2007 - Jesus Mound - Oj, Djr.

December.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Bob.

December.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Djr, Mum, Kelvin Sharky, Oj.

December: our second morning in Kosekroken we did a norweigan style breakfast, with all the cold meats, cheeses and spreads out on the table...black coffee.

2007 - Tynemouth -

December: it was Sunday and the weather was ice cold but glorious; we picked up the reigns of tradition and drove out to Tynemouth pier... do the long walk, build up an appetite, then grab Marshalls Fish & Chips. Mmmm.

2007 - Tynemouth - Djr, Oj

December.

2007 - Tynemouth

December.

2007 - Tynemouth - Kelvin Sharky, Oj

December.

2007 - Tynemouth - Kelvin Sharky

December.

2007 - Tynemouth - Djr

December.

2007 - Tynemouth

December: I found this solitary white jetstream very pleasing.

2007 - Tynemouth

December.

2007 - Tynemouth - Djr

December: this trip North has been rich with Cthulhoid moments. I woke up at 4A.M. one morning, so left Jo sleeping and snuck downstairs... Kelvin was asleep on the sofa bed in the snug (small lounge adjoining the kitchen and main lounge)... so I turned on a tiny light, brewed a cup of tea, and padded through to mum's study (adjoining the kitchen) and sat there, in soft light, reading H P Lovecraft's "The Rats in the Walls". By God I was delighted to find myself suffering a sense of eerie disquiet sat there... the story really drew me in and gave me a deliciously macabre chill.

2007 - Jesus Mound - The Ancient Artefact

December: I've grown up with this object in my peripheral consciousness; even in normal light it has a brooding quality, but this morning, it was radiating a certain Mythos vibe...

2007 - Jesmond Dene - Devil's Canyon - Floyd H

December: if you've been reading through a few of the recent previous pages in this Secret Window section, you might think this chaps looks familiar: you'd be correct, because I only saw him 3 weeks ago in New York. It's that delightful culty-underground vibe of both being displaced Geordies... with a connection stretching back to the late 1980's... and both with roots deep enough in the city to bring us back for the festive period.

I was at home when I got a text saying "How's it going? I'm going for a walk down the Dene."

I responded with, "I'll join you if you want the company."

"Meet you by the mill in 15 mins."

And that's the beauty of where we live.

2007 - Jesmond Dene - Devil's Canyon - Floyd H, Djr

December: it was through Floyd that I actually discovered Devil's Canyon, relatively recently in life, as opposed to the smaller Devil's Quarry by the waterfall. Being here with Floyd allowed me to cognitise the huge changes in my life to-date, since the day we came here and experienced Dimensional Lag for the 1st time.

2007 - Jesmond Dene - Devil's Canyon - Floyd H, Djr

December: it doesn't matter what time of day you come down here, once you enter Devil's Canyon that atmosphere flips, like you'd stepped through an invisible membrane holding in a bloated bubble of potent energy.

2007 - Jesmond Dene - Devil's Canyon - Floyd H, Djr

December: so we went to the pub. In fact, Floyd introduced me to yet another place I'd never been to before. We sat down and talk about New York, about my writing, about the Power of Eight. Floyd's working on a concept involving Social Club and a bright orange Monarch butterly in a white circle with a thick blue rim...I loved the idea and agreed to try and slip it into the Yellow Dawn description of Power of Eight if I could, as a nod to Floyd.

We talked about the beautiful wooden-weatherboarded house he and his g/f have bought in upstate New York. Really out in the wilds. We talked about me heading over there for a week next year...to spend several days alone, writing, in pure Lovecraft country, and then joined by them on the weekends. Fantastic idea...really hope I can make it happen.

Leaving the pub we split in different directions. The light was fading fast. I was faced with the option of taking the long walk via the main roads, or cutting through the Dene. Beered-up, I decided it would be okay to go through the Dene, ignoring the little voice advising caution in my mind.

The Dene is a beautiful place in the day...mysterious, enchanting. But at the hour when the light changes...it's when the spirits and mischiefs come out and you can really sense the change... I got halfway through and the colour of the light had gone from cobalt blue through to grey murk... and I felt like one of those villagers, from medieval times, deciding to take the short road through the enchanted forest. I made a sharp right and nearly ran up the slope taking me up and out of the ravine.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Christmas Eve

Mum, Sonja, Nic, Oj

Djr, Kelvin, Akr

December: i got back from the pub and found Sonja and Nic had already arrived. They were stopping in Jesus Mound for one night, on their way up to the far North of Scotland. This night was Christmas Eve...the night we've always celebrated Christmas.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Djr, Sonja

December.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Oj, Kelvin, Akr, Sonja, Nic

December.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Ciaran, Amy

December: another long standing tradition on Christmas Eve is the nocturnal arrival of Ciaran. He arrived with his girlfriend, Amy, who is elegant, charming and a lovely character... and Gareth who had never been to our house before, but was a friend of Ciaran and more than welcome to share our Christmas on his invitation; he too was a lovely chap and got stuck into chatting with everybody there.

So this Christmas was a broad step away from the cosy, quaint and quiet family Christmas I am used to. It was more of a party, with so many people being there.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Amy, Ciaran, Kelvin Sharky

December: Ciaran and Amy arrived with all the components to make mulled-wine, in a way they'd been practicing and perfecting for many months now; it was delicious.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Ciaran

December.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Kelvin Sharky

December: looks like somebody told Santa about Kelvin's dubious past within the intelligence service (Alaska - a buried cache in the snow), interestingly enough this weapon looks like a handgun but is actually a machine-pistol...ring any bells guys?

2007 - Jesus Mound - Kelvin, mum, Akr, Ciaran

December.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Gareth

December.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Oj, Mum, Akr

December.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Mrs Santa

December.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Kelvin

December: Kelvin gets another pair of hero pants.