Glimmer of hope?

This whole global financial crisis is tuning things topsy-turvy in ways we never imagined possible. Surely the two big Irish banks would be immune to it all? How could institutions like this, which have so regularly reported disgustingly high annual profits possibly be affected by sub-prime irresponsibility on the far side of the Atlantic?

But the unthinkable actually happened, with Bank of Ireland shares falling below 1 euro recently and now talk everywhere of private investors sinking up to 5 billion euro into a re-grouped financial juggernaut -- talk that's way above my head, I must say.

I've long lost count of the number of times I've mentioned going in to town because I needed to go to the bank, and being there resulting in lots and lots of blips in and around Baggot Street and the Canal. Today was another instance of a bank need. I left it a bit late, and was actually thinking of putting a visit off until the following day, but finally decided to go for it. I'm glad now that I did, because the late-afternoon sky produced one of its magical moments and shone a sunbeam across the Bank of Ireland's main plaza onto its now dowdy-looking façade, and I was lucky enough to be there to catch this heavenly message that all will be well in the end ...

A little PS: I just spotted after posting that this is my 555th non-stop blip. Hopefully all the fives is a more positive number than all the sixes.