WEDNESDAY 9 APRIL

This astonishing picture was sent to me by Gilly Hope. In case you live on another planet (or are a benighted citizen of Middlesbrough or somewhere equally as ghastly) I should explain that Gilly is our traffic presenter at BBC Radio Newcastle and, even at her tender years, she should know better than to look at websites which feature perverted images like this one. It ought to be against some BBC rule or other. In fact, it probably is.

Gilly, however, is no respecter of rules and regulations. Why, only this morning she absented herself from the Wednesday Chant (‘Inform! Educate! Entertain! Inform! Educate! Entertain!’) by brewing up a cuppa for us while we were intoning and then pulling funny faces at me from behind the Purple Curtain. A born rebel, that one.

Anyway, having revealed her weakness for facially hirsute weirdos like the one above, she then had the enormous effrontery to suggest that he looks not dissimilar to yours truly. Since she made the suggestion I have been in deep shock - a condition from which I can only recover with YOUR help.

So tell me......this man looks nothing at all like ME, does he?

DOES HE?

On a happier note....

TREES
As you know, when it comes to trees, I don’t beat about the bush (as it were). Trees are unarguably wonderful; they have infinite variety in their shapes, sizes, colours and pure ‘presence’ - from the Scottish Mountain Willow (apparently the world’s smallest tree) to the almighty and almost ageless Californian redwood.

The problem as far as I am concerned is.....there aren’t nearly enough of them. Through our centuries-long exploitation of them, we’ve almost denuded England of their beneficial presence. Remember that most of our moorlands are NOT ‘wildernesses untouched by the hand of man’ - they are very much man-made; the result of our relentless harvesting of the trees which once covered them.

Which is where WE come in.

If you can afford it, this is a really good time to plant a tree in your garden and give back to the Earth at least something in return for what our ancestors took away. Websites such as the Woodland Trust’s can recommend varieties for us to plant and there are many agencies who can get them to us - the best-known is Tree 2 My Door, which has an astonishing range. Your local nursery or garden centre can offer you advice - and often supply you with a suitable sapling too.

Yes I know trees aren’t cheap. But - provided you buy the right species - they’re easy to plant and maintain, they give height and a sense of ‘sculpture’ to your garden, they’re an endless source of interest to you and your family - and even your descendants! - as they slowly grow year-on-year, they increase the national stock of planted trees and will probably offer shelter and food to a dozen different species of birds and insects.

Do the world a favour. Plant a tree.

Marian, Stan and Eddie - eat your heart out!

CONTACT ME
Post comments on this blog or contact me in any one (or more) of these ways....
ian.robinson@bbc.co.uk
ianstuartrobinson@googlemail.com
text 07786 200954 (while the programme is on-air)
call (between about 0545 and 0630 Monday to Friday) 0191 232 6565
Ian Robinson, The Nightshift, BBC Radio Newcastle, Spital Tongues, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 1RN

NOTE
Please bear in mind that the views expressed in this blog are my own and NOT the views of the BBC.

9 comments:

pickler AKA G8XGS said...

if that were me and i was you i would be over the moon , however its not me and i am not you , so all i can say is "gilly hope" needs to be hauled up in front of us "truckshunters"
somewhere at some stage on some planet for some instruction ref the late shift :-) lol

Sid said...

Ian, Gilly is spot on,that chap is your double...although I must say that waistcoat is a bit "loud".
Can't spend too much time here though....Anne & Georgina are in a bit of a fix.....

Hildie said...

There is something vaguely familiar about that photograph - but the man is of a much bigger build, Ian! Now we are mentioning photos of you, I found a strange one a while ago. Strange, because you were wearing a suit and tie ... it was on www.southtyneside website. Couldn't get my head round that one - and it was the real you! And, what's this about you being ageing, grizzled and comatose - not a chance!
I have found some more Doctor's Slang ...... (I'm afraid you did ask)
Blood- stained urine is refered to as Bordeaux, a patient with jaundice as a banana, a patient with diabetes as Betty, intravenous feeding as eating in, neck pain after a car bump as insurance pain, the Urology Department as the Stream Team - and the point in a doctor's ward round when the medical records cannot be located is called a '404 Moment' - this comes from the internet - 'error message 404 - document not found.' Then, of course, there is the term, HASSELHOFF, this is used for a patient who turns up at A&E with an injury for which there is a bizarre explanation. The original source of this being the Baywatch actor, David Hasselhoff, who hit his head on a chandelier while shaving ....
the broken glass severed four tendons and an artery in his right arm.

Lawrence said...

OOpps..... I have to admit before I read the text of your blog I said to myself.... what's Ian been up to now? .... so the resemblence is dramatically there... sorry... (hides in cellar)

No Gilly, Petunia was just a random, most unlike a polar bear name I could think off, but I know who you mean and they are re running that Coast Guard ad late at nights now too.

Lawrence

Lawrence said...

thought I'd post another pic of Grosvenor here... enjoy.

Lawrence

gillian said...

hiya ian? living image..!!
sorry if that wasnt the answer you hoped for..but you did ask for honesty..or did you?

lawrence .. yes ive seen the ads..they are the sort that would stick in your mind good for an emergency..

hildie .. good heavens.. speechless really..
as good as foreverdectomys and such like..
good to know what the white coaters are saying behind our backs or under their breaths..

ive added a bit to the new story..
any takers..?
just a few lines will do please.. pretty please..
theres just me and sid,
if not we,ll have to draught ian in..
night all.

Ian Robinson said...

Hildie....they're brilliant!
Loz....lovely picture of The Boss. Can you send it to me so I can post it on Blog 100 (due next Tuesday)?
Gilly....agreed. I thought I could safely leave the story to the truckshunters. I'll read through it over the weekend, although I can't necessarily promise the time to continue it. I'll do my best. Remember that contributing to blog comments isn't compulsory - and that includes ME!!!!

Lawrence said...

Hi Ian,

Just emailed you a choice of 3 Groovy Grovvy pics for your to look over and use as you like.

Cheers.... he's still as fit as ever and loving life to the full. He says hi to all his Truckshunters.

Loz

gilly said...

hello its gilly here i must confess to spotting the pic of our ageing grizzeled and comatose friend and thinking straight away whats mr R been up to?
Just to let you know Im not the only one who can be slightly naughty. Mr R has a thing about ladies in empire line dresses and a heaving boosom just ask him about it, one day i will do the traffic dressed as an extra from a jane austin movie - that will show him!
x