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Now the DUP Conference is over and the Army's Homecoming Parade has passed off without the trouble some had forecast, there seemed to be a sense of optimism about Stormont that the stand off might be nearing resolution.

There's not a lot of detail to base this perception on. However the word is that the DUP Sinn Fein talks inside Stormont Castle have been lengthier and more intense in recent days. Then there was the section of Peter Robinson's speech which talked about an economic package being brought to the Executive in the next few weeks. Did that presuppose the Executive would be sitting by then?

Today, in the Assembly Chamber, Martin McGuinness expressed his hope that the difficulties would be overcome "in the not too distant future". And appearing on "Stormont Live" Nigel Dodds didn't demur.

We shall be watching to see if the the Assembly Executive and Review Committee meets tomorrow and whether there's an indication of any staging posts on the way to devolving justice. Other straws in the wind appear to be renewed talk of a Minority Languages Act as the answer to the Irish language logjam and money going to individual sports as a temporary alternative to the Maze stadium. Martin McGuinness talked up the proposed Conflict Transformation Centre at the Maze today but played down the notion of it as a republican shrine.

The only person who might have an interest in prolonging the stand off is Michelle Gildernew, the Agriculture Minister, who could do with about six months more inactivity to look after her new daughter seventeen day old Aoise. In fact she has taken nothing like the normal duration of maternity leave. Mother and baby were both guests on "Stormont Live" today and Aoise was so quiet I accused the Agriculture Minister of feeding her poteen. The minister was at Stormont to promote breast feeding, but also took her seat in the Assembly chamber to answer a debate on the maintenance of waterways in Upper Bann.

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