As I said, I'm sending our contractors before and after shots, so I'm going to do the same in blog land. Dining room: What you don't want to see when you look at the ceiling: It got a new ceiling, a new plaster wall,

I went to a job fair today. So depressing. Partly because the companies are looking for shiny new YOUNG graduates, not an old fart like me. And, because I stopped exercising when I became a student, I feel not just old but fat and old. And, having worked for the

The contractor has asked for before and after shots of the house. Here are a few of the kitchen. The first view is taken from the conservatory--the kitchen is behind that wall. After: The grapevine needs some trimming. The old kitchen: The new kitchen: Front to back: Front to back

We cycled to Comber on the greenway in the morning, then went to church, then drove down to Strangford, where we had a late lunch at a restaurant [http://www.thecuan.com] recommended by our neighbour. Then we went to Castle Ward, where you could wander from room to room,

It's been a while since David and I had a down weekend, so this weekend was it. Today we went to Islandmagee, which used to be an island but now is connected to the Antrim coast north of Belfast. We toured a garden, which was more like eight

I took R&B to the airport this morning. Their last two days were spent touring the north Antrim coast and the historic Derry walls, then visiting some of Belfast's wonderful pubs. They packed a lot into their week and seemed to really enjoy themselves. I then

If you've ever wondered what life would be like in a village taken over by jihadis, I highly recommend the film Timbuktu. A village in Mali is overrun by Libyan jihadis enforcing sharia law. The director Abderrahmane Sissako tells his tale beautifully and with great love for the

It's been great having R&B here because I've learned a lot about being a tour guide. My main source of information has been Michael & Faye Doherty next door. They've had great suggestions, many of which we've used. R&

(photos at the bottom) I haven't said anything about the Irish Open, which was held in Northern Ireland this past weekend at the Royal County Down golf course in Newcastle. The Irish Open was last held in the north (in Portrush) in 2012. Prior to that, the last

When we toured Mountstewart yesterday, there was an elderly woman pushing a walker through the gardens. I smiled as I passed her and she twinkled at me and said: "All this and heaven too!" I thought that was wonderful. R&B took it easy today, after covering

Anyone who has stuck with this blog and read a lot of drivel will now be rewarded with lots of photos. Rob & Beth were treated to a proper Ulster fry by David (standing) and Stuart. Rob is in front of the shot and Beth to his left. David and

When I first moved here, I thought about running a B&B in lieu of getting a real job. My performance in front of Rob and Beth, we'll call them R&B, has shown the folly of that idea. As my marriage has progressed, I have

I got up at 4:30 this morning, finished my paper on Walmart, uploaded it to Queen's, walked her highness, finished vacuuming the house and fussing over the guest bedroom, then drove to Belfast Int'l Airport to collect our guests off the 9 a.m. flight

I have surfaced from the four-paper marathon and will catch up my blog post haste (ha--unintended double entendre on "post"). Here are the four walls of the guest bedroom, before and after. The ceiling was torn out as well as the two Velux windows. The ceiling/roof on

I uploaded three papers to Queen's yesterday--7,000 words, roughly. I have one more paper due in two days. I don't think I've had a week all year that I didn't have at least one assignment. I am so totally burned out.

Regular readers will know that Ulster has a very conservative government that has frustrated the hopes of those advocating for gay marriage, abortion, or intelligent environmental policies. It's funny I ended up here. I didn't know how conservative Ulster was until I landed here, however I&

In the evenings, my mind is fried so I try to get away from my desk. Last night I went to see the movie Samba, starring the incredibly handsome Omar Sy [http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2841616896/nm1082477?ref_=nmmi_mi_all_evt_5]. Oh to see his smile in

I said I'd upload the podcast for the Blame Game so here it is [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05w7m17]. Some of it is inside humour that you won't get if you're not from Norn Ireland. But a lot of it is gas

By a 62% majority, gay marriage won in the Republic today--the world's first popular vote on the issue. I've been moved to tears by the joy expressed by so many people in the twitter sphere. You might think the traditionally Catholic south would be more conservative

...is a comedy show aired on BBC Radio Ulster. There are four comedians on the panel, a fifth comedian as MC, and they answer questions submitted by the audience like so: "Who do you blame for..." The questions can be very offbeat and a few of them are

It was a historic day today because Prince Charles and Camilla visited Belfast today and himself shook hands with Catholic politicians Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness and visited a Catholic church. Here's the Belfast Telegraph [http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/prince-charles-shakes-hands-with-martin-mcguinness-during-royal-visit-to-belfast-church-at-centre-of-parading-disputes-31241319.html] article. This is a

Is it true you get more sentimental as you get older? I heard a song on the radio today by John Denver called Aye Calypso and it made me weepy. I loved John Denver when I was a kid and hearing this song after so many years--full of idealism about

The undergrads are revising for final exams. That meant that the library at Queen's is full up. As in I spent 20 minutes walking around three floors looking for a seat. I gave up and went to the graduate student centre. That was yesterday. Today I'm

My buddies Ian, Ivan, and Samuel were back today to tear up the front yard. Here's what the "front yard" looks like: It is, in short, the worst-looking front garden on the lovely long block of Cherryvalley Park. As long as it stays this way, the

I finished the second coat of polyurethane on the guest bedroom floor this morning then we went to church, where the minister gave an excellent sermon on the importance of both patience and kindness as building blocks of love. Then we went to a play called Games People Play about