On the big screen: Mr Holmes

When I saw the trailer for Mr. Holmes, I was intrigued by what it was going to be like though I was quite willing to wait until it was available to buy before seeing it. But on a rare Saturday night out, I found myself watching the very film.

We all have that image of Sherlock Holmes in our head: the deerstalker & the pipe, but what we have in Mr Holmes is none of that (apparently that image was conjured up by none other than Doctor. Watson who wrote the tales). No, here in Mr Holmes we have the 93 year old retired Holmes returning from a trip to Japan and turning his thoughts to the case that caused him to retire while battling with his senility.

I was expecting the film to be more a narrated flashback where in actual fact we’re presented with him recalling the fateful case while almost aiding Roger (Milo Parker, who I think we’ll be hearing more of in the future and is one to watch) solve the case of the dying bees in the apiary which, to all ends, shows a side of Holmes that is rarely portrayed in adaptations: a caring side. The last person in the ‘main’ trio is Laura Linney, who plays the frustrated housekeeper & mother to Roger, Mrs Munro. Ian McKellen’s portrayal both as the 93 year old & his 30 years younger self are brilliant, even if, for me, I could see hint of old Gandalf there (and hopefully this might get a nod come award season!)

I’ve seen quite a few BBC Films (apparently they’ve been making them for 25 years!) but this for me as a film felt a little dragged out for it’s 104 min run time. For me, I could have seen this being made into a series and being shown on Sunday night, maybe as three part-er and it bringing in the viewers. But as a film it seemed a little long.

So in short: catch it just now if you must but it might be a case that can wait until it’s released later in the year.

A childhood favourite brought up to date

A sunday afternoon growing up will always be for me Thunderbirds on BBC 2. Yes, it might have been a re-run in terms of viewing but for me, it was a first time (add to that the Friday night viewing of The Simpsons & either Stingray or Captain Scarlet...) So early this year when the first images of the reboot for Thunderbirds (or as this is known, Thunderbirds are Go) appeared, I admit that I did jump on the 'no please don't do this' given what I deem a failed attempt at reboot Captain Scarlet a number of years ago.

I'm not going to lie. I have been pleasantly surprised by what they have done. Whilst yes it has been brought up to date with the CGI (so things can be done that the puppets couldn't) there are some nice nods to the original series. Let's start with the obvious: music. The original countdown by Peter Dyneley (who voiced Jeff Tracey in the original) has been maintained. It is sort of synonymous along with the familiar theme song. Occasionally, there's even the odd original music moment.

The vehicles:They are more of less the same designs as the old, maybe a few tweaks to modernise them but then, don't they do that to vehicles anyways? And they have also maintained how the vehicles leave the island too (although, there has been some redesigning on the pool. It's no longer a yoghurt pop, more of a margarine tub (this will make sense to those of a certain age!))

Characters: More of less the appearance of the puppets have been maintained. As I said, the CGI allows them to do things the puppets couldn't. Although, I do miss the bobbing that they used to do when walking. I love that the Parker is voiced by his original actor () although I'm not entirely sold on Roselind Pike as Lady Penelope.

The sets: yes I'm calling them sets. Not all the action is CGI. WETA, the team behind shall we say, the magic of The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings, have also had a hand in the show. There are points where CGI & miniatures collide and they do so wonderfully (we wouldn't expect anything else from them, would we?)

It's been loving updated version of the show that does pay homage to the original making it accessible not only to older fans, but also to children.

Taste Testing: BirdsEye Lightly dusted Cod Fillets – Lemon & Black Pepper

Battered fish. Fish in batter. However you want to describe it, it seems that the UK may be having a little love affair with fish in it's various forms. But now it seems that there's a call for lighter options. And it's here that we find BirdsEye latest offering: Lightly Dusted Cod Fillets. They are currently available in three flavours: Lemon & black pepper, rosemary & sea salt and garlic & herb. If you haven't guessed by the title, this review focuses on the lemon & black pepper version.

Packaging

The fillets have more of a thin batter & lovely flaky cod. The fillet itself isn't too thick or too thin. Birdseye have found just the right fillet size for this 'lighter' option. The flavourings of lemon & black pepper complements the fish beautifully and aren't too overpowering.
Looking at this from a personal point of view, while enjoying it and it's lightness (I'm not a great fish lover to start with ), it's not something that I could have week in, week out. I think that it's more of a once in a while meal when you're wanting something a little different from the norm and definitely something for the warm summer months. Wonder if we could get a plain version of this for a try….

