I wasn't actually planning on baking this week - lots to do and not too much time to spend in the kitchen. However, as I am officially addicted, I looked for a quick and simple recipe that I could do without too much thought. There was also a request from other members of the household for some brownies. Lo and behold. I love chocolate, I really do, but I wasn't …

Some may recall the phase I went through, designing lots of headers for this site. I gave it up because... well, I wasn't that good and I wasn't really getting much better, and I moved on to other exciting creative things. BUT, you know, sometimes, of a Saturday night, you get the creative urge to mess about with Pixelmator. I wasn't planning a new header, but I followed a random …

I stumbled across a post on Wired.co.uk a while back and I thought it was fascinating. Apparently, DC Comics are going to have Superman storm out of the Daily Planet, preferring to take his chances in the online journalism world with his own blog. I had never really thought about the fact that Superman/Clark Kent as a journalist in the Daily Planet was starting to be a bit old school. …

Perhaps I was being a bit dense about the whole thing, but I just couldn't follow it. It seemed like every single chapter was there merely as a means of introducing another new character, sometimes several. I got more and more confused trying to fit in where everyone was and what they were doing.

I really liked this. There were a couple of quite significant plot holes, or at least plot questions, but it was still really good. Both parties acted well, and they had some good banter tonight. I read a review that said the ending was disappointing, but it was only going to go one way... and I thought it was quite sweet. It reminded me of the old couple in Titanic.

Before I started my weekly baking habit, I did try my hand at a few odds and ends, with a medium degree of success. A traditional Victoria Sponge was one of those that I attempted, and it didn't turn out too badly. I had some odd crinkly edges to contend with but it was okay. I thought, as I am now clearly a baker extraordinaire, that I would try again …

This week, we watched the new reboot of the Spider-Man series with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. It was really very good and when you compare it to the trilogy that came before, I can totally understand why they wanted to ditch that franchise and start all over again. The comic book movie genre doesn't seem to be losing any of the momentum it has gained, with the Avengers planning …

After battling through a huge variety of the old classic books recently, I was in the mood for some unchallenging, easy to digest and entertaining books. Paddington is all that and more. I love bears, and the idea of this super-polite but oft-in-trouble brown bear from Darkest Peru is one that instantly resonates. I must have read this a thousand times, and just like Winnie-the-Pooh (another bear), it's one I could read every day forever.

I don't want to overstate it, I've given it a lot of thought, and I think I've figured out that this was roughly 3 million times better than the Sam Raimi movies, from the very beginning when it didn't have several minutes worth of opening credits. I loved Garfield and Stone, their teenage angst rather than star-crossed lovers nonsense. I thought the biting story was done better, whilst his discovery and testing out of powers seemed more realistic. The demise of Uncle Ben was even more poignant than first time round, and left unresolved. It was all just much better, and really very, very good.

I've noticed a couple of trailers for potentially watchable romantic comedies recently. This is not my favourite genre, but when done well, it's a good way of winding down for a couple of hours. Admission Corny as anything, I know, but I like Tina Fey and I love Paul Rudd. Maybe they can sell it. This also looks pretty cliched. Playing for Keeps I bet he doesn't take the ESPN …

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I run occasionally, but I'm not so obsessed with it that I was convinced I could read a whole book about running. However, that's not all this was about. Part memoir, part investigation, the book tracks the author's trip to Kenya, his preparation for a terrifying-sounding marathon, and his findings about what makes people run fast.

