On the Move - A good day at the office

Finally got approval from work today to take part in the event this year. BT are one great company to work for. Because the event is a major International event and I am representing Northern Ireland, it made the decision that much easier. Given I have already had some time off recently to stand for election, I am very thankful for the support (Thank you Heather, Rita, Cecilia and Robert) what a great team.

Northern Ireland Snooker Championships
Eventually tracked down my missing snooker cue (behind the fridge) and now looking forward to the Northern Ireland Championship, this year sponsored by Danny Boy Whiskey. This will be the last competitive snooker I will get before the EBSA European Championship starts so will be a good indicator of how I should do...that's the theory anyway.

Sofia - whats going on?

I finally received notification from NIBSA Secretary yesterday that my nomination has been sent through to EBSA ahead of this years European Championships in June. Thanks Brian. Once confirmed, I quickly had a peek at www.skyscanner.net to check out flights and prices. Once completed, it was down to a bit of 'research' on Sofia, and Bulgaria ahead of the trip.

Church of St Nedelya & Goddess Protector

This gets quite a mention in most of the sites I have looked at, Sveta Nedelya (not pictured) is apparently a typical example of neo-Byzantine architecture. There has been a church on site since medieval times, although the present building dates from the mid-19th century. In 1925, the church was largely destroyed when Communist rebels exploded a bomb during a funeral service, attended by Tsar Boris III and his cabinet ministers, killing 123 people. Nice.

The square, Ploshtad Sveta Nedelya, used to be named after Lenin and a statue of the Communist leader once stood here. It has since been replaced by a 24m (79ft) bronze statue of the goddess protector of the city, Sofia (above), holding the symbols of wisdom and fame, a much better view than Lenin I think.

First impressions of Sofia are very good. Will have to get my Daughter Joanne and her friend Morgan to do a little bit more research for me, its going to be an awesome trip, so long as I remember to bring my Snooker Cue, it is a tournament after all!