Top 5 Tuesday #4: "The last five films you watched"

Hey guys,

How many of you noticed the topic for today is in the right-hand side bar? I put that there last week and will do each week so you can have a head start on thinking about your selections.

In the film world that I reside, the last five films I have seen in order of most recent going backwards...

1

The First Wives Club - I saw this at the weekend and felt compelled to watch. I remember seeing it when it came out and it is still entertaining now. I am ashamed to admit that my OCD alarm bells went off when they are all wearing various shades of white...off white...cream..ivory..aaaaaagggghhhh!

Here is the trailer for it...

2

I saw Lion on Friday, it stars Dev Patel, and it based on a true story about an Indian boy who gets separated from his brother, eventually he is adopted by an Australian couple, and this is about his journey home. The children in this are brilliant and really made the film as special as it was. I am still shocked that 80,000 children a day go missing in India...yes...EIGHTY THOUSAND! That's a heartbreaking statistic.

3

I managed to blag some free tickets to an early showing of Moonlight, another heavy topic, so not my usual film. This one was interestingly made, and although some of the camera effects worked well they were also at times quite distracting. However, its a tale of identity, and here is the trailer...

4

La La land is movie number 4, i hadn't wanted to see this due to the hype around it and the fact that I had seen the trailer one too many times, but I was going through a soundtrack phase and decided that even if I wasn't seeing the film I would have a listen to the soundtrack. I loved the soundtrack (except the theme tune) and that swayed me into seeing it. Sadly the theme tune was played on a loop throughout, but it was an ok movie. Oscar winning only for the production as that was great.

An issue i had with it was that I liked Ryan Reynolds in it, I liked Emma Stone in it, but I didnt like them in it together. I never saw the chemistry that people claim there was and so was never sold on the love story aspect. I also thought Emma's dancing was stilted in the first half of the movie in the longer dance sequences and wanted her to relax a bit more, it is a musical after all.

5

Finding Dory was the fifth movie and I am still thinking about that now, and how much I need to watch it again. It was a brilliant sequel to Finding Nemo. I really loved it. What more can I say?

Here is the 'Honest Trailer' for it...I tried to find honest trailers for the others but they havent made them yet, whatever you think of this, if you loved Finding Nemo I think you will love this.


What are the five last films you watched? Leave in the comments if you have blogged today so I will come and check them out.

Day 5: Which is worse, failing or never trying?

Its serious day! Boooooo...just kidding...so what do we have here then?

This is a tough one for me to answer, instantly I thought...

"But of course, the answer is clear it is far worse to never try than to fail..."

about ten seconds after thinking this I also thought about all the things I hadn't done or tried for fear of failure.

Day 4: A penguin walks through that door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?

Well isn't this a fun one...yes, a little bit kooky but fun all the same :)

He says...


'Hey...i'm really sorry to bawther you gois but have you seen moi hat?...hmmm...I guess nawt...I best keep looking...I just don't know where it moight be...'

Day 3: If you had to teach something, what would you teach?

For me there are two ways of answering this question,

1. What am I qualified in and could teach?
2. What do I enjoy doing that I would love to teach?

To answer the first interpretation, I have a degree in Physics and have in my distant past taught maths and physics at a secondary school in West Africa (High School) and I did enjoy it to an extent. I would never teach here in the UK, it would be a nightmare, but I imagine if you were teaching students who wanted to learn it may be rewarding. I used to like marking best and timetabling (as I was in charge of that) and as many bad days were met with good.

The second one...hmmm...let me see now...I can be quite patient, and would like to teach crafts but probably would enjoy doing arts and crafts projects with primary school children (age 4-8) a opposed to adults and such. However, if I could teach anything, I think English as a foreign language would appeal to me the most and I have toyed with doing a course in the past, so who knows!

What about you? Are you or were you a teacher? What would you like to teach?

Day 2: What do you think cats dream about?

Hello Again

So today is silly question day, I shall be alternating, and what a question! I have a cat so I am obviously expertly placed to answer this, but if you are a dog owner then please feel free to tell me what you think dogs dream about, or any animal you want really.

What do you think cats dream about?

I believe that cats generally don't dream about anything, they aren't really prone to worrying and anxiety (not as much as a dog anyhoo) and I often look at my cat sprawled along the shelf above the radiator and think that her mind must be blank, she is laying there feeling warm and content and blissfully happy, not a care in the world.

Occasionally, but very occasionally she will twitch and its at these times I know she is dreaming about chasing something, and knowing Muse it is most likely a butterfly or a bee.

Here she is...

So what do you think cats dream about?

