The Geordie Tourist.

Casual Sundays are what it’s all about. Well some weeks anyways. I love lazy Sundays when you can just chill in your jarmies and watch trashy TV whilst munching on chocolate. (Hope I’ve set the scene a bit for you there.) When you have a dog though, you still have to take them out. I mean if they got on board with the whole Sunday lounging about ritual that would be grand too, but sadly they don’t.

Sometimes a nice little stroll in the sunshine is just as good; I mean the TV is still going to be there when you get back. Plus you never know how long the sun is going to be around for, so it’s best to just get out there while it’s here.

I took Poppy up to the lake next to where we live and we pottered about. I was taking photos whilst she sniffed every tree/shrub/bush/slither of grass in sight. I love walking around here, now its spring getting to summer time; grass has started to appear where there was just dirt roads. There’s a hill beside the lake and I love climbing half way up, plonking my bum down and just sitting for a bit watching the ducks in the water or listening to the birds. Hell, even watching Poppy run around like a crazy beast is better whilst sat there.

The tadpoles are out now too which I love. My friend Nic is obsessed with them; we scoop them out and watch them swim about in our hands before putting them back. It’s great when they turn into little frogs and you see them hopping about. Not so great when you're trying not to step on them or crush them with the wheels of your car. (Froggy massacre.)

I’d take bread for the ducks too if I could but one, I think they are supposed to have proper duck food (pellets) and two, it’s like a game, when you go to one side of the lake they swim to the other. It probably doesn’t help that Poppy chases them.

I like just walking about and watching Poppy playing with sticks and going in the water. I like it even more when I can get a couple of cheeky pics.

I don't get to take her out as much as I used to. I work a bit more and she also goes to doggy day care. A lovely lady called Ali from Barking Avenue comes and takes her out with a few other dogs. Ali works with her brother Chris and they are both lovely. She's told us Poppy is quite popular and has loads of mates. I know she loves going which is great. You can see her little tail going when we tell her that Ali is coming for her. 

I like just having a few hours for us two though, to muck about and go exploring. Jees sometimes I sound like a six-year-old instead of a twety-six-year-old. Haha never mind.

How do you like to spend your Sundays?

On Thursday I found myself over in town with my mam and her friend Margaret. We went so my mam could try on some wedding dresses. I can finally say that she’s chosen a dress and is happy with it. If you’ve been reading any of the weddingy type posts I’ve been writing you’ll know that she was nowhere near sorting a dress out. So this is some serious progress. (Happy faces all around.)

So we went to have a look around the shops for a while and then thought we’d find somewhere to go for a quick cuppa and a slice of cake. It was Margaret’s birthday so my mam wanted to treat her and take her somewhere. (I automatically get treated because I’m the daughter.)

None of us were sure where to go. We went into Eldon Gardens and that’s when I saw it. Standing there in all its rustic, yet shiny glory was Garden Kitchen. It was about half 11 in the morning so it wasn’t very full. I can imagine it would get very busy in the afternoon and at weekends. It’s just so unique and has a charm about it. I doubt people would be able to stay away from the place. The decor was gorgeous. There were picnic tables, clear plastic chairs mixed in with posh leather sofas, lots of wood. It's in an open area so there is lots of natural light too. As soon as we went in I was snapping away, not even caring that people were looking at me like I was some kind of weirdo tourist. (It happens a lot now haha)

We got a couple of hot chocolates for my mam and me, Margaret got tea. I had the chocolate brownie, my mam a croissant and Margaret a slice of Victoria sponge cake. I’ll admit when I was looking at the cakes in the display cabinet, I was a bit disappointed because there didn’t seem to be a lot of choice and they didn’t look too appealing. When they came to the table though I was shocked. My brownie had been heated up and there was a nice dollop of cream beside it, chocolate sauce drizzled over the top. My friends, presentation is everything. The hot chocolate came in a nice deep cup and had some groovy patterns on the top of it. They both tasted amazing too.

