It’s all go in the TQ this week… the Odyssey is gearing up for the MTV EMA awards on Sunday; the back car parks are filled with pop-up marquees, the Premier Inn is ring-fenced by a security barrier, the autograph-hunters and security guards are starting to appear already… it’s going to be HUUGGE!

It really is fantastic for Belfast that something as big as this is coming here.  This weekend, our wee city will be playing host to Queen, Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez.  Never mind that Selena (the host of the show) is too teenyboppy to be on my radar and I had to ask Susan who she was (Susan knew – she’s street) – these people are properly famous!  So I for one will happily endure a weekend of traffic jams, impassible city centres and screaming teenagers to hope and pray that the event is a massive success.  I’ll try not to mind that people had to audition to be in the audience.  (Can you scream?  You’re in.)  I’ll not be standing outside with my disapproving placards (“Down with this sort of thing!”  “Careful now”).  It’s good that it’s here.

And despite the manic-ness, we’ll still be gathering at the base of the Arc Apartments on Saturday morning from 11-1 for the next Meet The Neighbours event – it’s the first Saturday of the month, there’s coffee to be drunk, traybakes to be eaten and neighbours to be met!  Lady Gaga can throw herself at me all she wants; Selena Gomez can pout all she likes; Chris Martin can throw organic produce at me if it makes him feel better; they can’t come.  But you can.  See you there!

(oh, all right, they can come.  But only if they audition.)

Here in Dock-World we’re big fans of the photography of Heather Coulter – as Official Dock Photographer, she’s been there with her trusty camera at lots of the big events – and her pictures have got us into the pages of the Times, the Belfast Tele and (oh yes) the Church of Ireland Gazette!

There’s an exhibition of her work at Campbell College over the next few days – click on the thumbnail to the right to find out more…

And while we’re on the subject of photography, I feel inspired to offer a few of my humble efforts… a few spare minutes between Walking Tours yesterday, so I took the chance to take a photographic record of the TQ as it stands in October 2011… it’s changing so quickly these days that it’s worth having plenty of ‘Before’ pictures to contrast with the ‘After’!  Most of my shots were fairly boring point-and-shoot jobs, but I found a couple of wee interesting details that I thought looked a bit more arty:

It’s a photographer’s dream in the TQ at the moment, with the lovely mixture of old and new – if you’re in the slightest bit interested in photography, get snapping!

How many church services can claim to have included fireworks, an aerial stunt-flying display, pirate ships, snowfalls, sunsets, a hog roast, a Channel 4 documentary film crew, or a cruise ship departure?  I love the Dock Walk! – those are all things that we’ve stumbled across while on our Sunday-afternoon danders over the past year.

And tomorrow promises to be another interesting day – there’s a Metro Monster Mash festival at the Odyssey all afternoon, climaxing with a fireworks display at 6pm (see here for details).  But don’t worry – the Dock Walk will meet at The Streat at 3:33pm as normal; we might be able to sample some of the attractions, we might be able to walk our normal route (or we might not) and we might find all sorts of unexpected sights as the Titanic Quarter increasingly becomes a hive of activity and a lively, vibrant community.

That’s the beauty of church without walls – completely unexpected and completely flexible!

And PS – don’t forget the clocks go back tonight – extra hour of sleep, woo hoo!

And PPS – a date for the diary – keep the evening of 15th November free at all costs!  It’s The Dock’s second birthday and we have big plans.  As I darkly hinted a few days ago, there have been some major developments in Dock-World over the last few weeks – I’m going to save them up and announce them in style at the Dock Birthday Bash!

Sorry for being out of touch for a few days – it has been possibly the busiest and most dramatic week yet in the whole history of Dock-World!  But d’you know what?  I’m going to keep you in suspense for a while yet – watch this space…

In the meantime, how’s this for a top bit of fame-at-last?   One of my new contacts this week had been flicking through this book – a newly-published collection of factoids, stories, trivia and interesting snippets about Titanic – and on page 157, there I was!  It’s interesting to see how much has changed in the nearly-two-years of The Dock.  I’m pretty sure i recognise the wording of this little paragraph from the press release that accompanied my commissioning at the Pump House back in November 2009 – when, according to the blurb, the desire was that “the Church of Ireland would have a presence in the Titanic Quarter.”  Thinking back to all the changes, conversations, encounters, challenges and Holy-Spirit-nudgings that led from that vision, to the current vision of the Shared Medley of churches working together… it’s been quite an adventure!

So the sceptical among you might be wondering if the Dock Walk was cancelled amidst the apocalyptic weather and rainstorms on Sunday afternoon… ye of little faith!  Here are the Dock Walkers, enjoying their lovely stroll:

Although to be absolutely honest, the walk took us all the way from the Odyssey Arena, across the car park to the Premier Inn, where our chat took place over coffees, hot chocolates, cake and crumpets…

Best church ever!