Carrickfergus Marina
One Year On
All is not well in the land of Translink yesterday.
From Mr. Marshall:
WHY DO WE PUT UP WITH TRANSLINK !! 2 rallies in city centre. Like a fool I let Translink inspectors redirect me from City Hall to May Street to Chichester Street to Albert Clock to Oxford Street.
I naively called Translink who knew nothing of the rallies !
They called me back and told me I was correct – there was a rally in progress but they were sorry they couldn’t tell me were to get a bus !!!!!!!
Mrs. Long replies:
Every time. The front line staff get it in the neck as the admin can’t organize a…….well fill in the blanks.
I used to work for the Belfast Carnival many moons ago and I’d send an info pack to translink and no contact with them and it never made the blindest piece of difference. This happens all the time and to have a contingency plan for these events would be amazing but unlikely to happen sadly. Furious for you. Xx
Professional journalist won’t let a word in sideways
I have to agree with Jim Wells – certainly not on his opinion of Strictly Come Dancing and the introduction of two males dancing together – but with his treatment on the Good Morning show. I’d be more upset with young children seeing those girls in such flimsy and provocative costumes but I thought the behaviour of the two interviewer was disgraceful. Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid didn’t exactly cover themselves with glory, they were rude and confrontational. The man has his point of view, one with which I disagree totally, but to harass him and try to denude him of any semblance of dignity was in my opinion inexcusable. They kept interrupting Wells in case he got his point across and more power to his elbow, as far as I could see on ‘catchup’ he retained his cool, much to the annoyance of Morgan and Reid.
Jim Wells appearance on various television and radio programmes won’t change anything and it will be interesting to see how he gets on with the Broadcasting Regulator OFCOM when he complains over the way he was treated on Good Morning Britain.
Two boys dancing together! How awful!!
Hooray for County Down
Bangor woman Kym Lennon has been campaigning on behalf of wheelchair users for years including, as I reported in February this year, a seaside area suitable for those with disabilities and has been especially involved in establishing an interactive beach in Co. Down. “Such a beach would feature board walks,” she told me, “adapted toilets, chairs with big wheels and a play area suitable for children with swings adapted for wheelchair use.”
Herself disabled since 1998 she is delighted that her dream has come true. And, as good as their word, Ards and North Down has turned Groomsport beach into the first inclusive beach in the area with all-terrain wheelchairs for both adults and children which can be pre-booked and are free of charge, walking frames suited for beach use, beach matting and a supported beach buggy for infants. There are on-site disabled toilet facilities that include a toilet which offers both hoisting and adult-sized changing bench resources. This is good news not only for parents with children who require help but also for the elderly on zimmers or using walking sticks and young mothers pushing children in a buggy. Let’s hope this is a model for other seaside spots.
Swimming without getting your feet wet.
If you want to dive ‘down under’ you need go no further than the Theatre at the Mill in Newtownabbey. On Thursday 12 September The Branff Mountain Film Festival swims in with its display of fascinating deep sea experiences. Visiting more than 35 locations, this annual event involves a selection of short films telling seafaring stories from both above and below the water’s surface. “Witness mind-blowing marine life, wild adventures and stunning cinematography – all on the big screen!”, so says Nell Teasdale director for this tour which takes in over 40 venues over two months. They land in Newtownabbey with what promises to be an exciting show. You’ll even see an extreme artist painting underwater! Might you spot a mermaid? “Certainly from the wild Arctic waters to Mexico’s spectacular sinkholes, this collection of brand-new films will take audiences on a mesmerising journey to some of the least-explored depths of the planet!”
The Ocean Film Festival originated in Australia with the aim of inspiring people to explore, respect, enjoy and protect the oceans and this is the sixth year that it has toured the UK and Ireland always making waves with their spectacular show. Surely it is important to all of us to support such an evening at a time when the oceans are under threat and surely an enthralling evening for children. Sir David Attenborough would be proud.
To find out more, watch the trailer and book tickets, visit www.oceanfilmfestival.co.uk.
Local Man’s Look At History
Belfast born Tim Shaw is a sculptor of renown. He is one of the youngest artists to be invited to become a Royal Academician at the London Royal Academy of Art, one of only 80 members and one of only 14 sculptors and he’s know to be a force to be reckoned with. The Royal Academy is proud of their Northern Irish sculptor and publicise him as an artist who “creates psychologically charged environments that address humanitarian issues designed to unsettle and provoke thought. His work raises questions about difficult and controversial topics such as global terrorism and abuse of power.”
One of his works on show during the Summer Exhibition recreated a childhood memory of an IRA bombing in Belfast. ‘Mother The Air is Blue, The Air Is Dangerous’ is disturbing as it recreates Tim’s experience of being trapped with his mother in a downtown cafe when a bomb goes off in the doorway. I have seen this installation and with the shadows of running people trying to escape, tripping and falling, adults carrying children and a floor area littered with scattered tables and chairs, detritus abandoned by the customers and, above all, a sound track of panic, sirens, shouting, it’s terribly real. The programme adds that some may find the imagery disturbing and that parental guidance is recommended.
Another work is entitled PARLIAMENT – The Voices In Your Head – an installation which has caused controversy where ever it is shown. Parliament consists of twenty-five rooks modelled in wire, straw, and polythene and is accompanied by a clever sound track, a unique concept comparing a parliament of rooks to members of parliament at Westminster! The soundscape is ingenious, ‘hear hear’ and ‘order order’ with well recognised voices pontificating, a Thatcher here, a Powell there and a Paisley everywhere, all descending in chaos. No doubt at some time Boris Johnson will fly in to join his peers. The rooks create a chaotic scene, breaking into filing cabinets and desk drawers. The idea first came to Tim Shaw while working on a residency in the West of Ireland, during which time he noted the ironic similarity between the behaviour of a ‘parliament’ of rooks and contentious, debating politicians.
More about Tim Shaw RA and his work at www.timshawsculptor.com
THE IMPORTANCE OF PUNCTUATION
There’s more to a coconut than you think
There’s a great movement to use coconut in cosmetic products and they are expensive. Coconut face cream £31, superfood shampoo £24, bronzing foam £29.90 and sunscreen at £32.90. Other items are cheaper but when it comes to hair care and nourishing in hot weather, central heating, airless offices, I would like to recommend Coconut cooking oil! Great to cook with and healthy but put a little in a bowl and melt it over gentle heat and then rub it into your hair. Massage in, leave for 20 minutes or so and then wash out using a little shampoo. You’ll be amazed how soft your hair will be and shining. I had a friend who even in old age had at the most astonishing head of thick curly white hair and she put it down to a mix of coconut oil and iodine well rubbed into the scalp. Worth trying.