Our cakes and drinks today came in at about £16 which is ok value. You can tell from the pictures that it's decent food so that price tag is fine by me. (Plus my mam paid so technically I got it free anyways.) It's ok though because I'll treat her to one of those garden picnics. (Can you tell I'm dying to try one haha)

You can hire the Garden Kitchen out for ‘garden parties’ corporate events and such. They even have events which you can keep up to date with on their website.  I've already signed up to the newsletter. I guess it's pretty obvious that I'm already a big fan.

Have any of you been to Garden Kitchen? Tell me about the picnics...

It's seems the weather is on the up. I don't want to talk too much about it in case I jinx it though. The North East seeing the sunshine is a gift from God and I don’t want to mess it up. (Maybe a bit over the top, but so be it haha.)

Last year, like this year, and probably every year before that I’ve been trying to eat healthier and trying to get some kind of exercise routine going. It normally fails I’ll have to admit, hence why I seem to be doing it every year. I’m really trying this year though, I need to lose weight to fit into a bridesmaid dress I’m wearing for my mam’s wedding, so there’s some motivation there which is always needed.

For me, I like to be outside exercising, going on the bike or attempting to run, I mean slow jog. I’m nowhere near running stage yet, and when the weather’s nice outside it makes the exercise seem less painful. My ideal thing would be a gigantic outdoor pool/lake that had no weird creatures in it, so I could swim about not thinking that I was going to be eaten by something. (A girl can dream.)

Last year there was one day in particular when me and Geoff (My mams beloved) went on a bike ride around the Dunston/Newcastle area. We stopped at various parts so I could take some pictures. It was a lovely day just cycling about. Plus you get the breeze when you are peddling fast, so you don’t feel the heat as much, it’s not uncomfortable just nice. You can enjoy the sun without being a sweaty mess. (Nice imagery for you there.)

I guess it’s a chance for us to have some kind of fatherly daughtery time since I don’t do anything of the sort with my own dad. It’s nice just forgetting about things and riding around. It makes me feel like a little kid again. I’m terrible when I get to a steep bank though. I have no problem going up it; well except for the being unfit part. Going down is a whole other story. I get terrified that I’m going to fling myself off it. We have dorky helmets to wear now though, so at least I’ll be somewhat safe.

The Town has a nice route right beside the edge of the Tyne. You get to go past all of the newly built houses, not to mention going over the swing bridge and seeing the other bridges and various town sights as you pass them. We also went past the Dunston Staiths which is undergoing renovation work and I think might be open to the public at some point.

There are so many different cycling routes around the Tyne and Wear area. This one is great because of the scenery. It can take between 40 minutes to an hour depending on how fast you are cycling. It's great because the terrain is varied, there are a few good banks to get the heart pumping. There are lots of people about and you go past some busy roads, so if you want something more secluded I'd try a different route. I love passing the cars because it makes me extremely embarrassed, which in turn spurs me on not to stop as I don't want to look weak. You's be surprised how motivated you get when there's built up traffic and everyone can see you struggling to peddle. 

I think it might be time to dust off the cobwebs and get the old bikes back out. I think we've been out once this year. I'm going to look down the list of routes and find some I like the sound of. It's all about just getting out there and seeing whats on offer. (Oh and fitting into that darn dress.)

Do any of you go on bike rides? Where are your favourite places to cycle?

After our little trip to Penshaw Monument my mate Nic and I decided that the beach was our next best stop. So we set the sat nav to take us to South Shields and we were on our way. Of course we had to pop to a McDonald’s drive thru on the way. (I mean is any real road trip complete without a McDonald’s stop?)

The sat nav took us on a wild goose chase. I get that it takes you the quickest route, but lord I wish it had of just done the simpler one. Anyways we got there in the end. Unharmed too which was a plus. As soon as we pulled up to Sandhaven (South Shields) the sun was out and there was a gentle breeze too. You could still wear a jacket and not be too hot or too cold either. It was just right. We took our shoes off and ran around on the sand like lunatics. Poppy was far too hyper so I had to let her off the lead. She did really well. We found a massive stick and she played with it for ages. It didn’t last though. She spotted another dog and was off like a shot. After that I put it back on. There are only so many people you can apologise to when she’s constantly running after them and jumping up. (Dog owner problems am I right?)

