THE laughter comes easily now for Chris Brunt but you sense the smiling face still masks the pain of not playing at Euro 2016.
"Did I miss out?!," he quips, before suggesting that he had a better time in France than the Northern Ireland squad.
A cruciate knee ligament injury ruled him out, but when asked if he felt like somebody not allowed to go to a party, he responded: "No, not necessarily – I don't know how much of a party it was for the lads that were away, being stuck in a hotel for ages – I had quite a good time!"
Asked what he actually did, he elaborated: "Not an awful lot, just watching [matches]. I did bits and pieces of rehab but I got a weekend in Nice with some family, which was good, a couple of days in Paris. It was decent.
"I did some media work as well, which gave me the chance to experience something different.
"When you go to the training camp and see what the lads are doing…Each international break can be a long 10 days. Everybody [else] just sees the match-day but they don't see the rest.
"You're only training for a couple of hours a day and then sitting around for 10 days trying to fill time.
"I'm sure over the summer that was difficult for lads as well, being away from home and families and stuff. I don't think it was always the massive party that everybody made it out to be."
He's reminded that manager Michael O'Neill said he loved the team hotel so much he didn't want to go home, and replies: "I was only there for four days, I was quite happy to get out of it!
"The whole experience for everybody was something they'll never forget. That hotel, if you're there for that long it probably does become 'home' to you. Maybe Michael was getting more perks than all the rest of the lads were, that's maybe why!"
He does accept that qualifying for the World Cup in Russia next year might mean more to him after his playing absence from the Euros: "Possibly. Obviously we've given ourselves a good chance in the first few games, we've momentum coming off the last campaign. The way things went in the summer it was nice to experience it in some shape or form.
"Obviously not playing was disappointing so it would be nice to get there [a tournament] again – but it's a lot more difficult getting to a World Cup than it was to France.
"I know we won our group so we would have been there regardless, but there are a lot less [European] teams qualify [for the World Cup] and with Germany in the group as well, barring something unexpected, you probably would think they'll run out winners, so it's going to be tough - but we've given ourselves a good chance so far."
Brunt certainly helped on his return against Azerbaijan last time out. They hadn't conceded a single goal in their first three group games but were thrashed 4-0 in Belfast, Brunt capping off a 'man of the match' display with the fourth goal.
There was some debate about that at the time, but the on-target drive went in off a defender's boot, not off home skipper Steven Davis, so Brunt laughed off the light-hearted questioning of the goal's ownership: "I think somebody said it was mine, so I'll take it."
That personal performance was as pleasing as the rest of his recovery from the injury sustained around 13 months ago:
"Touch wood, everything's been good, I probably couldn't have asked for a much better return. I think I've only come off the bench twice for West Brom and I've started pretty much every other game since.
"That's the best way of looking at it. I've hardly missed any training at all, I feel good, I feel quite strong. Maybe that time out gave me the opportunity to work on other things that will hopefully benefit me in the latter stages of my career."
Although he's still only 32, he is realistic that he's heading towards the tail-end of his playing days "with the nature of the injury and the age I am – but the way things have been going at the club, I've felt good, I've played a lot of football this season, in a few different positions as well.
"I think the time out has benefitted me; hopefully it has in the long run. Things are OK at the minute – try and get this one out of the way and then see what happens."
This one is Norway at home tomorrow night, in a World Cup qualifier, but Brunt is not expecting a third consecutive 4-0 in the group at Windsor Park: "With the record we have got at home recently people may be expecting just to turn up for another win but that's not always the case.
"They have a new manager [Lars Lagerback] who has a lot of experience at international level and has done well in the past, so I'm sure they'll be well-drilled and well-organised and they'll know what we're all about.
"It'll be a tough game, I'm sure he'll have different ideas for them to get results. Obviously they haven't started the group as well as they would have wanted to so that's always one you have got to be careful with."
Careful with himself too, realising how great playing football can be: "Being realistic, I don't really have that much playing time left if you average things out. It probably makes you appreciate how much you enjoy playing.
"You just look forward to getting out on the pitch. I'd never experienced missing out on that much time before so it probably helps you appreciate it a bit more."
Another win tomorrow night and Chris Brunt's grin will be even broader.
