FLOWERS ON FRIDAY

This afternoon I got a bus down to Bensham to meet up with my brother C - mainly to give him some money to tide him over till Wednesday.  We had already decided that if the weather was fine we would have a walk to Saltwell Park.  Fortunately the weather was OK - bright and dry - so C was ready and waiting when I got to his house -- sitting on a bench in his front garden.

We set off to walk to the Park.  C wanted to check out the Japanese garden so we went there first.  I've added a collage of a few shots of the garden. Its official name is " The Komatsu City Friendship Garden". in 2009 ten gardeners from Komatsu worked with Gateshead council gardeners to create the garden which features a stone pond and waterfall where water is represented by gravel. Komatsu is twinned with Gateshead and there is a Gateshead Friendship Garden in Komatsu.

Next we walked by the lake and headed towards Saltwell Towers.  This Gothic mansion was designed and built by stained glass manufacturer William Wailes ( 1808 - 1881) He lived there from 1862 until his death.  He sold it to Gateshead Corporation in 1875.  When I was little I remember visiting this house when it was a museum.  These days its Bewicks Tearoom. See collage in Extras of the lake and Saltwell Towers

The weather started getting colder and more windy so we decided to leave the Park and go our separate ways.  C was heading to his local shop to " top up his electric " and buy some food and I caught a bus to Gateshead.  Did some shopping in the big Tesco. 

My main blip collage for Flower Friday shows some wild garlic flowers and red flowering currant flowers I spotted in the Park.  Also some lovely metal crocus flowers at the entrance to the pedestrian underpass below the East Coast Main Line near C's house. Thanks to BikerBear for hosting.

Steps today - 10,415