Bite Size Belfast

Despite the fact I have had only about 5 hours sleep in the last 2 days I am a happy and contented auntie.

Belfast was lovely, small, friendly and easy to get round, my kind of place. We did a fair old bit of the eating and the drinking and the sightseeing. We went to the Shankhill Road ( very protestant and British) and the Falls Road (very Catholic and Irish) to see some of the murals and I've taken masses of pictures of them but have restrained myself from posting them all.




To get from Shankhill Road to Falls Road we walked along Northumberland Avenue, which looks like a very nondescript road bordering industrial units. The thing that makes this one different is the fact that it has 50 feet high impenetrable metal gates with barbed wire atop which are used to separate the Shankhill from the Falls during the marching season. They regularly have to close the road to stop the 2 estates fighting. This may seem incredulous to some readers but in Belfast, Catholics and Protestants still fight over religion.




Coming from Glasgow as I do, I am well aware of bigotry and it's a very strange thing to try and explain and comprehend. I grew up Catholic but married a Protestant and I had to change faith. I have no wish to offend anyone's beliefs so I've tried to be careful what images I show. It was an unsettling walk



After a lovely Starbucks visit, where they gave us free have a drink on us vouchers to come back, how good is that ? We spent a wee whiley exploring the University quarter, which is really lovely, great little bars, restaurants and cafes and of course the very beautiful Queens University.



Quick shower and change then out for the evening. Many thanks to The Dotterell for this tip



And then on to the real reason for the visit




When I got home I found children all well, ex husband had done the ironing and had made me a pot of soup and I'd had a delivery when I was away.



So to my lovely friend, who sent me these flowers because they knew I've been down and having a hard time, I thank you most sincerely. My friends are the best and I do appreciate it. Like I always say, I AM a lucky, lucky girl.

Belfast

Tomorrow I will get up at stupid o'clock and fly with Robbinbastards air (apologies to Grandma in Cyprus and anyone else's mother or to Shirley's daughter's who may be offended by the language)

This will all be worth it as your auntie is off on a wee jolliday to Belfast. I am STREEMLY CITED about this as whilst I am there, I will go and see The Mighty Killers once again. You bet your sweet ass, I will stand up and dance !

Didn't I always tell you I'm a lucky, lucky girl ?

Dublin

The happy happy day FINALLY arrived, whaddya mean, what happy day ?

The day the mummy and the lara went to see the mighty Killers, silly




A middle aged woman who's old enough to know better and an over excited teenager went to the airport. Aren't you glad you weren't sitting beside us ? Both giddy with excitement but she'd had a fair ammount of sugar as well.



We arrived in Dublin, got a bus into the city centre and started exploring. I asked her to hold the map for me as I had the bags, she stuck it in her pocket and lost it 20 seconds later ! This was to be a recurring theme. I've been to Dublin lots, this was the EBD first time, she loved it, she really really likes accents and she likened it to being in Glasgow with the humour and random people talking to you. We went to Bewley's for lunch and saw some sights before off to the hotel to get changed for the gig. We got another map from the hotel and found our way to where the concert buses were leaving. Great great craic on the bus out. When we got to Marlay Park, they were giving out free lollies and pink wigs, I confess I did take a lolly.




On arrival, I rolled up my jeans and prepared to get my flip flops muddy, this was a real chore for herself as my poor baby has a phobis about feet, she hates them, even her own but I have no wellies, so I reckoned I'd just wash the mud off afterwards. There was a lot of muttering about how daft it was not to be wearing converse but at the end of the night, hers were trashed (yet another pair bites the dust) and I could wash my feet. A pint of lager helped her through this trauma.




Your auntie got a wee bit excited at having her merlot in a field in a plastic glass, classy eh ?






The atmosphere was simply amazing, we met a really nice couple of guys from Preston, they were great company, my age, and we smiled a few times at the antics of the very boisterous Irish crowd that Lara was befriended by. The older couple of guys were kind enough to give Lara their ticket as yes, you guessed it, she lost ours out of her pocket when she was crowd surfing, and she keeps all her tickets as minders.We really were lucky to meet such a lovely crowd of young lads, 1 of whom was a physio student in Edinburgh, they were great craic and stuck us on their shoulders for a better view, this is a very happy daughter during "All these things that I have done"



This concert was brilliant, The Killers were amazing, a short set but worth every penny of the £500 in total that I spent. The very first song that they played was " For Reasons Unknown" which some of you may know is the theme tune for my new life. I had said to the people we met I didn't care what they played as long as that was on. It was just magical, especially as it was the first song, just like it was meant for me. Going to this concert was the first thing I've done in a long time that was just for me, a real piece of selfishness, when they played the opening bars, Lara just looked at me and we screamed together and then started moshing like mad. I have to say that that was the best 4 minutes of my life. Really and truly, so I apologize to anyone who has had a 4 minute moment with me, you didn't make the cut.

PLEASE PLEASE click on the wee thingy, share with me the best 4 minutes of my life.



The whole thing was brilliant, I enjoyed Bloc Party but I was only there for The Killers, and I wish I could put into words how fantastic it was for me.

