Woke around 0800...got up to check the spider was still in the trap. Made tea, and found a bit of card to slide beneath the tupperware in readiness for the final phase of the operation. In the end, we managed to persuade father to throw it out of an upstairs window. Dad trying to get his energy smart meter monitor up and running this morning...couldn't get it to work. It's asking for a PIN number. Went on the British Gas website, but there is no information pertaining to PIN numbers...tried phoning them, but got precisely nowhere...that was most of the morning gone!
Kath turned up at noon. We had some lunch, after which Jim turned up in the back garden. Aki and I jumped in the Up! and we headed for the Rowing Club in Newburn. Nice modern two-storey boathouse overlooking a wide section of the River Tyne, opposite Blaydon. We were introduced to Dennis Hunter, a club member, who showed us around. He kept trying to get me to sign up for the gym. Then drove on to The Staithes, a large modern development which Jim had been involved with when working for IDP. We weren't very impressed.
Most of it looks low quality build, and bits of timber cladding are looking in decidedly bad shape. Drove on to Heaton and parked the car. Had a walk up Heaton Road, and back down Chillingham Road to get the measure of the place...not quite as buzzy as I had hoped. Drove to Tynemouth, via Walkergate, Wallsend, and North Shields. Tynemouth has a nice village-like feel, but the house prices are top end. We walked along Front Street onto the promenade, stopping at the Grand Hotel for tea-for-two with a view across the bay. Got to Graeme's in Heaton Grove around 1845 and got to say a brief hello to Tess, and eldest son Daniel, who was acting very shy...more like a six year old than the twelve year old he actually is! Very peculiar. Graeme walked us down to the Ouseburn, and we dined at the Brinkburn Street Brewery. Caught up with Graeme, who is now working for Gateshead Council. Tess got made redundant early this year, and has been trying to set up a private concern of her own. It was dark by the time we drove back to Darras Hall. Got back in time for the 10 o'clock News. I stayed up and watched some of the replay of Raducanu's 2nd round win over Azarenka at the Cincinatti Open, a warm up for the US Open which starts a week on Monday.
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