Chainsaws in Ballycastle

For the past week I have been in Ballycastle doing my CS30 and CS31 Chainsaw course hoping it would help me get a proper J.O.B.


Ballycastle is a small town on the North East Coast of Northern Ireland, famous for being close to the Giant's Causeway, and also for being the place where pubescent Northern Irish kids come for a Summer tennis camp at which most experience inappropriate contact with the opposite sex for the first time.


I was staying in a lovely B&B with this as the view that met me on my way out each morning.

On Tuesday I decided to go to the pub to watch the mighty Spurs take on the minnows that be AC Milan at the San Siro. On the walk to the pub this is the dog that tried to bite me....

...and I also got a good idea of what the local Spides (aka Chavs) were like when I saw, or actually heard before I saw, a Peugeot 306 coming down the road that had been lowered so far that it's exhaust was literally dragging along the road. Pretty sweet. 


Spurs went on to win 1-0. Whoopty Wjoop Whoop! On the way back I was speaking to my friend when just in front of me a BMW came flying around a mini roundabout, drifting like something out of Gran Tourismo and revved off up the road into the town at 60-odd miles an hour. For the rest of my walk home I heard the sound of high revs and screeching tyres from all over town. Either Ballycastle is a town full of boy racers or the driving instructors around here need to spend more time concentrating on clutch control.

I have never stayed in a place that gives you bed pans before. 

It felt like European Vacation and I had to do everything within my power to stop myself partaking.


The course was great and taught me loads - how to maintain and service a chainsaw and then how to cut down small trees dealing with whatever obstacles they can throw at you. 

They let us loose on a commercial site where Sitka Spruce had been growing for 40 odd years. We cut down a bunch of trees each and set up the world's biggest game of pickupsticks.

There were big machines working away picking up logs that already been processed. A lot of machinery for processing timber comes from Europe and for some reason they give them hilarious names. 


I can really see myself driving around in one of these - 

I am pleased to say that I got my certificates and even more pleased to say that since coming back I have called a local tree surgeon company who has offered me a job. I start work at ungodly o'clock on Monday - Woohoo to the max!!!!!

Walkies...

Went for a couple of walks over the weekend.


Firstly we took Pinky for a stroll quite close to our house and unfortunately we were witnesses to a recent traffic accident.

I called the police to report a case of Trollicide, but they told me to stop wasting their time.


A little further along the road and I saw this -

Now that sounds like a fun day out to me. Old knock knees in front was not having any of it though. 


We had to go to the town of Carrickfergus on our way into Belfast so LL could sort out some wedding stuff out by the power station and I was left to walk the dog around the town and along the seafront where they have a castle (seen here from a pub I stopped at to warm up).

Carrickfergus turned out to be a hot spot for street art and I was fortunate enough to see with my own eyes an original Batesy piece - 

Whoever owns that skip is going to be in the money if they ever choose to sell it.


The last thing that really caught my attention was this lovely local grocers - 

A SPIRIT Grocer. Otherwise known as a pub. Only in Ireland.

WHASSSSSSSUPPPP??!!??

Whappnin' peeps?


Long time no speakey. Sorry about that. Shame on me.


Have been tootling along, cutting down trees and chopping up wood. 


Have done a bit of shooting at things but the only bird that I have shot at that fell to the ground was shot by someone else at exactly the same time. Until I have one that I can say was mine and mine alone I will not accept that I have got one yet. LL says that I keep saying that and that I am shite at shooting. If she carries on like that much longer she will have to "Say hello to my boomstick"

Have spent some time watching TV including that heavy duty brain exerciser The Weakest Link where I witnessed this little gem of an answer - 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUGdGIEvero


Obviously I have also been working out the essential 21st century skill of how to update videos to Youtube, another of which will follow in due course.


We had LL's folk's dog Alfie come and stay for a night. Was a bit of a mare with Pinky being slightly territorial, snapping at Alfie's face and peeing on the floor. This however was a moment when it looked as though romance may be on the cards in the future (she latched right back onto his face after they had posed for this) - 

I have made my mind up to train as a tree surgeon, arborist and general tree hugger so have been over to my friend FF's house to do some more tree climbing which went well. Luckily my fear of heights is not quite as much of a grundy soiler as I had previously thought.


Whilst there FF showed me around some of the random rooms and crypts where I noticed this slightly depressed looking door - 

The other thing that happened there was Pinky and FF's 6 year old black and tan terrier Sita showed us they were experts at Terrier Capawera, as can be seen in this video - 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFdFlqvKIks


Looking forward to the coming weeks. Got friends coming for LL's 30th birthday and plenty of good stuff to do between now and then.


Peace out y'all.


BB


x

Proofreader required....

.....I should have looked through that last post before publishing it.


Will remember that for next time.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Hi all


Hope that you all had a great Christmas and new year and are not struggling too much at being back at work. 


I had a great week back in England for Christmas. Got to see a lot of friends in London, some I had planned to and some that just were in the right place at the right time - such as this little Christmas Pudding.

