my favourite photographs of 2015…
Hillsborough, Co. Down
spring on its way…
Ballintoy harbour…
the dark hedges, Armoy…
Dunluce castle, Co Antrim…
Virginia beach…
Helicopter view of Liberty & Ellis Islands with Manhattan…
9/11 memorial..
The Bean, Chicago..
Whiterocks beach, Co Antrim..
Ulster museum, Belfast…
Belfast zoo…
The flowers on the rhododendron in our back garden have not all turned brown and died. Next door to each other are contrasting blooms which don’t look like they come from the same plant or even the same time of year.
ok – I have put up photographs of the dark hedges a number of times but this morning was foggy and it seemed like a good idea when my wife suggested a trip over. For the very first time we saw almost no-one, usually there are wall to wall tourists dreaming of game of thrones.
This morning it was just above freezing and the melting drops of frost were raining from the branches. In the bushes beneath the trees a few defrosting berries hang on waiting for a hungry bird.
we have 2 ginger tom cats. Their personalities are very different – George enjoys being stroked and pushes his head towards your hand, Garfield may choose to enjoy being stroked but more often shrinks away. Garfield is the younger, has more stripes on his tail and white around his eyes, he likes to pick a fight, saving a tuft of ginger fur in the hall. You will suddenly hear a throaty growl followed by the noise of someone beating a hasty retreat.
We have had George the longest – his eyes are rimmed in black. He tolerates Garfield and knows the neighbourhood well. Our friends in the cul de sac will tell how they find him asleep upstairs or helping himself to their cat food.
But this is typical of both of them – curled up in the evening on the sofa, but claws still ready for action.
Or in warmer weather hiding in the garden waiting for someone to come home. 
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