All posts by Govvy
Climbing La Concha (Marbella, Spain)
I see the mountain (La Concha translates to The Shell) from the apartment every year I go to Spain, rising high in the background with a superimposed look, but it’s very real.
I was driven over to a place which is also a national park meeting a friend of my brothers called Alex.
Straight out of the car park we began our walk down the road to an olive grove, through a woodland and up through a few rocks to our first sign-post. I was already feeling it then! I am clearly not as fit as I should be.
At the same time I was running the Nike fitness app on my phone so I could record my stats going up. This was annoying for me because she kept saying “workout paused!” And “resuming workout!”.
Up we went and I was making sure I had careful footing as there seemed to be a lot of loose rock. I hear Alex up ahead, “Come on this is easy” my reply was “maybe to you but this is alien terrain to me!”.
We stopped for a break half way up.
We carried on to the top, passing three points which were a bit more challenging hence they added chains to the mountain side to assist you. At the top I turned off my Nike app recording 6.5KM it said I had climbed an elevation of 546 metres and had only burned 368 calories. I don’t know how accurate the app was but I turned it off at that point. Knowing I had to walk back the way we came meant that’s doubling the stats!! A fair bit easier but it was still hard work.
Accosted by the flower gypsies
I was with my dad just having a walk along the coast (Marbella) in Spain to a bar we like to have a snack at. When almost there I got accosted by this woman trying to shove a small flower down my t-shirt. Another woman tried to block my path while asking for money.
I said no and handed the flower back, she then tried to put it in my pocket while grabbing my wallet at the same time.
I push her away and gave her a slap saying no again. She didn’t take anything off of me, but even still this little event really annoyed me.
She is lucky I was fairly calm at the time otherwise if she tried it on me if I was in a different frame of mind it might of ended badly for her.
Least I ate my lunch in peace.
Forever the Princess
I am not sure how old I was but one of my earliest memories of any film in the cinema was Star Wars Return of the Jedi. My Uncle Harold took myself with my two older brothers.
I am not sure how much influence it had on my at that age but the film captivated me and I fell in love with everything Star Wars. As well as having the A-Team bed covers I also had Star Wars ones. Then there was the toys. We had an X-Wing, Luke, storm troopers a few others but I never had Leia.
It was a few years later when I had more affections for Leia, a man coming of age!! My heart always felt that little bit lighter.
When I heard the news yesterday that Carrie Fisher had died and the fact that another hero of mine, George Michael passed earlier it feels like a piece of my heart had been ripped out. 2016 Sucks!
The iconic 1980s pop, rock and SciFi. These are the foundations I grew up on and it has partly slipped away. However there are plenty of greats to remember and Carrie Fisher’s Leia will alway have a place in my heart.
She will live on in all who remember her and for all who knew her.
George you will be missed
I was very sad to hear George Michael had died.
Years ago in the early 80s I came home via Southgate tube station and the saxophone echos through the tunnels. The song being played was Careless Whisper and it captured my heart. I loved George Michaels music from that moment. I always wondered if that was him playing or not, in my heart know I felt he was in the station saying something to me.
I listen to his music and it sounds like he was in some pain over a girl. But years later after finding out he was gay I listened to the music again in a different light. Was he saying something else? Did I miss something in the meaning?
Now I hear he has died and it hit me, brought a few tears to my eyes. I will have to listen to his music again and wonder at how such a talented artist can leave us too early.
Conviction TV show in review
I only started watching the show because it had Hayley Atwell on lead. But why am I watching this show? Loose storylines, plot holes, fair sized plot holes and some dodgy acting. And why only five days to solve or review a crime? And the fillers? Showing the city, a little quick review shot of the evidence. These take time away from producing a better storyline. It seems to copy CSI and other shows but in a format which has been scripted by a 12 year-old.
Atwell plays Hayes Morrison who is a former First Daughter who is also a lawyer. The idea could of been better used. A show about a former presidential family might of been interesting, but we have gone down the wrong path and Conviction has taken too many wrong turns to come back from.
