The sun shone and shone Aug 9 2006
So, how did you fare in the great heatwave them? The big question was - for those of us who can remember it - a simple one. Has it measured up to the big one - the heatwave of 1976? more
Another gravy train Aug 2 2006
I wouldn't come too close to this article today if I were you. And for why pray? Simple. The yellow peril (aka rape seed) is now flowering, courtesy of EU grants, in every farmer's field from Darlington to Dunsdale, and I'm sneezing and wheezing like an asthmatic aged boiler about to give up the ghost. more
Licence dodgers' excuses Jul 26 2006
Did you see the piece recently in the Gazette about one of Stockton Council's workers, a guy called Ian Carberry ? more
Craze for re-branding Jul 19 2006
One of the few historic buildings on Teesside which hasn't yet been knocked down is the Grade 1 listed Marske Hall. But something could soon happen to this building which is almost as shocking as demolition. more
Buy this book Jul 12 2006
I'm going to break the habit of a lifetime and plug a new book. I'm talking about a strange tome called the Dangerous Book for Boys, and having a surreptitious glance through it in a local bookstore took me back 45 years in an instance. more
More bland boxes Jul 5 2006
Something terrible came to pass in central Middlesbrough the other day - and it happened in broad daylight. more
The spice of life Jun 28 2006
I'm sorry to harp on again about the World Cup, but there is another little vignette that the cup has thrown up, and that is the fact that despite the matches being shown on terrestrial telly, and therefore piped into everybody's front room, an awful lot of people are still going down to the pub to see the games. more
Cringe-worthy adverts Jun 21 2006
So what did you do during the World Cup daddy? Well, years from now I would have to say that the only thing I really remember was the wall-to-wall TV coverage. more
Time to be bold Jun 14 2006
Now, as most readers of this column know, I'm one of those people who have to get round the scenic delights of the great Teesside conurbation by bus. more
Hole in the corner Jun 7 2006
Some time back I ended up in James Cook Hospital after a very bad night. more
Only Google will tell May 31 2006
If a few years ago you were to have told someone that you had spent the evening googling you would have got some funny looks, and probably some discreet inquiries as to your state of mind. more
Albert Park May 24 2006
Every day we hear of batty opinion polls, but one of the battiest yet happened the other week. more
Got to catch one first May 17 2006
It seems a little bizarre that Cleveland Police have chosen now to plug their latest bright crime-busting wheeze. more
Gotta get out May 10 2006
Now you can probably make an educated guess that I wasn't at the Take That reunion concert in Newcastle last week. more
Sweet taste of summer May 3 2006
Summertime brings the ankle-biters into the high streets like nothing else, and there seems to be a direct correlation between bright sunshine and the queues at local newsagents for the sugary confections of the sweet manufacturers. more
The queue's your cue Apr 26 2006
There was an odd sight the other day. An all night queue for an object of desire. But it wasn't the latest Harry Potter or a discount sale special that people were bedding on the pavement for. more
No one benefits Apr 19 2006
We've all heard of 'double standards', and I wonder if, as I did last week, you felt this phrase ringing through your ears after reading two separate articles in Tuesday's Evening Gazette? more
Putting the accent on language Apr 12 2006
Teesside's twang is an elusive dialect. Anyone from this area can spot a Boro boy or a Guisborough gal at five paces. Trouble is, the rest of the country can't. more
Dominating the skyline Apr 5 2006
So what's your take on the skyscraper block planned for the Boro's Corporation Road? more
High-tech and high-income Mar 29 2006
Now I don't want to harp on about how the bad is driving out the good, or how the world I grew up in, and whose contours shaped my life, is slipping away with every passing day. more
