2010:365:111 Wednesday

Early morning in Belfast on the day that the flying ban was lifted.  I heard a plane overhead and dashed out but it was a light aircraft and not flying high enough to leave a vapour trail and certainly not carrying many passengers.  It is good that aircraft will be able to return to normal schedules in the near future.

There is, of course, a perfectly selfish reason for my joy!  In eight days I hope to fly out to join some friends in Turkey and hopefully things will be running smoothly by then.  

With such a beautiful blue sky and a few shirts in the laundry basket it seemed a good idea to get them hanging out.  Now, I know there's an on-going discussion between some of my US friends about the merits of a dryer over line drying.  I'm firmly a line drying person and love the smell of freshly blown clothes when they are brought into the house.  I can understand the convenience of the dryer but suspect that you'd soon notice the added electricity use on your bill!

The photograph was my entry for the 365Project "Worm's Eye View".  Most of the people who looked at it knew immediately, although a couple of the guys had to be told!

I tried to do the same shot up the supporting pole but once the clothes were hanging it became more of a challenge and, until the Gorilla Pod arrives, I wasn't prepared to lie on the damp grass to get a picture.

We'd had a very cold night with temperatures dropping well below zero so it took a while for the day to warm up.  Actually, it never did get all that warm although the forecast is good.

This morning I had to do a quick run into town to go to the Good Book Shop and that gave an opportunity to return to a little hidden cafe on a back street for an early lunch.  Roast beef and horseradish sandwich with the best of Italian coffee.  

Trying to keep to the "Worm's Eye View" theme did result in some funny looks from people who were on the street.  The cafe is the building with the red coffee sign outside.  There's only one seat downstairs which I enjoyed - the rest of the seating is upstairs and that would give some good views along the little street.

Holy Communion at church meant that I hadn't time to linger in the Cathedral Quarter and, for once, I didn't take a picture of Saint Anne's.  

On the journey back the camera just happened to be beside me...that's not unusual really!  And the thing that amused me was a crumbling sign on a derelict building.

"Reid and Wright: printers and stationers".  Isn't that just a perfect name?  What a pity they don't appear to be in business now!  The telephone number pre-dates the 90 prefix so that indicates the length of time that Reid and Wright have been closed.

It is good to see that the trees are at last beginning to show the fresh green growth of spring.  While there is decay in some of the buildings there is growth in the natural world.  

Come bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord:

you that by night stand in the house of the Lord.

Lift up your hands toward the holy place and bless the Lord:

may the Lord bless you from Zion 

the Lord who made heaven and earth. 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, 

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.  Amen. 

Book of Common Prayer

Ecce Nunc