No.172 Of the Serious Business of Bingo

I went to a bingo night last night. I know, not something you'd expect someone to boast about in a blog but last night we thought it would be different. Different because it was held in the Belfast Spiel tent during the arts festival that is running this month. Billed as Eileen Bowe's night of bingo and fun we expected a mixture of bingo and craic or number calling interdispersed with other types of alternative entertainment. But no, for Mrs Bowes, bingo was clearly a serious business and there was work to be done. Immediately after introducing herself we were informed it was eyes down and that we were playing for a packet of biscuits for one line. There was no time for humour or rapport this was bingo at its most serious.

Mrs Bowe must be pushing 80 but there was no sign of her slowing up because the numbers came at us fast and furious and there was time only to whizz up and down and across four books to tick your way to a prize. One table of guests walked out in protest at her speed (all the fours they're making for the doors Mrs Bowes) which seemed to bother her not in the least.

After the last game she thanked everyone in her North Yorkshire drawl for making her so welcome and promptly walked off stage.

I walked out with four cans of soup for a full line. All the eights not a moment too late Mrs Bowes. A bizarre night indeed.

No.171 Of Normal Folk and a Steady Stroke

Wow a whole day clear in the diary! Here's the challenge can I go from 9a.m. this morning full steam with no interruptions and leave at 5p.m. like normal folk?

Today is the third day this week that I've swam 30 lengths of the Antrim pool before coming in to work. I've finally worked out why it is that less fit looking swimmers still manage to pass me whilst going up and down. It's nothing to do with leg kick or how the arms enter the water. Nor is in the pull of the hands under the water. It's a simple thing called stroke rate. You can't go somewhere 12 km away in 60 minutes if you're only walking 8km an hour.

9a.m. approaches. Time to Twitter, sort the diary and work on a steady stroke rate til 5p.m..

No.170 Of Onwards & Accompanying Plans

Now that was a great weekend. Loads of good food, great company and a whole lot done too.

The builder arrived last night to show me his plans for the renovation work. There's something about plans. I just can't get them. I need models built or lots of people standing around pretending to be walls to help me visualise things. He's taken his second holiday in as many months so he can't be doing too badly.

Looking forward to a belter of a week before a belter of a month next month. Onwards.

No.169 Of The Art of Zen and a Different Night Out

Zen, Belfast. I came. I saw, I ate and as always, I really enjoyed. What a great restaurant. Doesn't matter when you go, what you order - it's always good.


Last night the company was great too. The two Legal-Island Directors took out a handful of lawyers from O'Reilly Stewart Solicitors. I like these guys. There's a great atmosphere between them and best of all they're a self deprecating lot that don't take themselves too seriously.

Presently I'm working on a different Saturday night out. This is not an easy thing to plan in Belfast. Currently it has a theme : a challenge to the eyes, the ears and the taste buds. Here's hoping my friends will see it the same way.

No.168 Of Weekly Scores on the doors

So its BBC 1 BNP 0.

Nick Griffith you made a terrible fool of yourself last night and was wonderfully exposed by British democracy working at its very best. May your ugly horrible racist views RIP.

I was dining at the new Ramada Encore Hotel last night - or at least I should have been. I was presented with a menu featuring 11 dishes but not one vegetarian. When I mentioned this to the waiter he explained to me that the chef would do penne pasta for me. This really sounded the alarm bells. For it is this dish that really indicates the chef has given no serious thought to his menu and even less to the opportunity to shine by doing a really imaginative and creative vegetarian dish. I skipped over to Nick's warehouse and enjoyed great food. That's Nick's Warehouse 1 Ramda 0.

Today was my fourth time in the pool since Monday. That's almost 1.5 mile I've clocked up this week. I bought myself a new pair of goggles this morning for the other pair are scratched and misty inside. This was not a good move for I can now see the bottom of the pool clearly and just how dirty it is. That's Antrim Pool 0 Everyone Else 0.

No.167 Of Earlybirds and Teletubby

30 lengths of the pool this morning. Not a bad start to the day. I wonder if one day anyone will write a book called "Earlybirds" based on the life stories of those who regularly swim up and down a cold pool when they really ought to be in bed like the rest of the nation. "Earlybirds" wherever you go are a motley crew. There are those that are retired but for some reason still feel the need to belt out of bed and begin their day socialising waist deep in water. There's the driven crowd that need to fire up and down the pool to get themselves pumped up for the day ignoring everyone else unless they dare to go faster them. There's the injured group who are convalescing from an accident or illness and probably find that part of the day the easiest to wake their body into some sort shape. And there's the grumpy fighting-the-flap-brigade (of which I number) who grumbles his way into the pool three times a week and with every turn of every length wonders what he is doing and whether it's worth the cold, the getting wet, the getting dry and the loss of a good hour's sleep.

I suppose the answer is that it is worth it or at least I have to do it otherwise I wont be able to enjoy the networking I have to do. Tonight I'm at "Made in Belfast". Tomorrow I'm at the Merchant and Friday night Zen. Earlybird or Teletubby the choice, I guess, is mine.

No 166

I was dining with a friend last night who showed me his Twitter Iphone folder. I saw that he's following just 2 people : me and Stephen Fry. Yikes no pressure then?

Big week this week. We have 20 sessions on one day (including a Twitter session) - something never yet attempted here on the Island. One day we'll all do "normal" here and stop pushing ourselves but not this year....