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After working in Belfast for two-and-a-half years, and living here for 18 months, I finally made it up to the viewing platform in the Victoria Square shopping centre today. 

OK, so it's not exactly The Shard, but it's still quite a fun way to kill two or three minutes. My main observations were:

* The floor is alarmingly wobbly for something that appears to be made out of steel;
* The security guard clearly doesn't have much to do, as he seems to spend his shift taking pictures for tourists. He basically approached every group to offer to take their photo. He even cast a glance in my direction, before thinking better of it.

I was in Victoria Square to pick up my repaired MacBook from the Genius shop, and I can happily report that all now is well. While I was there, I booked another appointment for next week to bring in my broken iMac. Did I mention I'm on first-name terms with most of the staff? 

Day five of involuntary bachelorhood saw a slight mishap in my duty of administering anti-inflammatory medicine to ageing mutt. The process is quite simple:

1) Put 27ml of medicine into a syringe;
2) Pin the dog to the floor;
3) Hang on like a rodeo rider on a bucking bronco;
4) Force open the drool-covered jaws of death;
5) Squirt medicine into mouth.

Or into eye, as I managed this morning, failing in both steps 3 & 5 at the same time.

Now I'm heading home, to discover what curry-themed chicken delight Mme Tepeka has left for me this evening. 

They're back tomorrow. I'm looking forward to the return of both my family and a more varied diet...