City pictures.

 Well ... it was almost a day off ... maybe half a day rather than a whole one!  I had an appointment in town this morning so, camera in hand, there was the chance to capture the eight new masts.  One by one they've been put up along Royal Avenue.  You can see how dramatic they are already ... and when the banners are hung and the ships named they will form a very impressive feature.
There is lots of information about them: http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/urcdg-urban_regeneration/belfast-streetsahead/streets-ahead-iconic-feature-lighting.htm
The eight ribs represent eight great ships built in Belfast:

• Titanic
• Olympic
• Oceanic
• Britannic
• Laurentic
• Celtic
• Nomadic
• Traffic

 I love the way they dominate the street scene and have the fresh young trees planted between them.  The work is being completed to a very high standard and the whole thing is going to be quite impressive in a few weeks.

 While I was waiting for a friend to arrive for coffee there was time to play around with finding different foregrounds.  This was meant to be just part of the base of one of the lamp posts at the City Hall.  A passer-by caught sight of the camera and stopped, thinking that she was outside the image!  Instead she forms a very useful foreground interest!  That little cherub on the post is holding a boat ... each of the four cherubs has some symbol representing an aspect of Belfast's industrial legacy.

 The black taxi is advertising the marathon.  Lots of people are now in practice ... you see them at all hours of the day and night running along with little back packs and bottles of water.  I just wish that more would wear high visibility tops ... sometimes they're not terribly careful about personal safety.

 The City Hall provides a great backdrop if you're being interviewed for TV ... I have no idea who this was but it was an interesting moment in the life of a street.

Meanwhile, my friend arrived and we enjoyed a pleasant coffee break in the café in the City Hall.
They say that "a problem shared is a problem halved" and I think most folk would agree with that!  Things that seem so large when you're facing them on your own will fall back into proper perspective when talked over with someone else.
That was the day off ... the remainder of the afternoon was spent finishing off the Rector's Remarks for the Easter General Vestry and then this evening that's where I spent a couple of hours.  Appointments and elections over, some forms to be filled in and then we're ready for the new year with all the potential that brings.

Lord, I ask You to bless my friends ...

Where there is pain, 

may they find peace and mercy.

Where there is self-doubt, 

may they gain a renewed confidence.

Where there is weariness or exhaustion, 

give them understanding, patience, and strength.

Where there is fear, 

reveal your love, and give them your courage.

Inspire them with greater vision, 

and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them.

May their spirit always be joyous and 

their days rich and filled with love.

Anonymous