PJBelfast

For a man it may be a tuxedo, for a woman that 'little black number' but dressing approriately for a party makes you feel you've made the effort to look your best. Sometimes however we can be dressed inappropriately. I had a last minute lunch date with my father in law. He was dressed in a sharp suit whereas I was in leisurewear. I knew the Malone Golf club was a tad prestigious, and sure enough as we entered the dining room I saw the sign "denims not permitted"!  My entrepreneurial father in law was a member. He said to me "it'll be all right," so on his say so I confidently sat down and we ordered our meal. Some time had passed when we had the rather awkward moment. The manager approached us to inform us that  my denim jeans were not allowed! We pleaded ignorance and reassured the manager that I'd be properly attired on any subsequent visit. How embarrassing. Golf clubs are notorious for insisting on wear

38 years married this week. This gem of a lady who I call Carrie, is one of a kind. When I met her in 1979 she was a gorgeous brunette but she has always kept me interested by morphing - she's now a gorgeous blonde! Not only is she the glamourous mother of our three wonderful sons but she is a doting grandmother par excellent. Suppose I'm biased but I'm bound to win points for this blog😂 It's good to have points in the bank with your wife. The secret of a long and happy marriage: 1) I say sorry a lot 2) Make the word 'Me' become 'We' 3) lean in not out 4) Let your kids know how much you love their mother 5) Ask her for lists - you're less likely to get things wrong then. Job done Happy 38th anniversary darling... 4th July 2019 America Continues to Celebrate our Marriage. Xo PJ

T here people in your life who energise you? Apart from my family, there are some people in my life that I just love to be around. They add a little je ne sais quoi , something special in my life, with their listening ear and generousity of spirit. They energise me. There are others however in life who are hard work who tend to sap my energy. They are usually negative, critical and not much fun to be around, whereas true friends are always keen to encourage, appreciate and affirm. We've a handful of such "true-blue friends" who always make an effort to get with us. We give each other free date options and anticipate the updates at our get togethers...usually over food. These friendships are two way - if we don't call them, then they will call us. It's like an unwritten contract where both parties reciprocate the friendship. Today we jumped on a train in Belfast and our friends joined us as they then jumped on in Holywood, en route to our seafront brunch in

Every Friday 'Joe Public' are offered free coffee at Sydenham railway Station. These charitable donors belong to Sydenham Methodist church. The volunteers have sacrificially taken the time to fill pump pots with hot water, set up a table along with hot coffee and tea. Anyone who stops is served with a pleasant good morning and gets their hot beverage F.O.C. This is particularly welcome on a cold winter's morning, but then coffee is good no matter what the weather. Why do volunteers do this? What motivates them? Why do they do it free? I don't know all these answers but I do know their "boss". He said "as much as you've done it onto the least of these, you've done it onto me." I'm sure He is pleased. Faith or no faith, what kind act can you do today? The milk of human kindness can be expressed in such a variety of random acts of kindness. I have a sister who just loves to shower people with gifts. Maybe you're a gift gi

There are loads of movies about "the family," referring of course to those who are mafia family members. These crime and gangster movies include the likes of Goodfellas, The Godfather, and more recently the black comedy called "The Family". "The Family" is about Giovanni Manzioni (Robert De Niro)ratting out his Mafia cohorts. His Sicilian/American family then enter the Witness Protection Program and relocate to a French town. Despite the best efforts of their handler (Tommy Lee Jones) to keep them in line, Giovanni (now called Fred Blake), his wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) and children (Dianna Agron, John D'Leo) can't help but resort to doing things the "family" way. However, their dependence on such old habits places everyone in danger from vengeful mobsters. Stream it free on Prime Video if you don't mind a little swearing. As I say "it's a little dark but vengefully funny." https://youtu.be/ Pgur5BvhS2Q The Family is

Can you imagine having to go to a singing audition to become a choir member? The nervousness and trepidation, just to see if you're good enough. Will I be chosen, or will I be rejected? Well my wife and I have done so, and are now proud as punch to have been invited to be singers in the amazing multicultural 140+ strong community known as BCGC - Belfast Community Gospel Choir. Can you imagine though taking this scenario to another level, as if that isn't pressure enough already? Well, although I'm just a run-of-the- mill backing tenor, there are others who are definitely gifted soloists. It's like the time I remember, when sitting at the back of a church (where all "the backsliders" sit lol), hearing what I thought was a studio recording. I was pleasantly surprise to discover that there was an unseen person at the front who was actually singing live. It was none other than the inimitable Foy Vance. Have you ever heard of this guy? Well, if you ever see a w