Day 1: When was the last time you tried something new?

Hey there,

I have tasked myself with writing more, and I think writing about anything and everything will help inspire me for my stories.

I wasn't sure what to write but then I came across a blog about 365 questions, I am guessing this is one a day for a year starting on January 1st but I am going against the grain and starting it today. This list was done way back in 2011 would you believe, and I am not going to tackle them in numeric order, but hop about a bit. I am also going to include some random fun questions that i have scooped up around the webiverse.

The questions I found are quite varied and hopefully will help me get to know you all a little better, as I would love for you to put your response to the question in the comments.

So today's question (is the first question on the list)...

1. When was the last time you tried something new?

Hmmm, this is a good question. I like to try new things even if its just to learn that I don't like them. My mind instantly goes to learning something new, but this could be clothing out of your comfort zone or even interesting foods.

This is tricky! I am thinking I definitely need to try new things...oh yes! let me set the scene for you...

It was a cold and chilly evening when I arrived home. My hands frozen, my nose all but falling off, when I stepped into my mothers house and was met with the most amazing smell....mmmm...wafting its way across the kitchen to my nostrils delight as my nasal hair grabbed at the air molecules as if half starved.

It was one of my childhood favourites, a real home comfort dish, and definitely a winter delight. 

Mince and Mash.

I couldn't wait to eat it, I really couldn't...and then...as i looked at the plate...my joy began to fade..their on the plate hidden among the mince and gravy were 'GARDEN PEAS' and...yes...SWEETCORN!!

As a child, garden peas used to make me gag, my skin would pimple and i'd imagine I was being poisoned by the green garden peas (which were referred to as poppy peas - due to looking as if they had popped). Sweetcorn I will NEVER, okay so that seems extreme but.. I WILL NEVER eat sweetcorn, we have a hate-hate relationship and those were immediately evicted from my plate.

The peas however, were just eyed with suspicion, I took a bite and one had hidden in amongst the potato, I swallowed...I paused...I waited for that familiar feeling of  'Bleugh'...and it never happened. I ate a pea. In actual fact, I ate all the peas. The flavour was inoffensive although I wouldn't eat them on their own, but I did it...I tried something new...well...it was new enough, don't you think?

When was the last time you tried something new?

Top Five Tuesday #3 - Romantic charts

Hey there

This week I have decided to pick 'romantic charts' as the theme. I know some people don't 'do' valentines or aren't particularly bothered by romance and for those people please feel free to interpret romance in your own way.

So here goes...

1. February in my Durene Jones calendar and I will stitch on the first of February and quite possibly tweak it a little as I did with January.

2. This is a quote from Jane Austen, it make me laugh because i believe it to be such a hilarious notion...but its still a little romantic and I am using it to represent all book/film quotes about love.

3.Cover Art. I saw this and although I would never stitch it, I would hang it in my house, why? because its super cheesy and would always bring a smile to my face.

4. Wedding designs, generally I am never really convinced and find them a little twee, i know i know, i do realise i just said number 3 above, but when it comes to wedding designs I prefer the more modern and simple designs like this...and possibly put the date and initials somewhere in the design.

5. My favourite romantic couple...easily Beauty and the Beast...but although I have a small Kinkade one to stitch its not my favourite thing to work on...so i have searched and searched for the perfecct chart of them and this one is the best I could find for me....

well thats my five :) I am off to see the others....links coming soon...

p.s I have a little romantic design of my own...which I will hopefully stitch in time for valentines :)

Top 5 Tuesdays #2: Travel Charts

Hello

When I came up with this idea I thought it might be quite tricky, but after a lengthy five minutes of mentally going through my WIPs I realised I have five travel themed WIPs!

Then another five minutes spent thinking about my stash and I realised I had about three in my stash and a further five minutes led me to realise I have a lot more on my wishlist, so how best to cover this?

In the end, I have gone for designers/companies etc.....so without waffling on much more...

Chatelaines....oh these are truly things of beauty and one day I will do one, but I definitely would need a scroll frame in order to do so and I would need a really good goal to motivate me, thinking about it though the end result is pretty motivating..here are a few..

Aren't they beautiful? Google them and you will see some close ups of finished stitched versions, they contain cross stitch and specialty stitches and beading.

In true Kate fashion the next choice is the polar opposite of the above, and my choice is the stitched versions of Vintage Travel Posters...such as these..(the link is to a site of all things vintage travel)...

Country Cottage Needleworks has a series, currently London, Paris, Rome and ...erm..hmmmm?

