Catch up Saturday.

 I like to walk up and down the Lisburn Road on a Saturday ... not only do you meet a lot of folk and enjoy the atmosphere but it also means that there's a clergy presence and the whole event isn't just retail therapy.  The buzz on both sides is remarkable and it would be hard to miss the man on stilts, the pink balloons or the live music.
One of my stops was Murphy's.

 You'll remember that they supplied the sausages, bacon and eggs for Saint Nicholas' Ulster Fry on Easter Day ... well ... my tea/dinner/supper tonight is from here as well.  Spicy lamb kebabs ... the only question at the moment is, "Will I light the barbecue or cook them the easy way under the grill?"
http://therevandadog.blogspot.com/2011/04/preparation.html
They are always so cheerful and relaxed ... even when the shop is busy and there's a queue out onto the street!

 You can't help but be impressed with their advertising.  In election week what could be more appropriate than "Vote for Change" ... the number 1 butcher!
The young apprentice butcher that you see in the reflection was rather hot as he cooked endless piles of sausages so that passers by might have samples!  More advertising!  And very effective.
Actually there was a lot of food to sample today .... I had a little vol-au-vent with a cream cheese, some ginger beer, tasted some New Zealand salad dressings, enjoyed parsnip crisps ... at different points on my walk!  With such a sunny afternoon the ice cream shops might have considered free samples too!
I think I should get some pencils or something printed with Saint Nicholas information so that we could do a bit of advertising too.  Will check that out!  After all, we do advertise on the television screen in the post office and will have photographs in Belfast Life shortly ...

 Meanwhile, in the back garden the second wee bed is completed so the acanthus can now breathe.  It has been fed as well which ought to deal with the slightly pale complexion that it displays.  Hopefully the bed will be shared with a few more sweet pea, some spring onions and a few courgettes.  Just so that the birds know where to find the seeds I've added the packets to the canes.
The photograph above I put on the 365Project site with the title: Three Spades.
Having hunted high and low for my white spade ... a fruitless search ... I eventually decided to buy a new Lady's Spade.  That's the red one.
No sooner was it in use than I found the yellow one in the coal shed!  So ... at the moment I'm in charge of two spades and will no doubt sooner or later find the missing one!  How one person can own so many is a mystery to me ... and to my friends!  But then, I do own three lawnmowers too!  I'm a mystery to myself!

 Blogs without Eliot are incomplete ... so here is his current hiding spot behind a rather gorgeous rhododendron   The tight buds are a strong pink that fades as they open until the flowers themselves appear almost pure white!  It has been doing very well in the soil here and catches the sun from late morning right through to early evening.

 Yes, I did succumb to the temptation earlier and brought home both some parsnip crisps and the Australian Ginger Beer.  That is a very refreshing drink on a warm afternoon.

Now, having ticked off a few jobs today ... I have another couple to do before I can put up my feet and watch some TV ... the Sunday Notice Sheet being among the things that must be completed!  And I need to buy a loaf ...

Almighty Father, 
you have given your only Son to die for our sins 
and to rise again for our justification: 
Grant us so to put away the leaven 
of malice and wickedness 
that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth;
through the merits of your Son 
Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Book of Common Prayer

Collect of the Second Sunday of Easter