Recent content by MonsooN

Not my current house, but my mam's house (the house I grew up in) overlooks the Durham Coast line just near Hall Dene crossing.

I'm with Sky for my broadband. Whenever my contract is due up, I normally do a quick check on a price comparison site to see what the best deals are for a new customer in my area with one of their competitors. I then call Sky to ask them to match it. They will initially say they can't but will...

Sorry for the long delay in my reply but I was walking along the Leamside Line the other day and was thinking about how there is now a huge Amazon distribution depot at Bowbutn, right near where the Leamside Line joins the mainline at Tursdale. The site is literally right next to the track...

It's all a matter of who you listen to or believe though. There have been several studies, including one in the Lancet, that suggests face masks can be incredibly effective at preventing the spread. I've just done a quick search on "Do masks prevent the spread of Covid 19" and every single...

I'm not keen on wearing a mask and obviously wouldn't choose to under normal circumstances, but if wearing a mask for a short while while I'm in a shop helps prevent someone from catching this horrible virus, it's a price I'm happy to pay.

Before all this started, I already had a good balance of working in the office and working from home. My job requires a lot of travel all over the country to train people on computer systems. A typical week might see me travelling Mon-Wed and working from home on Thursday and Friday. I was happy...

I change who I vote for quite a bit based on whatever party or candidate I think will be best for me and my family. I'm not against voting Conservative (I did in 2015) but there's no way I'd vote for that buffoon, Boris and his cronies! If there was an election next month, I'd definitely vote...

In a serious note though, the branch to the port comes off the Durham coast line so there are East links to Newcastle (and the Port of Tyne) Seaham and the port there and then down to Hartlepool, Stockton and Middlesbrough. Sunderland is right in the middle of the Tyne and Wear conurbation and...

I don't know anything about the railway but judging by Sunderland Council's history of vision (i.e. lack of one) over the years, I'd say that if there was a way to mess this opportunity up, they'll find it!

Most Interesting: I quite like the stretch of the GWR between Reading and Plymouth. You're never short of lovely views of rolling countryside and seaside. Most Nostalgic: Seaham Station. I grew up a stone's throw from there and had many happy memories playing near there when I was a child. My...

Mrs MonsooN is a key worker as she works in a city centre building society. Right next to her branch, there's a large Tesco Metro which is usually very quiet as the city centre is usually quiet too. Instead of unhealthy snacks, she's been buying lots more fruit so the whole family have been...

I'm originally from Seaham, which is probably even more red and white! The reason is because I wasn't really into club football until my later teens when I was attending college in Durham. I made some new friends there who were all Newcastle fans and their enthusiasm just spread, really. It was...

The Tanfield Railway is only a very short journey from Beamish - probably only a couple of miles at the southern end between East Tanfield Station and Rowley Station at Beamish. I've always thought it would be great for the two to merge up so that you can have a ride along the Tanfield Railway...

In my (not inconsiderable) experience of driving north/south, I find it's better to stick to the M1 rather than going up the M18 and A1. It's approximately 7 miles further, but you will inevitably get held up for longer than 7 minutes at the A1/M18 junction and then further up the A1 around...

We have a Lidl that opened a couple of years ago in our town. I was sceptical at first but, after shopping there a few times, was actually very impressed with the layout of the store, the cleanliness and quality of some of the products. Mrs MonsooN and I soon learned what to buy and what to...