Posted on March 10, 2012 by lindaharley
Belfast is certainly not short of examples of symbolism – flags, murals, peacewalls, painted kerbstones, they’re everywhere you look!
But in recent years there have been more positive changes. And one of the themes that Belfast has found to come together behind is the Titanic. Quite why a maritime disaster engenders such a response worldwide is a bit of a mystery, but the Belfast shipyard where she was built has realised rather late in the day that there is a tourism potential to be exploited.
The 100th anniversary of her launch was last year (31 May, my son’s birthday so I always remember it) but it is the 100th anniversary of the sinking in April which is being prepared for.
The area of the city around the shipyard has been named the Titanic Quarter, and this new visitors centre is almost ready to receive the hordes of tourists expected to visit.
It’s a stunning looking building: The 4 pointy corners represent the prows of the ships built here, and from above its a star shape for the White Star Line. The metal cladding reflects the light in such a way that it looks like shimmering water.
The race is on to have it completed in time for the anniversary on 12 April!
Filed under: buildings, photo | Tagged: photohunt, symbolic, titanic | 2 Comments »
Posted on March 3, 2012 by lindaharley
Why do we use the word “drop” meaning to go down a couple of dress sizes? And why is it a “dress” size?
I’m a real bargain hunter, especially when it comes to clothes – I can smell a sale-rail at 30 paces. And of the reasons I fell in love with my husband was his theory that “sale rail bargains don’t count as shopping”
I found a fabulous pair of jeans in a “pop-up shop this week – it took me several goes to find the shop open at a time that I was passing, but my patience was rewarded with a brand new pair of Not Your Daughter’s Jeans, price tag showing original price of £150, for a tenner. And the size? A 4.
Now, they do promise to make you look a size smaller. And they are skin tight. And that’s an 8 in UK sizes. And they’re sort of stretchy, like jeggings rather than stiff denim.
But I cannot wipe the smile off my face. This time 18 months ago, my trousers were a UK size 16.
Filed under: relationships | Tagged: diet, drop, jeans, photohunt | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 25, 2012 by lindaharley
A bunch of mikes being used at a works do in the Europa Hotel.
And some very loud patterned carpet.
Filed under: photo | Tagged: loud, microphones, photohunt, stage | 3 Comments »
Posted on February 4, 2012 by lindaharley
The weather this week has been bitterly cold – I know it has been severe across parts of Europe. One of the local indicators of temperature is the lake in Hillsborough forest. It was frozen this week, causing the many ducks and swans to waddle uncertainly across the slippery surface.
This is one of my most common dog-walking routes. And its popular with many locals, the car park is usually full, even on a mid-week morning! It was Mini’s first experience, and she seemed to enjoy it immensely.
Filed under: Lisburn, photo | Tagged: flat, frozen, Hillsborough, photohunt | 1 Comment »
Posted on January 28, 2012 by lindaharley
Here’s baby dog, Minerva.
Compared to her big brother Max,, she’s decidedly fluffy! Weimaraners don’t take a lot of grooming, with their ultra short coats, but Mini’s had to have several baths, and be blow-dried with a hair dryer afterwards. My friend Marleen was enjoying making her hair stand up in a Mohawk 🙂
She’s starting puppy training class, and is a very good sitter. Now we’re working on recall, and walking nicely on a lead.
Filed under: Dogs, photo | Tagged: dogs, fluffy, photohunt | 1 Comment »
Posted on January 21, 2012 by lindaharley
It was tricky to capture what bliss means to me
A large cup of tea? A walk by the sea?
I don’t like to lie in the bathtub for hours
I’d rather have showers, but not scented with flowers
But I came home one day, and what do you think –
I found this in the sink! How it made me blink!
My husband’s been trying to give up the smoke
Like plenty of folk, so the ashtray must soak
It’s easy to start, not so easy to stop
But his heart needs an op, so they’ve now got the chop
And so now all that smell will be gone from the air
For our health we will care, and our future we’ll share
With more money and energy, full of good cheer
Hoping dreams will appear, year after year
Filed under: Lisburn, photo | Tagged: bliss, cigarettes, heart, photohunt | 2 Comments »
Posted on January 14, 2012 by lindaharley
I often walk Max in Hillsborough forest on a Saturday morning. I gain a real sense of calm by being amongst those magnificent tall trees which have stood there for hundreds of years. There’s always something to marvel at in nature. This pattern of moss on the side of a tree caught my eye.
There were quite a few dogs around this morning, although the mood was a little sombre: earlier this week 2 huskies had escaped and were worrying some sheep, and unfortunately had to be shot. So while I let Max have a bit of off-leash time, I was very alert for any weak points in the perimeter fence.
Filed under: Dogs, nature, photo | Tagged: circular, dogs, photohunt | 2 Comments »
Posted on January 7, 2012 by lindaharley
This one’s for sale!
Sputnik light fitting – I had this in my front room in Holywood (wow, 5 years ago). The room itself used to contain my interesting bits and bobs, and we christened it the “design shrine”. This light, with it’s twinkly bulbs and crystal dangly bits hung in there.
But all those tiny bulbs lead to lots of shadows, so it’s not a great light for reading by. And there isn’t a suitable room for it in EITHER of my houses! So I’m about to list it for sale on a local “buy and sell” page on Facebook. What do you reckon – £20?
Filed under: photo | Tagged: bling, light, photohunt, sale | 1 Comment »
Posted on January 4, 2012 by lindaharley
I feel a bit guilty that I’ve been such an intermittent blogger, so I’ve decided in 2012 to do thon photohunt thingy – each week there’s a theme, and I have to find or take a photograph which represents it.
This week’s theme is “gather”, whuch gives me the opportunity to share one of the photos my son took of me having my feet nibbled in a foot spas this week. My daughter had given me a voucher for Christmas, as I’d expressed an interest in trying one out. But oh my! Never again! I found the whole experience agonisingly ticklish, I was counting down the seconds until my 10 minutes was up.
The little ankle biters gather around
I’m turning the experience into a Guide Entry for the new improved h2g2, but I won’t be hurrying back. Some people claim they gain smooth feet and a feeling of calm relaxation afterwards – I experienced neither.
Hey ho, Happy New Year!
Filed under: photo | Tagged: gather, new year, photohunt | 1 Comment »
Dancing At Lunacy 