Northern icons

Durham cathedral has reached the end of its three-year fundraising campaign, in which contributions were marked by the addition of a brick to a Lego model of the cathedral. The model represents a service in progress, and the service chosen is the blessing of the banners at the Miners' Gala: so there are tiny Lego figures carrying (not Lego) banners, and a tiny Lego brass band. (pictures here).

A family of pine martens have taken up residence at Cruachan, near the underground power station in the "hollow mountain". You might expect these very rare creatures to choose a less industrial place to live, but these are Scottish pine martens: they sometimes try to sneak onto the tour bus taking visitors into the power station, and have to be lured off with cake.

durham_rambler has bought doorstep paint - I didn't even know such a thing existed, or certainly that it still existed. He has painted the doorstep red (which the traces of paint still clinging to it indicated was its original colour). We have to take care to step over it when we go out to dinner this evening.