Hurling with Chuck

Charlotte does not have a great time with teething. First she has a bad night on Friday and doesn't get to go swimming, then Sunday. I took Sunday School (even got the kids to shout during the opening song) and since it was my turn to be home with Charlotte and miss church (our service is at noon and Charlotte's lunch is usually just after noon. Bad combination). I arrive home, expecting to be greeted by a zooming Julie, and I find Julie in her dressing gown and getting Charlote dressed. Took a moment to figure out what had happened, but Charlotte had been sick.
While Julie cleaned to wee barf bag of a girl, I lifted her puke. A nice solid goo, made up of no ordinary milk, but of goats milk. If you thought gopats milk smelt strong, have it ferment in a babys belly for a few hours.
She recovered through the day, and today, she seemed fine. Untill, just as I came home from work, sat her on my knee at the dinner table, as Julie started to dish out the beef cobbler, a gush of liquid just missed me, and I got the rest in a tub.
Charlotte is now sleeping (since about 7.30pm) and may wake any time now. Poor lass.

Phlegm'n kids

This is the third time I have tried to write this in the last day or so, but Charlotte has been teething again and is in bad form. We did intend to ge to the pool today with her, but it would'nt of done any of us good, as we all lacke dsleep. We just walked into town and mulled about, then after Charlotte got to be the second time we watched fame academy (taped) then Julie went to bed.

I learnt yesterday how to spell Phlegm. Really odd spelling, but it did coem up (!) during the last week or so. We have been trying to get the biys to stop spitting in the porch at work. You would think the porch was on fire. We had the porch cleaned last week and on monday i told teh boys, before evening drop-in not to be spitting in the porch. Ofcourse, one wee terbert decided it would be his mission for the night to flood the porch, but I caught it just before opening and gave the 'we will open later' speech. The spitting mostly stopped as mpst od the guys spitout of habbit rather than malice, and could just as easily spit out of the porch. Yesterday when we closed up (after we had a 5 or 6 standing in the porch for an hour) there was very little spit and phlegm. Small victory, but still a victory. Nice that they do take some pride in the centre.

Mangaed to watch 'Jamies school dinners' (not bad, nice to see others struggle with teens, pitty about the swearing), 'West Wing' and 2 'Farscapes' (still a great show, even if the BBC3 presenters are a bit thick about it) between 8pm last night and 11am this morning. Some good thinsg do come out of being up in the night.

Belfast Bound

Had a good day in Belfast. Parked behind ST Anns and walked by Writers Square. Never knew it was there. It has lots of slabs with writings about Belfast. I thought it was cool, Julie thought it was too cold to stand around looking at the ground, so we went for a cuppa and scone.
After an hour and half of shopping (got a copy of Spider Girl Vol. 2, some great writing by DeFalco) we went to union Collage top meet Monty and Jo. Great arcuitexture in Union and a lot of history. Good meal wioth friends, talking aboutthere upcomming wedding.
Stopped off at Junction one http://www.junctionone.co.uk/index.asp. Better than I thought, and bought a periscope, mini recorder, sherif's badge and a nice hat. Good day, and looking forward to our stay in Belfast next month.

Grrrr...

Just back form drop-in and it jsut peeved me off, or rather the young people did. The amount of litter lying around our door. Ruth and I actually had picked it up, it was so bad. And of course, you can see the young person with the sweet wraper, see them drop in and STILL they claim it was not them. The night draged.

But tomorry I have a day off. Julie and I are away to Belfast and will see Monty for lunch. It will be good to spend time with Julie and get away from it all to peacful Belfast.
http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/webcam/webcam.asp

Books

Was at the men's fitness at church last night. Only three of us there, but good funa nd most of my muscles are sore today, so it must be working.
Today Julie, Charlotte and myself went to the libuary sale in Ballymena. Great bargins, but I have learnt from past mistakes. I didn't find any gems, but some nice things. A book on snooker tricks so I can showoff in work, an autobiography of Ronnie Barkers early stage life, coversation Klingon tape (destined for e-bay) and a Dalziel and Pascoe tape (destined for e-bay after I have a good listen).
When we got home I played some good music to Charlotte (Adam Ant, Larry Norman, James Taylor etc.) and we danced teh afternoon away.
We haev taped Monk, so we can watch that and lastweeks RTE1 ER, after Charlotte goes to bed. Must workon tha talks for Gillians group.

Sci-fi guy

Cheesed off that for the second night in a row my video failed to record Farscape late om BBC3. Some strange button on the vid controller was pressed that shouldn't have been. I was really looking forward to watching it un interupted, since Julie was at her pottery class, but consoled myself with the UK version of the Apprentice. Not bad.
I also finished my current novel, The Shadow Within, by Jeanne Cavelos. A Babylon 5 novel that deals with how John Sheraidan's wife, Anna, died at teh hands of the shadows at Z'Ha'dum. Pretty good, and fills in some of those plots that you knew happened from the TV series, but never knew the details. Just ghave to decide what to read next. Have to stsrt seriously preparing for speeking in a couple of weeks time, to young people on a church familyweekend, so i may not start a novel for a while. At least until I have the outlines prepared.

History retreating itself

One of the boys was giving his version of the history of Northern Ireland, how we chased the catholics down south and how Michael Stone was the greatest prodestent ever (based on reading Stones autobiography). What history are the schools teaching them? They do not know their own recent history. It just makes me boil that these half truths (and that is a over genourus percentage) are what family/friends/community lets them believe. Some don't even know the difference between Ulster and Northern ireland, or the names of the flags. I keep waiting to hear someone ask "why we wone the battle, yet they kept the Boyne"!
Or maybe i'm just cranky and tired since Charlotte got me up at 4.30am.

Thunder bolts and lightening

After the excitment of the Bushvale man's fellowship clay shoot (5 out of 10) i was ready for a good nights sleep. Charlotte decided I wouldn't get to sleep untill 2.40am (teething the back teeth now). At around 11.30pm there was a blinding flash (i thought it was a camera for some reason) and a great clap of thunder (it sounded more like a bomb). To day I found out a hpuise was hit in Ballymoney.
Not long back from talking to our YF in Bushvale about 'relationships'. I am always pleased with young people when you talk honestly and noy in an embaresed way about sex, they respond in kind. Not a bad crowd. The electricity was off at the church so we went to a farm house with a generator. Electricty wemt off at home when Charlotte was in the bath, and it must of been an adventure for her, because she didn't cry about leaving the bath at all.
Looking forward to watching SG:1 tomarrow and BBC3 are doing Farscape repeats. Heaven!

Spent the night in drop-in playing International Track and field on the N64 with a few of the guys. Great way to bond with males, doing pointless things, where you don't have to talk much. Even one of the guys who has been playing up a bit was mellow.
The whole Charles and Camilla marrage thing has brought out the Diana Crazies in Ulster. On ethe radio to day one lister phoned in to say that it was wrong "with that beautiful girl Diane only in her grave", while another said "he was unfaithfull to Lady Spencer, so he souldn't marry." Its all fine and well being against the marrage, but you would thing they would get Diana's name and title correct by now.

Death and stuff

Today I start my blogg. Hopefully giving thought son different aspects of my life.
Had a great talk with some of the guys at the centers gate today. A herse went by and it got us talking about death, and what we want done with our bodies. Most agreed that they didn't care, but one wanted to be 'burned', and then didn't know what he wanted done with the ashes.
Beats the telling off I got by one fella last week for eating a banana in the winter. Silly me!