I quite liked it. Much of it was totally unbelievable but if you assume that the government really could get themselves together like that, it was a fun ride. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, it did seem unfair that these people thought they were just training and ended up in that massive fight. Neverthless, it was good and fun and made me just a little bit paranoid. What else can you ask of a film?

I remembered this book as my least favourite, although not specifically. It was a vague recollection of ’the book where Harry is stroppy.’ Turns out that was this one. It’s completely understandable, given the horrors that he has already seen, the difficult summer he must have had, and the continuing frustrations around him. Plenty of people don’t believe him and those that do aren’t telling him anything. And above all that, he’s also now a stubborn teenager so you can’t blame him for that.

This month, I’ve gone day by day again. I like to do it occasionally, because it makes me realise just how much does go on in Ambridge, despite the fact it doesn’t feel like it! 1st - Tom needs Jazzer to do some extra hours because of all the dreaded paperwork. A glimpse at what being an adult is really like! More on Amy’s new boyfriend. They dropped in all the Ambridge Extra story in one minute. Weird.

Thus proving that it wasn’t what I thought at all. I really enjoyed it. I laughed quite a lot, even in places where I wasn’t supposed to, which I think annoyed Mr C but it was out of enjoyment more than anything. The animation of the ED things was rubbish, and I docked Terminator quite a lot for that, but it didn’t feel quite so bad in this one. Additionally, the special effects of RoboCop when his helmet was removed were brilliant! Overall, very good, much enjoyed.

I’ve got a special affection for Jason Mraz, who I first heard of a few months after Mr C and I met. Back then, we found a live concert album available on Archive.org stacked with catchy songs and listened to it over and over and over again. As with lots of artists, subsequent albums haven’t lived up to that first one, although I’ve enjoyed a few singles peppered over the years. We bought the latest album and that has yet to make much of an impact, but it’s early days.

This time last year, I was busy relaxing, writing, and pondering the future. Six months ago, I wrote about my return to work after a sabbatical that involved not finding my dream job but doing something just as worthwhile instead. I’m on a fixed term contract, and thus the future is still relatively uncertain. But for now, I’m glad I can get back to something of normality. Equally, I’m incredibly grateful I had the chance to take some time off. I hope I got the most out of it. I was worried I’d just sleep late and play the Sims all day. Three books later, I’m happy I have something to show for my nine-month sabbatical.

Harry Potter’s fourth outing was, if I recall correctly, my favourite on my first pass at reading them. On this re-read, so far, I think that is true once again. It’s also borne out by the fact the book is fifth on my Big Read list, whereas the others are nestled somewhere around twenty or so. (I’m also intrigued that only the first four are on the list, I guess people think this is the pinnacle and it went rapidly downhill after that.)

I really enjoyed this, from beginning to end. It’s one of those that I dread because it’s long but the time just flies by. I loved that Erin was doing these great things, but ultimately wasn’t a completely do-gooder character. There was plenty about her to rub people up the wrong way, and her shouting matches were just incredible to watch. The dedication though, that was the thing. Even though everything was falling apart, it was all about the greater good. Fab acting from Julia and those around her. I didn’t really want it to end.

This week, the one run I’ve got up on Runkeeper isn’t quite fair, but it has been a rather pitiful seven days. Monday, I went out for a run but after about ten minutes, I knew my calves weren’t having any of it. A further few minutes on and my app cut off midway through a pace update and when I checked, the time had gone all weird. I decided to call it a day and half walked, half jogged my way back.

This episode begins with David Tennant as a science teacher. He writes physics on the board and then struts around muttering a little bit. I absolutely detested science at school because they managed to make it as hideous as possible despite potentially being one of the most fascinating subjects. However, if I had a science teacher like DT, things could have been a lot different!

The third book in the Harry Potter series does not follow the same pattern as the ones that go before it, and it’s a very timely departure, avoiding the series becoming formulaic. It’s not so drastically different - there is still a year’s worth of lessons and exams to deal with, alongside Quidditch, and unravelling a mystery that leads to an end of year showdown, but this time it’s not about Voldemort.

This film seems to have gone down the same way the previous Cage one did and that is not well. I didn’t mind it. I found the story intriguing enough, although there were some irritating plot holes in terms of character reactions. It wasn’t particularly thrilling, did not get the adrenaline going, but I was curious how the story was going to turn out, so it at least had something going for it. I thought January Jones play-acted her role the same as her 1950s housewife, and a review suggested Cage ‘phoned it in’ which I can understand.

