Belfast's Big Freeze

Yesterday I stood at a bus stop for 40 minutes waiting on a bus. In the end I conceded defeat when I couldn't feel my toes, fingers, nose or ears. The final straw came when I was shivering and my ears were starting to sting after I tried to warm them with my hands. So I shuffled off from the bus stop to defrost and to find some hot tea and some warm food to eat.

Trying to walk, my legs felt like they'd been holding heavy ice cubes as if I had a sports injury. From the records it looks to have been around -5. Smart work trousers, it turns out, are not suited to this cold weather, below 0 the cold really does bite and that those smart trousers don't cut it. So with this freezing cold experience in mind, I'll share some of the other cold treks into the snow and ice I've been making over the course of the last week with some sights of Belfast during what has turned out to be Northern Ireland's worst cold spell in quite some time.

The weather started to turn again on the night of the 16th; a little evening shopping at City Side Mall was greeted by a snow shower.

The City Hall the next morning was looking sugar coated with this dusting of snow.

The Sheep at the Waterfront (at the top of this post) found themselves with a new wooly coat, all be it a very cold icy white jumper each. It might have been thawing a little but that was soon to change! It snowed most of the day and when I ended up at a bus stop outside the Kings Hall later that evening, here was the scene as the cold of night set in:

Following this I found myself in town and there the statues of the City Hall were doing their very best Santa impressions with the fluffy white trim of snow.

Eventually we hibernated with the ever decreasing credit on our gas meter ticking away. The next morning we woke with some serious shopping to be done. So into town again we went. First we took a wander into the 'under construction' St Anne's Square where the snow was looking quite festive with the pretty walls of this new build.

On our way to collect some parcels from the sorting office, we crossed the street to see there was plenty of out of town car parking still available (if you have 4 wheel drive):

The pigeons of Belfast had been busy making their mark on the fresh snow:

And the snow outside Customs House Square was helping take the building back to its Victorian roots with a scene not too far out of place of a Dickens novel... well, maybe if it wasn't for the 'Boat' now docked beside it.

The Merchant Hotel's roof top statues were also joining in the Arctic look of this winters collection.

A couple of days and a snow flurry or two later, the snow and cold weather is still very much with us. The snow has largely turned to slush and then to ice. The softer snow still has a crunch underneath it and the pavements are quite slippy. Transport seems to be getting better rather than worse as things move from snow to ice and some of the roads outside the city centre are pretty bad. This would be bearable combined with the fun side of the cold weather, however, regrettably I've been unable to find time to make a cool snowman or some sort of snow creation as I like to. All work and no play make this blogger something something but needs have got in the way. I still think though we should all be making the most of the cold spell, kudos to anyone who has made a snowman to look over the winter solstice and lunar eclipse today. We're not the only species to embrace it, take for instance these Seagulls, they've sensed the possibilities of turning a simple rooftop into birdy ski slope:

Belfast in December

Belfast is very cold! We've not had the quantity of snow that a lot of the UK and Ireland has experienced this week but this part of the world has nevertheless shared the freezing cold temperatures. So before I reminisce more about last months trip to New York, here is a quick start-of the-month feeler from the frozen streets of Belfast.

The city has been getting into the festive spirit. The Christmas lights were turned on the day Norngirl and I arrived home from NYC. The switch-on was apparently done by the Lord Mayor and Lisa Riley. Sadly though, we didn't head down because we were just too tired to do anything more than sleep. With good reason too! At that stage in the day we'd had a mad week, had been awake for the best part of 40 hours and needed more rest than we got closing our eyes for a few minutes on hard airport seats in Heathrow. The streets of Belfast therefore are now lit up with festive decorations, they're not exactly the Blackpool Illuminations but they do add a nice glow to our city's streets.

In the grounds of Belfast City hall is the Belfast Christmas Continental Market. I've so far only had the chance for a quick walk through and the shops seem quite similar to last year but it's still fun to take in the sights, sounds and more importantly - smells... though it would be awesome to head back and take in some of the BEER!