Time to cancel?
Doctor Strange Review
Next to the first Iron Man film I would have to say this is one of the best Marvel films I have watched. Seeing a perfectionist fall from grace and rise up again is nothing new to film entertainment. But the style and grace in which Scott Derrickson brought this comic book character to the big screen felt right. Benedict Cumberbatch was an excellent choice for the role, his on-screen chemistry, short sharp canny jokes, the way he holds himself, tall with regal strength. These are the qualities which the Doctor Strange character is known for.
There is obviously a greater picture about Marvel’s version of Earth than we know of, this film represents a multiverse theorem, changing the dynamic yet again.
Stephen Strange a brilliant doctor, although helping people he seems to have an arrogance about himself. Set in his ways up until a car crash that destroys his hands that made him such a brilliant physician. This then sets him on a journey to search for a cure to repair his hands, this in turn leads him to the Ancient One and a new way of life.
I am not to sure about the makeup of Ancient One, Tilda Swinton who played her didn’t quite look right. I also considered her to be the weakest actor, she didn’t project that well on screen.
After what seems like a quick study session, Strange is tested when the Ancient One dumps him on Everest and told him he has to make his own way back. It wasn’t long afterwards till the bad guys come back and rain havoc.
If I told you anymore I would be giving the whole film away. This film is visually stunning, however it does seem to borrow elements from Inception and The Matrix which does take a little bit of the originality away. The music score by Michael Giacchino was another element that brought the film to life, I could easily add the soundtrack to my CD collection as I thought it was that good.
You are also treated to the best after the credits Easter-egg ever in my opinion when what you thought was a good guy turning bad. I am looking forward to the second film now.
I highly recommend seeing this in the cinema on the big screen.
4.5 out of 5.
My early Halloween treat!
So my bin went for a walk last night, I spoke to one neighbour and he didn’t know then a young kid said their bins disappeared also, it turns out my bin was where his ones should be. The kid told me the other kids were moving peoples bins around for a joke.
My first thought was one of annoyance, but when I think about it, the kids were not very inventive.
When I was that age we would decorate people’s front drives! These days I guess the corrupted young have no real imagination. I am truly disappointed with their joke.
I can only hope for something more inventive on Hallows Eve.
Future War Cult (I think she likes it!)
Right now in the game Destiny on PS4 they are running what they call Festival of the Lost. It’s basically Halloween on Destiny! You run around do a few quests and collect masks! Kinda silly, but fun, for a very short time.
The Young Pope review.
What is the message? Is there a reason for watching? What is there to teach us?
To begin with there is a grandeur about the whole show, the architecture, the buildings, so beautiful in design and the elegance of marble stone. The art form of the show does standout and the music gives a feel of something else. Jude Law (Lenny Belardo) who portrays The Young Pope has an impressive on-screen presence and his ability to play into the character certainly grabs you and draws you in. But there is a wonder, is he actually psychotic?
We start off in a dream sequence, it bounces around so at times you don’t know what is suppose to be reality or what is in his head. When Diane Keaton turns up as Sister Mary they start to try and provide a back story to how Lenny Belardo came to be. But instead this feels like taking a book of history and just dropping it off the side of the boat. So in essence you only saw what the front cover said. This is carried into the politics of the Vatican followed by some interested sequences one of which are some nun’s playing football which I rather liked. There was also an interesting scene with a kangaroo, however how flash the show, I felt like I zoned out at times.
The edginess towards the Pope making his first address was a constant flow throughout the show and when it came to it, I felt disappointed. There didn’t seem any clarity and it’s as if the show petered out at the end leaving you with unanswered questions.
I am not a fan of smoking in films and for a modern generation I didn’t think this was such a good idea to promote it in a way which it looks like a fashion accessory. And the fact he has a Coca-Cola for breakfast felt more like product placement rather than what one might expect to get in an orphanage growing up.
I guess I wont go for the answer as I don’t think I want to watch the next episode.
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