Busy Saturday!

Oh what a busy day we had yesterday! From the first bus out to the last bus home, it was all go.
Check in for the Northern Ireland Fencing open closed at 8.30 so we were at the bus stop at 6.50am waiting for the first bus into Belfast, it didn't show up of course, so we had to catch the second one at 7.33 and hustle for the connecting bus to Avoniel.



We got signed in and got Al all changed and warmed up, they were pretty well organized and got going fairly early, they started the first round of poules and I headed off on my red bull mission (and a cream egg for emergencies) which he really appreciated. I then headed off on my 'girl project' mission, and walked from Avoniel to the Kings hall to visit a quilting shop called the Silver Thimble. It’s not there anymore. :’( So I grabbed some lunch and headed back on the bus to coach Al and provide some field physio – he has now pulled both quadriceps and was already through half of the red bull, he was not in a good way! We got him through the last 16, where he beat Jonathan Weekes, who was the first seed after the poules and is ranked 37 in the UK!



The quarter final didn't go so well, it was a pretty funny match actually. His opponent ended up in the final so we can’t complain too much! First they couldn't find anyone to referee, then they wanted the WINNER to preside the match (this is the guy who is ranked 18 in the UK, he was rather busy keeping warm and concentrating at the time), then the opponent's sword had to be changed, then the body-wire had to be changed, then he was given a red card for taking too long and Al got a free point, then Alastair fell over, then his hand seized up (looked like he was being electrocuted), then the opponent was awarded a second red card; and Alastair another free point, for trying to attacking from behind (he had tried to He finished 8th and is fairly pleased, although he feels that he could have done better. Today he can hardly walk so I feel that we should count our blessings! The T-shirts for the last 8 in men's and women's foil and saber were presented by the Northern Ireland Minister for Sport after 6 and then we went to get some dinner and beverages with some friends. We tried a new (I'm saying new because I've not noticed it before – this may be a wild leap...) Chinese restaurant in the city called Hungry? (127, Great Victoria St, Belfast, County Antrim BT2 7AH)


It was so good! We each had 3 courses for £7.95, and it was really lovely, we will definitely try it again, as it’s near the cinema and not far from our bus stop home. I tried some Hobgoblin last night, a beer that I have been meaning to try for some time, and I have to say it might be a new favorite! It’s quite mild to start and then has a stouty after-taste, and it looks so cool!!!

By the time we got back home, well, bed has never been so welcome!
This has turned into a very long post, so I will post the things from today that I was going to talk about tomorrow – which should be a slow news day!