Songster Serenades Sand Dancers in South Shields... Shock!

Resisting the temptation to blog about Mr Nick Griffin and his appearance on Thursday evening's Question Time, I bring you instead the lovely news that a rare visitor of another kind has been found lurking in a South Tyneside quarry. The eastern crowned warbler will not be alone this weekend, with thousands of twitchers due to arrive and keep him/her company. Come to think of it, NG did a fair amount of twitching last night too!

Humanist type on 'I Love Typography'

A good type series on 'I love Typography'. The first one in the series is Humanist, aka 'Venetian'.

Ex-Nun in toon....

Our friend Jo was in Newcastle today. We happened to be browsing in a Jesmond shop and the owner said she thought Jo looked like an ex-nun(!)... "So, what DO you do then?" she said. "I'm a comedian" says Jo. Here she is. What do you think.... Ex-Nun or Comedian?

Fairground attraction...

Annitsford hosted a fun fair during the weekend. We went with Leon yesterday and he enjoyed a few of the rides. I accompanied him - so that he wouldn't be scared - on something that went around and around and up and down (both at the same time mind!) at a great rate of knots. "This is great fun isn't it grandpa?" "Yes," I replied... through gritted teeth. I have hated these things ever since I was a child, and I never get used to them. After the ride finished and my feet were once again on Terra Firma, it took me a couple of hours before I stopped feeling sick. What a softie I am!

Typo Toast

Jonny Baker explains 'bread suspension - worship trick 73' on his blog. Always looking to be creative and engaging, his community 'Grace' got the worship cooking by baking some alphabet bread shapes and then toasting them.

"...we came up with the idea of getting some alphabet cutters and cutting text into bread that was suspended on washing line across the front of the space saying i am the bread of life. we toasted it so it was less floppy - grace toast!"

ECG Northumberland

Today I was at the 'Encouraging Christian Growth' day conference at Morpeth. This is an inter-church initiative aimed at drawing together and encouraging people to engage with God and with their communities. I was there partly to help promote the excellent 'Kairos' missions course with colleague Andrea. Also in the resources/exhibitions area I bumped into fellow mischief-maker Julia and her hubby Paul, who were promoting the 'Hope UK' initiative at the conference.

Canny Newcassel!

Into Newcastle yesterday for a meeting with The Tyneside Church Leaders network. Pleasant bus ride to the Haymarket and then a lovely walk down Northumberland Street... Grey Street, down The Side to the Quayside.... then to my final destination... The Copthorne Hotel.

Following my meeting a trip over town to visit buddy Paul Wright, (who has featured on this blog before). Paul hangs with the Toon creative elite at his studio in The Biscuit Factory and helped perform some dark magick over an illustration I am preparing for a book. Paul knows much that is hidden in the sinister world of Photoshop and other mysteries.