Cultured Views

Sundays here mean a day of laid back and relaxed leisure time. First off we went to church – arrived late but better late than never – to find one of those lay-preachers in charge of the service who do those marathon sermons. I always think these ministers should work along the same lines as a comedian; keep it short and watch your audience for any signs of boredom…

Then we went off for the next part of our Sunday routine – lunch at a nice tearoom and we sure have our favourite here…the Scrabo Garden Centre and Restaurant. I’m going to give this place a plug because we love it. Located just outside Newtownards at Scrabo it is a garden centre with a lovely little restaurant/tearoom set in a conservatory overlooking sweeping fields with the Lough in the distance. They have a wonderful menu and serve the most delicious pot of freshly brewed coffee I have ever tasted – and you get free refills! the whole ambiance is just lovely and if you are paying a visit to the Ards region then please make time for a stop at this pretty place. The service is very warm and welcoming which is an aspect of Nothern Ireland I love. They also have a gift shop attached.

We are sorting out the details for John’s christening later this year and we plan to have his party afterwards at this place – it is a real find so get along there yourself if you can. Next stop is a play in ‘Mo’s Park’ at the Stormont Estate which is a favourite of the kids; like I said, Sunday here is a real family time out and seems to be a shared feeling amongst most people here. It’s nice to see so many families out enjoying time together. I wish this side of Northern Ireland made the headlines more often!

Related posts:

1. Easter Sunday in Northern Ireland
2. Northern Ireland – the only way is forward
3. Let the troops from Northern Ireland have their ‘welcome home’ parade – and show the world that Northern Ireland has moved on !
4. ‘If you’re Orange and you know it clap your hands!’…Parade Day in Northern Ireland!
5. Northern Ireland…the next stage.