I gave it four episodes, and in the end I'm going to have to admit that Peter Capaldi's Doctor - so far - is not for me. The first episode I had to give the benefit of the doubt because it was a regeneration episode, one in which the characters were finding their feet and getting to know each other all over again. The second episode was instantly forgettable - …

My interest in forts, bunkers and castles is well-documented, and recently I managed to squeeze in a visit to another place of interest that falls into this category. Somehow, it is both fort and castle, as Hurst Castle on the south coast was initially a Tudor dwelling, converted into a sea defending fort during the war. The castle is at the end of long shingle walkway that takes it out …

Our experiments in expanding our food intake have so far taken in the excellent delivery service that is HelloFresh (still going strong, by the way, a few meals that haven’t been to our taste, but otherwise I’ve reached Apprentice chef level and am rapidly heading towards sous!) but we didn’t stop there. I’ve been aware of Graze for a long time, but never taken the plunge and ordered a box. …

Since I stopped running, 18 months ago, I’ve turned my attention to a variety of apps and online solutions to the ‘easy workout at home’ thing. Some of them are fads that are dropped as easily as they are started, but I’ve stumbled across one that has actually got me hooked. I first tried the Fitstar app about six months ago, and loved the concept but had to stop almost …

I don't know if you noticed, but this week, Apple announced a new product - their take on the wearable tech phenomenon. Initially, I wasn't that interested in the watch. That's partly because the stream of Tim Cook's keynote address was so bad that I gave up following halfway through and missed all the announcements. It's also because I wasn't too keen on the big, square, bulky look. Having investigated …

Much of the UK experienced some very hot weather in July, weeks of sunshine and muggy conditions bringing out the sandals and making it hard to sleep. That being the case, it’s typical that when my parents invited me on an open top bus tour of the New Forest, it absolutely poured down. The New Forest Tours are really quite a good deal. £14 may seem a bit pricey to …

Doctor Who finally returns to our screens after a lengthy wait since the Christmas regeneration special. And was it worth it? Erm, no. Sadly, I didn't like this episode at all, and I will expand on that further below. It's nice to have the show back though, and even nicer to see the addition of Doctor Who Extra - a bonus ten minutes of content, online, in a replacement for …

While we were watching the Captain America sequel recently, there was one face that I felt like I recognised but couldn't quite place. Don't you just hate it when that happens? So distracting. This time, it was one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. henchmen, in it every so often but not exactly a big part. I'm not even sure it was a speaking part. It turns out this is Callan Mulvey, who …

I enjoy cooking a lot, but it’s something I’ve never really managed to get fully into. I had that brief interlude with baking and impressed myself with a couple of dishes, but even that ended up petering out before it really got going. The trouble I have is that I don’t really have the fundamental basic knowledge to start experimenting and learning and making great things. Without boring details about …

I was listening to an episode of Current Geek recently, when a fascinating conversation emerged regarding the structure of television shows and their series’. Current Geek features Scott Johnson and Tom Merritt with guests, discussing pop culture topics. At the end of each episode, they have a feature where they predict what will happen in the future. I’ll be honest, I usually skip past this section because there’s no way …

It was an impromptu trip to the theatre, a last minute decision to snap up tickets to The Phantom of the Opera on a spare Friday night nestled in the midst of a very hectic couple of months. I like musicals, as they have been ingrained in my life since childhood, but I haven't had as much chance to indulge recently as I'd like. Since watching We Will Rock You …