Mr C and I discovered something through this film. We couldn’t really figure out why I liked it so much and then we saw Paul Rudd and I practically squealed and the answer was obvious. I could actually die, I like him so much. So, that explains a lot but I do also love the film as a whole. Oddly, I hadn’t made the Emma connection up until this point, but now I have read the book, it’s more obvious.

It was just as good as we remembered. Funny, a heartfelt little romantic comedy, with plenty of slapstick laughs in there too. The bath scene really is as good as expected, although I managed to mould two scenes together in my mind. I had him in the bath trundling down the garden, which would be weird because I’ve never seen a bath with wheels as yet. Great movie, love it.

I didn’t write an update last week because I got a bit mixed up with the days, given the two bank holidays. Before I knew it, it was Tuesday, and I figured it could wait for a double update today. I’ve also not been running as much as I would have liked, after some rather busy days followed by some more reluctant days. I’m still working through the 10k class, and have completed four runs in two weeks. Not great, but there’s still forward progress.

If you haven’t heard about Caine’s Arcade and haven’t already seen the video, then you must watch this. I found it a bit slow starting but you have to stick with it because a) this boy is a genius and b) people are brilliant. I love the arcade, although I think it could do with a little bit more colour to distinguish one game from another. Then again, this is me - a person unable to open a packet of biscuits sensibly - passing judgement on a boy who figured out a system to verify his Free Pass tickets.

Harry’s second year at Hogwarts is much the same as his first. He starts by being imprisoned unfairly by the Dursley’s before being rescued and whisked away for a taste of life with the Weasleys. This is a great introduction for us, the reader, to what life would be like living at home with a wizarding family. We’ve seen what it’s like being a wizard amongst non-wizards, and being a wizard at a wizarding school, but this is new and brilliantly entertaining.

I have read all the Harry Potter books before, and very much enjoyed them (although I vaguely recall getting frustrated with a couple of the books). Getting them on the Kindle was the step I needed to be able to read them all over again. I’ve been looking forward to this, they are part of my Big Read challenge, and all the stars are aligned for me to rattle through the series in one go.

I couldn’t see how the format would work ebook style - getting to the end of each chapter and having to skip forward to a designated page, depending on your choice. The Kindle isn’t famed for having page numbers, so it needed a bit of a rethink. The problem has been easily solved with links, instead of scanning through pages, you just jump through the book by tapping/clicking the link of the choice you desire.

For a new fan of the Archers, these books are invaluable. I read the 2009 version and was instantly caught up on the characters I was just getting to know. It’s a quick start guide for anyone who wants the important back story of each villager, but without it being too detailed. It also brings you up to speed on recent events, so that if you’re diving into the soap after some time off, you’ll be able to catch up what you’ve missed.

Advertising doesn’t work on me. Not really. Except for when it does. Many, many adverts on TV are irritating, depressing, stupid, or a mixture of all three. This, however, is the cutest thing I have seen in a long while.

I almost missed the Boat Race this year. I love it enormously, and tweeted a reminder to others (and to myself) earlier in the week. I even had it in my mind to make a live commenting thread for the event. However, then I lost track of what day it was. I didn’t realise it was Saturday and the Boat Race couldn’t have been further from my mind. Thankfully, the fabulous Pat reminded me and I switched on the TV just in time to see the rowers begin their arduous journey down the Thames.

My Archers roundups get later and later, it seems, but it’s okay because the goings on never stop in Ambridge. This month, we’ve had misplaced compliments, completely pointless handshakes, and the never-ending saga of John/Rich, the long-lost grandson. Why on earth Sharon gave in and allowed the boy to find out about his extended family I do not know. That visit from Helen was about as disastrous as they get.

I wanted to like it, but I didn’t. I got very confused in the middle, so that I didn’t know who was good, who was bad, what was going on, and what the entire point was. I didn’t particularly like any of the people, and it all felt a bit weird. It had some good lines, but went on too long. Not a fan, I’m afraid.

Mostly, the film was exactly what I expected. I didn’t understand very much of it, and as politics is about my least favourite subject in the world, I didn’t particularly enjoy much of the story. They was some pretty great acting, though, and I did like the direction. It was a very pretty film in all senses, and well directed by Mr Clooney.

