Bad taste bears

Key chains

Just another oddity that I found on sale in South Shields Market.

Not a lot to add to that, bad taste, don’t be found fumbling about for your keys!

Camera details: Pentax K100D, 50mm lens, 1/60 second, f6.7, iso 200

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Dragonfly

River Don, Jarrow

Just along the road from South Shields the River Don flows into the River Tyne, and opposite St. Paul’s Church in Jarrow there is a small pond formed from rain water that is full of life in the summer months, tadpoles, toads, frogs, insects, strange worms, and these bright blue dragonflies.

Trouble is, they don’t want to stay still enough to be photographed! I was lucky with this one.

Camera details; Pentax K100D, lens 450mm macro, 1/350 second, f8, iso 200

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Lunch

Along the River Don

Walking from South Shields towards St. Paul’s Church at Jarrow can be very enlightening, from Tyne Dock it’s only about a 1 1/2 mile stroll and in summer when the trees are fully clothed in leaves the coolness of the area around the River Don is very welcoming. Walking from Church Bank in Jarrow along the River Don footpath we find a huge variety of wildlife at this time of year, butterflies, mayflies, ducks, the odd heron, early morning rabbits, and (it was pointed out to me), even a kingfisher. You will find a couple of ponds teaming with life as millions of tadpoles enrich themselves on the rotten leaves lining the pond bottom.

Whilst I was walking through the more dense trees and longer grass I was surprised by a female partridge and her family of minuscule chicks, so surprised that I did not have time to raise the camera to the eye!

This fellow was enjoying his lunch on an English oak.

Camera details; Pentax K100D, 450mm lens (macro), 1/125 second, f8.0, iso 200

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Raindrops

The Dunes

Yes, it’s rained!

This tough dune grass is specifically planted to retain moisture and to help build a barrier between South Shields beaches and the roads. Without it’s growth, the dunes would blow away in the wind and the roads would become clogged and impassable with build ups of sand.

This dune is opposite the Littlehaven Hotel near the Groyne.

Camera details; Pentax K100D, 2mm lens, 1/90 second, f8, iso 200

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The “Jarra Arra”

Steve Cram

Steve Cram was an Olympian middle distance runner from this area and he was popularly known as “The Jarrow Arrow” with his dart of speed in the final lap of a race. He was born and brought up in Jarrow and often trained and raced in South Shields when he was a schoolboy. He went on to become one of Great Britain’s best middle distance runners at a time when Steve Ovett and Seb Coe were his international rivals.

His collection of winning medals is on show at the Bede’s World Museum in Jarrow and these few are from the collection, left to right;

• 1986 Gold Medal 1500m European Championships, Stuttgart.
• 1984 Silver Medal 1500m Olympic Games, Los Angeles
• 1982 Gold Medal 1500m European Championships, Athens.

Camera details; Pentax K100D, 55mm lens, 1/8 second, f5.6, iso 200

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