I'm not sure how or when it happened, but for as long as I can remember I've been fascinated by numbers, numerology, statistics, etc. It might partially explain why I became an accountant.
Yeah I know, pray for me.
In particular, I have a special affinity for dates, often remembering them with annoying accuracy - especially when associated with when a particular song was in the charts, often in countries other than my own.
It's an utterly ridiculous and mostly useless gift.
However, the other day something occured to me : our beautiful daughter, Eleanor, was born on 26 July 2011, and I suspected that must be pretty close to 10 years since I first set foot in this beautiful country.
So I did a little research. That process was surprisingly simple, because coupled with my memory for dates is my somewhat quaintly romantic penchant for keeping all the email correspondence between Diane and I going back to when we first 'met' online in May 2001. (ok, I'll admit not just those emails...most emails, some of which are now over 15 years old. Yep, keep praying for me.) A quick review of these emails revealed my suspicion to be well-founded.
26 July 2011 marked the 10th anniversary of my very first arrival in Northern Ireland. It wasn't just 'pretty close', it was exact.
For most, that will be little more than a curiosity. For me, it's just one more thing to love.
