fraise

Wednesday, 4 July 2012

4th July Celebrations

We decided to celebrate Independance Day at Hookery not in the Bookery tonight- themed clothing and food. Full details here, where you will spot that Niqi managed to combine crochet with her costume!

Sunday, 1 July 2012

Land of the Giants

After two and a half hours logged in and locked in and totally obsessed one morning last week, I somehow ended up with eight armbands for Land of the Giants instead of the maximum four!

The BBC has a super article that explains the event much better than I will, but I'll bet they weren't at all as moved as I was! The sequence where they took "snapshots" of generations of Belfast folk living Belfast lives was fabulous.

And the way in which they built up a model of Titanic, waltzing sadly towards the iceberg was beautiful. The building of Titanic Belfast had been the backdrop for stunning son et lumiere effects from the start of the night, but now its craggy, icy exterior was the main character.

And this is my Jo, perched high over the heads of 20,000 spectators, braving the late hour, and the rain. New generation of Belfast folk living (suburban) Belfast lives.

And finally, just because we're just back from our annual Day Out at Summer Madness, where You Know Who were leading worship, here's a wee dose of You Know Who- giants from my land!

Saturday, 30 June 2012

Solo summer surviving: Day One

Young Photographers of the Day

So, yesterday was Day One of the Summer Holidays, but I'm only patting myself on the back for the days when it's solo mum, due to PC keeping this thankfully-not-as-yet-leaking-in-the-rain roof over our heads.

We all went volunteering as is my wont on a Friday morning, then dumped a large thing at the Dump, then went to the Library to return non-overdue books (another pat on the back there, Mags), and then drove home through the rain for lunch.

Then a small friend came to play, so I took not two but three boys to the pool for a swim. If you can't beat the wet, join it. After an obligatory cafe stop we didn't visit a friend as planned and we didn't go to buy the balloons for Uncle William's fortieth birthday dinner that evening. Instead boys were delivered back home/to their father who was helping set up technical music things at the local community festival night, and I went to buy birthday balloons for Uncle William's fortieth birthday dinner that evening.

Did you know that there is a world helium shortage? There is, apparently, a world helium shortage. This is not good when both your mother and your newly forty year old brother's wife are expecting you to provide the fortieth birthday dinner balloons that evening. Oh well.

Then we went to Uncle William's forthieth birthday dinner, via the local community festival night. Then we came home late and went to bed. Where Mattman proudly read me bedtime tales from his P5 Writing Book. "Try not to start every sentence with Then". Maybe they'll make better photographers...

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

Greatitudes 571 and 572: Healing and a shared future

Ingrafted branches- from Romans 11- were one of the images that got me through the Troubles.

"Where's your crown?" he asked, apparently!

One woman in the crowd had travelled from Sligo, determined to see Queen Elizabeth II. It's a novelty to see the British flag so free from the usual tight sectarian affiliations. It's a joy beyond words.

The leaving your gift at the altar thing from Matthew 5 was the other. First go and be reconciled... then come...