A Postcard from the North East ~ Part One

My poor little blog has been very neglected for the past week .... I just don't seem to be able to find the time to settle down to write a post these days .... a combination of the madness of Christmas in a primary school and just sheer tiredness.

Now, where was I ?

Well, this time last week I was in Newcastle with my lovely girl.  Even with her broken arm we managed to get out and about and have a nice time. I had to drive her beloved Mini, though, which was a bit stressful ... she kept telling me off about the gears!!!!

We headed up to the pretty little seaside village of Alnmouth. Although it was a blue sky day, there was a sea mist over the beach,  and the waves were high.

The charming high street has buildings dating from 1724 ... amazing!

We found a smashing little tea room for lunch, with pretty CK style decor, and mismatched china. Red velvet cake was a good choice, but it's quite tricky to manage when you've only got one hand!

This was a newly opened business, and the owners were so friendly, we hope they continue to do well.

No trip to the North East would be complete without a trip to Barter Books at Alnwick .... the original home of the Keep Calm posters

It's an absolute treasure trove ....

I love the model railway running around the tops of the bookcases ....

Later we headed to the Metro Centre ... where Father Christmas has already arrived ....

We went to see The Help .... the film of the recent best selling book.

I'm always a bit dubious about films made from a book I've loved reading ... but this one was very good .... very faithful to the text and captured all the characters so well. We really enjoyed it!

We finished the day in a Noodle Bar .... delicious Asian food ... but not with chopsticks!!!!

It was so nice to see my daughter .... we haven't been able to see each other as much as we'd like to recently .... but it was upsetting to see her struggling to manage with one arm. She'll be in plaster until almost Christmas, poor thing!