Fish with salad & mango. Yum!

When Cycling Came to The Streets of Motherwell….

I'm not going to lie. I'd never heard of the Pearl Izumi Tour Series until a few months ago when an email dropped into my inbox from the local council library who happened to mention it and that it was going to be coming to Motherwell. Apparently, it's in it's 7^th year! But this is the first time that they've dropped by the Scottish town (and officially, on the day, the first dry round that they'd had! Well done whoever bribed the weatherman!)

If you're like me and not too clear on what it is, let me try and explain:

Nine teams battle it out in the Series across the ten rounds for the overall title and to be crowned the fastest and best team in Britain. However,it’s all about the teams. Just because a team’s rider has crossed the finished line doesn’t mean that their team has won.. They get the honour and glory of the individual win, but the aim is for the teams to complete the race in the lowest cumulative time with their five riders, making them the fastest team on the night

Each round will also sees selected guest teams joining in to bring local interest to the Series and to provide them with the opportunity to race on the high-profile stage of the Pearl Izumi Tour Series to aid the development of new teams and younger riders.

All clear now? Good! Now where were we…

So the afternoon was taken up by support events for run by Scottish Cycling which provided viewing before the main event, starting with the Women's Matrix Fitness GP Series before the main Pearl Izumi Tour Series men event. I only got to see a wee bit of the main events as I was volunteering* at it. It was only when I watched it back on TV (very impressed on the turn around time on that, even if it was just highlights! 24 hours?! Can I have some tips please as my videos usually can take up to a week!) I realised how fast the event was. It appeared to be a very well attended event from my point of view. And clean up was already starting before the men's presentations were being made.

I did overhear people complaining about the roads being closed, that it should have been held on the weekend or on the Monday as it was a bank holiday. After all, it was a school night, who was going to trek down there when kids had school the next day…a fair few from what I saw. To be honest, I don't think it was going to matter when they hosted the event, there was always going to be someone who would complain. Folks were saying that it should have been held in Strathclyde Park but I don't think the challenge would be there. And to be fair, the clean up started almost as soon as the last riders had been confirmed returned.

Why should we be hiding events behind 'closed doors' as such in parks & stadiums? Why not bring more events to the streets and show what we can do with our area? It’s not as if they happen all the time. If it was all the time, I could under stand, but once in a blue moon? There should be a community pride in that we got to host something like this. I'm hoping that there's a chance that the Series might make a return to the town in future years. In the meantime, there’s always 2017 and the British Transplant Games to look forward to coming to the area! And then the first European Sports Championships in 2018! 

*Motherwell provided the most volunteers (at the time!) of the series! Go Scotland!

Photos: © Vhari Lannigan. More photos are here

Taste Testing: Tesco Finest Free From Triple Chocolate Cookies

There are benefits to be parts of schemes where you get to try products for less or even for free (and who doesn’t love a freebie, be honest). The Orchard from Tesco is one of these programmes. Not everyone is suited to all their programmes that they offer but if they think that you would be interested, then you’ll get an invite. The latest one that I was invited to came in the form of ‘Tesco Favourites’.
They offered you a selection of products, one of which you picked (as you might have guessed from the title of this blog, I took the cookies that were on offer). You receive a voucher allowing you to get this product free as well as another one to spend on other tesco branded products.
Now to be honest, when someone suggests Free From, automatically I’m thinking that it tastes a bit bland and cardboardy. Unfortunately, I can’t show you a picture of what the cookies looked like but you can have the box (in case you want to go look for them and try them yourselves).
 
Why can’t I show you the cookies? Because they didn’t last! They weren’t what I thought they were going to be. They actually reminded me of chocolate covered hobnobs and felt very more-ish (hence why they didn’t last!) Even my mum, who also had the preconception that they would be tasteless enjoyed them. We’re even considering trying other Free From products after this little experiment (and that’s something I didn’t think I would be saying).
As for the other voucher? Well, we’re quite happy buying Tesco branded products, even if it is to see how they are on par with what we would usually buy. Most of the time, there isn’t that much of a difference between branded and store-own (although I do draw the line at beans, tomato sauce & tomato soup: that always has to be Heinz!) apart from maybe price. The last product we switched was from Kellogg’s Raisin Wheats to Tesco’s own. The only different really is in the size but still the same great taste!
Check out the cookies from the testing here

Things To Do: Glasgow Central Station Experience

Railway stations: some of us pass through them everyday without probably giving a second thought to how they were built or the stories behind them. Some of them are just beautiful structures in their own right. Well, here in Scotland, one station has decided that it’s time to peel back the curtain and give people the chance to see the station in another light.

