marramgrass

This weekend Belfast City Council have been running Enchanted Evenings in the Botanic Gardens. We were put onto it by my brother and his girlfriend, so we stopped in on Thursday evening for a look.

Coloured lights, candles, acrobats, shadow puppets, entertainers, costumes… All kinds of things going on, up to and including a dragon hiding in the bushes calling out riddles as you walk past (“what breaks when you say it?… Silence.”)

I’m pretty cynical about such events, but even I walked around with a stupid grin on my face. Not bad for three quid at the gate, and the many, many children there were obviously having a ball.

It’s on until Sunday night if you’re in that part of the world. Recommended.

(By the way, please don’t forget this – voting until the 11th.)

If you’re so inclined, go to JPGmag.com ( by clicking that link, it takes you to the right place) and vote for my submission.  Please.

It’s this photo of the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern, submitted for the theme Big.  I think it’s a good fit – I hope you do too :-)

Yes, I know you have to sign up to vote.  I’m sorry.

Yesterday evening a crowd of us headed down to Newcastle. I was on the dodgems for the first time in… well, last time it was my dad and I sharing a car. A wee while ago.

But my thought: when you press the pedal, how does the dodgem decide of it’s going to go in forward or reverse? Seemed to depend on where the steering wheel was, but in the time allowed for my £1.50 I didn’t quite get it.