May 15, 2009

  • "It was okay when it left us"

    That is what is said by many people in Belfast with regard to the Titanic! Since THAT film Belfast has taken Titanic to its heart and is building up a tourist industry around it, and why not? If nothing else it must be the most famous ship in history.

    Earlier this week I had a job interview working in a cafe called The Pump House, see it here. The cafe is in one of the original buildings from the time of the Titanic that still exists so it was of interest for that reason alone - though the cafe and the job seemed okay too. The interview went well enough and I may take the job if it is offered to me but what was great was that going to that interview brought me into a part of Belfast I have only viewed from the hill our house sits on.

    It is a district very much in a process of change and although new apartments and office space is going up they are thankfully keeping what remains of the Harland and Wolf past.

    I know that Belfast is a city that is (almost) on the sea and of course I arrived by sea when I moved Fintan and our stuff here in November, but it is sometimes easy to forget that all that water is there! Going to the interview and the Titanic Quarter brought me right back down to the docks on thankfully a bright and dry day so I took a few pictures.

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    Don't laugh at my photography 'skills'! This was just the view out to the Belfast lough from the Dry dock (to the left of course is the wet dock!)

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    Acros from where I was standing you can see the mountains on the North side of Belfast - the rust bucket passing by was huge.

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    I took this picture from the lough end of the dry dock, this is where ships like Titanic and its sister ships 'Olympic' and 'Britannic' would have been painted and checked over. You can begin to imagine the length that those ships must have been - it took me several minutes to walk from one end to the other.

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    A view from the other end that takes in the Pump House on the left, see what I mean about the length of the dock?

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    An artists impression, I am guessing, of how Titanic must have looked. Impressive huh?!

    Other news: My mom is still in hospital following her knee replacement operation. I haven't managed to speak to her yet but have exchanged a few texts and my dad has kept me informed as to how she is. I know that she is in a lot of pain at the moment but I guess that it was, after all, a rather serious and invasive operation and it is to be expected. I'm hoping she is out and home soon and on the eay to recovery - though she will have to go through it again as the other knee will need attention too.

    I had another interview at Belfast Metropolitan College on Thursday - this time to go on the register for ESOL/EFL tutors. It went very well indeed and I think I hit it off well with the people interviewing me. If I haven't mentioned it already I had a letter back from BMC this week regarding the Invigilators register and they have accepted me on that pending criminal record checks etc. Hopefully this will be without the stresses that occured the last time I had to have these checks done.

    My bread making is going from strength to strength and I don't think I could ever go back to shop bought bread now! Today I made a delicious tomato and oregano loaf... it is almost gone!

    Hope you are all having a good weekend!

     

Comments (5)

  • You perfect bread baking rat! I am so envious. Good luck on the job. It sounds full of interest and characters and inside cool info. YAY! xxoo Thank you so much for your kind words. How is your mom doing????? Mine might be heading back to the convalescent hospital this weekend. Fingers crossed.

  • @queenie - I just spoke to her and she is still in a lot of pain and is having problems moving the joint but I am hopeful she will start to see that improve soon. :)

  • Dakota47 and I will be attending a traveling exhibit of Titanic artifacts in a couple of months. I can only imagine what it must be like to live where it all began. The Titanic must be a constant companion there. I hope your mother gets well soon! The sooner she is able to comfortably use her knee the better she'll be, the poor thing. Best of luck on your job!

  • Isaw a TV programme about the Titanic and Belfast a while ago. They are renovating parts of the drawing offices aren't they ? It's good that the history will remain as it was an important event for Belfast. Where are the photos of the giant cranes, Goliath, I think they are called. It's good that you have so many choices re. jobs especially in the current climate. Have you tried to make soda bread yet ? I did - but it was a disaster I'm sure your mum will be better very soon despite the pain, which will go. Marie 

  • @MSB - I have tried taking pictured of the cranes and whatever angle I get them from they just don't look anywhere near as stunning as they do in reality - I will try again though!

    @jerry7171 - You and Dakota are always welcome to come and see it all for yourselves! :)

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