Oh Dolly 💔

For the last seven years or so, my website has been working via a Hugo static server, building pages every time I publish something. That was working well and it had the desired effect of being in control of the content, the way it was published, the structure of the site, rather than relying on a third party content management system. Three years after implementation, it was already getting a …

I randomly stumbled across this video summing up Niall Horan's Grand Ole Opry debut, and it was so exciting! I've loved Horan's music but never really thought of it as leaning into country - however, when you hear it in the context of the iconic wood circle, it does make a certain sense. I'd also missed that Horan had teamed up with Thomas Rhett, ultimately the reason he got invited …

There’s a definite cultural trend at the moment for leaning in to nostalgia, which is hardly surprising when you take a look at the world we live in. I’m as guilty of it as anyone. Rather than face up to the current news, I’m more likely to be watching an old episode of Cheers or getting obsessed with Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. And I’m not sorry, because when you dig into …

You wait for ages for a good television music quiz, and then two turn up at once. No sooner has the BBC’s The Hit List returned to our screens, than PopMaster TV also popped back up on More4, kicking off this week with a celebrity special. The two shows are both brilliant, a lot of fun, and test your music knowledge past and present, and I love what very different …

A trailer was released yesterday for a new Marvel series called Visionquest. The series follows main character Vision and appears to catch up his story since WandaVision. I don't know about anybody else, but I didn't know this was in the works. I'm a bit behind on the MCU of late, The Fantastic Four is still on the list and there are a couple of series I've missed. Whereas a …

Strictly Come Dancing has undergone the biggest shake up in its twenty year history ahead of the 2026 series, and I'm left a bit bemused by it all. When former hosts Tess & Claudia confirmed they were leaving last year, it was obvious that the show had a good opportunity to mix things up a bit, but I wasn't necessarily expecting the number of changes we've seen. Presenter tense The …

I had an itch recently to go to Stratford-Upon-Avon. There's no real good reason why, as I'm not a particularly big Shakespeare fan, but I've been before a while back and remember it being particularly picturesque. Of course, this time, I was going in the middle of one of the UK's many heatwaves, so the grass was all dead and dry and the good looking photo opportunities were few and …

At the Stratford Butterfly Farm... my best photos were not of butterflies.

Gorgeous colours at the Stratford Butterfly Farm.

At the Stratford Butterfly Farm... my best photos were not of butterflies.

A visit to Stratford-Upon-Avon, during one of this year's heatwaves. Bet it's a bit cooler up there.

I wasn't sure what to expect when taking in a performance of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, as the UK tour passed by. I definitely wanted to see Ralf Little in the title role, but I've had a hit and miss relationship with John le Carré's work. This book has been my favourite so far though, so the odds were in its favour. And I absolutely loved …

I wasn't too far behind the curve on Ride or Die, it was released mid-way through July, but I still ended up having to power through it to be done in time for Hannah Waddingham's next stint on Ted Lasso. The woman is keeping busy and long may it be so! I absolutely loved Ride or Die, a female led spy series with two best friends in Waddingham and Octavia …

This summer is a big one, heatwaves and droughts and consistent weather that we're just not used to in the UK. I don't know about anyone else, but it's really just become a matter of survival and I genuinely think I will never complain about being cold again. In the meantime, although the forecast is suggesting slightly reduced temperatures going forward, there's not really an end in sight for this …