Girly Weekend in Newcastle

Last weekend we had a girls weekend in Newcastle a bit of shopping, good food, a sprinkling of culture and lots of chatting and laughter. My friend Susie owns a flat in West Jesmond and kindly invited Daryl, Amanda and I to stay. The good food started as soon as we got off the train, a very tasty tapas in a Spanish restaurant. The next day we went to the coast, Tynemouth, and had classic fish and chips. Before our lunch we had browsed around the flea market, held on the Victorian station platform at Tynemouth. On Sunday, before we left for London, we had a delicious roast dinner in a every friendly restaurant called Bruges, 46 Brentwood Avenue West Jesmond, replete and happy we headed home.

The cultured part of our trip was a visit to the Baltic gallery. After afternoon tea at the Baltic, overlooking the Tyne, we saw the George Shaw exhibition. What a delight it was I think his work engaged all of us. George Shaw's work feels particularly English and familiar although a little bleak, but I like that. I thought he had a similarity to Edward Hopper maybe it was the colours in his palette, he uses Humbrol enamels, the paint of choice for model makers. I see he is on the short list for this years Turner prize, there's a great video on the Guardian website , George Shaw is talking about his work and getting embarrassed about the humble Humbrol paints he uses, I knew I would like him just like his paintings, honest. A big thank you to Susie for a fantastic weekend.