First up a big reminder to you all about the Big Birthday Bash on Monday evening – please spread the word – everyone is welcome!

– and just in case anyone is worried about parking, the Science Park car park will be available for the evening – just come on in through the automatic barriers and when you’re at the party you’ll be given a pin code to get back out again.

If anyone doesn’t know where the Pump House cafe is (for shame!), just click here for directions.

I can’t wait!  The evening will be a time to relax, chat, celebrate and eat lots of birthday cake (baked by my mum!  Thanks mum!)  It’ll also be a great chance for me to share the story of the year so far – all the adventures and challenges.  Amazing to think that this time last year I hadn’t a clue where it would all lead…

In other news, I posted last weekend (here) about all the new developments around the TQ and what an exciting place it is… well I hadn’t seen anything yet!  This week saw the opening of the first hotel in the Titanic Quarter – the new Premier Inn located right at the gateway to the TQ, just behind the Odyssey.  Susan and I are treating ourselves to a night there next week – look out for the full review!

We also had an impromptu Titanic Quarter waterfall this week! – the Thompson Dock (the big famous dry dock where Titanic was completed), usually completely watertight, fell victim to the high tides and howling winds on Thursday lunchtime and sprang a leak.  The Pump House cafe and the Science Park suddenly emptied as everyone rushed outside into the gale to snap a photo of this historic event!

There was also loads of activity around the Paint Hall movie studios this week as production began in earnest on Game Of Thrones, the new HBO fantasy series being filmed in Belfast between now and Christmas.  Whenever the cameras are rolling there’s a little diversion set up on the Queen’s Road between the Drawing Office and the Pump House, so that traffic noise doesn’t interfere with the filming.  What initially feels like an inconvenience is actually the most fabulous scenic diversion in Belfast! – the alternative route, usually closed to the public, takes you right under Samson and Goliath.  It’s worth taking a drive down into the Quarter in the next few months just in the hope that the diversion is in place!

As if that wasn’t enough, I forgot to mention last week that as well as all the other new buildings that are taking shape, the new Audi showroom on the Harbour Road is now open for business in the shadow of the cranes.  (Yep that’s my Micra in the pic, proud and unashamed outside a showroom of gleaming Audis.  Micras rule!)

There is just no better time to be living in Belfast.  Who would’ve ever dreamed all this was possible?