BIAF

I have been to five Belfast International Arts Festival events in the past week but want to start with leftover Minor Foursomes party photos. The captain of the team is called Wee Lynn. See if you can figure out which is she.

She brought me the loveliest flowers and two bottles of Baileys. She's a gentle soul with a big heart and fills some of the void left by Cindy's passing. Here are the flowers:

And one final party photo. I love throwing parties. Everyone is really appreciative of the chance to get together. Patricia said everyone did their entertaining in their 30s and 40s so no one wants to do it anymore but are really glad when someone else does. It's hard to say whether I enjoy a party – I'm full of nervous energy and always feel I should be doing something else. It's hard to relax. But I'm a big believer in developing community.

Believe it or not, there's a lot of drama in a golf team. The captain has to pick her team for each match and those who are left off the list aren't always happy about it. So I wanted our final gathering to smooth those edges.

Before moving on to the arts festival, one more golf event, an ABBA-themed murder mystery. Here's Patricia, me and Roisin.

And the whole nutty gang.

During my convalescence, I've thought about how the golf club is so much more than whether I'm playing well and whether my handicap is coming down. That may be the least of what the golf club is all about.

So, the four arts events:

Aurora: A play about a woman trying to defend a tree from being cut down as a gold mine advances on her farm. Brilliantly written and heartfelt. And, sadly, timely.

Queen Street Studios: QSS has been going for 40 years in five different locations, currently above Wyse Buys. I had no idea. There are 45 studios housing 57 artists and I got to visit 8 studios during a tour. A lot of the art is too abstract or conceptual for my linear, literal brain, but I am always interested in artists' creative process and it was fun to chat to the occupant of each studio.

Belfast Music Society: I can't remember the name of the event but BMS sponsored it. An American pianist played a composition written by a Belfast composer (an elderly man who introduced the piece). While it was inspired by the Glens of Antrim and the Sea of Moyle, I kept thinking of Gershwin and Copeland and New York City streets on a spring day. After his performance, two story tellers told tales from the glens. There were fairies, mermaids, wolves and priests.

Les Amazones d'Afrique: These three ladies from Mali sang in their native language so, while I didn't understand the songs, I appreciated their charisma and how they moved and their colourful costumes. I would love to have the fluidity of the tallest woman. She was so graceful and moved in such beautiful ways.

The John Hewitt Society Birthday Readings: Selected readings by three poets from Cork, Dublin and one who has lived in the Middle East and Europe. I bought a book by each of them – that is how good they were.

The good news about having my arms out of action means I have the time and energy to go to a lot of arts events. When I play golf, I don't. So I'm really enjoying the change of scenery. We've had a lot of rain so the course is not in good shape. I'm not missing out on anything.

25-31 Oct.