Ballymoney's many attractions!

As a follow on from our rapid circumnavigation of Ballymoney yesterday we (being relative newcomers to the town) noticed that the main street (no longer than the length of a good shot with a three wood) is home to no less than five butchers. Add to this another couple or possibly three and we have eight butchers serving a small market town. This does not include the temple to Mammon (aka Tesco) lurking at the bottom of the town.

We in Ballymoney may not have a lot of variety but what we do have; we have a lot of them! This also appears true of coffee shops, churches etc. I cannot in all honesty say that the town is a great destination for someone looking to enjoy haute cuisine in the evening but should you fancy a decent cup of coffee on the way to the butchers, you will be spoilt for choice!

Therefore in an attempt to get blogging on something that actually reflects the title of the blog I will endeavour to bring to the world of Blog, ‘Mortimer Recommends…’, a short series on the delights of Ballymoney. I’m not sure whether to start with something frothy and do coffee shops or try for something more meaty and do an expose on butchers or aim to be a little more uplifting and show you the religious options in the borough. After traipsing around the town researching these options I suppose the best course of action will be to do a tour of the hostelries… or maybe the best place to start?

Spring has Sprung!

Finally, after interminable months of winter weather and dark miserable days, life is returning to Norn Iron. The lighter evenings are a joy to behold. As someone who suffers from SAD Syndrome, especially during the two months after Christmas, the return of light and the first hint of warmth; is sheer joy. This last weekend the sight of the narcissi coming into bloom in the front garden and the very mild weather encouraged me to get into the garden to start the early spring tidy up.

A bonus was found in the garden shed where my stack of pots filled with tulip bulbs are starting to come to life. About half of the pots have shoots appearing above the compost and even just setting them around the patio and garden was a wonderful tonic.

After the daily drag down and back up the M2 it is great to get out and breathe the spring air. Speaking of which, the wife has agreed to join a team taking part in the relay race at the Belfast marathon to raise money for cancer charities in memory of a friend who died of the disease at the end of last year. As a somewhat reluctant fitness fanatic, I (in a moment of weakness) offered to help her get up to speed (literally) in time for May. This involved the normally relaxed Sunday afternoon lap of Ballymoney assuming a whole new character. More like a forced march, than a dander, if you know what I mean. Forty minutes to the Portrush roundabout seemed good progress to me only to be followed by a burst of speed up to the old Coleraine road and then down through the town and back across the park to give the dog one last good run. I have to admit that as I sank into the armchair the sense of wellbeing almost cancelled out the sore feet!

FOLK ACT RACHEL UNTHANK & THE WINTERSET PERFORM IN BALLYMONEY

I went to see Rachel Unthank and her band in the town hall on Wednesday last. Their music is dark and moody and perhaps not to everyones taste. They are however excellent musicians and produced a wonderfully atmospheric performance; even including some Northumbrian clog dancing to finish the first half of the evening.  As the wife was unable to go due to other commitments I attended on my own; something I quite like. Musical taste is such an individual thing that it is sometimes difficult to enjoy a gig when it becomes apparent that the other half doesn’t share your opinion. As a singleton you have the luxury to enjoy or leave early as appropriate. On this occasion leaving early would have been a mistake as the second half contained some if the best music of the night. The four girls in the band, singing unaccompanied in harmony, produced some wonderful tunes. During the interval I met Robbie Burns (not the original admittedly) a photographer and new resident in Snowdonia, finding out what the band sounded like, whilst on a visit back home. A very interesting chat during the interval included such things as the benefit of living abroad. One of my ‘soapbox’ rants when provoked, involves my theory that all Northern Irish should be sent abroad at the age of 18 and not allowed back for a couple of years. It was agreed that some exposure to the wider world would enable the local population to get their issues into perspective. As someone who loves travel I am somewhat biased in this respect but will continue to bang on about until told to shut up!

A band well worth seeing and should you want to find out more try the hyperlinks below. The following is extracted from the blurb on the leaflet advertising the event. Forging links between folk worlds old, new and other, Rachel Unthank & The Winterset have blown a bracing north easterly gale through traditional English song, casting it in an endlessly inventive and playful new mould. The geordie quartet brought their unique blend of folk to North West audiences when they stopped off in Ballymoney Town Hall on Wednesday 4 February. Subverting folk music with love and authority, Rachel Unthank & The Winterset have been heralded for their unique ability to communicate traditional music to unforgiving mainstream audiences.  Singing in their own lilting Geordie accents, they have been described by poet Ian MacMillan as the "inheritors, curators and gleeful distorters" of Tyneside's traditions and since first emerging in 2004 have gained a disparate legion of fans including Robert Wyatt, Kate Rusby, Paul Morley, Tracey Thorn, Nic Jones, Phill Jupitus and Joan As Policewoman. A modern-day girl band with an antiquated twist, The Winterset is led by Rachel Unthank on vocals and cello and features her sister Becky Unthank on additional vocals, Niopha Keegan on violin, accordion and voice and Stef Conner on piano.  Using discreetly provocative arrangements this intriguing quartet’s take on folk music is peerless, fearless and wholeheartedly brave as they fuse elements of blues, jazz, burlesque cabaret, classical and leftfield contemporary styles of music together and deliver songs inspired by old, new and imaginatively borrowed tales of booze, brawls, abuse, loss, fear, infantile death, depravity and sorrow.

For full tour information and booking details, please log onto www.movingonmusic.co.uk. For further information on Rachel Unthank and the Winterset visit www.rachelunthank.com