Movie week! Always a fun week, guessing the movie as the couples walk down the stairs, admiring the costumes and makeup, and generally relishing in how many films we've watched and how many more there are still to go! Nick Knowles was absent this week after picking up another injury, that's concerning for him at such an early stage, will have to see how well he recovers. And after the …

We're a week into October already, so I'm a bit late to share this, but I recently stumbled on the Optimistic October calendar produced by Action for Happiness, and I love it. It's just a simple idea each day to try and feel a bit happier and why not? It's been a while since I did a 30 day challenge but this one seems a worthy contender. A couple of …

I'm a bit out of the loop on movies at the moment, we've not been doing very well on the film front as TV and particularly nostalgic stuff has taken more of a front-seat. But from the looks of things, there's not that much going on at the moment anyway. November has a few options to choose from but October and December are looking very light. October Woman of the …

There were the tiniest of tweaks to the format of this show that for some reason I found really unsettling. Tess and Claudia were already there bang on screen after the credits, rather than walking out to meet each other. And let's not talk about what a mess the judge's little dance section is these days! But anyway, they are tiny things that just help to distract from the fact …

Earlier in the year, I wrote about the first cardigan I had knitted. I'm very proud of it and still wear it, but do have to admit it doesn't fit at all well and the colour continues to annoy me. I knew as soon as I'd finished the first one that I wanted to knit it again and do better, and that's exactly what I've done. I've had the pieces …

At the very start of the show, Claudia introduced the contestants about to come out, telling the live audience that they were bound to be super nervous and needed big cheers as they descended the stairs. Well, when they came out, not a single one of them looked nervous! They were all dancing and jigging about and looked like they were having a great time. Long may it continue! No …

This is 100% the wrong time of year to be sharing this link, but it’s something to bookmark for when the weather clears up again. We’re heading into autumn and the garden is starting to wind down a little... I mean, I can’t say it ever really got going for me this year but let’s go with it. I love watching what Huw Richards is up to, as his book …

It’s been a while since I last did a roundup of TV I have watched recently, partly that’s because a lot of sporting events got in the way of my series watching, and partly it’s because there haven’t been that many things that have really, truly, grabbed me. If it’s good enough for a separate post, I’ll do that, but here are those that don’t quite spark more than a …

A month ago, I was feeling quite grumpy about Strictly Come Dancing. There was all the bad news, and the new contestants weren't hugely grabbing me, and whatever, maybe I could just give it a miss this year. Guess how long it was into the launch show before I was giddy and clapping and bouncing around the room? About ten minutes, if I'm being modest, five minutes if I'm being …

I know it doesn't seem like it because I've spent quite a lot of time talking about Wrexham AFC, but I'm not a big football fan. It's not a sport that particularly grabs me and although I can admire the set pieces that deliver incredible goals, they are so few and far between that it's not always an entertaining ninety minutes for me. What I do like about all sports, …

I haven't written about anything I've knitted for several months but I've still been working on various things in the background. The main problem is that I haven't managed to actually finish a project in ages. Step forward the Mastadon hashtag #finishorfrogalong in which people own up to their own stash of unfinished projects and encourage each other to do the same. The idea being that you either finish it …

Every now and again, I read a book about people climbing Mount Everest - the last one quite recently. There are always mixed emotions reading these stories because it's incredible, what people can do and the sheer adventure of it. There's such a huge history from the early treks to try and reach the top to the current era where the volume of expeditions means Everest is at risk of …

Last year (in fact so long ago that I'd forgotten I'd ordered this and it was a surprise present in the post), I bought The Researcher's First Murder by John Finnemore. This was one of those purchases that was really to support the creator more than for my pleasure, because a) I love JF and b) this thing is far too smart for me, but wahey, it has arrived and …

I love this recent article on the BBC about a guy called Rob Johnson who has been getting niche and forgotten songs put on the streaming services - just by asking them to upload them! No matter how many tracks a streaming service claims to have, there's always going to be something missing, and this is all about a mission to try and right that wrong. Most of the time …

I like a bit of Batman as much as the next person, but there's no arguing the fact that the character did go through a bit of over-exposure a few years ago. With the huge Christopher Nolan trilogy, and then endless news about who was going to play the character next, it felt like you couldn't blink without seeing those bat ears sticking up somewhere. So I wasn't looking for …

I probably don't make the most of my Apple News subscription, but I do enjoy the magazines that are included as part of the price. The TV guides alone are worth the price, but there is a lot of choice on there - history, gardening, interior design, cars, sports, gossip, fashion, you name it, it's in there. And just recently, some new knitting magazines have been added which is a …

This week I finally got around to watching Ripley on Netflix, the recent adaptation of The Talented Mr Ripley written by Patricia Highsmith. I didn't know a lot about the story, I've not seen the 90s film starring Matt Damon and not read the book even though it is in my digital library waiting to be opened. So I went into this with no expectations other than the love I'm …

