Best i could do was 8 out of 15, only one better than the gentleman in the video.
You could make a good webpage out of quizzes like these â i donât know if iâd be willing to risk the copyright claims, but if anyone else wants a go at it, youâre very welcome to the idea.
The Victoria Tunnel runs beneath the streets of Newcastle, from the Tyne up to the Town Moor. It traverses not only space, but time, through nearly every corner of Englandâs history: built to transport coal in the Industrial Revolution, on the site of an old Roman spring, it was used during the second world war to house those fleeing German bombs. It was even considered for use in the cold war, before the government realised that some musty old coal tunnels would probably not provide the greatest protection against a nuclear blast.
And now you can go down it. In 2007, Newcastle City Council decided to refurbish the tunnel and open a small stretchâof it â the rest is either unsafe for sending humans down or currently in use as a sewerâââup for public tours. Entry is via a side street along the Ouseburn, where the guides will cheerfully show you a map and some old photographs of the entrance. Once you get inside the tunnel itself, hard hats and torches are compulsory, and covid restrictions are still in full force. This was both a benefit and a malefit: yes, the tour was shorter than it would otherwise be, and masks get quite uncomfortable when youâre wearing them for an hour in a dank, dark tunnel, but on the other hand, our small group of family and friends got the place practically all to ourselves, without having to be shepherded alongside other members of the public.
The tunnel is just barely wide enough to fit three people side-by-side, and if, like me, youâre of a certain height, bumping your head on the roof is practically guaranteed. By every blast door, thereâs a plaque about whatâs above you, and how it factors into the tunnel and the cityâs history, stories with which the guides will gladly regale visitors (including some rather grim tragedies).
Coming back out the entrance, i felt more informed about this wonderful countyâs industrial history â just in time to pop over to a gentrified vegan âsuperfood pubâ. The wonders of modern life.
Verborgen tussen de heidevelden en Penninsche pieken van County Durham ligt de machtigste waterval in Engeland. Het water van High Force tuimelt over 22 meter en 300 miljoen jaar rots naar het poel beneden. De waterval is ontstaan waar de rivier de Tees de Whin Sill kruist, een harde plaat van stollingsgesteente die een groot deel van het noorden van Engeland bedekt.
Als het waterpeil hoog genoeg is splitst de kracht zich in twee stromen, waarvan er een de andere kant op gaat rond de rotsenâââna stormen kan het zelfs het hele plateau overstromen. Helaas, mijn groep had niet zoveel geluk, ondanks recente regenbuien.
De familie Raby, de eigenaars van het landgoed, vragen £5 om het uitzicht vanaf de voet van de waterval te mogen bewonderen. De waterval torent boven degene die durft naar beneden te gaan⌠en die niet zal missen dat er enkele mensen staan boven aan de rotsen. Die hebben helemaal niets betaald, want zij wandelde langs de gratis Penninische Weg. Verdorie.
Nestled amongst County Durhamâs moors and Pennine peaks lies Englandâs mightiest waterfall. The waters of High Force tumble over 22 metres and 300 million years of stone, down into the plunge pool below. The falls were formed where the river Tees meets the Great Whin Sill, a tough slab of igneous rock covering much of the north of England.
When the water level is high enough, the force splits into two streams, one going the other way around the rocksâââafter storms, it can even overflow the plateau entirely. Alas, despite recent showers, my group were not so lucky.
The Raby family, owners of the estate, charge ÂŁ2 to see the view from the base of the falls. The falls tower over any mere human who dares navigate down, demanding oneâs respect and attention⌠and making it unmissable that, at the top of the falls, there are several people who walked their on their own via the Pennine Way, not having to pay a single dime. Drat.
The month of July is almost over, so itâs time for the traditional wrap-up of all that happened.
On the nineteenth of the month, with just over half of our population fully vaccinated against the virus, England finally opened up and embraced full covid anarchy, come what may. For me, the primary feeling was an overwhelming sense of relief: no more having to suffocate myself with a mask at the shops, no more will-they-wonât-they, just⌠getting on with life.
Iâve taken the opportunity that is the unlocking to (vaguely) plan a series of posts which may come to this blog in the near future. Keep your eyes peeled!
The Big Lebowski â A film about three dudes who just want to bowl. I have heard great things about this film since roughly the moment i clicked on the âInternet Explorerâ icon for the first time, and i canât help but feel i would have enjoyed it a little more had it not had all the hype about it. Itâs an excellent film, and one iâll be rewatching soon, but i suspect years on the internet inflated my expectations to an unreasonable extent. (Very good/10)
Yeah, well, thatâs just, like, your opinion, man.
Paddington â Watched with some friends over Discord. A fine family film, and a decent contender for the dictionary definition of âwholesomeâ. We could all strive to be a little more like Paddington Bear. (Hard stare/10)
Fargo â A film about a man who just wants to sell a used car. A great black comedy thriller with even better accents (oh yah). (Super/10)
Whatâd this guy look like, anyway?
â Oh, he was a little guy⌠kinda funny lookinâ.
â Uh-huh. In what way?
â Oh, just a general kinda way.
Inside â9 â This comedy-horror-drama-plot-twistiness-is-that-a-genre?-probably-not anthology show just doesnât miss. Almost every episode is uproariously funny, slightly creepy, and has a twist that will leave you with your mouth hanging open at the screen.
Highlights include The Riddle of the Sphinx (the one with the crosswords), A Quiet Night In (the one without the dialogue), Cold Comfort (the one with the Samaritans), Bernie Cliftonâs Dressing Room (the one with the washed-up comedians), The 12 Days of Christine (the really sad one), and, of course, their exceedingly meta live special, Dead Line. (40 tablets/10)
I had that Mapmaking Itch, but, cursed by bike-shedding paralysis about the alternate history map idea i hadÎą, i decided to do a little doodle in the back of my journal insteadâŚ
Donât mind the chicken scratch. I would have done some nice coloured shading, but i couldnât be bothered to go downstairs to fetch the coloured pencils.
Absolutely gutted for Bukayo Saka right now. Poor ladâŚ
Itâs coming home
My apologies for the delay. I knew iâd forgotten something!
Highly disappointed in myself for liking that new Ed Sheeran song. Where did i go wrongâ˝