As the gale-force winds lash the streets of Belfast today, it feels like a good time to post a blog of some good news.

A cosy day of families sheltering from the rain in Dock Cafe today – and not just relaxing either, construction work of an impressive scale was underway in the toy corner:

And on a (slightly) bigger scale, how exciting to be part of a place of big dreams where construction work is flourishing, as this great news about the expansion of the TQ movie studios demonstrates:

Lots of games and laughter in the cafe today, even as the rain streamed down the windows.  These families settled in for a mammoth Monopoly tournament:

And games and laughter and joy are still blossoming all across the city – as this brilliant video celebrating Belfast’s ‘happiest city’ award shows:

Belfast’s St Georges Market has just won a prestigious indoor market award – best in the UK.  The Belfast Giants are on an incredible winning streak.  The Four Corners Festival has provided a rich menu of incredibly powerful peace-building events over the past few weeks.

It’s easy to focus on the negative until we think that the rain and wind and storm is all there is.  We need to take time to sit in the sun sometimes as well – it can always be found in Belfast…

The great mystery of our age is about to be revealed…

No, not the new Doctor Who – we know that already.  Or KFC’s secret recipe herbs and spices.  I’m talking about the identity of the two new Dock staff members whose posts were advertised before Christmas.

Some things I can tell you… that when we advertised those posts, we were overwhelmed by the response.  And by the quality of the people applying.  Over several days of interviews, we met many people who each would have been fantastic in our new roles – and there were no easy decisions.  Massive thanks to the amazing applicants who put huge amounts of work and passion into their interviews, and to the panel of Dock members and directors who had to make the tough call.

But the decisions have been made and the offers have been accepted.

And they are:

Going to be announced on board SS Nomadic during our monthly service on Sunday night.   Mwahahahaaa!  You didn’t think I’d give it away so easily, did you?

So make a date in your diaries: this Sunday (2nd Feb), 6pm on board SS Nomadic.  As always, old hymns and new insights, snug between the decks of a beautiful boat.  And this month, a chance to meet and hear the stories of the two people who will be major characters in the next chapter of the Dock adventure.

See ya there!

(I’ll give you one clue: one of the people in question can be seen lurking around in the background in a very old Dock video; at the time neither of us realised that our paths would intersect again.  OK that’s a rubbish clue, but it’s all you’re getting)

The Bennetts are just getting ready to head off for a little bit of much-appreciated R&R (hence the pic – an amazing sunrise I watched from the shores of Lusty Beg island during a conference at the weekend – although looking at the rain pounding on the window right now, I suspect it may be wishful thinking…)

Note that there WON’T be a Pilgrimage Walk or Dock Walk this Sunday – but the cafe will be open as normal.  Call in and say Hi to Tegan and the gang!

But just so that you don’t miss me too much, here’s a little curio from the Bennett archives.

I found this video recently when tidying up folders on my computer, and realised that, having gone to all the effort of shooting it and editing it in the midst of the opening weekend of Titanic Belfast, at the time I didn’t actually get round to the final little insignificant step of uploading it to Vimeo so that anyone else could ever see it.  Whoops!

Probably a fairly accurate insight into the state of my mind during that mad, emotional, wonderful time.  And you can get the sense of breathless, pinch-me-I-can’t-quite-believe-this-is-happening-in-Belfast joy from the video itself as well – so coming back to it on a rainy January day nearly 2 years later, it’s maybe a timely reminder of those magical days in 2012 when it genuinely felt as if Belfast was entering a whole new chapter, and anything could happen…

Best Weekend Ever… from The DOCK Church on Vimeo.

Dock customers are constantly surprising…

Meet Barney (that’s not his real name, but I keep forgetting his real name and calling him Barney, so Barney it is) – one of our Dock regulars who arrived into the cafe today bearing a suspiciously large zipped bag.  Interrogation revealed that the bag contained a fiddle and that Barney had been know to play a tune or two.

A bit of bribery later (a cup of coffee and a macaroon) and we spent Friday afternoon being serenaded by a fantastic trad session.  This is one of the highlights – the tune (I’m sure it has an actual name but will be forevermore known as:) That Bit Of Fiddle-Dee-Dee Music They Jig To In Titanic When Kate And Leo Spin Around:

A bit of fiddle-dee-dee at The Dock from The DOCK Church on Vimeo.

Check out some quality jigging of our own in the background – smooth moves, Olivia!

It’s catching on, this ‘cafe-that-isn’t-really-a-cafe’ thing…

Absolutely fascinating – and it’s amazing to hear many of the same phrases (“it’s my living room”, “a real-life social network”) which have been core to Dock Cafe life.

And I’ll work on the bouffant and the moustache.