After the concert we waited an hour in a queue for the bus back into Dublin city centre but as always the great craic kept us mightily entertained. As herself had lost the map again, when we got off the bus as we were both wiped and it was after 1 am, we got a taxi back to the hotel. This was the best 10 euro I have ever spent as the taxi driver should have been doing stand up at the Edinburgh Festival. He was very non PC but hysterically funny, he kept going on about us paying good money to stand "like knackers in a field" paying over the odds for crap beer " up to your tits in mud" in the strongest Dub accent you've ever heard. When we got back it took me ages to get the mud off my feet but eventually I was clean enough for herself and I was allowed to get into the bed.


At breakfast, she decided she would bring home the Matthew (chief matey boy, well beloved of both the Mummy and the Lara) a pot of jam and donate the pink wig of the night before. The Lara decided it would be a gas laugh if we did a little tour of Dub with the jam and the pink wig.




The mummy was a bit concerned about walking around with the Lara in a pink wig and a pot of jam but found it easier just to accept what she couldn't understand.




We took Matthew's jam sightseeing, he went to Starbuck's in O' Connell St, to visit Molly Malone's statue, to St Stephen's Green and to Trinity College.




Finally, just before we went to the airport we took Matthew's jam for a Guiness.

Musical Meme

I have been tagged by Indigo16 for this lovely meme, I'm really pleased as I've never been asked for a musical one before.

The rules of the game as set by Simon Reynolds: “List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs.



The newest single from Glasvegas, I love the first verse, really poignant words, and I thank you for deciphering them and sending me them.



Now you knew this post would be Killers heavy, but I have restrained myself to 2. " For Reasons Unknown" This is the theme tune for my new life. I am a completely different woman than I was 2 years ago, and even 1 year ago, I go on, never looking back, like it says in the song "If Destiny's kind, I've got the rest of my life" and I'm going to live it.



My very favourite song ever, The Undertones - "Teenage Kicks", perfection.



The Killers - "The Ballad of Michael Valentine" , the best bit is at the end just after he sings " I've got a coat tail left to ride" and you get the bestest guitar riff, but you need to have it up loud for full effect.




The Dandy Warhols - "Bohemian Like You" - again best loud and I've provided some nakedness both male and female, I cater for all on this blog. Repeat after me, " You're the best auntie ever auntiegwen"



The Pink Spiders - "Little Razorblade" Their album " Teenage Graffiti" belongs to Eldest Beautiful Daughter but it lives in my car, it's happy there. She thinks she's lent it out but can't remember to whom, I keep quiet, bad auntiegwen, bad.




Fun Lovin Criminals - " The Fun Lovin Criminal", what can I say? I like Huey and I've got really fun memories of Beautiful Baby Daughter being very young and singing along loudly from the back seat.

So thank you Alison, I've loved this, please feel free to have a go on your own blog, I'd like to know what the Edge is listening to but he never does tags, so it'll be the usual suspects, you know who you are...

Mixed Up Mummy

I am trying very very hard to be happy, sometimes that's easier said than done.I operate a policy of trying to find a positive in every situation. On the plus side in the last week the following good things appeared

I GOT 2 TICKETS TO SEE THE KILLERS IN DUBLIN
The staff room at work got a cappucino machine, free cappucino's at work, how good is that ?!?!

Things I am trying to reframe to a more positive note

My life is extremely boring, I am heading towards middle age and I fear I am becoming very dull. Suggestions on a postcard please

The Killer's in Dublin

OH MY GOD

I love my readers, I really really love you

The Killers in Dublin, how good is that ?

I didn't even know that they were playing in Dublin, then God Bless Anonymous, I could kiss you.

I mean, Dublin, that's nearly as good as seeing them in The Mother Country.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, one last little query, is there one site that's safer than another ? There are several that are selling tickets and I ve never bought from a ticket touty type thing before. Also is it worth spending an extra £15 per ticket on front standing or just go for general admission ?

The only little downer, the person I would like most to see them with won't be with me :(

So, I'm going to buy 2 tickets, would you like to come with me ? Please ? It'll be a birthday treat for me, go on, you know you want to....

Mission (please be) possible ?

Now who loves their auntie ? I hardly ever ask you for anything, really I don't but this time I am imploring you to help me.

I desperately, desperately need to see The Killers, I want this more than ANYTHING in my life. (Even more than what I was moaning about on Friday, Edge, and I wanted that a lot !!!)They are playing only at the Reading and Leeds Festival 22nd to 24th August. They are playing Reading on the Sat and Leeds on the Sunday, I don't care which one, I would just love to see them. I tried really really hard to get tickets but didn't manage it. I just cannot afford to pay more than £100 for a day ticket and I need at least 2 but pref 3. I can't afford the ebay route.

I can do trades or swapsies, I could live with 1 kidney but I really need to keep all 3 of the beautiful children. I have a gorgeous holiday villa in Turkey that I could let you have rent free as a swapsie, I would even consider sexual favours if you're handsome and 41 year old women float your boat. I will do your laundry, clean your house, sleep train your baby or toddler tame your child, if it's legal I ll give it a go !!!

If you know of anyone who has a spare ticket ( I know it's unlikely but I've got to explore every possibility) please think of me and the Beautiful Eldest Daughter and The Beautiful Son. They are poor wee deprived emo's. So if you're one of the chosen few, don't take your partner, take me, I'll be entertaining, do all the driving (you might have to navigate though !), do anything you want me to do.

Oh okay, I promise not to sing.

Ps - in a shameless plea for sympathy, Beautiful Baby Daughter has just started learning the trumpet, she's very keen, practices a lot and it's very very loud. Go on feel sorry for me, take me to see the pretty Brandon Flowers. Make me happy.