SHADOWS

Finally posting this after midnight as the site has been " down " all evening.  Thanks to BlipCentral for keeping us advised via Facebook.

Quite often I have nothing marked on the calendar but today there were two things.  First of all a free preview film screening at The Metrocentre.  To get there in time I had to walk down to the village and catch a bus at 9.05am.  Then mooch around the Metrocentre ( no shops were open of course ) until 10am when the cinema opened its doors.  The film started at 10.30am.

The film was " I, Daniel Blake" - a drama directed by Ken Loach.  It won a Palme D'or at  the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Daniel Blake is a 59-year-old joiner in the North-East of England who falls ill with heart disease and so applies for the out-of-work sickness benefit Employment and Support Allowance.  We see him battle with red tape to get what he is entitled to. It highlighted the plight of genuine claimants who " fall through the net ". It was powerful stuff.  There was spontaneous applause from the audience at the end.

*********  Showfilmfirst want to keep the word-of-mouth on this film going so they have given me 5 vouchers to pass on to  friends to allow them to claim Free Tickets to a preview screening before its official release on 21st October.  I was given some links to share - each one can be used to book 2 free tickets for the next previews taking place across the country over the coming week.  Got to be quick so if anyone is interested please say so and I will pass on a link.  I only have 5 links at my disposal so first come first served.

After the film I got the bus to Newcastle.  Did a bit of shopping before making my way to St Mary's Cathedral which was the meeting point for a City Walking Tour which started at 2.30pm.  It was an interesting walk focusing on the " Seedy and Sophisticated " parts of the Westgate area of town. It was often a case of being told what " used to be here " although some of the grander buildings still exist.  Some of the original seedy alleys or " Chares"  are still pretty seedy with rubbish and smelly overflowing bins. The tour lasted around 2 hours.  Not so much walking but a lot of standing around and listening.

My blip shot shows a representation of a Thomas Bewick engraving of a Chillingham Wild Bull.  It was set into the pavement near the Central Station by the Bewick Society in 2003 to mark the 250th anniversary of his birth. Thomas Bewick (1753 – 1828) was an English engraver and natural history author. Early in his career he took on all kinds of work such as engraving cutlery, making the wood blocks for advertisements, and illustrating children's books. Gradually he turned to illustrating, writing and publishing his own books. Bewick lived close to the spot where this plaque is sited.  I took a few shots of the plaque but I like this one with the shadows of the legs of our guide - and a few of the feet of the others on the tour.

Becky and Mike ran the Ealing Half Marathon today.  Becky did a slow time of 1hr 51 mins. (well she said it was a slow time - it seems pretty good to me )  Mike was more speedy - he did it in 1 hour 31 mins.  It was their 8th wedding anniversary too.

Steps today -  16,842