A Quick Trip to Northern Ireland

May has absolutely flown by and it's been chocka block full of fun with a few trips, a few pipe band competitions, a few birthdays, a few nights out and some face painting. But first up, a wee blether about a trip with was a highlight in the first week of May:

I spent a weekend in Northern Ireland at the start of May with the lovely McNicholl family (including their toy pet/son, Gus the monkey puppet) and the FMM crew for a competition in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone. It was a great first trip to Norn Iron and not only did I get to take in some great hospitality from the McNicholl and Parkes households, but I got to freeze my ass off at a pipe band competition. Bliss!

But in all seriousness, it was great to be able to listen to FMM and St Laurence O'Toole and many other bands in their first competition for the season and I also managed to take some photos and test out my new(ish) zoom lens on the Canon. Magic. I still have a lot of learning to do on it but am enjoying being able to play around with focal points and the like. It was a testing day on the park and I think all bands struggled at least a little bit but it would have been good to get out competing in a smaller competition before the Scottish the following weekend.

SLOT took out the competition on the day with FMM winning the piping and coming second overall. After the competition it was off to Richard and Ruth Parkes' for a few drinks, some music DVDs, the Best Game in the World and Ryan falling asleep. A good day, a good night, some piping and drumming and wonderful company and laughs. And to top it all off, I got back to the McNicholl's to find Gus all snuggled up in my bed waiting for me to come home. Stupid monkey puppet! (Shh don't tell Chris Snr!) 

It was a great weekend and great to meet Louise Weston, a fellow Kiwi who has been over here for a few years now, as well as Chris McNicholl's lovely girlfriend Elizabeth and of course Chris and Lynsey's parents. I also got to catch up with some people I had met over the few weeks prior at the competition whilst snooping around bands, which was also nice.

After a quiet ferry ride home on the Sunday and an even quieter trip back in Monty the Mini, I came home looking forward even more to the Scottish Championships in Dumbarton the following weekend. More on that coming soon...

An Update from Scotland

Excuses excuses, but here is the first installment on Potentially.... in a while! At least I am doing better than Lynsey, however, who has not updated her blog since mid-March!

Since arriving in Scotland just over a month ago I've been meeting people, trying to find a flat, trying to find a job and trying to get used to all of the Neds. (Not sure what a Ned is, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_(Scottish).)

Actually, looking at that link I am scared that I am starting to fit into that category myself... white, (very, after a lack of Perth sun for a few weeks now!) who engages in hooliganism... often assumed to be unemployed... Oh my. I need to get a job. NOW.

But seriously, I am happy to report that I have a lovely flat just out of the city which is in very close vicinity to not only the city, but the National Piping Centre, the Station Bar and a lot of pipe band people. Those who are in a pipe band and have spent time in Glasgow will know that the Station Bar is second only to the Park Bar as THE hangout
place for pipe band folk in this fine city. I'm living with one other girl who is 24 and her parents own the apartment (no bond/deposit. Yuussss!) and have my own bathroom. I consider myself very lucky as a lot of the places I looked at were total dives and I had resigned myself to the fact that that was just how flats are in Glasgow and that I was going to have to make do.

Job wise the economic situation over here is making it very difficult to find anything suitable, and if there is something suitable I'm not even hearing back from companies after applying. I have heard reports that the types and levels of jobs that I am going for have literally hundreds of people applying for them. I'm thinking about making my CV into some sort of colourful disco document just to grab the attention of potential bosses and making them think that Libby O'Brien really is the only person for the job. But I am persevering and will probably just have to take a step back and do something that's not too much fun for a few months and just keep looking for that perfect job. 

But I am loving being in Glasgow. I am constantly meeting new people who are so friendly and it's been great to catch up with friends and people that I met at the Worlds last year. Everyone has been great and I had some wonderful hosts who put me up during my search for the perfect flat, as well as people who have helped me with bits and
pieces to get me set up, although the flat is completely furnished so haven't had to get too much stuff. 

I've managed to get out of Glasgow a couple of times too to catch a couple of solo competitions in Inveraray, and in Lochgelly in the mighty Kingdom of Fife. I had my first experience driving across the Forth Road Bridge and have heard about a 14 inch... ummmm phallic object in a museum here that I will have to check out. (And if that
doesn't warrant a jumping shot next to it I don't know what does!) I've also had the opportunity to see Quidam, a Cirque du Soleil production that I have wanted to see for a decade, and have caught a knockout competition between Willie McCallum and the lovely Cameron Drummond.

I've experienced my first Glaswegian kebab and can still report that not only is Mikinos in Perth still the greatest place in the world for a kebab (although a friend says Berlin could be in competition!) but kebabs in Glasgow are more comparable to shaved dog roll in a oily bit of bread than anything that resembles food fit for human consumption.

I've been in three nightclubs and been 'told' to leave two of them. That's a story for another time though!

So all in all it's been a fun few weeks in Weegie land. The next goal is to get a job, and whilst I'm looking, to get as much drumming practice in as possible. Let's hope I don't get bored any time soon!