I didn’t do a lot today other than pop into Newcastle. Tony and June picked up some copies of the Chronicle for my parents (I made page 3 – all of it!), and I bumped into Peter Beardsley at the Monument. He was publicising some BT Wireless thing, but I took the opportunity to add to my tattoo collection. It’s a good job I couldn’t make it to the charity match the following week – I’d have run out of arm.

Courtesy of a laundry marker I obtained from WHSmith and a nice chap at Hype Tattoos on High Bridge Street, I now have Pedro’s scribble on my arm underneath Shearer’s! The tattooist even re-inked the team name on my badge for free after I told him about the Walk. I’d like to ask his bosses not to tell him off – he just got you a free advert! Had I been able to manage the aforementioned charity game they would have had me on their doorstep first thing on Monday morning with a very carefully wrapped arm waiting for another 12 signatures to be inked on.