Aug 2, 2023·edited Aug 2, 2023Liked by Harry Watson
Quite interesting historically ! ( un - ) fortunately, perhaps, upon seeing the photo I started to hear bits from the score of the Twilight Zone accompanied by snatches of Rod Serling's opening monologue.....
I have a bit of experience with caving / spelunking so I was reminded a little of my 1st experience going into an ungentrified cave back in the 1980's - 45 to 50 feet in a mountainside. I & my group felt like either Lord Carnarvon, Howard Carter & co. entering Tut's tomb as well as Neil Armstrong taking his 1st steps onto the lunar surface. 50 - 50.
Yes, the imagination does take over when in a dark tightly enclosed space and of course now you've mentioned it I can't get the TZ intro out of my mind...
Or the Indiana Jones theme courtesy of John Williams. No golden statuettes, but no giant human - crushing boulders or other traps either. Just posterior - piercing rocks with mud. LOTS of mud ( I know, what was I expecting - cushions & silk tapestries ? ).....
There are things that I'd like to try out just to say that I've done them before they give me the " big goodbye ", then some things not covered by insurance, unfortunately.
I've always wanted to spend time in a Zen monastery. I'm something of a student of Buddhism, Daoism & Sufism since my teens. Reading " The Empty Mirror " by Janwillem van deWettering merely fanned the flames.
Hi Tracey, I left the northeast aged 17 to live and work in London and apart from visits 'home' spent almost the next 50 years in the south eventually living just outside Bath. After Sarah, my wife, and I decided to separate last year I chose to return to the northeast. Sarah moved close to our youngest daughter in Northampton. Our four children and their families (we have seven grandchildren) are all over the UK; Glasgow, Bedford, Northampton and Reading. I travelled much over the years too. All over Europe and the USA. Indeed if the northeast hadn't called me back I would probably be living in Naples now. My favourite Italian City. The boisterously colourful character of the people and place remind me somewhat of Newcastle and of course Neapolitans have their 'vernacular' - Italian Geordie. I'm glad you enjoy my pieces. For the moment they are of my reacquaintance with the northeast but early ones were more wide ranging and for a year I included a piece of music or song each week that meant something to me.
Well Harry this is the place for learning that's for sure! Being a Southerner (Hampshire) I know precious little about the North East as we didn't travel much as a family when I was young and once I tasted overseas travel I was off!
I spent a year living in Yorkshire 12 odd years ago which was a wonderful experience (walking the moors with my dogs healed much of my trauma I must say), I had no idea that the North was so ruggedly stunning!
Every visit back home to Blighty will find us trying to get to every corner (once the families have seen enough of us :-) of her, to fill our boots with her history, ancient and modern.
Trouble is that there is just so much to experience! We should have started earlier!!
Thanks Harry - another enjoyably enlightening meander.
Thanks Andrew
Wonderful, thank you. I didn't know anything about these gems. Thank you for sharing.
Quite interesting historically ! ( un - ) fortunately, perhaps, upon seeing the photo I started to hear bits from the score of the Twilight Zone accompanied by snatches of Rod Serling's opening monologue.....
I have a bit of experience with caving / spelunking so I was reminded a little of my 1st experience going into an ungentrified cave back in the 1980's - 45 to 50 feet in a mountainside. I & my group felt like either Lord Carnarvon, Howard Carter & co. entering Tut's tomb as well as Neil Armstrong taking his 1st steps onto the lunar surface. 50 - 50.
Yes, the imagination does take over when in a dark tightly enclosed space and of course now you've mentioned it I can't get the TZ intro out of my mind...
Or the Indiana Jones theme courtesy of John Williams. No golden statuettes, but no giant human - crushing boulders or other traps either. Just posterior - piercing rocks with mud. LOTS of mud ( I know, what was I expecting - cushions & silk tapestries ? ).....
Indeed...
There are things that I'd like to try out just to say that I've done them before they give me the " big goodbye ", then some things not covered by insurance, unfortunately.
I've still got a few things on my bucket list but they are more 'passive' never been one for living life on the physical edge.
I've always wanted to spend time in a Zen monastery. I'm something of a student of Buddhism, Daoism & Sufism since my teens. Reading " The Empty Mirror " by Janwillem van deWettering merely fanned the flames.
Hi Tracey, I left the northeast aged 17 to live and work in London and apart from visits 'home' spent almost the next 50 years in the south eventually living just outside Bath. After Sarah, my wife, and I decided to separate last year I chose to return to the northeast. Sarah moved close to our youngest daughter in Northampton. Our four children and their families (we have seven grandchildren) are all over the UK; Glasgow, Bedford, Northampton and Reading. I travelled much over the years too. All over Europe and the USA. Indeed if the northeast hadn't called me back I would probably be living in Naples now. My favourite Italian City. The boisterously colourful character of the people and place remind me somewhat of Newcastle and of course Neapolitans have their 'vernacular' - Italian Geordie. I'm glad you enjoy my pieces. For the moment they are of my reacquaintance with the northeast but early ones were more wide ranging and for a year I included a piece of music or song each week that meant something to me.
Well Harry this is the place for learning that's for sure! Being a Southerner (Hampshire) I know precious little about the North East as we didn't travel much as a family when I was young and once I tasted overseas travel I was off!
I spent a year living in Yorkshire 12 odd years ago which was a wonderful experience (walking the moors with my dogs healed much of my trauma I must say), I had no idea that the North was so ruggedly stunning!
Every visit back home to Blighty will find us trying to get to every corner (once the families have seen enough of us :-) of her, to fill our boots with her history, ancient and modern.
Trouble is that there is just so much to experience! We should have started earlier!!
Tracey 🙏