In these interesting times (!) it's difficult to think of how to mark a special celebration when you are expressly forbidden from meeting.
It's my Dad's 90th birthday tomorrow (8th October) so we're celebrating via the internet and electronically.
As part of the celebrations all the extended family members were charged with designing a "90" that is meaningful to them in some way. These have been put into a slideshow and printed as a photo album.
... It got the creative juices flowing and kept us all out of trouble for a while.
The picture is a collage of some of the efforts.

The answers are a radio or tv programme .

1. Bedrock
2. Portwenn
3. Walford
4. Weatherfield
5. Ambridge
6. Peckham
7. Denton
8. Erinsborough
9. Aidensfield
10. Craggy Island
11. Gotham City
12. Cabot Cove
13. London Borough of Poplar
14. Kembleford
15. Walmington on Sea
16. Metropolis
17. Crinkley Bottom
18. Royston Vasey
19. Sunnydale
20. Bikini Bottom

St Aidan's, Bamburgh
On 7 September 1838, Grace Darling, alongside her father who was the local lighthouse keeper, rescued nine survivors from the wrecked SS Forfarshire off the Northumberland coast.  A memorial and stained glass in her memory can be found at St Aidan’s Church.  A place of worship was founded on this site in 635 by St Aidan; the site of his death is marked by a shrine within the present church, which dates from the end of the 12th century.

Aidan was called from Iona by King Oswald to establish Christianity in his newly united kingdom of Northumbria.  No trace of that wooden building can now be seen, other than perhaps a beam in the Baptistry.  Tradition has it that this is the beam that Aidan was leaning against when he died in AD 652, it is said to have miraculously survived two fires.

The building that is now seen dates from the end of the 12th century.  The chancel, said to be the second longest in the country at 60 feet, was added in 1230.  In 1895 a reredos was added.  Created in Caen stone, it depicts northern saints of the 7th and 8th centuries.  The church works closely with the Grace Darling Museum - just across the road.  Both in the church and in the churchyard memorials to the Victorian heroine can be found.  The north aisle contains an effigy of Grace from 1844 by Charles Raymond Smith.  This formed part of the original monument to her in the churchyard, but was later replaced with a replica due to deterioration of the stonework.  The churchyard memorial, from 1844, is placed so that it can be seen by passing ships, and is by Anthony Salvin and Charles Raymond Smith.

Just a puzzle for a Monday morning. replace the numbers by letters to complete the grid.

We had a lovely walk around Cocken Woods and Finchale Priory on Saturday.
Along the riverside there was lots of bird life - and the most exciting sighting was two kingfishers flying up the river.
All I could do was point and go "oo, oo, ooo!" like a demented gibbon. So no photos - you'll just have to believe me.

This article about the LITTLE COUNT was sent to me - I thought it might interest others.
From the Geordie Diary Facebook page:

5 September 1837
‘Died, at Bank Cottage, near Durham, in the 99th year of his age, Count Joseph Boruwlaski, the celebrated Polish dwarf, a native of the province of Pokucia, in Polish Russia.

This extraordinary person, though only thirty-six inches in height, was perfectly symmetrical in figure, and he enjoyed excellent health to a very late period in life. His lively genius and engaging manners caused him to be much noticed when he arrived in this country, and having been seen by some of the prebendaries of Durham, he was prevailed upon by that body to take up his abode in the above cottage, they engaging to allow him a handsome income, which he enjoyed up to his death.’

There is an image of an engraving of our very own Polish Count standing next to Patrick Cotter O’Brien, who was known as the Bristol Giant or the Irish Giant.  Patrick was approximately 8’ 1”. (He was the tallest person alive at that time.)  Estimates of Joseph Boruwlaski’s height vary; one of his friends believed he continued to grow as an adult, even into old age. Whatever the truth, it is likely that he would have been over 36” tall by the time of any meeting shown in the drawing so the difference in their heights as shown is more than a tad exaggerated.

I hope everyone is managing with the further restrictions that have been imposed.
It seems as if it is going to be a very long hard Autumn/Winter.
Please keep in contact with each other to help everyone’s sanity. 
Main thing is to look after yourselves & stay safe. 

Val x

Jessica Louise Gilberg was born to our daughter Deborah and husband Pete 10th September 8lb 11oz   
We're very proud grandparents.
Judith x

Can you work out the words/phrases? N.B. the spaces between letter groups are arbitrary.
Imperial measurements

1. N TC LML
   
2. C R
3. FLD NC
4. BR LYN RN
   

Items collected in 'Blue Peter' appeals

1. C MP CTDS CS
   
2. LM NMC NS
3. S DC LTH NG
4. JN KM L
   

Things served cold

1. GZ PCH
   
2. MRC NBR
3. R VN G
4. CCR M

Pairs of words that look like they rhyme

1. C GHN DBG H
   
2. DR GHT NDTH GHT
3. LGH TRN DSL GH TR
4. P LGH RND R GHR
   

…. Dozens more are available from onlyconnect.tv

I was sort of spurred by the photos of a walk around Washington to respond with a couple of pictures from a bike ride around Bolton!! First confession is that I now have an e-bike which makes tackling the hills around here much less of an effort. Every option from our place is either an uphill start or an uphill finish. so a bit of help is great. Bank Holiday Monday was fine with not too much breeze so I took the opportunity to have a run out of about 20 miles as part of my 'how to stop adding pounds' regime(failed). You may recall that in other messages I've referred to being  'from Lancashire' - well this is confession two as our bit of Bolton is (just) inside the administrative boundary of Greater Manchester BUT is still in the pre-boundary change traditional area of Lancs. As a penance, then, a couple of fairly poor shots (and distant ones to boot) from my phone of two of Lancashire landmarks. For those with good eyesight, then Blackpool tower is just visible on the horizon right of centre of the pic shown as Tower 2 with Preston sprawled to the right centre and Southport just creeping into the distance on the left hand side.  Pendle Hill  is seen in the Pendle1 shot taken looking over Blackburn but I'm not mentioning the witchcraft connection for the hill with Pam around :)

Hope to see you all soon

Richard.