It's been a tricky couple of weeks, particularly this last weekend. I'm getting to the point where most of my running is going to be done on a weekend now, because of the lack of daylight hours. I had a four day weekend but spent most of it tucked up inside with an extraordinarily painful sore throat. No running for me. However, before that occurred, I had managed to complete …

My tea tasting adventure has taken me to lots of new brands that I hadn't been aware of previously, and the next to fall into my path was Tea India. They were marvellously kind to send me a package with some new flavours to try that should be in the shops in the UK soon, if they are not already. "The range includes a premium Black Tea and three authentic …

There have been quite a few bunker items in the news and wider media recently, none of which I have managed to write about. So here, instead, is a summary of five of the most recent. This was pointed out to me by Mr C who saw it on Twitter from someone else (crediting is hard when you have terrible memories like us), but as the end of the world …

I have read this book over and over, but not for a long time. When I was younger, I had a well-leafed copy, and I guess I enjoyed it because of the diary format rather than because I had any particular understanding of it. I don't relate to what it's like being a teenage boy, and looking back now I can see that I didn't get a lot of the references.

It's been a while since I last went somewhere for the alphabet adventure, but I had this trip in my mind for a while - it was just a matter of getting the logistics together. My P plan was either going to be in Portsmouth or Plymouth. I had wanted to go to the Historic Dockyard, but the Mary Rose still isn't ready, and I want to go when it's …

I had no idea what to expect from this book, and at first I wondered what I'd let myself in for. Things seemed to take an age to get going, but once the action began - and the narrative started switching between characters - then it really got interesting.

Somehow, baking something no matter how big or small seems to have become a weekly habit and there's no escaping it. I keep thinking I'll take a weekend away from the kitchen, and then my ingredients cupboard calls out to me and there I am with the mixing bowls, creating something else! This week, I went back to the treacle tart that I made during the Bake Off fun and …

This week I spotted two trailers for films and both of them are about zombies, but they each take a completely different form. The first, World War Z, plunges Brad Pitt in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. The trailer looks okay but it doesn't really give a hint to any kind of actual story. World War Z There was also these tweets from Molly Wood: I haven't read the …

My love of all things bunker/fort/island led me to googling everything I could find about Spitbank Fort. Aside from the fact that it's not the greatest name ever, it's also a round concrete fort situated off the South Coast that's been turned into a hotel. It's amazing! Photo credit: Anthony Abbott As the website states: "Spitbank Fort is the most exclusive venue on the south coast, and is its own …

Ooh, I really enjoyed this, more than I'd anticipated. It starts with bonus Nicole which was a surprise, and then she gets blown out of a window which is even better. Then there was the time travel story which was great, except for the slightly odd bit at the end - Will Smith rewound five minutes to learn how to defeat his enemy, but then didn't stumble across himself in the same place, not sure about that. Then, there was the incredible Josh Brolin, who was so much like a younger K that I spent most of the film saying how it was freaking me out (Sorry Mr C). Enjoyable stuff.

Well, this was worth waiting for. I really enjoyed it. There was slightly less gross stuff, but enough embarrassing situations to keep up the tradition. The sentimental stuff was a bit more obvious, but by this point, we were almost caring about the characters so it was good. I think the work we put in watching the previous episodes was worth it, because it felt like everything was coming together to this last reunion and last party. (There is talk of an American Pie 5, but they really should just leave it at this.) It was quite surprising to us to realise that Oz and Heather hadn't been in the wedding one - we hadn't noticed and hadn't missed them! Oops.

It took me a while to get on board with this one, because it seemed that somehow Stifler had made the transition from hyper sex-addict teenager to properly psychotic adult. That manic laugh! It was less focused on him halfway through though, so that helped, and gradually the story became a lot more interesting. Preferred this one to the last, and again, the recurring jokes help things along.

This was very similar to the first but not as good. I had seen it before, but I didn't know it until it got to a moment that I suddenly remembered. I don't have much to say about it really, I quite like the recurring jokes - like the fact that everyone knows Jim because of the video on the internet, the Milf boys, and any time Stifler's mother is mentioned. I don't think this one added much to the story, though.

