Well this is all completely out of sequence, but I thought I would post some pictures of the Twelfth. It’s hard to describe the Twelfth of July if you don’t live in Northern Ireland, and I don’t really understand what it’s all about, but I know it’s a day when Protestants celebrate something. So, big bonfires during the week running up to the twelfth, and then on the night before, they are lit. Some can be as high as ten storeys. This one, which was visible from my flat is just seen over a block of flats, so that gives you some idea how tall they are !

Then the next day, the Twelfth itself, there are lots of marching bands, and all the Orangemen march as well. There’s a lot of drinking going on, and to be honest, it’s not really recommended that you go out on the night of the Twelfth. All the shops, bars and restaurants and everything are closed, and because people have been drinking all day there can sometimes be trouble, but this year, apart from some clashes in North Belfast, it was pretty quiet.