July

July 10th, 2009

July is definitely my favourite month of the year, it would be quite odd if it wasn’t considering there is normally some sunshine (as well as being the month with the highest rainfall, but I like the rain), oh and it’s my birthday!

Of course, July is filled with much mixed emotion in Northern Ireland. I’ve come to be thankful the turbulant past and pleased to be guaranteed a of the few days off conveniently just before my birthday. In previous years this this time would have been spent in Portstewart with the family, gathered around the television watching the flames of burnt cars and general carnage of a time which has mostly been left behind.

red white and blue curb stones

I won’t go into it, but Northern Ireland can certainly be a “colourful” place at times.

For the first time, I will be out of Northern Ireland for this “holiday season”. I’m off to Dublin to celebrate my birthday with some good friends.
Enjoy your weekend.

Tagged: Belfast, july, Northern Ireland, twelfth | 2 comments »

2 Comments

Many many years ago, when first visiting Ireland, knowing nothing whatsoever about orangemen and parades we drove up to the border on the 12th of July(i remember because it being my sister’s birthday who we intended to ring from a public phone booth… that long ago!)). We were stopped, questioned and checked and kindly asked “to turn around and come back in a couple of days”, which we did.
It was Inishowen for a few days and after that ±10 days in Northern Ireland … there was plenty of rain, but the colours on gables and kerbs were clearer and more outstanding than your ‘nowadays’ photo shows. A sign of the times, i suppose.
Happy birthday in advance http://pix.ie/aafke/1082640/in/album/347323

Posted by aafke (NL) on 10 Jul 2009 at 4:09 pm Reply to this comment