Blogging breakdown

So two weeks to catch up on. Mainly due to work and Paddy taking most of my energy. A few highlights:

Sunday, April 7, hiked at Slieve Croob in the Dromara hills north of the Mourne Mountains. It was a lovely hike and lots of lambs and calves in the fields, but I forgot my camera.

Tuesday April 9, went to an event at Stormont launching a place-based climate finance initiative. Among those present was Nick Robins from the Grantham Research Institute at LSE. He did the research underlying the Carbon Tracker Initiative, which I leaned on heavily in my dissertation. Kind of a fan moment. My friend Jenny said I lit up when I met him.

Wednesday April 10. I'm project manager for the redesign of Climate Action 100+'s website (I know, right?). On today's call with the design team we hired, I expected the communications team that wrote the RFP to take the lead in the conversation. They kind of melted into the background and let me lead. What became obvious was that the person who wrote the RFP is no longer on the comms committee and our consultant was not to take the RFP literally. Awks.

Friday April 12. The steering committee met last night. After I finished the minutes, I ran up to Castlereagh Hills for a cheeky nine holes of golf. It's been beautiful out lately, so hard to stay inside. The new chair of the steering committee is leaning on me for a lot of support (scheduling meetings, developing a work plan, creating spreadsheets for editorial projects, and so on). It's good to be busy and engaged. And it's tough to be learning so many new tricks at my age. Hence the need to hit a little ball around and clear my head.

Saturday. April 13. I walk on Saturday mornings with a group of people who live in the area, most of who are active in Gilnahirk Presbyterian. They are very supportive of GLBT issues and seem to be in the liberal wing of the church (which has become dominated by a very conservative strain). Anyway tonight they had a fundraiser to support next year's Habitat for Humanity trip to Cambodia--I think they have now done 20 or so H4H trips all over the world. The fundraiser was a variety show and was highly highly entertaining. The best bit was a 12-year-old boy with some serious hip hop moves. Also a very funny skit about going to America on a Habitat trip and ending up building the wall (with appearances by Trump and Arlene Foster). Also a funny joke about members of Ballygobackwards Orange Lodge, who were out on the lash on 11 July. One sprained his ankle, so his brother had to substitute for him in the flute band the next day. He played horribly and the band conductor came up to him and said "is that you tooting that horrible noise?" The lad replied "no sir, I'm substituting." You had to be there. Anyway, a church hall filled with people eating up the choral singing (The Greatest Showman), the jazz band of teenagers, and a brilliant story told by one of my neighbours.

Sunday April 14. I hiked Binevenagh and, unlike last week, remembered to charge the battery and take my camera. We met at St. Aidan's Church, where there's a ruin above the newer church.

Some history here:

Here you can see the Binevenagh cliffs in the background. We'll hike up to a lake above these cliffs.

In the distance is where the River Roe meets the Irish Sea.

On the the week just past. I was out two nights, one to hear comedienne Nuala McKeever, who was hilarious. I only wish I could recall some of her jokes. Friday night I went to see a play called The Bouncers. Four bouncers at a bar commenting on the comings and goings of the clientele. Lots of music and dancing--my hat is off to the bouncers, who had some serious moves.

April 19