The fountain of youth

Considerate construction

This is one of the many new buildings being erected in Belfast City Centre - this particular construction is to be known as 'The Boat'
and the constructors have hung up a banner extolling their virtues as 'considerate constructors'

... BUT screwing a sign to the trunk of a tree doesn't strike me as very considerate - what's wrong with using plastic ties that would hold it securely in place and not cause any damage to the tree or what's wrong with tie-ing it to a lamp post or traffic sign?

McHugh's Bar, Belfast

McHugh's Bar has the unique distinction of being the oldest building in Belfast, dating back to its establishment in 1711.

It's a great spot for a pint of Guinness and also a great spot to watch the various concerts and festivals being staged in Custom House Square, being located right beside and overlooking the Square.
This unusual chess set sits in the bar area and, as you can see, one set of figures is represented by various loyalist politicians - the pawns being the, then named, Royal Ulster Constabulary. I am not sure if Mr. Trimble has been deliberately turned away from Mr. Paisley, since the two no longer see eye to eye.
The other set of figures comprises Nationalist politicians (Gerry Adams etc.) and the pawns are paramilitary figures of the IRA. Unfortunately there was too much of a reflection from the glass for me to take a decent photograph of that set.

CAR - NI - VAL in BELFAST

Belfast 2007 - not Rio de Janeiro (c: and we have a second Lord Mayor's Carnival because we have just elected a new Lord Mayor (Jim Rodgers).

You know those old umbrellas that you see lying about the streets - the ones that have been blown inside out - well this is how you can put them to practical use: stick them on a brush pole and stick on a couple of extra petals 'et voila' - a flower.

... and here we have the lovely, nay the beautiful, queen of hearts - not only did she blow me a kiss but she also allowed me (nay, she commanded me) to kiss her on the cheek. Mmmm!

Purple Haze!
The theme of the carnival (I think) was either the 'Summer of Love' or 'Peace, Love & Cross Community Reconciliation'. BUT do they really think that is how we looked in the Summer of Love? They must be out of their tiny skulls on acid or some similar psychedelic mood enhancer (c:

Here's a little song we can all join in with ....

even the statues get in on the act.

Some of the many photographers.