I've wanted to go to a ploughing match for ages - ever since I heard the antics from one on The Archers. I like country and farming stuff, but I couldn't quite imagine how a ploughing match would work. My parents have been keeping an eye on when and where ploughing matches have been taking place, and finally all the stars were aligned (read: I got myself organised) so that …

This week's bake was chocolate chip cookies that I have been dreaming of making for a long while, since the middle of the actual Bake Off marathon. I sourced a recipe and, once again, was happy that my ingredients cupboard featured everything I needed except chocolate chips. I decided to buy both chocolate chips and chocolate chunks and mix things up a bit. Oh my god, they were so good! …

There's a new trailer for the sequel to Despicable Me. If you did not enjoy the last one that included some incredible/awful singing, don't worry. This one only has a few seconds of much more tolerable minion singing. Despicable Me 2 I am very concerned about the final clip though - with the minion opening the door to what appears to be a friendly face, only to be attacked. No …

It's hard to know where to place your allegiances, because none of the characters are particularly friendly, and all of them are flawed to a high degree. The only one who really seems okay is Sloth, and I'm not sure that counts. This is a world where people who have done bad things wind up with an animal as a companion, which in turn sets them apart in the social scene. There's vague magic at work, but this is really about crime and navigating an almost disturbing plot set amongst drugs and rock and roll.

So, yea, it's exactly what I said it was above. I guess in some ways it is fun to live vicariously through them a bit, although I'm pretty sure they're all quite crazy. There's plenty I don't understand - like why the girl is meant to be getting changed in his room but decides to strip off and just hang around for a while. It doesn't say a lot when my favourite bit is the guys chanting at the painting of Stifler's mum. The main characters go off to another room, have a whole conversation, and when they come back they're still at it!

This month has been all about Ed and Emma and their lack of funds. They've both been trying to find extra work but it is not easy to find. Expensive things keep happening - broken cars, trips to London, vet bills - and there's only so many times Susan and Neil can reach into their pockets. What this is really building up to is yet another battle between Ed and …

I recently spruced up my Life List page, adding some handy links to the yearly reviews at the top, and then splitting the to-do items into tenuous categories - things to do, things to see, that kind of thing. It's surprising to me to realise that I'm heading rapidly towards the end of a third year of life-listing, but then again, I've tried all sorts of crazy things in that …

One of the appeals of writing books exclusively in a digital format is that if you need to update your book, it should be simple. Whether it be for a mistake, or additional information, or simply a bigger and better second edition, ebooks are perfect for updating. Rather than printing a huge batch of paperback or hard copy books then realising you've made an error, it should be easy to …

I love projects and creative thinking that solve problems - even if they are problems that I don't always relate to or understand. This is one of those: encouraging people to exercise when they are using the computer too much. Can there possibly be such a thing?? The video explains it all, with tons of information here. I like the concept, I think being instructed you should do something based …

I had heard some reports that this book was quite difficult to read and a tough job to get through, so I was relieved when I started it and found it okay. Travelling with Raskolnikov on his journey to and from the pawnbroker was a good start, listening to his thoughts as he pondered killing her. A bit odd, but we'll go with it.

The Great British Bake Off came to its conclusion a week or so ago (not that you'd know it as their are masterclasses and "revisited" episodes galore!) and I was sure that I was going to take a break from baking too. Except, then Mr C requested jam tarts and I had a look at a recipe and compared to some of the things I've been doing, it seemed the …

On the very day that my Trailer Tuesday post was due to go up last week, the new Iron Man 3 trailer was released. I meant to go back and update that post, but... I didn't. And then I thought, actually, this deserves a post of its own, even if it is a week late. Iron Man 3 Firstly, it looks incredible. That bit with the house falling down the …

Quite a while back now, Mr C and I ventured towards Manchester to see what all the fuss was about with these new television studios at Media City. The move away from London towards a new settlement a little further north is full of political interest, but that's not why we wanted to go. Just to see all that broadcasting power contained within some beautiful buildings is like heaven for …

How has it been four weeks since I last wrote an update? Very odd. I managed to complete October's 10k. If you'll remember, I was hoping to improve on this: Jun – 1:34:31 Jul – 1:36:03 Aug – 1:30:55 Sep – 1:34:31 And I managed this: So, not a personal best, but close enough. In other personal best news, my thirty minute runs have topped out at 3.63km, which I …

It is really annoying that this is a two-parter film that signs you up for five hours commitment of watching, particularly as we weren't aware of that before we signed up. If we ignore that, though, the film is okay! Some of the sequences are completely preposterous, but great to watch nevertheless - just waiting to see what an earth they can come up with next! Johnny Depp gets to play around with his character continually, and we get yet more bravery from Orlando Bloom, with his over-the-top earnestness.

