walked, slunked and sauntered on to the finish line on the south of the mouth of the tyne.
the day before i paid a long-awaited visit to the Angel, where dozens of runners had the same idea. it was a bright blue day and in order to capture something a little but different, I employed the use of my rather large TK MAX sunglasses to act as a filter on my rebel g. it’s created something unique and other-worldly, and i hope something to stand out among the millions of photos in existence of this landmark.
most of us will have glanced at this structure from the nearby A1(M) motorway as we journey up and down the UK to visit family or embark on messy nights in Newcastle and Glasgow. but did you know when you get up close to the Angel, you realize it smells like a a jar of copper pennies?
the angel stands atop a mound, and at the bottom you’ll find eerie woodlands full of tributes to departed loved ones; photos, football scarves, flowers and football tops. lovingly constructed memorials to mams, dads, aunties, uncles, songs and daughters.
the souter lighthouse, est. 1871
contrary to my beliefs, the red and white light house is not an analogue to the red and whites of the Sunderland black cats but a happy coincidence. every light house has to look and sound markedly different to each other so that ships can navigate by sight.
the Taj Mahal (of the North-East)
a dome, a bridge, a beach, a castle, a ruin, a tunnel, a football club, an athlete, a band, a rail network, a lighthouse, nuanced English dialect, and not wearing a coat when it’s cold.
whitley bay skatepark
Newcastle and Sunderland surround themselves with cheerfully salty seaside towns, stitched together by an aging but reliable metro system and some bloody impressive bridges to span the rivers of the Tyne and Wear. Since the rest of the world became adept at building their own ships, the north east has had to adapt, survive and re-generate. But what never left is the spirit, the love, the rivalry, and the craic.
family snappy snaps, devonshire holiday
300 miles west to devon with 5 rolls of kodak pro! i am so far behind in organising and sorting through these but here are some of my favourites so far. i’m lucky to have family way out west, up north, down under, and across the pond. i’m pretty sure you’d find Conways under the regolith on Mars, we just don’t know yet.
Bar Hill, the Tesla village
you’re running out of excuses by now. have you taken the time yet to #VisitBarHill?
Nikola Tesla has.
have you visited Bar Hill recently? please reach out and tell me about your experience.
recommendations
Drive around Los Angeles on new years eve and you get to make music videos like Screamland, by Father John Misty. Shot in portrait mode, for the reels/Tik-tok generation. As a millennial I am becoming increasingly attracted to late-thirties nihilism, beautifully summed up in the lyrics “stay young, get numb”.
Since I lied to keep you, I'm starting to feel Like how long can you love someone for the weakness they conceal
coming up soon..
autumn, you’re late. but i’m ready for your golden leaves.
thanks for bearing with me during my Empire Strikes Back brat summer.
don’t worry about the cracks, that’s how the light gets in.
as always, thanks for reading!