Everyone knows that War and Peace is the prime example of a long book. It’s top in most minds when you talk about an epic novel. I knew it was long, but even so, I still wasn’t prepared for the two months it took me to get through it. That’s nothing compared to some other people’s experiences I have heard, but considering how I was getting through the books beforehand, two months was a surprise.

I managed a quick visit to my parents over the weekend - something long overdue. We’ve had some unseasonably hot weather recently (although what is seasonable these days?) and it really felt like spring and summer were here to stay. Of course, today it’s cold, but that makes looking at these photos all the more pleasant. It’s always nice to visit my mum and dad’s garden as they put a lot of effort into it and the results are clear.

It doesn’t take long before my attention span wanders. I had that plan, run thirty minutes in the evening, a long run at weekends. Then the clocks changed, and there was all this daylight in the evening, and I wanted to do something a bit more focused. So, I went and signed up for another Runkeeper Fitness Class. Actually the same one I did before, the 10k one. I could go right ahead with all the excuses and things now, but really all I need to say is that I’m just taking it as it comes and not pressuring myself to do anything out of the ordinary. I’m not always going to be able to spare the time for the distances in an evening, but I’ll do my best and see what happens.

For another long film, I actually really enjoyed it. The island concept is great, there’s always something about islands that I find intriguing. The dialogue was great, the story fab and characterisations also good to watch unfold. My biggest complaints were the car chase which was rubbish and the scene with the daughter which was equally bad. They could have cut that out and shortened the movie to a more manageable length.

A while ago, I tagged on the end of a mish-mash post a paragraph about Being Human. The fourth series had yet to start, and I was speculating on whether it would be any good - given that significant cast members were going to change. I’ve always liked the show, watched it since the beginning, and been impressed with how they have embraced the online world. The blog, in particular, this year has kicked things up a notch with exclusive scenes, bonus goodies after each episode, and some kind of scroll/parchment game that I have not invested in but like the idea of anyway.

I had heard very good things about this film, and although my knowledge of baseball and other such American sports always makes me a little bit wary of this type of movie, the addition of Brad Pitt was definitely a selling point. The casting even managed to gloss over the fact that it was over two hours long!

I have been waiting for Harry Potter to be available on the Kindle since I first heard about the concept of an eBook and this crazy device from Amazon. I understood that JK Rowling wanted to do it properly, in her way, but the waiting wasn’t good for me. The Harry Potter books that I already own are some of the very few that I have kept hold of. I didn’t think I would want to read the physical copies again - reading a real book is such an odd experience these days! - but I didn’t want to get rid of them in case they really never did appear in digital form.

I think it’s fascinating that this film made only about $25k in the box office and was yanked after 10 days. It broke records with the speed it went to DVD - 18 days. I mean, it wasn’t great, I will admit to that. A lot of shrieking, some pretty unbelievable villains, but an okay premise and a plot that wound its way towards the end through some medium-level twists and turns. It wasn’t my favourite film of the year, I agree, but I have seen an awful lot worse!

I liked this one, it was funny in places but it didn’t quite seem to fit together properly. The story was incredibly unbelievable, even from the basics of why they were planning the heist in the first place, never mind the end result with the car. The story only really worked because of the strength of the characters, and I thought the acting was good, considering it was quite difficult material to pull off well. Overall enjoyed it, though.

Really, very, very good. I was surprised at the relatively slow pace of the film. No major moments, no big action sequences, just an undercurrent of fear as the virus slowly spread. For such a large cast of characters, it was easy to get behind most of them (give or take!). The only one I didn’t really understand was Marion Cotillard’s character, but I suppose they needed to get her out of the way before she uncovered the origin.

A couple of good runs this week, but no big one at the weekend. I was mentally prepared to do it, but then the race went on a bit longer than imagined and I ran out of time. Oh well, gearing up for it, I suppose. During the week, I found myself listening to my own music, rather than those big running megamixes I have downloaded. At some point, it clicked over to this Doctor Who soundtrack, and it was awesome. It’s like I was training to be a companion! Very motivational.

I have a couple of scarves in my wardrobe, and I love them. It totally could become an obsession, but I haven’t let it. Yet. I’m almost partly sad that spring and summer are heading rapidly towards us as it often gets too hot to wear them - particularly in the office. Anyway! I love this video, partly because of the inspiration but also because it’s very well made. I love that at the end the individual screens become links!

Interestingly, for a film that I’ve seen before, this still made me nervous and jumpy. That is a plus point all in itself. I was so impressed with how not-dated the film looked, in every capacity but the computers. Oh, they were dire. They only managed to take away the tiniest bit of realism for me, though. That, and the weird bit where they are all sitting around chatting and smoking. You wouldn’t smoke on a space ship these days.

