Quote from: AustinPowers on April 23, 2024, 10:27:05 PMQuote from: paddyjohn on April 23, 2024, 09:11:45 PMQuote from: Milltown Row2 on April 23, 2024, 03:00:44 PMQuote from: brokencrossbar1 on April 23, 2024, 02:19:48 PMI remember at the time it sent chills through the whole nationalist community. Just listening to Talkback and Trevor Birney talking about and how attacking someone like Sean Brown was a deliberate ploy as he was decent and could not be associated with any paramilitary organisation. It was purely to put fear and Terror through a whole community by striking at its centre.
We had just won the AI and had beaten Bellaghy in the Ulster final before Christmas 1996. There was a crew of us living in Belfast and we had close relationships on and off the field with a lot of the Bellaghy lads. It struck hard. I remember travelling home at the time and we regularly changed out pick up spots etc. Going to matches in Lurgan and that was always a concern as well. How the f**k was that normal?
Unfortunately we normalised it at the time and adopted
My dad handed me the book The Shankill butchers when it came out
Made me read it before I headed out that weekend, needless to say that put the willies up me for that period of heading out!
Absolutely horrible book. Really tough. I read the book called committee. Really opened my eyes as a teenager growing up.
Only policeman you trust is a dead one.
Is that the one by Sean mcPhilemy?
Quote from: Itchy on Today at 10:24:41 AMI dont think Mickey Harte will be too upset that Derry are out of the Ulster. They have the medals from the last 2 years in their pockets. Its all about SAM for them now. They get a nice 4 week break to get themselves ready. I would not be writing them off at all.Will they definitely be playing in 4 weeks or could it be 5?
Quote from: tonto1888 on Today at 11:42:10 AMSame with mineQuote from: RedHand88 on Today at 11:16:35 AMQuote from: Tones on Today at 10:46:06 AMFirstly it would be valuable to put a phone queue system in place to say you have reached such and such surgery you are now 15 in the queue, it would help a lot of folk especially older folk and give you some semblance of getting somewhere instead of redialling 100 times only to be told there is no appointment. I would save some appointments each morning for very vulnerable people who ring in after the 8.30 deadline so they can be seen the next morning, it would be great if a doctor rang back instead of a receptionist to say go to A&E instead they are so protected it's impossible to get speaking to them.
Alot of surgeries have this already, but it depends on the number of phone lines coming in to the building. Digital lines are able to cover as many as you want pretty much and will be the norm in 5 years or so.
It also doesn't improve your chances of getting an appointment. There will still be the same amount of people dealt with in a day.
at my doctors if you dont get an appointment in the morning you can ring back and get it recorded that you tried. If this happens 3 days in a row you get a call from the doctor on day 4. I think its a fair system
Quote from: majestic on Today at 10:36:02 AMQuote from: tyroneman on April 01, 2024, 02:45:01 PMAnyone been round Tuscany on thier travels?
Yes, I went in 2018 (I Think) and it was amazing. It was just me and my now wife so no kids, and I think the type of holiday we done kids would find it pretty boring, so take that into consideration.
Flew into Pisa, hired a car and travelled down to a town called Castiglione della Pescaia, we loved it here. It is a lovely seaside town, not touristy at all, but clearly a place favoured among Italians for a weekend trip or staycation.
From there we headed inland to Pienza (small walled town, with stunning surroundings and scenery) and Montepulciano for a vineyard visit.
We then headed north to San Gimignano, stayed in a local Agriturismo, which was a nice experience, they produced their own olive oil and wine.
The food on the trip was stunning throughout, as was the scenery and the locals all very friendly (we found that if you make a small effort to speak Italian they warm very quickly to you).
Driving was abit nuts however, luckily we avoided any accidents, but the locals are very fast, and lack lane discipline even on blind corners.
Also done a night in Pisa, which has nothing in it bar the tower, have to get the picture, but I'd avoid staying any longer than the time it takes to visit it.
We stayed clear of the bigger cities, but thats just our preference.
Overall we loved it.