briantmullan.co.ukThe grass is always greener…

So the Police stopped members of the Sydney Circus (namely their Elephants) from Marching Triumphantly down Bangor High Street.  People seem to think that the police have acted in a heavy handed manner with this, however new photographic evidence seems to suggest that they had a point.  Considering that no application had been made for permission to the Parades Commission to march these Elephants anywhere, never mind in the beutiful little harbour town.

For once people in northern Ireland are not avoiding talking about the elephant in the room!

Read the full story here

The summer months really do fly in.  Although it has to be said that it’s got nothing to do with the beautiful weather we got in Norn Iron!

We had a great family holiday in Portugal.  Great thing was we stayed in a proper little Portugese village called Alcantarilha, on the Algarve, and we stayed in a privatevilla – the only fighting over a sun lounger I had to do was with Katie, and she won!

There was an amazing sand sculpture city, and this year’s theme was right up my street – Hollywood – here are a couple of examples:

Brian meets the Simpsons

We really had to make the most of this time, relaxing and enjoying it, since we’ll have another little one running around before long.  It really won’t take long to make the holiday feel like ages ago!  It already does!  When it rains (almost daily at the minute) Katie sits and looks out the window and says – “I want to go back to Portugal!”.  A sentiment we all share!

The family at the Beach

I’ve had them all, Peter Kay, Chris Moyles – but if one more person calls me Michael Stone I’ll have to think very carefully about knocking them off and calling it a work of art!

I never really realised that our hair was so closely linked with our identity - so I thought nothing or going to my local barbers on Saturday and uttering those little words – “frig it – just give me a number 2 all over”.

I really should have known when he looked at me and said “are you sure?” – but nothing would stop me going ahead with, what hindsight tells me was a stupid mistake!  “Aye, why not – it’s the summer!”

One stroke of the remmington hedge trimmer and already I knew I wanted to stop him, already I knew I didn’t like the perfctly rotund head that was emerging from under the everpresent head of hair I always had.

I consoled myself with taisé chants of “it’ll grow back” – then someone informed me that it would go through a “laugh out loud at me” phase of terribleness, when I wouldn’t be able to do anything with it.  I believe women call it “growing it out”.

So call me Mr Potatohead, see if I care – the fact is, it’s round and it’s not receding too much so pheww – by the time I see anyone again it’ll probably be “growing out” and if nothing else I’ll have given everyone a little entertainment value.

Why any larger guy does this is beyond me, I have a big head – to discover I had a bigger chin (or set thereof) came as a bit of a wakeup call – Mullan you need to lose that weight again!

Congratulations to Stevie and Carolyn Fitzsimons on the birth of their little bundle of joy – it’s a brilliant time of life and one which we will get the opportunity to experience again as we’ve just had a 12 week scan and we’re happy to formally announce, probably the worst kept secret of all time – We’re Having a (nother) Baby!

It’s a strange feeling – I thought I’d have to go along to the hospital and pretend to see something in the scan – I imagined a conversation that went a bit like this:

Doctor: Ahh, look – can you see it’s little head?

Me: Ermmm, Nope.

Doctor: Look right there!

Me: Ermmm, nope.

Doctor: Are you sure – look again?

Me: Ohhh – yeah, sure I can see it! {Thinking: I wish this girl would get off my back}

But the good news is that everything was really clear – even saw the little one clapping, giving him/her self a little round of applause!

All’s good so far but please keep us in your prayers – and we’ll have some head wetting to do in mid-November.

Shauna and I are off to London this weekend to celebrate 10 years together – here’s a clip of the show we’re going to see on Friday night at the Noel Coward Theatre, in the West End.  I caught this show on Broadway last year and absolutely loved it – it’s called AVENUE Q – enjoy…