Category Archives: Politics
Why I Like Not Having a Car
As I was walking home from taking Adam to nursery this morning it occurred to me how much I like not having a car. How much I would miss if I was zipping down the road instead of walking.
For example, if I had been driving, I wouldn’t have been able to spend a part of walk watching, fascinated, as a pair of men changed the billboard on the corner near my house. It’s one of those billboards that flips between adverts and I watched as they worked from opposite ends, obviously from numbered strips, inserting the boards in. They weren’t going in order so I have no idea what the advert was, but it was very cool to watch them work.
Also, if I had been driving, I would never have noticed that they were painting the fence around the Ormeau Bath Gallery. It’s a nice fence, with gold finials. Now the rails are red, instead of black. I would bet not one of the people in the cars going by noticed that they were changing the colour of the fence.
If I were a driver I never would have noticed that the Worst Burger King in the World (TM) was becoming some other restaurant. Finally. It’s been closed for around 4 years. But now there are workmen going in and out and something is happening. There was a sign saying what it was but it’s gone now. Probably lost their funding like so many others these days.
So I like not having a car. As I can see what’s going on in my neighbourhood. Soon to not be my neighbourhood!
M-Day minus 9…
What Yesterday Was All About
I have decided to do something new with this blog, on Sundays. I started yesterday with no announcement and no fan fair.
I was inspired, a bit, from the Silent Sunday Meme, in that I do think Sundays should be special in some way. I never did Silent Sunday and now the person who started it has ended it, but it did get me thinking about starting a meme of my own.
So now, on Sundays, I am going to post Special Link Sunday. It will be nothing but a link to something that is important to me. Might be a charity. Might be an event. Might just be a funny cartoon.
I have no idea if anyone else will do this but please join in, if you wish. Let’s spread a bit of knowledge, a bit of caring, a bit of fun.
On Special Link Sunday.
The Application Has Been Filled Out…
the deposit has been paid…we are moving to a house!!
Not just a house, but a perfect house. So perfect I am still half feeling like I dreamed it and it can’t possibly be true or ours. Kind of like the way I felt about this flat when we moved here.
But they’ve taken our money and Simon and I are meeting the Estate Agent again tomorrow so Simon can see it. He couldn’t come today and houses to rent in the area we want are being snatched up in hours, so I took it and he took my word for it.
It’s 4 bedrooms (I get an office!), 1.5 bathrooms, has a huge garden and a garage. Oh and it’s detached, a rarity in our price range in the area we’ve been looking. There’s a living room and a dining room and enough space in the kitchen that there is a table in there as well. The neighbourhood is lovely, quiet and full of families.
There is a public library just down the road and a fairly high ranking primary school as well. Not sure if Adam will go there, but it’s a possibility at least.
It’s a bus ride to nursery rather than a walk, but that’s okay. It is walkable, if we really want to, but is about 2 miles. So will probably take the bus.
There is a train station not too far for Simon to get to work.
It’s walking distance to a shopping area with a Co-Op, butcher, off license and the like.
Still pinching myself and not sure I’ll believe it’s really ours until we sign the lease.
Now to pack!
8 Years Ago Yesterday…
my brother drove me to SFO and I permanently left America for good.
8 years ago today I arrived in Belfast. For good.
I’ve been back, of course. But for never more than a month or two. Northern Ireland is my home now.
When people ask me if I’d go back my answer is always no. Of course I miss my family. And some of the familiar food. But I married a Coleraine boy and gave birth to a Belfast one. Here we will stay.
Adam, of course, can go to America when he grows up, if he wants. He is a full citizen of both countries, with 2 passports. I wouldn’t want him so far away, of course, but if that’s where his life leads? More power to him!
I used to dream about retiring to the coast of Maine and getting snowed in all winter with a pile of books and plenty of food.
Now maybe I’ll retire to the North Coast of Northern Ireland. I won’t get snowed in, but I can still lay in a pile of books and pretend I am.
I haven’t decided yet if Simon is coming with me. 🙂
PS 7 years ago this Sunday, Simon and I were married. More on that soon!
I Really Did Intend for Adam And I to Go Out and Do Something Fun Today…
Thursdays are now earmarked as Mummy and Adam fun day. Monday, Wednesday and Friday he’s at daycare. Tuesday we need to run errands. So Thursdays are suppose to be fun.