With the joy of the Olympics still fresh in our minds, former sprinter and gold medal winner Michael Johnson has announced a new athletics competition that he's launching to keep the momentum of the sport going through the four year gaps between Olympic sessions. He's calling it the Grand Slam Track, and the initial format imitates that of the tennis tours - with four big meets during the year to …

Way back when, I watched the first few episodes of WandaVision and really enjoyed the pastiche of early sitcoms. The black and white cuteness, canned laughter, and surprisingly funny moments. I was curious to know whether it was just Wanda's take on the genre that I liked or if the genuine article was just as good, so I sought out the first series of The Dick Van Dyke Show - …

The 90s repeats of Top of the Pops on BBC Four have had a bit of a break recently (Proms and the Olympics will do that to your channels) but came back with a bang with this amazing episode. It kicked off with the Backstreet Boys which was such a surprise to me that I almost choked on my drink, and aside from the next song, continued to astound and …

I guess just power on through it and keep going as if nothing happened? It feels a bit odd that this year’s batch of contestants have been revealed over the past week or so, at the same time that the accusations of mistreatment from former guest dancers continues unabated. It’s an unexpected situation we find ourselves in, one that leaves a bit of a bad taste in the mouth, but …

I had planned to write about the closing ceremony but in the end, it didn’t grab me as much as I’d hoped. It seemed to pick up pace after Tom Cruise threw himself into the mix, quite literally, but I was already asleep by then, and it sort of feels not worth watching on replay. Although clips and pictures I’ve seen do make me excited for LA’s hosting stint when …

It won't be news to learn that I love a good quiz, and what's even better than general quizzing? Music quizzes! I love The Hit List when it comes round but a new contender to the quiz throne has arrived in the form of Popmaster TV. Turning a beloved ten minute radio quiz into a successful hour long TV show isn't an easy task but they've done a fantastic job. …

So look, it turns out, watching two weeks of non-stop sport pretty much all day, every day can be a bit much. I’m a gibbering wreck. But I’m also still loving it and don’t want it to end tomorrow. It’s hard to reconcile the two positions but I’m powering through to enjoy every minute before the main Olympics disappears for another four years and we can turn our attention to …

In the last Olympics post, I mentioned that I've been watching the surfing which is new to me (and relatively new to the Olympics) and that's one of the joys of this competition as a viewer - finding those odd sports that you've never heard of before and that absolutely captivate you. Surfing was good, patient and reliant on the weather. We're waiting for the surf to come back to …

You know that thing where certain things seemed different and nicer and more magical when you were a kid, and then when you view them through adult eyes, you sort of wonder what on earth it was all about? Well, I experienced that recently on re-reading the trilogy of Faraway Tree books by Enid Blyton. I loved these books as a kid. I mean, you would, wouldn’t you? Climbing those …

So far, I’m loving everything I’ve seen of the 2024 Olympics. Obviously, I’ve not been able to cover off everything that was on my spreadsheet schedule, even with as many screens open as possible. There’s an overwhelming amount of sport - and this is just for the events I’m hugely interested in, never mind the ones that could get my attention if I caught a glimpse. The amazing news is …

The Paris 2024 Olympics got underway yesterday with an Opening Ceremony that will be a talking point, even if it wasn't quite as successful as the organisers hoped. It was different, which always ruffles feathers, and it was inconsistent and messy but there was a lot to like in there. It's hard for me not to compare everything to the London 2012 Opening Ceremony which was legendary, but each of …

I have been really looking forward to the upcoming Olympics. It's in a sensible timezone for me, I have managed to wangle some time off work to watch as much as possible and hey, it's summer of sport fun! I've pulled together my spreadsheet of which sports are on when, only for the ones I'm interested in, obviously, and I'm hoping to refine that each day to make sure I've …

Accidentally coinciding with the D-Day commemorations in June and going on for several weeks after, I managed to time a viewing of the trilogy of Band of Brothers shows - the original Band of Brothers, which was my second run through; the Pacific, which was the weakest of the three; and then Apple TV+'s latest offering Masters of the Air. Band of Brothers is untouchable in scope and quality and …

The second week of Wimbledon was somehow so much better than the first but also really quite frustrating. The singles action got really interesting and good, but it felt much harder to keep track of everything else. It was a really, really wet fortnight and it's so impressive that the schedule didn't slip very much considering there were a few days with basically no play. But the concertina effect did …

Although the UK is suffering from a lack of summer at the moment, the sporting events continue apace. Some are enjoying the football, if enjoying is the right word(?) but for me, it's all about the tennis. Going into Wimbledon this year, the field seemed wide open and even more so when Sabalenka pulled out of the championships. My focus has been on the women's side, as always, but it's …

It feels like the blockbusters have been on the low side recently, but the next few months have quite a few famous names and faces back on the big screen. We've drifted from keeping up with the immediate and more expensive releases, but am really enjoying digging out hidden gems and older classics. However, may have to make an exception for some of these! July The Garfield Movie I don't …

I enjoyed pulling together the previous TV roundup of shows I'd watched that didn't really warrant a full post but where I did have some thoughts to share, so I thought why not make it a regular feature? I've not been well recently so my TV watching and book reading has gone up massively, but now the summer of sport has arrived, this may not be the case over the …

