Angel

Today is Mother's Day and would have been Dad's 78th Birthday.

I'm in the North East of England for a few days visiting relatives. My sister and I went to church this morning together for a mass dedicated to Dad and I spent the afternoon visiting the offspring.

The Angel of the North lies on the route between their homes and I've never actually stopped and taken a look at it. I've seen it hundreds of times since it's erection and frankly hate it ... but seeing it up close in the sunshine I can see some architectural beauty in it.

Anyway, courtesy of www.gateshead.gov.uk here are some Angel facts:

?It is believed to be the largest angel sculpture in the world
?It is one of the most viewed pieces of art in the world - seen by more than one person every second, 90,000 every day or 33 million every year
?It is one of the most famous artworks in the region - almost two thirds of people in the North East had already heard of the Angel of the North before it was built
?Its 54 metre (175 foot) wingspan is bigger than a Boeing 757 or 767 jet and almost the same as a Jumbo jet
?It is 20 metres (65 feet) high - the height of a five storey building or four double decker buses
?It weighs 200 tonnes - the body 100 tonnes and the wings 50 tonnes each
?There is enough steel in it to make 16 double decker buses or four Chieftain tanks
?It will last for more than 100 years
?It will withstand winds of more than 100 miles per hour
?Below the sculpture, massive concrete piles 20 metres deep will anchor it to the solid rock beneath
?It is made of weather resistant Cor-ten steel, containing a small amount of copper, which forms a patina on the surface that mellows with age
?Huge sections of the Angel - up to six metres wide and 25 metres long - were transported to the site by lorry with a police escort
?The total cost of The Angel of the North was £800,000
?There is unique species of daffodil named the Angel of the North due to its orange, rusty hue and lofty height. The Angel of the North daffodil has been verified and registered with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)