Instead we are stuck inside. Partially because the weather is horrid and there really are no indoor fun activities for a toddler in Belfast City Centre. Mostly because I am very very sore and very very tired.
I had a migraine on Monday which was a good day to have one as Simon took Adam to daycare and picked him up. So I had the whole day to rest. Except that my Migraleave failed and I continued to puke into the night.
And then it was Tuesday. Migraine Hangover Day (TM). I used to spend that day in bed as well. Except now I have a toddler. And a husband who had to be at a remote campus for a thing, so he couldn’t take the day off. And no food in the house. So I had to take my hungover self and my toddler to the shops. After dealing with 3 temper tantrums. In a row. One because I needed to eat breakfast and he wanted to play. One because I need the loo and he wanted to play. And one because I, apparently, picked a pretzel up off the floor in a wrong manner!?!
Anyway, we got ourselves out the door. I offered Adam the choice to walk or ride in his pram, he choose the pram. Right there is a signal, along with the 3 tantrums, that he was either not feeling well or really tired. He loves to walk. So we do our errands and at the end of Tesco I notice he’s yawning his head off. So I push the pram into lie down position. And he does his ‘But I’m not tired Mummy’ shriek for 2 seconds and falls asleep. And sleeps for three hours!
If I had known he was going to sleep so long I would have lay down as well. But he has this psychic ability to wake up just as I’m falling asleep, so I didn’t bother to try, eating lunch and lazing on the sofa instead.
In any case, 3 hours of sofa rest does not equal a day in rest to finish recovering from a migraine.
So Wednesday he’s back in daycare and I not only had to catch up on my work from Monday but I have the washer repair man and some guys to finish fixing the water damaged bathroom wall coming. So rest was, once again not in the cards. I did manage to lie down for about an hour in the afternoon, but still not enough rest.
And then it was today. And Adam’s home. And I have zero energy. And the weather is total crap. So we stayed home.
We played on the floor some with both puzzles and trucks. We watched TV some. I tried to get him to nap in the morning. No go.
Then we had lunch.
Adam had scrambled eggs with cheese and tomatoes: –
Look! A picture!
I had scrambled eggs with yellow peppers and spring onions: –
And another!
We both had some corn bread, thanks to my friend Lisa in England who sent me a care package last week: –
Three pictures! 🙂
I have no idea why I took pictures, BTW. I just did. 🙂
Anyway, Simon managed to come home early today and I went and lay down for about 2 hours. And Simon managed to get Adam to finally nap.
And so tomorrow is Adam’s first Friday in daycare, ever. And I have to finish catching up with work. And go buy some more groceries (what are we having for dinner tomorrow?!) without a toddler in tow. Oh and pick up the dry cleaning.
And, hopefully, have a nap.
Next week, we’ll do something fun.
I hope.
Orangefest? Really?
So we are rapidly entering Marching Season here in Belfast. Well, parades have already happened, but next week is the biggy, the 12th July Holiday when the Loyal Orange Lodges take to the streets for one big and many little parades. There are also bonfires and, unfortunately, sometimes riots.
I don’t know all of the history, not having been here during The Troubles, but there is a lot of information on The Twelfth here at Wiki. Perhaps not the best source, but at least it’s easy to understand.
Especially as the history of Ireland and Northern Ireland are not easy at all. To understand or to follow. My father-in-law has been studying The Troubles for a good part of his life and I’m not entirely sure he can explain it fully.
In any case, this week coming up is The 12th Fortnight. For the next two weeks most of the country, at least those that aren’t marching or protesting marching, head off for their holidays. Personally, I like to stick around. Mostly because I hate holidays.
Anyway, living in City Centre is always interesting over the 12th as the helicopters circle for most of the week, keeping an eye on things. There is some violence most years. And, of course, the parades practically pass down our street.
This year is no different, in terms of the parade route. But now it’s Orangefest. Which makes me go O_o. Especially as there seems to be no actual publicity beyond a small mention on the Belfast City Council website.
Look, I know it’s controversial. I’ve lived here long enough to appreciate that. But why give it a name (Orangefest FFS!) and then do nothing to publicize it? Nothing to make the myriad of events happening around the city next week one cohesive event?
I didn’t even know it was called Orangefest until today when I saw a sign hanging up over Royal Avenue at City Centre. Simon tells me they have been calling it that for a the past few years. Really?
I never knew.
And I don’t really understand why they bothered.