Here in Scotland, there is an event every September called Doors Open Day. It’s a time where places literally open their doors to the public for a weekend to see inside. Some events are ticketed and go quickly (like the Irn Bru factory….then again, you’d probably never get me out of there). Until recently that was the case with Glasgow Central. But now the opportunity to explore this Victorian station, which operates more than 1,000 journeys a day (making it the busiest in Scotland and the 2nd busiest station in the UK outside of London) out of it’s 17 platforms.

When the tours originally popped up at Christmas, I was desperate to get on the tour as this is a station I pass through whenever I travel to Glasgow on the train. For a fortnight last year, it was basically a second home to me! So I was gutted that by the time I had found out that all the available dates at the time were SOLD OUT! Roll on the end of February 2015 and the announcement of more dates…so I treated myself to tickets as a birthday present. The price: £10 per person. But more on the price later.

Now, I’m not going to give you a running commentary because…well, I want you to go and experience this for yourself! Be prepared to be sporting a hard hat (and hat hair afterwards!) and blue jacket (we are in a working station after all). Our guide Paul started on the concourse with some history before taking us up to the roof* for the views. This was worth the ticket price in itself for me…did I mention I was scared of heights? From the towering heights it to the depths below through snaking corridors below thundering trains. At one point I actually had to take a moment to realise where I was and it was a corridor I’ve walked many a time!

Our guide Paul was very knowledgeable about the history of the station,with added brightness of tales of celebrities who have graced the station to the dark tales of other uses of parts of the underground of the station.

So I said I would mention the price: to be honest, I would have easily paid double what it was for the experience. Shortly they’re looking at expanding what’s on offer to include visiting the Victorian platform as well as the Broomielaw, which I have to say I’ll be going back for.

So, if you’re heading to Glasgow and fancy something a little different, why not think about this. Booking can only be done online and I do recommend planning in advance particularly if it’s holiday time

*access to the roof is dependant on weather & maintenance

Book tickets on Glasgow Central Tours

On The Big Screen: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

I loved the original Best Exotic Marigold Hotel back in 2012. There were scenes in it that I could relate to at that moment in time. When I saw that there was a second one at the tail end of last year, I didn't hesitate about my decision to see the follow up. I'm not going to lie though I did have reservations about it.

I mean, the first film was intriguing given it's concept of a group of older adults head off to a foreign country to a calamity of a hotel. Now, we're a few years down the line with Sonny (Dev Patel) looking at expanding his business but it's not without it's as straight forward as he expects (would we expect it to be?) as well as his forthcoming nuptials to Sunaina (Tina Desi) Our faithful residents are still here and have taken on jobs. (Muriel (Maggie Smith) is co-manager at the first hotel, Evenlyn (Judi Dench) is a fabric sourcer for a company, Douglas (Bill Nighy) is a ‘tour’ guide, Norman & Madge (Ronald Pickup & Celia Imrie) are managing the The Viceroy Club & Carol (Diana Hardcastle) is in the travel agency) 

And here in lies the problem: Once you’ve been re-introduced, the film seems slow, not the haphazardness of the first one that kept the pace. There are still the laughs though not in as much quantity of the first. The return of Jean (Penelope Wilton), looking for a divorce, feels awkward and disjointed and not entirely sure whether there's something missing. In some instances, I can't help thinking that if it had only been Douglas’ daughter Laura (Claire Price) & not Jean, it may have worked better. I did have my reservations about Richard Gere being involved in the film, however, his character, Guy, slotted in perfectly to the already existing cast

Was a sequel needed? Probably not as the first did finish on a nice little note and left you wondering what did happen next but felt complete. I can't help feeling that they left a few loose ends by the end of this one, but I'm quietly hoping that there isn't another film. There comes a point where you need to recognise that something is finished and not drag it out (Disney, I'm looking at you with regards Toy Story! The third one ended everything nicely no need to milk that any more!)

So in short: if you enjoyed the first visit, you'll probably enjoy the second but expect a placid ride to the last bumpy one.