Belfast City Hall itself (and the rest of the grounds) have also been decorated. I think most people in Belfast, if asked, would count the City Hall as one of the gems of Belfast when speaking about its landmarks and I think the council have done a great job of decorating it again this year. Though it really is missing the Belfast Wheel :(

The other big change in this part of the city centre is the semi-completion of the paving on Donegal Place and Royal Avenue. This was a nice surprise! Before, the buses into town had to swerve through a roadwork chicane and it always threw you off balance. Now seemingly done, this area is more pedestrianised than ever and the first 2 of what are said to be 8 giant lighting masts have been installed!

Yep, the two random copper sculptures are part of 8 masts that will grace the street. They are known as Belfast City's Iconic Feature Lighting Masts though I suspect they'll get a new name before long. I've not been able to find too much about them but according to the Department for Social Development's website, the remaining 6 will be installed in January and each is to be named after a ship with a tie to the city. For a little more information here is the DSD page about the iconic feature lighting masts. I can't wait to see what it all looks like once they're done and the lights have been installed and turned on! The page linked to above has some artists impressions if you're feeling curious.

There has also been a little bit of snow and at times it has been looking quite like a winter wonderland but there hasn't been quite enough snow to be able make some snowmen or snow animals like we did in Yorkshire back in February this year. Sadly there has been just enough snow/ice for the primary school kids (who don't live in our street) to come around and pelt the windows, grrrrrrr, wee brats.

Victoria Square is also alive with festive glow; a massive tree like cone is its centrepiece but the whole shopping centre is filled with hanging lights and bunches of small Christmas trees. It's quite a sight. Sadly I've not had chance to take any photos of it yet but do head over to San Fran ♥ Belfast where Flippin' Yank has been busy sharing some snaps of those decorations and scenes.

So with that I'll get back to some online Christmas shopping and putting together some more posts about New York... that is if I can draw myself away from my new toy! I recently hit the 200 limit on Flickr so succumbed to paying to go Pro.  With this purchase I've found a new addiction... like I needed one! I've now taken to ploughing through people's photos and commenting on them as well as sharing my own. So if you also use Flickr too, don't be shy to say hi and add me as a contact, I'll be sure to reciprocate. Here is my photostream on Flickr. Tis the season to be jolly after all :)

Highlights of a long weekend in England

Last Friday, Norn Girl and I took to the sky, final destination, Yorkshire. This was the first time I'd been over to visit since my Stag Do and the first time we'd seen most folks there since the day after the wedding. Here are the highlights of our little trip:

Making a snow Bunny in a bush.

Discovering the recently revealed refurbishment at Belfast City Airport though the new bigger bar was about the only plus.

An anticlockwise random tour of some of Lancashire's and Yorkshire's train stations – rolling from Manchester to Sheffield, Sheffield to Wakefield, Wakefield to Leeds and Leeds to Manchester.

Petting the kittehs even though they were well on their way to killing my wife due to her allergies.

Taking in another Leeds game at Elland Road in League One as Leeds took on Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

Watching some of the curling and getting my dad and Norn Girl glued to it even though my dad stayed up past midnight for the first time in years only to see the USA beat the UK after playing the most negative tactics in a game of curling I've ever seen. Thankfully the men's team brought back the pride as they beat the USA the next day. Also watching the Ski cross... what a sport!

Waking up to a winter wonderland and watching Kelly the cat try to negotiate it.

Making a punk snowman on my sisters car bonnet because she left us waiting on her getting ready just that little too long. That long in fact that we had time to make our snowy friend with his Mohawk.

Being in the audience for another gripping instalment of Hans the German & Evil Naked Man. A 2 ½ year saga direct from the imagination of a now 9 year old.

Being hit in the forehead with paper aeroplanes and sending them on return journey's back to the cranium's of their senders.

Noming some home-made Chocolate Biscuit pudding.

Trying bubble tea for the first time - Yorkshire style with a hint of Ireland thrown in for good measure – A mixture of Yorkshire tea, condensed milk, Tapioca and sugar.

A ride on the Manchester Big Wheel.

Flying home with a lovely sunset. A sunset which even turned the clouds to the east of us looking back over a snowy County Down, a nice hint of pinky red. If only the windows of the plane had been a little clearer.