I have three of these to stitch, but not Rome as I have decided to only do those that are places I have visited, what is that fourth one called? ......New York! doh!

I have started this one and I shall post an update soon when I stitch a little more than a bike...hehehe.

I also like the idea of stitching a map, but finding one that I like is proving more difficult than you would think, and I prefer simple to too much fuss...something like this...but not this...but like this...hehhe

And finally, I do like the underground maps - the London underground but also the new york metro and all and every train map that is made of those multicoloured lines. As a traveller, I spend a lot of time on holiday looking at these. Again, finding something just right isnt so easy but these are pretty good..

What would you choose? Do you have any travel or country specific charts in your stash?

Top 5 Tuesdays Theme Announcement

Hi Everyone,

Apologies for the delay and I hope you will still participate...I shall be posting my list later today.

So when I was thinking of a theme for this week it happened to coincide with thinking about my annual holiday and where that would be. I'm in a strange place right now as I've no place calling my name...hmmm...but anyway, the theme is....

Top 5 Travel Charts

This can either be directly related to travel, or linked to a destination, or anything suitably obscure if you can provide a link.

Top 5 Tuesday reboot #1 - TV Crime Detectives

I mistakenly thought that this would be easy, I do watch any and all TV crime and detective shows so I assumed that I would naturally be able to select five.

I have come to the conclusion that I need to be even more specific when having themes because there are sooooooo many good detectives. Maybe if I had said, top 5 TV detectives from the 1980s? Or 90’s or even 00’s? Or TV detectives with the best moustaches? Or best crime related cross stitch patterns? Or….yep…so many alternatives! I shall have to start being more specific. But alas, that is the power of hindsight, and so I shall have to be suitably general.

I am also going to list these in reverse order, with number 1 being the best of this brilliant bunch.

5

DI Vivienne Deering is the main character and lead detective in a relatively new show here in the UK called No Offence. The first series was released in 2015, but series two has only just started airing now (2017). The show is set and filmed in Manchester and the accents for some might be strong, and there are a lot of colloquialisms used. The show has some good characters in and easily 50% of those are female, another reason to like it. Viv Deering acts like one of the boys, can be crude and blunt, but ultimately gets the job done.

This is Channel 4’s official description…

“The cast-iron boss who chews lightning and craps thunder. Deering is in the prime of her life and is a great Detective Inspector, with a great team that she leads with respect. A Valkyrie on speed and dizzyingly capable – a splendid cross between Jane Tennison and Miss Piggy – she is a filthy warrior.”

The shows creator and writer is Paul Abbott who previously wrote Shameless (which I believe there is now an American version of?? He also wrote Cracker (another awesome detective (from the 90s) who I was reluctant to leave off this list), Touching Evil, and State of Play to name but a few.

Here is a clip…

4

Kurt Wallander is someone I believe that I have mentioned before on my blog, probably because I love the character and the show, he is played by a Swedish actor (in the original show) and by Kenneth Branagh (in the UK version). I am not sure if the show is over now, I think after the last UK series it probably is.

The Kurt Wallander character is very calm, craggy and intelligent but constantly seemed to carry around with him a cloud of inner turmoil which we get a glimpse of from time to time but is never quite resolved.

Here is a clip from the UK version,

3

Miss Marple has long been a favourite of mine, and I have in the past mentioned this and my desire to play that role when I’m in my late sixties, I’ve yet to be approached or cast oddly…heheheheh. Anyway, Marple isn’t the only Agatha Christie Detective in this list but as a child I always found her the most interesting and the funniest. She has been played by many actresses over the years and the idea of a nosey old womaan solving crime definitely appeals to me, you should never judge a book by its cover. My two favourite Marple actresses are Margaret Rutherford and Joan Hickson.

See the following clip for just a glimpse...

2

Much like Marple above, my next favourite is an Agatha Christie detective and I have two favourite actors who owned the role. Both so very different but the character shines through, and that is Hercule Poirot, I like to ponder over how Agatha came up with the character and which attributes belonged to people she knew and which were made up. 

The two actors I favour most in this role are Peter Ustinov and David Suchet.

As you can see, Poirot is very Sherlock-like with the arrogance and confidence in his convictions. If I had a bigger list, Sherlock would have made it! 

1

And at number 1 it has to be Inspector Morse, in his original show and in the latest show Endavour. I spent many years with John Thaw as Morse and he was great, the show Lewis (when his partner became an inspector is also very good). Morse is filmed and based in Oxford which is about half an hour away from where I live.

You can check out some Morse here.

And...just because I was curious...I went in search of some crime related cross stitch.

I thought some of you would be missing Sherlock....