Belfast Weekend - Day 1, Friday

Wow I've had some amazing last few days so much to say. Thursday pm Mr P dropped me off at Birmingham airport where I started causing havoc. It started at security where I got asked to empty my hand bag as they thought I had tried to take a can of coco cola through to departures. What caused the problem was a rather oversized pear! Doesn't pay to eat healthy - fruit not recognised on their scanners! This was then followed by me paying a visit to the toilet and as I was leaving the ladies my mobile was bleeping a message at me. So as I was busy trying to read this message from my beloved I found myself suddenly viewing parts of the male anatomy that I should not be ordinarily seeing! Yes I had wondered into the mens! Managed to get on and off the plane without me causing any trouble. Then I was met by my daughter and son in law and I asked if I could stop at the supermarket to buy some shampoo etc as I did not want to use up my hand luggage allowance on these items. So I merrily raced around Belfast's biggest Tesco went to the self service section, struggled to find a bag and paid and went racing back to the car. Where my daughter said "oh you had to buy a carrier bag?" "No". Then they just laughed at me - as now in N.Ireland you have to pay 5p for a bag! So within 5 minutes of arriving in NI I had broken the law! So lovely to be back in the Emerald Isle, as I call it. Have not been for 2 years and sooo lovely to see and spend time with my No 1 child.

Friday morning up very early to drop son-in-law off at work. They live in Newtonards and work in Belfast. Then off we went to Belfast indoor market.

Not many people because this is 45 minutes before the market officially opened.

One thing I love about Northern Ireland is the masses of lovely breads that they sell. Even if you go into a local petrol station there will be an amazing variety of breads. I adore wheaten bread and in the top left hand corner is a bread that is called the Belfast Bun! It is huge! Needless to say No 1 and I could not resist buying something to snack on before we went to the craft fair.

How lovely to see a hat stall in a market. Apparently on Saturday the market has a totally different feel, more like Covent Garden. Anyway if any of you readers are ever in this area I would recommend you visiting it.

After stuffing our faces with the yummy cakes we then headed off to the stitch and crafting show at the Kings Hall. Have to say we were a little disappointed - there did not seem to be so many stalls as there had been a couple of years ago. But still enjoyed ourselves.

Just look at this wonderful lace. Made by an amazingly gifted lady who desperately tried to get us interested in starting this craft. I am not taking up any more hobbies I already have far too many projects not completed and a brain buzzing with more ideas of items to make.

Is this not bamboozlingly mad! How can anyone ever learn this art?

Me thinks this is not as easy as she is making out and NO I am not starting a new hobby.

Well eventually I did buy something. I have a desire to make a rag doll, I did make one a long time ago. I saw a pattern for a doll from one of my favourite stalls - Home Spun.

Doesn't she look cute and if you look behind her you can see some straw hats which were being sold for 50p, so I got one for her - if I ever get time to make her!










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I did also buy Mrs A's birthday presie but I cannot show you that! My daughter bought the pattern for this lovely bag also from the same stall.

 After all this mooching we've built up an appetite and No 1 comes up with various options for eating lunch. But after some minutes we decide on Boojam.

I don't know if we have it on the mainland but I've never heard of it before. The best way to describe this fast food outlet is a Mexican version of "Subway".

This lovely man heats up your tortilla and then you choose what you want inside.

Soooo many options to choose from and it was very very yummy. Neither of us could eat all the food and we did not need to eat later on other than a piece of toast!

The rest of the afternoon was spent around a rather posh part of Belfast. Toast and then out to a local amateur dramatic production.

I do like going to an amateur production because not only do I get to see something performed by local people and their wonderful accents but also I love the listening to the audience. This drama had a rather simple story line but the way the audience got carried away, as if it was true, was so lovely. The Belfast accent was so lovely to hear. I guess if I lived there all the time the novelty would wear off.

It is now late at night and I'm sure you've had enough to read for one day - so part two will follow in the next few days.