Eat Dust

Went to my fat fighters class tonight... It was great to see my sweetness and pleasure had another 3 and a half lb off..... I had hoped to have 2lb off this week, but what a nice suprise when I weighed in with another 4lb off, which brings my total so far to 33lb.... And I got slimmer of the week.... Photo's to follow ....... NOT

Thats Mates For You

I'm doing a project at the moment were I've been making some cookery videos perhaps for YouTube or even for this blog. I asked a work colleague (Used to be a mate) to run his eye over one of me making soup.
My ex mate said

"Why don't you just buy soup out of Tescos"

Thanks for the constructive criticism .......

2008 BAFTA Awards

I watched the BAFTA Awards last night on the idiot’s lantern. For about the first eleven minutes Jonathan Woss sounded as if he was doing an impression of the sea creatures out of Stingray …. (Until the sound guys got it right, that is)...
I was amazed to see most of the stars reading out the nominations for the various categories using auto-cue (And badly at that). I would have thought being stars they would have been able to learn and remember their lines.
They could learn a lot from Sir Ian McKellen a true pro who showed the youngsters how it should be done...

National Treasure 2

Went to the Storm Cinema at the Odyssey tonight to see new National Treasure. Great movie, if you liked the first one you’ll also like this one. We paid extra for the VIP screen. We enjoyed the pre movie tea and when we got into VIP screen 2 it was annoying to find out that one of our two recliners was broken. As there were no other available seats we had to take them. To top that a 2+3 family could be heard at the back talking throughout the whole film and they must have had bladder problems as I lost count how many times they disturbed film punters by getting up and going to the loo. Talking about loo’s, they were not the cleanest I have to say. (I waited until the film was over before you ask) I walked out of the loo with something on the bottom of my shoe …. I was relieved to find it was only chewing gum.
Oh yes, complained and got our ticket money refunded....

Oh Dear

Heading back from County Fermanagh yesterday evening developed engine trouble. Ended up on the hard shoulder on the M1 at around 16:20. I got recovered after 11pm by a large tow truck. I was glad I had my mobile, my trusty iPod and my digital camera with me. When I got bored phoning people, watching videos on my ipod, I turned to my camera and took some night photos from inside my vehicle. I stayed inside as it was really cold and anyway there were a few hard shoulder rats running about looking grub.....
I was glad when the mechanics came out as they let me sit in their van with the heater going …. At last some heat.. Thanks lads.

Great Food, Great Room & Free Internet

Not really a hotel review, but I want to tell you anyway. Working down in the beautiful county of Fermanagh today and tomorrow so staying overnight at the lovely Killyhevlin Hotel in Enniskillen. As I'm still going to fat fighters dinner was a worry, what can I have, what will I have. Two minutes looking at the menu was all I needed to work it out. I told the waitress I was on a diet and could I have a poached egg and veg ..... along with my 8oz sirloin steak that is. The meal was great. No desert and finished my meal with a peppermint tea. My room was223 with a view overlooking Lough Erne. I had noticed a Lan port in the room and asked at reception about the cost of use... FREE I was told, and they even give me a cable to use. How often do you get that, Free Internet?


It's keeping me out of the bar anyway....... honest

Bedford Street - Ormeau Avenue Junction

In the past I have blogged about this junction. How drivers ignore the changing traffic lights. I noticed today the ministry clipboard men in the luminous jackets standing at the junction for most of the day taking notes. Hopefully they are putting in a traffic camera to catch the light jumpers. They'll make a packet.

Weight Update (Only If you're interested)

Just back from my Slimming World class and although I wasn’t slimmer of the week this week, I did have another 2 and a half pound off.... That makes 29lb so far (2 stone 1)..... Aren’t I doing well...... Roll on my first target of 3 stone. Thanks SW...

Cat Books

I was sitting at my PC when I was joined by Tigger our cat. Think she was bored as she jumped onto the bookcase to check out the books.

Can cats read?

Shopping At The Port

Went a drive to Portadown today. My swamp duck wanted to do a bit of shopping while we were there. Went to a lovely cafe called Hobbs and had some soup before the shopping trek. Standing outside a shop in the main street I was impressed to see on the footpath not only a litter bin but beside it, was another bin for putting your cizarettes out and for your used gum. I then looked at the footpath .... It was covered in chewing gum never mind the litter.

Some people in Portadown need to go to Specsavers.......

Two Out Of Three

I have blogged the last two Fridays about how the local bus drivers seem to have taken pleasant tablets. The Friday drivers have been really friendly over the last couple of weeks.. Today I was actually looking forward to getting the bus home. Standing in the cold I saw the bus coming. It stopped about 25 yards from the bus stop to let the passengers alight (get off). The driver then closed the doors and got his paper out. He sat for about 3 minutes before driving forward to our stop. (3 minutes, what was the point) I got on and give the driver my money for the ticket, I said please and thank you for my ticket but never even got a grunt back. He had a bake on him like a Lurgan spade. I made a point of saying thank you again to him when I was getting off ...... Looks like I got it wrong about the Friday drivers......

City Centre Shopping

Walking through the City centre tonight I noticed two litter wardens hiding (Ok, standing in a doorway out of the rain) while a few yards away at the entrance to Castlecourt a dose of youths (collective name) were finshing off their chippy carryout and throwing their rubbish on the ground. I suppose the wardens can't be everywhere......

