Not an entirely random name for a blog, but close. I am not a goat herder - in the usual meaning of that word; nor does the Urban Dictionary definition apply to me either (for a decade at least): an extremely drunk male who having lost all self-respect and standards, loses his powers of discrimination when pulling females. It is said that Gateshead derives its name from a settlement near an early Tyne crossing where goats once roamed. The goats are long gone, but me - I like to roam these parts - or rather run - exploring new places, rediscovering old ones in and around Gateshead and Newcastle when I'm out jogging. This blog is a collection of my photos, thoughts, observations, rants, loves and hates about Newcastle and Gateshead.

Friday 23 May 2014

Mea house staircase Artex

eeh, me mam did that!
I don't like graffiti and I don't really understand the motivation of those who deface the urban landscape with spray paint.  I concede that some graffiti has some artistic merit, but mindlessly tagging every available blank wall with spray paint, like a dog has to piss on every lamppost, is anti-social at best. Why do it?  Is it for fame, infamy, notoriety, self expression, look at me!, making one's mark, recognition, legacy. I don't know, but I suspect it is perhaps all of the above. I do know that it was with certain amount of pride when I spotted these splashes of paint on a staircase leading to the raised pedestrian walkways around Mea House when out running the other day. My mam dropped a tub of Artex down these stairs in the late 70s / early 80s, which spilled on to the footpath at the bottom and all over the bottoms treads.  As you can see, some of it is still there!  Wehey!

UPDATE: Note to Council: it wasn't really my mother who spilled the artex, honest. She does, however, admit to assisting in the extensive cleanup operation afterwards.


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