NorthDownMuse

Brit TV

We never bought cable in the U.S., so our TV watching consisted of watching Jon Stewart online and watching DVDs or downloaded films on the TV screen. Here, the TV (and commercials) are generally better, so we have gotten sucked in. Plus, you have to buy a TV license

And she's down

I started the day at the house (where two electricians and two carpenters were hard at work) vacuuming all the sawdust we created over the weekend. I want all dust out of the house before we begin staining floors. I vacuumed door panels, outlets, radiators, stairs, spindles. I know I

Sanding, day two

I got artistic: I spent years removing oriental bittersweet vines from my property in Pennsylvania. Some bright soul took cross sections of the vine bases, which have interesting colours, and laid them flat in an artistic arrangement. This is my homage to that person. Note the beautifully sanded floor--a real

Power tools

We spent yesterday cleaning all the floors in the house. We didn't have face masks so heaven knows what we ingested. Today, we sanded. And sanded and sanded. This is me with the edging tool in the guest bedroom killing the floor. It is a heavy bugger and

Britain runs on . . .

Tea. Oh yes. Tea and biscuits. One of the finest, most civilized ways to spend a 15-minute break from life. Last summer I was in a charity shop and I saw this service, which I had to buy because of the beautiful "A" monogram (which you can'

Ulster runs on . . .

I need to write five posts today to catch up so it's a good time to run photos. If America runs on Dunkins, Norn Ireland runs on Dory's. We've been doing A LOT of work on the house lately and so the fish &

TenX9

I've probably written before about TenX9 [http://www.tenx9.com], where nine people have 10 minutes each to tell a true story. Tonight's theme was "home." Last month was "money." The idea started here in Belfast and has now spread around the

The Empire Laughs Back

I went to the Empire Music Hall [http://www.thebelfastempire.com/hire/] tonight to hear some local comedians. One of the best jokes was about the guy in 50 Shades of Gray, who grew up near Belfast. The comedian said the actor had to, of course, have an American accent.

Hershey's vs. Cadbury's

I heard a radio programme the other day in which people were doing a taste test comparing chocolate from a Belfast boutique chocolatier [http://www.cocouture.co.uk], Cadbury's and Hershey's. The consensus was that Hershey's leaves a chemical taste in your mouth whereas

Mixed marriage

What that means here is a marriage between a Catholic and a Protestant. Someone at church this morning was talking about a Catholic boxer from her home town (Monaghan) who was in a mixed marriage. I thought she was going to say he married someone originally from India or Nigeria,

A steamy Valentine's Day

Yes, you guessed it. We steamed off yards and yards of wallpaper. Most of the rooms are done so we are focused on the hallways. Then we went to Marks & Sparks and got another Valentine's dinner for two. We were worn out not so much from stripping

Marks & Spencer's

...is one of our department stores and they have an amazing food section. Their Valentine's special was a take-out three-course meal for two and bottle of wine for $30. David picked it up at work on Friday then met me at the house, where I'd been

Down day

When I want to procrastinate, I clean. The townhouse is now spotless. I haven't made much progress on readings for my classes, however. I truly wonder how students have managed to graduate from high school and college since the introduction of Facebook, texting, IMing, tweeting, and all the

Back in the saddle

I've finished the first two weeks of a six-week half-semester. I'm taking two environmental law classes and one class on approaches to legal research. The readings have been deadly, as usual. I know more than I ever expected to about carbon trading, the Kyoto Protocol, stranded

Dillon vs. Dylan

The Irish Dillon means faithful friend. The Welsh Dylan means of the sea. This is according to Ann, who walks Dolly and Dillon in the morning with her husband, John. I learn a lot in the mornings walking with my various morning walk friends. I'd say walking the

All our worldly possessions

Came in this truck: Went through this door (note that I rolled out the carpet): Through our lovely living room and dining room: And into the conservatory, the only room in the house not under construction: A few dozen boxes went into a crawl space, and 4-6 big items went

Let there be light

I have now bought 10 light fixtures for the house. I am also refurbishing the two that came with the house. One is bronze: The other was spray painted bronze and I'm spray painting it silver. We sold all but two of our lamps in the U.S.

Best find, bar none

I bought this light last week at an auction shop (you buy it at the ticketed price or wait until it goes into a monthly auction and take your chances). I paid $90 and I just love it. It will go into the conservatory, which will be in need of

Murder at Botanic

A man was murdered not too long ago near the Botanic train station where I catch a train several times a week. This is most unusual here. I find silver linings here even in murders. BBC Radio Ulster, my favorite station, reported that the victim had moved here from Pakistan

Move-in mugging

The moving company wanted to move us in tomorrow (Friday), after our container cleared customs. I was trying to hold off until Monday or later, while trying to learn the cost of different options. While I waited for the moving company to quote prices on storage at the quay vs.

Driving test

On my week off, I should have focused on preparing for my driver's test. I didn't and now I'm stressing over the test, getting readings done for my Queen's classes, and moving into the house. I need to get a British driver&

Semester Two

Yesterday was the first day of classes. This semester I'm to select three optional modules out of a possible 23. So many of them are interesting that it is very hard to narrow the list. The semester is divided into two six-week periods. My plan is to audit

Trashing plastic bags

Northern Ireland implemented a 5 pence per-bag levy on every plastic bag used in retail stores. Prior to the 2013 introduction of the levy, shoppers used approximately 300 million carrier bags a year, according to my Belfast newsletter. Usage of plastic bags dropped 72% after the levy began. I'

Colm's take on The Troubles

I'm trying to avoid a daily digest of my activities. So here's a wrap up: Out to lunch twice last week with the woman from whom we are renting the townhouse and with Colm, a fellow student who is returning to get his masters after several

Angst

This blog causes me angst in so many ways. I feel badly when it's like a boring diary: "Today I bought groceries ..." I fear it's become self-indulgent claptrap. I mean it takes a lot of chutzpah to think you have something interesting to say