Well. Ncuti Gatwa’s first full series outing as the Doctor has drawn to a close and what an adventure it was. I last wrote about everyone’s favourite two-hearted time traveller after the bifurcation event in December which was our first glimpse at the Doctor’s new incarnation. Since then, the Doctor has been on a Christmas Day adventure which saw him pick up new companion (with a mystery) Ruby Sunday, and …

This year’s Apple WWDC has been and gone, and it’s taken me a while to get round to writing about what was unveiled during the Keynote. In part, that’s because it probably wasn’t as exciting as it could have been. The normal announcements and reveals felt very rushed because half of the presentation was saved up for the AI stuff. I don’t know why that bit made me really uncomfortable. …

What could be better than finding yourself on a sunny Sunday in the supposed UK summertime, invited into the back gardens of some proper posh countryside houses in the heart of the Cotswolds? That’s what Bibury Open Gardens Festival promised and whilst the title is a bit grandiose and misleading, it was surprisingly fun. The event was your traditional rural country fete kind of deal, although this in the picturesque …

There’s always an odd feeling as you head towards the end of a Welcome to Wrexham series. You know what the result is going to be, and yet somehow, are still drawn along for the ride. The editing is extremely good to ratchet up the tension even when the events have long since taken place and everyone’s moving on to the next objective. But I have to say, this third …

I’ve not been to the Watermill Theatre at Newbury before, tucked away as it is in the depths of the countryside. It’s an incongruous setting for a theatre - beautiful flowing river, overhanging greenery, a sense of countryside history, and then, oh yes, a regional theatre of some renown! My reason for going this time was to see Fanny, the show about the sister of Felix Mendelssohn who, of course, …

I was lucky enough to see Tim Rice on stage recently, as the musical legend toured the country to talk about his life, career and achievements. It was worth every penny of the entry price, with the famous lyricist sharing great stories and surprising facts, and a quartet of singers showcasing some of the songs that have littered his illustrious career so far. I don’t usually attend events like this, …

I’ve scaled back my Zero Waste efforts recently because real life has gotten in the way, as it always tends to do. But I’m still always interested in people and companies that are thinking outside the box and being innovative in the way they design products. I stumbled on One Good Thing, OGT, who make a variety of protein bars that don’t have a wrapper - or they do but …

I finished watching the Apple TV show Sugar this week and had intended to tag it on the end of my television roundup post, but the last few episodes made it deserving of a longer review. Firstly, it’s important to say it was a good show and I enjoyed watching it. The first couple of episodes were interesting but potentially not mind-blowing, but some good online reviews convinced me to …

I've watched quite a few TV shows recently that I wanted to give a mention of but couldn't summon up the thoughts for a full blog post - so it seemed sensible to do a roundup of them all in one go. A Gentleman in Moscow Ewan McGregor is legendary in this, fun and serious at just the right moments. The way time goes by, the way the story unfolds, …

Just in the nick of time, I have finished rewatching the third series of Apple TV+ comedy Trying, as the new series starts this week. I do think as the seasons have worn on, the drama and loveliness has increased while the quotability levels have dropped. But I couldn't love it any more, so here's the best of the next eight episodes. Episode 1 Jason's dad, Vic, absolutely owns this …

Time is running short before the fourth series of Trying begins, but I have finally completed my rewatch of the existing episodes and gathering the wonderful quotes from each episode. I love this show so much, I have to share! This time I'm keeping a full season in one post rather than splitting between episodes, because who doesn't want a bumper crop of quotes to persue? Episode 1 Picking your …

I was so excited when I saw that Audible had commissioned and released an audio series of Green Wing, bringing back the original cast in all their glory for more barely medically-related shenanigans at East Hampton hospital. And now, having listened to the six part series many, many times through, I can only say it lived up to all my expectations and I love it! Hands up, though, I wasn't …

Today it was announced that women's tennis is returning to Queen's club for the first time in more than 50 years, and whilst I can understand that this is an exciting announcement that brings together the two tennis tours at a high profile location, it feels disappointing to me. I've previously loved going to Edgbaston Priory Club to watch some tennis and now what was previously a 500 event (middle …

If you had asked anyone a few years ago who would be shining the best light on what a brutal and thankless job farming is, who would have put their hands up and said Jeremy Clarkson? The guy continues to cause controversy but when it comes to this programme, he's got it right. Showing the heart and soul of the farming world, the community, the animals, the care and the …

It feels like every year I go into the Eurovision song contest thinking, meh, I'll watch a bit, see if it grabs me, but I'm really not that bothered this time round. Almost like moving the twenty minute rule from my film watching into the song contest arena as well. I can't quite believe it's been two years since Sam Ryder, and I pretty much just want to relive that …

I thought this BBC post about the future of the album was interesting, considering that I spend more time than I'd like trying to decide what counts as an album for my music listening project. The article is pondering the past and future of the album, given how much focus there has been on singles of late, with Taylor Swift leading the charge in a celebration of all things long …