It's that time of year again... the smell of the BBQ fills the air, scrawny blokes remove their shell suits in the street (to put us off our BBQ), everybody with any sense avoids Channel4 and E4 in fear of losing all dignity and self worth... And the Rock and Gem fair signs appear all around Bedlington.

'The Rock and Gem fair!', I imagine you to be exclaiming... 'How cool does that sound!'... These were exactly our sentiments too last year, on reading a sign that promises also minerals and fossils!!! A memo was programmed into me Nokia to remind us to head along for the festivities!

The interim period was filled with hopes, dreams and expectations... We were going to be greeted by a magnificent sight of Iron Pyrites and Bismuth, surrounded by vertebrate and claw of Plesiosaur and Pterodactyl… and if we were really lucky, we might have just found a bit of amber with an insect inside of which we could extract the DNA to use for all manner of scientific research…

The day came and ventured to our treasures untold, exhilarated by the promise of all things Rock and Gem… On arrival we each paid our £3.75 (such a small price for such treasures of grandeur) and crossed the threshold into a room full of unwashed new-age types in t-shirts emblazoned with wolves, native Americans and dragons… the stalls were filled with carvings of fairies and leather talisman as opposed to precious items… and worse, the fossil assembly presented itself in the guise of a few measly ammonites and a worse for wear shark tooth… a true disappointment.

We left swiftly to go for ice-cream…

A lesson to be learnt perhaps to look for your geodes and trilobytes elsewhere…

It's that time of year again... the smell of the BBQ fills the air, scrawny blokes remove their shell suits in the street (to put us off our BBQ), everybody with any sense avoids Channel4 and E4 in fear of losing all dignity and self worth... And the Rock and Gem fair signs appear all around Bedlington.

'The Rock and Gem fair!', I imagine you to be exclaiming... 'How cool does that sound!'... These were exactly our sentiments too last year, on reading a sign that promises also minerals and fossils!!! A memo was programmed into me Nokia to remind us to head along for the festivities!

The interim period was filled with hopes, dreams and expectations... We were going to be greeted by a magnificent sight of Iron Pyrites and Bismuth, surrounded by vertebrate and claw of Plesiosaur and Pterodactyl… and if we were really lucky, we might have just found a bit of amber with an insect inside of which we could extract the DNA to use for all manner of scientific research…

The day came and ventured to our treasures untold, exhilarated by the promise of all things Rock and Gem… On arrival we each paid our £3.75 (such a small price for such treasures of grandeur) and crossed the threshold into a room full of unwashed new-age types in t-shirts emblazoned with wolves, native Americans and dragons… the stalls were filled with carvings of fairies and leather talisman as opposed to precious items… and worse, the fossil assembly presented itself in the guise of a few measly ammonites and a worse for wear shark tooth… a true disappointment.

We left swiftly to go for ice-cream elsewhere…

A lesson to be learnt perhaps to look for your geodes and trilobytes elsewhere…

That sounds like one to avoid as I shall be holidaying in wonderfull Bedlington soon.

It's that time of year again... the smell of the BBQ fills the air, scrawny blokes remove their shell suits in the street (to put us off our BBQ), everybody with any sense avoids Channel4 and E4 in fear of losing all dignity and self worth... And the Rock and Gem fair signs appear all around Bedlington.

'The Rock and Gem fair!', I imagine you to be exclaiming... 'How cool does that sound!'... These were exactly our sentiments too last year, on reading a sign that promises also minerals and fossils!!! A memo was programmed into me Nokia to remind us to head along for the festivities!

The interim period was filled with hopes, dreams and expectations... We were going to be greeted by a magnificent sight of Iron Pyrites and Bismuth, surrounded by vertebrate and claw of Plesiosaur and Pterodactyl… and if we were really lucky, we might have just found a bit of amber with an insect inside of which we could extract the DNA to use for all manner of scientific research…

The day came and ventured to our treasures untold, exhilarated by the promise of all things Rock and Gem… On arrival we each paid our £3.75 (such a small price for such treasures of grandeur) and crossed the threshold into a room full of unwashed new-age types in t-shirts emblazoned with wolves, native Americans and dragons… the stalls were filled with carvings of fairies and leather talisman as opposed to precious items… and worse, the fossil assembly presented itself in the guise of a few measly ammonites and a worse for wear shark tooth… a true disappointment.

We left swiftly to go for ice-cream elsewhere…

A lesson to be learnt perhaps to look for your geodes and trilobytes elsewhere…

i hope you enjoyed your ice-cream

i hope you enjoyed your ice-cream

It was lovely, as I recall! The shop on the roundabout at Seaton Deleval: Top Notch!

Well... small mercies... at least they're not calling it a Fayre!

So where is this unmissable event held in our Fair Towne?

(All at the obvious risk of giving them the odd £3.75 they hadn't got the enterprise to advertise for themselves! )

Well... small mercies... at least they're not calling it a Fayre!

So where is this unmissable event held in our Fair Towne?

(All at the obvious risk of giving them the odd £3.75 they hadn't got the enterprise to advertise for themselves! )

Eek...

Sadly GGG, the event, shoddy as it may be, is not held here but at the racecourse... the signs are all over the town advertising it mind... I'm surprised the cooncil allows them... perhaps the Rockers know something we dont...

.. the signs are all over the town advertising it mind... I'm surprised the cooncil allows them... perhaps the Rockers know something we dont...

Undoubtedly it's that as they're not a struggling local small business and Wansbeck Rate-payer (and are an enterprise that takes money out of the Town) then they have no need to worry about being prosecuted for illegal bill posting.

… and worse, the fossil assembly presented itself in the guise of a few measly ammonites and a worse for wear shark tooth… a true disappointment.

We left swiftly to go for ice-cream…

A lesson to be learnt perhaps to look for your geodes and trilobytes elsewhere…

Elsewhere??? Maybe in lots of Bedlington garden features or in Grandad's sock drawer? Those of a certain age will remember the 1000's of fossils unearthed from Costain's open-cast site in the 60's - the Town was awash with them.