Very pleasantly woken by the sunshine (mostly, although the mewing and scratching of the cat had an impact too). How lovely to sit up in bed and look out over a park, watching the dogs and dog owners playing, people short-cutting on bikes. The trees were just being trees in golden sunshine with just a scatter of high clouds.
Rich took me into Newcastle on the bus. I was surprised by the beautiful, mostly Victorian sandstone buildings, all clean and well maintained. I also liked the squares with statues and the way the streets ran in curves down hill towards the river.
We walked along the river bank looking at the many bridges, and walked over the Millennium Bridge which feels a lot sturdier than the one in London. The Baltic Gallery had a mentally accessible exhibition by Yoko Ono featuring a number of participatory exhibits mostly on the themes of relationships and of peace. Sadly though, no postcards.
We met Richard's one time schoolfriend for lunch. I had intended to leave them to it, but they invited me in a genuine way, so I was compelled to eat an excellent burger in the oldest pub in Newcastle. Two hours in her company and I've forgotten her name, but I do know she was bright, confident, articulate, with a razor sharp memory and destined for a career in family law. Rich later explained to me that she and he had become friends at school as they both were outsiders. Hard to imagine on both counts.
Excitingly, Rich and I went for a ride on a tram to the coast. The weather stayed warm all day, so it had the feel of Weymouth or Llandidno and wasn't at all bleak. On the way back into town, we stopped off to get ice cream and wine towards dinner.
Surprise! The dinner turned out to be a party for Rich's leaving. Thirty or so twenty year olds, mostly Brunei Muslims, sitting on the floor. I was embarrassed, but had to ask to sit on the sofa, I was already exhausted. We hid the wine and clearly the tub of Hagan Das wasn't going to stretch. It was a lovely lively party. Completely dry, sex, drugs and snog free but also fun, with card games and karaoke. Bebe is a fantastic host and excellent cook, she made the cake. A young man chatted to me and taught me a card game (almost, I was pretty hopeless). I heard later that his family is something big in Brunei. Maybe so, but he took the time in front of his friends to be kind to a stranger, and he added me on facebook and that's how I'll remember him.
Rich and I got back to his at midnight, but stayed up until 4am talking as we typically do. The cold didn't keep me awake.
I have a fantastic brother with good taste in friends.
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