We were over at Omagh for a few days break. I spotted this reflective, poignant piece of street art on the side of Jack McGinn & Co furniture store, near the junction of Market street and the Dublin road. This street art mural is by well known and respected Mode 2, one of the world’s top street artists. The piece reminds us of the terrible events of 15 August 1998 and also depicts the difficult journey through the Northern Ireland Troubles’, into the peace process. The mural is open to personal interpretation and comes across as going from left to right. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB5TbU4-NBU
We were out for a recent dander round the wonderful Billy Neill Playing Fields and Country Park, just outside Dundonald. We were heartened and totally amazed by the numbers of new young trees that have been planted since we had last walked round.
20,000, mostly deciduous trees are now in place. This is a marvellous investment in the future. Well down Castlereagh and Lisburn City Council, the Forest Service and the Woodland Trust for taking on this major planting.
What a positive Belfast story!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD1CchVbHp0
We were on the Belmont road again yesterday and we stopped into No 36 for some local some cooked nosh. You just couldn't beat it. Fast friendly service, creative menu, cosy atmosphere, easy to pay. Just the ticket! We will be back!
'Located on the popular Belmont Road, Thirty Six café specialises in all day brunch, tasty lunch options and outside catering. At Thirty Six we love food and believe that it should be fresh, sourced locally, cooked with passion and served with a friendly smile. Our brunch menu is big and tasty, which runs all day and is made up of favourites such as ‘The No36 Fry’, freshly made to order pancakes with lashings of maple syrup and crispy bacon, and the very popular Belgian waffles with chicken tenders & hot sauce.'
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-2wePh30mg
Just to let you know. I'm having problems receiving and replying back to some of your posts. I only noticed this recently.
Some good folks have posted me over the last month or so and I never got those posts, so I couldn't reply. Other times I sent replies and my Youtube comments section indicated that I hadn't! I'm not quite sure what is happening. I think it's some sort of glitch.
If you post in and I don't respond as I normally do then please resend your comment. Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh Hills.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Top1SsK8cNc
The next time you drive to Belvoir forest make sure you take a good look towards the left at the colourful mural just before the entrance. Titled Belvoir Memorial Orchard it refers to the nearby orchard of newly planted trees and also to the sacrifice made by UK soldiers in WW1 and WW2 and all past recent wars.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVwxpMWYkY4
26/11/21 and Another Belfast Weather Update. Storm Arwen is passing over bringing cold, wet, very windy, weather. We are in and around 4 C mid afternoon. It is not at all pleasant but I suppose it is winter. What else can you expect?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-5P7HvHNNQ
After months of frustration waiting for our very slow almost 6 year old Lenovo lap top to boot up in the morning, or waiting for it to reboot after crashing, I walked into Currys at Forestside Belfast and bought a new desktop computer. This is it. It cost £499.
It is a
black Lenovo Idea Centre AIO
All-in-One PC
AMD Ryzen 3
128 GB SSD
5300U Processor
RAM: 4 GB / Storage: 128 GB SSD
Full HD display
I know next to nothing about any sort of computing so I hope it is a good buy. My son said it was fine! I like the big screen and the excellent colour visuals. This is a huge step up from my hard worked 6 year old Lenovo laptop. I am on the computer for 2-3 hours of more everyday researching, editing and uploading Youtube videos or responding to Youtube posts so I need something that works quickly and doesn't let me down. I hope this new machine will do the job for another 5 years.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eunt1AfmUgA
We are at the fabulous Abbotsford, home of Sir Walter Scott. We are near Melrose, Roxburghshire, in Scotland. My brief walkthrough video is merely an enticement to encourage you to come and visit see and explore this place for yourself.
The Sir Walter Scott Exhibition is found in the award winning visitor centre that you pass through on your way to the big house and walled garden. Here you can explore /discover the life story of one of Scotland’s greatest men-of-letter, from his birth in Edinburgh in 1771 to his childhood in the Borders, professional legal career, meteoric rise to fame as the author of the Waverley novels, financial ruin in 1826 and the cultural legacy he left to Scotland and the world.
Having wandered round the exhibition you can then have a bite to eat and enjoy the stunning elevated Abbotsford views in the Ochiltree's cafe, (named afer Edie Ochiltree's, a character in Scott's novel The Antiquary) . The chefs here source the best local produce to create a fresh, seasonal menu using products from the kitchen garden wherever possible. They also have a grab and go kiosk within the shop for those on the move or wishing to picnic in the meadows.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK2aUrpqhWE
Just a few sights and sounds round the Scottish Borders town of Melrose. We stayed close by here this July at the wonderful Broomfields Luxury Country House Bed and Breakfast, Bemersyde, Melrose. Melrose is a fascinating small historic town. We enjoyed exploring it and the surrounding countryside.
Melrose Scottish Borders
Melrose (Scottish Gaelic: Maolros, "bald moor") is a small town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It lies within the Eildon committee area of Scottish Borders Council.
History
The original Melrose was Mailros, means "the bare peninsula" in Old Welsh or Brythonic. This referred to a neck of land by the River Tweed several miles east of the present town, where in the 6th century a monastery was founded associated with St Cuthbert. It was recorded by Bede, and also in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle with the name Magilros. This monastery and settlement, later known as "Old Melrose", were long abandoned by the 12th century.
King David I of Scotland took the throne in 1124, and sought to create a new Cistercian monastery on that site; however the monks preferred a site further west called "Fordel". So the monastery now known as Melrose Abbey was founded there in 1136, and the town of Melrose grew up on its present site around it. In the late Middle Ages, its name was represented by a mell (a mason's hammer) and a rose (for the Virgin Mary, to whom all Cistercian abbeys were dedicated). The Abbey fell into ruin after the Reformation but is still a striking structure. Several Scottish nobles are buried there, and a casket has been found which is believed to contain the heart of King Robert the Bruce. The casket has been re-buried in the Abbey.
Nearby is the Roman fort of Trimontium, Abbotsford House the home of Sir Walter Scott, and Dryburgh Abbey where he's buried.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBdTm9SedIQ
I'm up at the top 'business end' of the fabulous Stormont Estate near Carson's Statue looking at Stormont Parliament Buildings.
Edward Henry Carson, Baron Carson, ( 1854 – 221935), from 1900 to 1921 known as Sir Edward Carson, was an Irish unionist politician, barrister and judge. His leadership is marked, for securing a continued place in the United Kingdom for the six north-eastern counties, albeit under a devolved Parliament of Northern Ireland that neither he nor his fellow unionists had sought.
Stormont Parliament Buildings, or Stormont because of its location in the Stormont Estate area of Belfast, is the seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for the region. The Executive or government is located at Stormont Castle. Parliament Building is a Grade A Listed building.
Built in a Greek classical style the foundation stone was laid in 1928. It was built by Stewart & Partners and opened by Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), in1932.
The Senate chamber was used by the Royal Air Force (R.A.F.) as an operations room during World War II.
On 3 December 2005, the Great Hall was used for the funeral service of former Northern Ireland and Manchester United footballer George Best. The building was selected for the funeral as it is in the only grounds in Belfast suitable to accommodate the large number of members of the public who wished to attend the funeral. Approximately 25,000 people gathered in the grounds, with thousands more lining the cortege route
Statues- to Edward, Lord Carson, in dramatic pose (on the drive leading up to the building) in 1932, a rare example of a statue to a person being erected before death.
Lord Craigavon Statue- in the Great Hall, half way up the Imperial Staircase. Craigavon and his wife Viscountess Craigavon are buried in the estate grounds behind the Parliamnet Buildings.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BifJabNMkU