Hot and bothered, aching, cold-symptoms and I'm preparing to go to the Edinburgh Fringe festival in a couple of days. Not a good combination. However, I'm going to win. I'm less convinced that I'll win my fruit race, mind.

I think it is a great gift to be able to visit your home town as though you were a tourist. So, as part of my dog walking today, since the dog couldn't make it, I attempted the Tyne Bridge challenge. Can you cross the 4 city centre Tyne Bridges that have pedestrian access? Of course you can! I did High Level (Newcastle to Gateshead), back along the Swing Bridge, over to the Millennium Bridge and back across the Tyne Bridge. Easy!

Then it was time to see what else they say on the City Sightseeing bus. This bus goes past our office every day, and all I'd learned from it was that our street - "Side" - has the shortest name in Newcastle. Not as interesting as the myriad other facts I've now picked up about my adopted home.