I spent actual Christmas at my sister's house where I got to meet my new nephew Jacob

Also in attendance were my Ma and Pa, my brother and brother-in-law, and my other nephew Jack, for whom this was the first Christmas where the opening of presents was the most important thing. I remember those days well.

Missing and missed were LL and Jack's mum Lisette. We got to see some of the extended family on Boxing Day but would have liked to see some of the others as well. Next time.


I came back to NI on the 29th January and got to spend some time with LL's family, our friends and my dawg. 

The night I got back there was a Viking party in one of the teepees which was a blast. 

Luckily we got out of there before the hour of scrummaging and breaking stuff started.


We had three friends visit from London for New Year and took them to a party at a dairy farm in Ballycastle - fancy dress as countries. It started reasonably civilised and then went rapidly downhill when LL decided to stuff a party popper with chocolate cake and blast it first at her friend Emma, and then all over the wall during supper. 

Looking slightly guilty at all? 

Was a hell of a new years party and thanks be to the SMs for it.  


We got up on the 1st of January feeling somewhat rough (why is that always the case?) and went on a mission to the Giants Causeway - Northern Ireland's premier hexagonally-shaped-rock-formation-based tourist attraction. 

I couldnt believe they allow people to park on it.

I definitely should have stood on the other end of the line for that photo. 

I should also have done the Sarkozy/Tom Cruise thing and asked the photographer to leave my feet out of the picture - busted.


It was a cold and windy day and blew out the cobwebs nicely.


We also saw the Bushmills distillery but with the hangovers we all had, this was as close as I would allow us to get.

So far in 2011 I have been shooting a bit, starting with some friends and some clay pigeons. 

PULL!!! It was an encouraging start to my shooting career with me rarely missing a thing and I even managed a left and right - both barells into two clays launched at the same time.


I thought I might be a natural until I went to a proper shoot at my friend Charlie's house where during the day I shot at a lot but hit not a jot. At dusk we went to the duck pond and I think I got something there but because it is dark it is virtually impossible to know who got what and in some cases things got shot twice - just to be sure.


We hosted Come Curry With Me at our house on Friday night. Put on a banquet that meant we could have curry for days and got well and truly blasted with some friends - so much so that I forgot to take a picture the whole night. 


2011's exercise regime for me is going to be mostly based on walking and yesterday LL, Pinky and I went for a walk on the beach at Tyrella. 

Pinky got to meet her first sheep, which she seemed desperate to start herding about, and some horses too.

Was really weird to be walking in the sunshine along a deserted beach and be able to see, across the water snow covered mountains. The camera on my phone does not do it justice but you get the idea.

Hope you all (all 3 of you) have an awesome 2011. Is going to be an eventful one for me what with getting married, starting to build a house and various other things and I am looking forward to it immensely.


Hope to see you in it too.


BB


x

The only way to travel.....

......at this time of year.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!!!


From BB, LL & PP xxx

Wintery Wonderland......

........we have had a shed load of snow over here - between 6 and 10 inches for most of the last two weeks.


The people on our estate really know how to do snowthings (with Pinky thrown in for some scale reference).

The countryside has been looking beautiful and the roads have been a welcome challenge.

Last weekend got to make the most of it starting with the Christmas shoot on Saturday. I didn't have my camera so don't have many pictures of any of it unfortunately.


I had been reliably informed that this was going to be quite a booze-up and I was not disappointed. I thought this lot would be a special drink to go with lunch but it turned out to be our elevenses, served with hot soup and bread rolls. 

Here's one I had to put out of it's misery - 

A lot of people also had hip flasks with a variety of different moonshines and by the time lunch came around I was well oiled and I think most people were as well.

Lunch went on for about four hours and was delicious, with plenty of grog flowing all over the place. 


Highlights, some of which I can actually remember myself, include breath-freshening peppermint booze (50% WOOF!!), unsuccessful attempts at shotgunning cans (Guinness for me - don't recommend trying that at home) and a massive snowball fight  that lasted for half an hour or so.


LL's cousin Lucy and her Jack Russell Tinker left with us and the five of us (including Pinky) went to the pub (the first one wouldn't let us in) for a totally unnecessary pint. Then back home where I passed out sharpish. Apparently Lucy was in the igloo at some point but I don't remember that at all. 


Sunday started with a bang. A repetitive BANG BANG BANG inside my brain. I was desperate for a drink of water but could not get out of bed so had to ration the small glass I had by the side of my bed over a few hours. We got up and had breakfast and LL informed me that we were going sledging - oh yes.


We went over to her brothers house where he had piste bashed a hill in his field the night before and armed with a variety of sledges ranging from an awesome home made wooden two-seater, to an unmade-up plastic box , we went crazy on the hill for a few hours.

I made sure all the kids gave me sufficient goes on their sledges but found my favourite was a plastic sign with the front cut into a point. Here is a video of me in action on it (first time I have put on a video so hopefully it works) - 

Here is LL racing, and whooping the arse of her nephew on the same beasts.

Pinky enjoyed herself too.

Knackered and aching afterwards but was brilliant fun.


Now I am meant to be flying back to England tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will allow.


HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! Hope to see you in 2011 if not before.