My granddaughter has graduated from Nursery School to Primary 1.Yeh! I have no doubt that this is the first of many accolades for this wee darling. She stepped up to receive her graduation certificate (and bubbles) with pride and posed for the camera in her own unique and inimitable way.I know I'm biased but she is brilliant in so many, many ways. I entered the room a tad late to be greeted with a knowing wave from her, spotting me straight away from her place at the front, dress in her gorgeous blue graduation outfit, positioned on the left, in her nursery Graduation Choir. I then had my other younger granddaughter, (who'd been sitting with her two gorgeous grandmothers), run back from the front row, just to jump onto my lap shouting Papa! Papa! It really is great to be loved by a two year old. I'm like putty in her hands. She spotted the chopped strawberries nearby...and being an obedient sort of grandad, I managed to secure two for her, one for each hand

The Riviera Maya beachline has been a little bit of paradise on earth. Coming here was well worth the arduous 11 hour flight from the UK.  Well it's time for home. Cases are packed and we anticipate tail winds as we fly back over the global pond we call the Atlantic. To date we have enjoyed a constant 30 degrees in the sun with a cooling and refreshing seabreeze - just what the doctor ordered! Swimming in the Caribbean sea is like having a refreshing jacuzzi bath - what is there not to love. The reasons for seaweed Changing climate and wind patterns have blown loose mats of seaweed to coastlines. So before you swim, you have the  little inconvenience of wading through a 10 to 20 feet width of sargassum seaweed. " The nutrient rich waters are producing more sargassum (seaweed) than normal.  Warmer waters breed the seaweed faster and the Caribbean has been warmer in the past few years. When there are periods of low hurricane activity, the

For those of you possibly interested in the "afterlife," I have a book recommendation which you can get on Amazon. It's called " Heaven by Randy Alcorn." It is a biblically sound piece of research that really focuses on the Life after life after death. I also read Surprised by hope by Tom Wright, but this is not an easy read. An old Belfast preacher always said that " this life is but a training ground for the life to come." In BCGC we sing a song, sung by Aretha Franklin and Rod Stewart called "People get ready there's a train a comin' " Here is Rod giving it up https:// youtu.be/yC_j_dzkaVE Make sure you get ready by having your train ticket for the journey into to abundant and eternal life. Listen to the song or read the book for where you get your "ticket"! Ask. Seek. Knock.

There's a golden oldie, an Irish/Scottish ballad, which starts with the lyric " I know where I'm going and I know who goes with me" Down at the Coba. On our vacation I've just booked for my wife and I to go on a Mexican outing, to a place called Coba. It is there we hope to see a Mayan village, it's temple and meet some of its people. The importance of having a guide on such an outing can't be overstated. So we know where we are going , our destination being Coba. We also know we have a guide going with us , so we don't get lost and feel unprotected. Life is a bit like that. Most people muddle or meander through life yet, without a guide, therefore maybe uncertain of their ultimate destination. Been there, done that Well, the Coba visit is over and we're proud to announce we both made it to the top of the 120 steps, the tallest Mayan Pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula (see photos above to prove it). It is a 42 metr

It never ceases to amaze me that I have had over 5000 people read my blogs (worldwide) in the six month period since I've started blogging. I post on both Facebook and my PJBelfast Twitter account and recently on Reddit The one thing I would love to have are more interactive opinions - your feedback. The Facebook "Likes" are great but I'd love to know the views, insights and input of my readership.. I'm certainly no "Agony Aunt,'(or Uncle) but I do value your opinions, albeit on the blog post or on some related matter. Your opinion matters! Thank you for taking the time to read and respond.• " The pen is mightier than the sword"! •Hit reply or email pauljbradley5@gmail.com

Our Last Wishes My wife and I signed our last will and testament a few nights ago. It was a legal document witnessed by both our solicitor and his wife. It was purely a precautionary measure, as we were leaving to go abroad on holiday. I guess we are as prepared as any (faith-filled Christian) for the life hereafter, but certainly  not yet really anticipating leaving this mortal coil. Signing our will ensures that our loved ones know our predetermined inheritance wishes. For the beneficiaries, albeit our family, these "last wishes" in the form of a will, are therefore very important. They will help our executors determine a predetermined division and disposal of our earthly property and material assets. I remember clearly my dad taking these sort of "end of life" preparations to another level. He went to the personal expense and trouble of prepaying his own funeral arrangements. They don't make them like that anymore or if they do they'