Belladonna

Electric Bridges

Doors set in sandstone -

underneath the viaduct electric Gateshead.

The Gate Entertainments complex with the images of construction reflected in the windows.

Glass and steel

We had a fantastic meal in here at a mexican-ish restaurant and finished the night with a trip to the cinema inside to see 'Dark Knight' (a bit over-long, IMO)


High Bridge under lights
Taxis and buses only,
with trains overhead.



Tyne Bridge and Swing Bridge
From the road bed of High Bridge -
Now we must walk down.


One of the sets of
steep, dog's leap steps; switchback
staircases to Quayside.

Rain, Berries and First Drafts

After the rain last night the dog field had a huge puddle in it. It was absolutely splendid though if you click of the picture you can see it was a bit deep for Trickster.

The nightshade berries are just beginning to ripen.
This is slightly out of focus - my phone camera always wants to look at the background and I can't yet affors a digital SLR.

Poor Steve.

I don't actually know if he's in this waterlogged grave but I found the image poignant. Especially so, since Steve is the first character to die in Another Bloody Love Story, the first draft of which I completed last night.

And this is it!

Well, half of it. I've got as far as chapter 31 with the editing. When I've fully copy edited it, I'll get this first draft bound at lulu (for myself only) and leave it until September to read through, so that it can be a fresh storyin my mind and I can spot the plot holes and flaws.

Cranebills and Nightshades

You'll have to click to enlarge but this is an example of wild geranium (cranesbill) growing on the side of a moderately busy street against an old post and rail fence. There were several clumps of it, too. I have some in the front garden but it's a much pinker colour than this.

Watch the council come and mow it away. All the comfrey in the field has been cut down now.






A toadstool that appeared in the field and a great lump of fungi on the trunk of one of the trees in the cemetery. I'm not good with fungi. I can recognise one or two species but not these. Any takers?



I love makeshift fencing. The ingenuity of some people - myself included - who make fences out of anything to hand. This one utilises and old fireguard and has conifer branches. Presumably they were green once and disguised it.

At the bottom of my garden, a small bicycle has been used to stop the dogs getting onto the huge compost heap.




Belladonna aka Deadly Nightshade.

It humbles me how easily cuttings of this beautiful plant root in water. I use it all over the garden as a climber. It's a pity that it's variegated cousin isn't nearly so vigorous.