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Mike’s blog – for his amusement

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  • Whitby

    Whitby is always interesting, particularly when, as in the winter months, the tourists don’t flock in!


    When visiting Whitby we always make a detour to the charming old fishing village of Robin Hood’s Bay.
    IMGP4440-RobinHoodsBay[1]

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  • Malton and then off to slaughter

    I don’t know whether the faces of sheep can express terror. The sheep at the Malton market must have felt pretty frightened as they were shouted out of the lorries and as they slid down the mucky ramp and ushered into their cramped pens. The auction was confusing and I found it nigh on impossible to identify the small signals used by the buyers to make a bid. After the final auction the sheep were routed out of their pens and on to lorries to make their final journey.

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  • Bridlington and Flamborough

    Just outside Scarborough, a visit to the Stained Glass Centre at Cayton is highly recommended. It has a colourful showroom and an excellent tea-room.

    Bridlington has a wonderful Old Town and a splendid promenade, but the rest of Bridlington needs demolishing! Today the sea was brown and bumpy.

    Flamborough Head has splendid cliffs, an old and new lighthouse, and north and south landings, and is well worth a visit.

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  • Scarborough

    There was a wild wind in Scarborough today and at times it was not possible to move forward. However this doesn’t explain why the waitress in the coffee bar threw coffee over me.

    I’ve taken many views of the harbour and here’s another one. In the old town I liked the colours and general shabbiness of the windows that are part of a rather scruffy building.

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  • Yorkshire coast walk

    I previously did this cliff-top walk from Scalby to Cloughton in June last year. Today, a February wind raged from the west and made for a pretty cold walk. At Cloughton I once again had a sandwich lunch in the 250 year old Blacksmiths Arms Inn. It’s a decent pub, typical of the country pubs in the area.

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  • Depressing items from court reports

    Peter Hood, 32, pleaded guilty to damaging a coffee mug belonging to Robert Hood. Community order made to participate in alcohol activity sessions for eight days and ordered to pay £60 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

    Leon Billington, 60, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to stealing a jar of Bovril worth £3.39. Fined £50 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £20.

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  • About the Author – John Colapinto

    John Colapinto’s About the Author is a book about a book and the book’s author. It’s tricksy and clever. About three-quarters of the way through, I was starting to have some doubts, but it came up with a fine, fun conclusion. Recommended.

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  • Men in Rage – Paul Sayer

    In Paul Sayer’s Men in Rage most of the men are angry. I could identify with some of the situations but this is not a pleasant read. Interestingly, the book was not a success and the author gave up writing, eventually returning to writing another novel, 12 years later.

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  • River Thames, the north bank

    The north bank of the Thames makes a pleasant change to the crowded and touristy south bank. There are several interesting looking pubs amongst the converted warehouses but at a Cafe Rouge we had a snack lunch which came with the saltiest French-fries you could imagine – lovely!

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  • Drawing by Lucy Haque

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