Back to running again, which was a good feeling. The first run back was great! I thought it would be tough, but as it turns out, it was pretty much exactly the same as the one I left off with - and that was a good one! I had intended to go out today, but it’s been a bit of a busy and mixed up weekend - what with the start of the F1 season. After an extended nap this morning, it suddenly started bucketing down outside. I figured I could probably leave the running for another day!

As I remembered, it is both awesome and a little bit cringeworthy at the same time. If you can ignore the disturbing conversations between men in white pants, and the awful sequence of him hitting on her at the beginning of the film, then we’ve got something really very good. At its best, we have a complex tale of a troubled pilot wanting to do what is right for him, his friends, colleagues and country. Strip that away and we have a man dealing with friendship and loss. Take all of that away, and you’re left with some pretty spectacular plane porn. Bundled all together, we have a hit.

I just can’t make my mind up about this one. The CGI was absolutely incredible, very well made throughout. The acting was pretty good, but the story was as predictable as it comes. The ending, perhaps, was slightly better than a too-good-to-be-true Hollywood thing, but still, it was all a bit silly. Despite that, I still really enjoyed it. The kid was obnoxious, and their relationship was an awful stereotype, but they had good dialogue.

This was good but not as good as the original. After a few minutes of watching, I remembered that what I liked about the first film was the partnership between the two. The moments when they were talking, just being normal, or bickering like an old married couple. In this second film, they spent far too much time apart, so whilst it was fun, it wasn’t quite as good.

No running for me this week, and boy do I feel guilty about it. I’m seeing tweets of people running super speedy 10k distances, or beating their personal bests, or Jenson Button’s girlfriend completing her first marathon and I just feel awful. Physically, I probably could have managed a week of running but mentally, I was all over the place. Job stuff, car stuff, work/life balance stuff, podcast stuff, it’s all taken over. Some of it is fine, some of it is fantastic, some of it is tough, but whichever it is, it then comes to Sunday and I haven’t done any running and I’ve got a blog post to write to keep my “running diary” up to date.

My relationship with tea thus far has been limited. As a child, I just didn’t participate in any hot beverages - except for the occasional hot chocolate, and a hot orange squash when I was under the weather. Since I’ve been with Mr C, I’ve drunk more tea but still not really enjoyed it. Recently, I tried some tea without milk in and liked that a lot better.

On the 7th January, I went into town and visited the Post Office and the bank. I remember the date specifically because I had been trying to get to the bank for a couple of weeks, but their opening hours were not coinciding with my free ones, and they also shut over Christmas. I had to send a letter overseas, and I had to bank a cheque that wasn’t in GBP. Not too hard, you would think. The bank took my cheque and gave me a receipt. The Post Office took a bit of money off me, and gave me a tracking number so I could watch my letter get to its destination. They call it AirSure. Because it goes by air and you can be sure it gets there.

Despicable Me 2 Mr C said: “You’ll love this!” and played me the video. Unfortunately, the first time I heard it, I was listening audio only, and I was not impressed. “Turn it off!” I squealed. Then, of course, I saw the actual video itself, and - MINIONS!

Really enjoyed it. The concept is totally intriguing, I spent quite a long time pondering the idea afterwards. Some of the filmmaking was a let down, particularly the over-use of music to try and stir up emotions | predictable and disappointing. There was also this, which may be the most awful and obvious ’toy car in place of real car for crash’ scenes I have ever witnessed. Mr C and I both burst out laughing when we saw it, and he mentioned it was like Thunderbirds.

So, Tony had a heart attack. I don’t think anyone saw that coming, did they? Even on the official Archers blog they had to admit that it was a rather anticipated event. It happened right at the end of the month, after another couple of busy weeks for Bridge Farm. With launches, more talk on the long-lost grandchild, Tom’s never-ending obsession with pork-based ready meals, and Pat’s animosity towards Brian over the mega dairy, it’s been yet another month full of this branch of the Archers clan. When will they get a break? Perhaps now.

I’ll admit it, I’ve been pretty hopeless with the running this week. With all kinds of healthy activities really. It’s just been hectic, and excuses, excuses, excuses. Today should have been my long run day but I woke with such a headache, I couldn’t face it. This is the first day in a long while where I have just had the entire day free to do what I want, and resting seemed more of an important option than running.