Sept 2014 finds me up at footballing legend, George Best's grave up in Roselawn cemetery/crematorium on the outskirts of Belfast. On the 3rd of December 2005, tens of thousands of people braved a wet winter’s day to line the route from Burren Way, up Prince of Wales Avenue to the steps of Stormont Parliament Buildings, home to the Northern Ireland Assembly. George was buried from Stormont, where three hundred invited guests attended the special service in the Great Hall, which featured school choirs, readings and performances from Belfast singers Brian Kennedy and Peter Corry. The service was broadcast live to the large crowd of over 25,000 people, who had gathered to pay their respects. George grew up in East Belfast and lived on the Cregagh estate. He died at far too young an age in 2005. As Van Morrison sings 'Precious time is slippin' away', and we often don't realise it until we meet an old friend from the past and they look so old! George Best Born 22 May 1946 Died 25 November 2005 (aged 59) Connswater Community Greenaway, have recently produced an excellent George Best Trail, which takes you on a tour of all the places in E Belfast that were special to George. This super Trail is a must for all George Best fans. It can be down loaded from the internet.

Biggest WW1 Replica Trench in British Isles Created in Cavan. We were back down at Farnham Estate Radisson Blu Golf and Spa Hotel in Co Cavan when we stumbled upon the hidden gem of the WW1Trench Experience Ballyjamesduff in the County Cavan Museum. I was totally amazed at the extent of this outdoor recreated WW1 trench system and how much it closely resembled the real thing. This is a must see for anyone who has an interest in WW1. It is the best recreation of trench warfare that I have ever seen anywhere. This is s brilliant WW1 exhibition and really brings history to life. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europ... By 1916 almost 4000 men from Armagh, Cavan, Lough and Monaghan had joined up. approximately 658 of these were Cavan men who were killed. WW1 Trench Experience ( http://www.cavanmuseum.ie/ww1-trench-... check out the official trench tour ) ( World War One Trench Warfare 'All quiet on the Western Front' 1979 film https://www.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox... ) World War One Trench Experience and Exhibition Gallery. Cavan County Museum is now home to the largest outdoor WWI replica trench open to the public in Ireland and the UK. The Trench is becoming a must-see attraction for visitors since it opened in August 2014 and includes sound and visual effects to enhance the experience and educate visitors on life in the trenches in World War 1. The trench, built to the specifications and manuals of the Irish Guards and used by the Royal Irish Fusiliers at the Battle of the Somme 1916 is over 350m long and includes frontline, communication and support trenches. Over 6000 sand bags were used in its construction. The WWI Trench Experience at Cavan County Museum Transporting you from the fields of the Somme back through time to the Iron Age, Cavan County Museum in Ballyjamesduff lifts history off the page and brings it to life before your eyes. As Europe marks the centenary of the Great War, later known as World War I, the museum’s WWI Trench Experience, which features a 350-metre long replica trench, gives visitors a fascinating glimpse into the conditions endured by the millions of young men who fought and died in the fields of France and Belgium, and beyond, from 1914 to 1918. Built to the exact specifications of a British trench, visitors to this immersive, multimedia experience – the largest replica trench in the UK and Ireland – can put themselves in the shoes of a sniper waiting to strike, or an infantry soldier preparing to go over the top to an almost certain death. It’s an absorbing and deeply affecting experience, made all the more real by the fact that almost 700 men from County Cavan perished in similar conditions during the Great War. Located at the back of the museum, the trench forms part of a wider WW1 exhibition at the Museum in Ballyjamesduff which is located just off the M3 Dublin – Cavan Motorway.

I'm at the Billy Neill playing fields, walkway, woodland, cycle track, lake and extensive parkland, between Comber and Dundonald Co Down. This whole area is multi use. Football, gym, dog walking, running, cycling, bird watching, etc etc It is a wonderful, diverse environment, wildlife haven too. All sorts of ducks, grebes, swans and more come to the man made lake. Otters and kingfishers are here too. I have been videoing for my Youtube channel since 2014 but I have never been able to capture more than a few seconds of kingfisher footage. On Monday past I met up with birdwatcher, extraordinaire, Will G. This man who knows so much about our local birds and mammals. Will spent the next couple of hours, showing me some of the bird life that Billy Neills and the surrounding river and farmland has to offer. We had been stalking a kingfisher on the lake without success. ( Totally due to my loud voice and clumsiness! ) However when we ventured on to the Comber Greenaway that runs alongside and crosses the little Enler river, we hit the jackpot. I filmed my kingfisher!!!!! This video is the result. It is my best ever kingfisher video! I was more than delighted. I will be back for another look. Thanks so much Will G. Without your birding expertise, patience and local knowledge this video would not be on Youtube tonight. I would have walked past this bird had you not pointed it out!! Check out Will G's fabulous Youtube channel at Uk wildlife photography https://www.youtube.com/user/willg197...

Another Belfast Weather update! Today we are on the 4th Jan 2022 and the temperatures have dropped ot 2C during the day. Throughout the day we had a build up of snow squalls. Not a great deal of snow but if it freezes tonight it is enough to cause major difficulty on all side roads. This may also be because there have been no gritters on the roads that I can see, so far. Virus problems means the road services are already short staffed and with Christmas and New Year just passed, things may be a wee bit disorganized as yet? Let's hope that I am wrong.