History

What weather we are having. Rain, gale force winds and freezing cold. I wisely decided not to venture out. The River Tyne has actually burst its banks in Newcastle due to a tidal surge. Lots of transport problems in the area - trains cancelled etc. 18 flood warnings on the North East coastline. Highest tide here since 1953. Luckily I am nowhere near the sea or any rivers.

Neil had an appointment at the Dental Hospital at 10.30am but he only got as far as the South side of the Redheugh Bridge over the River Tyne. Couldn't get over to Newcastle. Bridge was closed - a big lorry had been blown over. Traffic was diverted over the Tyne Bridge but it was gridlock. He waited on the bus for over an hour. He then decided to get off the bus and try to make his way home as he realised that even if he got to the hospital he would be too late for his appointment. And if he got over to Newcastle he would have problems getting back over the river.. So he went to Gateshead bus station and waited another hour for a bus home. What a wasted morning. He had a bite to eat here and then he was off to work. Luckily when he phoned up he was able to re-schedule his dental appointment for 2 weeks time.

My neighbour has just knocked on the door holding a TV aerial - she found it in her garden and wondered if it was mine. I said I was still getting TV reception so it didn't belong to me. We decided it must be hers - she has a satellite so the aerial is redundant. Glad it wasn't mine though - I would find it difficult to live without the TV.

The Forum Challenge today is history. I do have a book of my Dad's family history but I have already blipped that. So I have put together a couple of photos and two books. The photo on the left shows my late husband Douglas as a teenager and the one on the right is his Dad. I think they look alike.

The P G Wodehouse books have their own history. They have a bit of damage to the covers. Douglas has written in each of them ... " Bomb Damage - Haifa 1948 ". He had them with him when he was a member of the Palestine Police aged 19.

Something else from the list " 26 Glorious Things Newcastle Gave The World"

Jimi Hendrix

Hendrix was discovered in New York in 1966 by Geordie music producer Chas Chandler who used to be bassist in the pop group The Animals. Chandler brought Hendrix back to Newcastle. Some residents still recall seeing him busk on Heaton’s Chillingham Road. Within months, Hendrix had earned three UK top ten hits with the Jimi Hendrix Experience: "Hey Joe", "Purple Haze", and "The Wind Cries Mary".