It was great just paddling in the water and writing stupid things in the sand. We walked along to some of the rocks and cliffs too and tried to see if we could spy any sea type creatures in the pools. Sadly we were out of luck. We managed to get some canny pictures though so that was good.

No trip to South Shields is complete without going to Minchella & Co. Ice Cream Parlour. Oh My God! They make the most amazing ice cream. It’s right on the beach front and perfect if you’re after a sweet treat. Although the beach was pretty quiet, Minchella’s was packed. That’s definitely a good sign. We didn’t go inside but just ordered ice cream from the little window that they have. I just got the plain vanilla in a tub with raspberry sauce. (A perfect combination.) Nichola got caramel with chocolate sauce in a sugar cone. (Big error on her part, it was dripping all over her hands before she’d even taken a bite. Rookie mistake haha.)

We sat and chilled for a while just eating our ice creams and enjoying the warm weather. Poppy was pretty much on my knee wanting a taste. I left her some in the pot when I'd finished and she wolfed it down.

South Shields is a great beach to visit. The Sandhaven part has lots of cafes and restaurants right next to the beach. There is also a park and a caravan site which I think you can rent for holidays and what not. Also along the promenade you have the Ocean beach Pleasure Park. I haven't been in years, but I quite fancy a little visit. There's just something nice about playing in the arcades and being so close to the sea. It makes me feel like I'm on holiday somewhere.

The beach itself is massive and on a sunny day there's really nowhere else to be. I think it's dog friendly until the end of April. From 1 May and 30 September between the hours of 8am and 6pm its a no go zone. Parking is £3 for the day too which isn't bad at all. Let's just hope the weather stays hot so we can all enjoy the outdoors.

Have any of you been to South Shields beach? 

Monday just like Sunday turned into another one of those two adventures in a day kind of days. (If you managed to make any sense of that I applaud you.) So myself and my best mate Nic decided to go on a little adventure in the car. Like I said a few posts ago, I don’t usually drive places I don’t know how to get to, but we thought we’d throw caution to the wind and go somewhere different for a change.

We decided on Penshaw Monument for the first stop. The Earl of Durham’s Monument as it is also known, sits on the top of Penshaw Hill. It is a replica of a temple in Athens. (If you want to know more Google it.) You could see it coming a mile off, well after we went the right way. We had the sat nav on in the car and what was supposed to be a quick 19 minute journey turned into a bit longer. We got there in the end though and it was very impressive.

We had Poppy with us too, so after the initial dragging us half way up the steep steps, she calmed down a bit and we managed to catch our breath. There were people actually running up the steps, going back down and then back up again. We were walking up a couple and feeling like we were having heart attacks. (If you ever want to know if you’re fit or not, try walking the steps at Penshaw Monument) We did and came to the conclusion that our fitness could do with a bit of work. (Ever so slightly)

When you get to the top you can actually climb up onto the Monument. It was amazing. The grand columns and the open roof, the view of the countryside below was extraordinary. We sat for a good while just taking it all in. The sun was shining too which is always a plus. We took picture upon picture as you can imagine.

Afterwards we walked behind and found a nice little path. It took us all around and you could see the Monument from different angles. There were various trees and canyons. I've been to Penshaw before and never even knew about it so that was a bonus. It wasn't a case of just trekking up to the top and going straight back down again. We got to just take the dog for a nice little stroll too.

The next stop on the road was South Shields for a bit of sand action. (That's the beach, I don't know why I didn't just say the beach.) That's another adventure for another time though.

Penshaw Monument is definitely worth a little gander. You have to see it just once. Who knows you might fall in love with the view from the top. If not at least you can get a bit of exercise if nothing else.

Have any of you been to Penshaw Monument?