Pets Corner Jesmond Dene

Map of the Dene above.

Today we went for a picnic in the Dene in the Ouseburn Valley in Newcastle upon Tyne.

We brought a basket with delicious hummus with pesto and pita bread, juice, water, fancy tasty bickies and a banana walnut cake I had baked this very morning. We were celebrating Joel's 60th birthday with Himself, Noah and Lou in the warm weather at Pets Corner.

Lou likes to go there and I remember Noah showing me this amazing park in Newcastle the first time I ever visited. We all sat at a picnic table and had hot teas and coffee and Lou had Ribena as well. It was so nice and relaxed and Lou and Noah enjoyed seeing eachother again, as it is way too rare for them.

The Dene is magical and one can go on many adventures there. We have found hidden stone chapel ruins, a holy well, bowling ground and pavilion, and shoe trees which look positively "druidic"!

Lord Armstrong designed this very natural landscape style park in a river valley. He lived at Cragside near Rothbury and he was a shipbuilder, bridge builder, I guess an engineer is what he was. Plus an inventor. I have to look him up to tell you more! Cragside has a famous rhododendron walk that goes on for miles and miles.

The most memorable moment for me was seeing a peacock perform his mating dance for the peahen. Such a performance and his many layers of feathers and different activities. Not only the huge fan shaped plume shake and rattle but back feathers and booty waddle also.

In another pen this huge potbelly pig lay snoring in his shed! It was Sunday afternoon after all.