Almost as much as its adventures in space, the final mission of the Space Shuttle Endeavour - to get through the streets of Los Angeles to its final resting place - has captured the minds of a global audience. There's so much about this that still manages to boggle my mind, and now we have some brilliant time lapse videos to see the movement in action. This second video is …

Naturally, I went into this film knowing I loved it, and it was quite fun to be watching with Mr C who hadn't seen it before. This time I got to be the one who answered the questions and had all the knowledge - that very rarely happens! Anyway, I love it so it's only ever going to get a five out of five from me. It is slightly longer than I remember, but the twists and turns along the way make it so worth it.

Mostly, this was quite rubbish. I know that teenage drama is always going to be a bit less full on that some of the more hard hitting stuff films like to get away, with but jeez louise, I have never known people make bigger mountains out of smaller molehills! The only bit that made any sense at all was when the diary was read and she moved out. The rest was all just a bit silly.

When the new and exciting Kindle Paperwhite was announced, I was keen to try it out. There's not much wrong with my current Kindle, but there are a few niggles that the Paperwhite is meant to solve, and they would make me ebook reading experience even more brilliant than it already is. We ordered as soon as we could, and the Paperwhite arrived on the doorstep yesterday. With just 24 …

Sky have created an advert of sorts, highlighting that never-ending animation series The Simpsons. I haven't seen any episodes for the longest time, and quite a lot of people think it should have ended by now. Regardless, the title sequence is iconic, and here it is done with real life actors! The only bit that doesn't quite work for me is Marge's hair. I get that they're not going for …

When I first started reading this, with no background knowledge at all, I figured it was going to be another of those classic books about a country bumpkin who marries or becomes successful but doesn't do much else. How wrong I was. This book is packed with drama, and action. The 'love' triangle twists and turns back and forth until it is impossible to second-guess what is going to happen.

For each and every episode of this year's Great British Bake Off competition, I attempted to bake my own version of something seen in the show - either a direct recipe from the show, or a recipe that was inspired by what I'd just watched. My previous baking experience includes a loaf of bread here and there, the occasional Victoria sponge, mince pies and simple bits, plus one iced cake …

It's been said over and over, but Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher is plain odd. I haven't read the books in a long while, so I'm not really able to pass judgement fully, but I know that deep down it doesn't seem right. There's a new trailer which puts a different spin on things, because it looks like a really good film! Jack Reacher If I suspend the disbelief of …

If you've got a smartphone that does all manner of exciting things, you'll know that sometimes you run out of battery before the day is out. When I switched to the iPhone, I was pleasantly surprised by the battery power in the device - it would get me comfortably through the day, and just need a charge up at night. If I was to use it as a camera, though, …

This book was recommended and loaned to me in physical format, meaning I've read it in gradual stages at work, as it was quite a hefty hardback and I didn't want to lug it back and forth. The tale inside is an incredible one though, with great insight into the troubles that Nigel Mansell faced trying to get his career off the ground. From near bankruptcy, through some horrific injuries, and then the steady progress towards the F1 World Championship, it's all documented in great detail, and honesty.

I really didn't think this was very good. It started out so promising, Spiderman looked like he had a happy life that was about to be compromised, and there was an incredible villain in the shape of an awesome-CGI sand-monster thing. But then there was also the black goo, there was also Harry flipping out, losing his memory, getting it back, going bad, going good. There was Mary-Jane and all her baggage, there was the guy taking the photos. It was all too much.