Headed to Tesco's. I'm always giving off to the missus as she always checks behind what ever she buys in case the dates are longer. I spotted a book I wanted, as I lifted it I spotted the same book behind it at a £1 cheaper, maybe she has a point about checking behind stuff?

Hard To Believe

It's incredable, my weight loss is ongoing at full steam. At fat fighters (sorry, Slimming World) this week I had another 7lb off, and for the third week running I was slimmer of the week. It's brilliant, 26 and a half lb off so far.

Long way to go to my target though.....

Re-naming The Soaps

As I'm on the diet I thought I'd put off any birthday celebrating for a while. Instead of going out last night, I stayed in and watched TV (Well, her indoors was watching the soaps while I went onto my laptop to do some surfing) I couldn't help listening to the box. I got to thinking, with whats going on in each of the Monday night Soaps they should be renamed as "Emmerfail", "Coronation Shreak" and it has to be "DepressEnders"...... What about a happy soap for a change? .....

Happy Birthday To Me, Happy Birthday To Me.

Another year notched up on this wonderful world. What more can I say ......

Bond, James Bond

I was watching Casino Royale (For about the 10th time)There is a scene in it were Bond is rushing to save the damsel (As he does) the high speed chase comes to an abrupt end as he sees the girl tied up in the middle of the road and has to swerve to avoid hitting her. In the scene you see James pulling hard right on the steering wheel before you see the car on two wheels as it starts to tumble out of control. Steering wheel hard right throws the car up onto it's nearside wheels (Left hand side) but the next shot is the car on it's offside wheels (Right hand side).... Am I just being to fussy.....

Police Officers in London Rally

I read that Central London grinded to a halt as an estimated 22,500 off duty police officers marched on Parliament...Then I thought I'd research abit to see if I could find out how many were left to safeguard our streets.... Read this from the Telegraph website : Assaults and other non-accidental injuries cost the 51 forces a total of 37,500 days in sick leave last year - the equivalent of more than 100 officers off for a whole year. So there's another heap off, then you take into account those on leave, sports leave, tied up with ongoing investigations. Is it any wonder you hear people complaining about poor police responce ...... I wonder how many criminals took the day off seeing the rally was taking place, or did they go in for a little overtime......

Fridays Buses

For the second Friday in a row I have got on the 11a and it has been driven by a new bread of drivers. The drivers are in their 20s and they actually spoke to their passengers. One helped an old lady on with her shopping and the other even waited until an OAP sat down before pulling away from a bus stop..... How often have you seen that happen? ..... Well done boys.

Jurassic Park

Was walking past Jurassic Park (JDs in Bedford Sreet) and heard an argument going on. Apparently this senior gentleman was standing puffing his brains out in the door way (It was obvious by his swaying he'd had a few) some guy was complaining about him smoking in the doorway. This knight in shinning armour had come to his defence and as I past I heard him say "He's an old man, he'll catch his death of cold if he stands out in the street on a night like this" (A few swear words included)
I got to thinking... Death of cold....how about lung problems from the fags and liver problems from the booze just to name two....

Failing Away To A Mountain

Another 5-1/2 lb off this week ... and they tried to do me out of the 1/2 lb ... but I'm too old a dog to be bit by a pup ....

Umbrella World

I hate having to walk through town when it's raining. It not the rain that I hate but the unconcerning female owners of umbrellas that just always seem to be at my head level as they poke me on their way past. Tonight while going for the bus in the rain I made a observation, it's not just females now, some male members of our species not only use umbrellas but they use umbrellas that can only be decribed as gazebo's on sticks. Emormous golf umbrellas are taking over. Keep them for the golf course guys, unless it's your ego you are trying to keep dry.....

Wet Days

As a driver of a large vehicle in frightens me at times the way some predestrians stand at the side of the road with their feet over the kerb. This can be very dangerous as large vehicles turn junctions. I've noticed that pedestrians keep well back from the kerb when it rains in case they get splashed by passing traffic ..... why can't they just stand back all the time?

Update On New Years Resolutions

Thought I'd blow my own trumpet and give an update on my diet. I've now reached the 1 stone mark and I was "Slimmer of the week" last week.

The first week I lost 8lb and last week I had a further 6lb off. The diet is fantastic with loads to eat. (Including chips)

But, there is a long way to go and I intend to be a good boy and stick to it. "Slimming world" is working for me ..... Ye Ha.

Revenue Gathering

The PSNI (Police Service Northern Ireland) are often accused by motorists of just revenue gathering when it comes to fixed penalty fines for traffic offences. Yeah of course they are, never mind those exceeding speed limits, running through red traffic lights or in some cases using mobile phones to name a few.
If they are in revenue gathering they would collect a fortune at the junction of Bedford Street and Ormenu Avenue.
This sort of thing happens on a daily basis. This morning I was waiting to cross the road at the pedestrian crossing when a car came well through the lights just as the traffic from the other direction started to move. A skip lorry driver had to brake sharply. He put his horn on and when I look up at him he was on his mobile phone ........ A few quid to be gathered there I would say ......

The Eagle Has Landed

Just surfing the Internet and came across a very interesting news article. It is about an
airport operator in the southern Italian port city of Bari who has recruited a golden eagle to help keep the runway free of wildlife.

I personally think this could be a bad idea, check this out "Bird Strike"