Newcastle

Whenever I walk around the town of Newcastle-Under-Lyme I can’t help but think of some of the more surreal stories that I have read.

Take for example a wander down Castle Walk and there at the bottom of the street is Wilkinsons.

Now, to most this a general bits and bobs, credit-crunch god send ( which reminds me do you need a song to get through the credit crunch? Yes such things exist!) but back to Newcastle Wilkinsons. I can’t help but thinking something is missing.

Back in July a stag wandered off from whereever he normally was, where his presence was unremarkable and sauntered into Wilkinson.

I think I’d like to see a blue plaque on the outside of the store. “Stag visited here”. And a little bit about his journey.  Eventually he was caught, at a BT phone depot, no doubt in some phone-home ET style and the RSPCA ensured his safe return to somewhere he wouldn’t stand out as much.

Now, I don’t know his full route as he trotted around Newcastle town centre before being ushered out of Wilkinsons but perhaps he made a pit stop at the bar on the High Street known as Edwards. It has recently been refitted and re-named as Lakota and you guessed it, the icon outside is a stag. Maybe that’s as close as I’ll come to my blue plaque dream. I’ll have to mention it to Newcastle Borough Council. They seem one of the few councils in this area where they won’t be too busy wondering about the financial collapse of Icelandic banking to at least reply.

Just past Lakota is where Pablo Frankies once stood and which is being converted to a Mexican restaurant. I’m a fan of mexican food so I’ll have to let you know what it’s like.

After shopping in town I head to Asda to do a spot of shopping and yet another story jumps out at me. Video footage has been shown to the jury in the Mohammed Asha car bombs trial which apparently shows the University Hospital of North Staffordshire doctor sorting out his recycling. We don’t know the real significance of this yet. However, if the prosecution case is to be believed, Asha, from Chesterton was involved is plotting “wholesale” murder and then nipped to finish his recycling. I’m sure more will follow.