Christian Ainley my day to day

  𝒮𝑜𝓁𝒹𝒾𝑒𝓇 ‘ℐ‘ 𝒸𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒫𝑒𝓉𝑒 𝒲𝒾𝓃𝓃𝑒𝓇 ℳ𝒾𝒸𝒽𝒶𝑒𝓁 𝒫𝒶𝓊𝓁 𝒦𝑒𝓃𝓃𝑒𝒹𝓎 It must have been mid 1995 after reading the bravo two zero books that I found this at a local market I didn’t pay all that much for it and I was pleasantly surprised.  In the early 1970’s the Sultanate of Oman was under threat from communist insurgents and the sultan looked to the U.K for help. With a major conflict in south east Asia also happening the U.K and Oman were keen to keep the conflict out of the media and so a small detachment of S.A.S soldiers were sent as a training team.  Soldier’I’ covers this conflict and the battle of Mirbat which proved to be the major turning point. The book also covers the U.K’s response to the rise in terrorism and the response to that in training counter terrorist teams within the S.A.S culminating in the Iranian embassy siege in Kensington London in 1980.  I read this book after school for a week solid and it’s brilliant, it puts you i...

  It’s the New Year’s Eve an my single rest day of the week I have the day to myself and that means a long walk. I wasn’t really feeling it if I’m honest and I was tempted to stay indoors and watch rubbish on you tube. But I did get my arse in gear in the end  It’s really windy out and there’s a weather warning for tomorrow because of it. I’ve finished Stalingrad by Antony Beevor it’s a masterpiece of writing and I’m going to look out for a copy. I’ve started Russia, the story of the Russian revolution and civil war also by Antony Beevor there’s so much going on at the start it must have taken a long time to research.  I got to Windsor and got my five guys just a little cheeseburger, fries and a biscoff shake. I sat upstairs and just chilled before walking home. I got just outside of Eaton and it became a hard slog but I made it. 7.5 miles now I’m going to chill and get ready for work tomorrow ! 

  𝒦𝒶𝓌𝑒𝒸𝑜 𝒮𝓅𝑜𝓇𝓉 𝒫𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓃 𝒻𝒾𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓇  Kaweco are a German pen manufacturer founded in 1889 and are currently headquartered in Nuremberg Germany.  One of their most popular line’s are the Kaweco sport line normally a cartridge based pen that is very small to fit in a pocket and is designed to be used posted ( lid on top of body). This is the piston filler version I bought it on its first realise at the beginning of the year. It comes in a fantastic presentation tin box and if you get the set with the ink bottle inside it’s really impressive.  𝒦𝒶𝓌𝑒𝒸𝑜 𝒮𝓅𝑜𝓇𝓉 𝒫𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓃 ℱ𝒾𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓇 I want to tell you about the writing experience unlike most pens this one actually feels right when it’s posted in fact even if you have small hands you might struggle with just the bare pen. I filled the pen with Edelstein Golden Lapis as I’d just bought some it was the ink of the year for Pelikan. The pen is really light and nibble and would be perfect for taking f...

  It’s New Year’s Eve and all over the world people will be celebrating and lots will make resolutions.  Firstly I think that self improvement is a noble quest and something we should all do. Lots of people fail at their resolutions after a short time I think it’s because they take on too much and expect radical changes in short time frames. Try to be realistic and if you don’t succeed straight away use it as a learning curve and apply that to the next attempt. You didn’t fail you learned what to expect so you can be better the next time !  If it’s a big or complex change you want then break it down and turn it into steps only move forward once you’ve completed the step you’re on !  I’ve come a long way this year and I only had two main objectives at the start.  I wanted to train either at the gym or outside consistently I also wanted to quit nicotine for good, I wasn’t smoking but those little pouches.  The first one was easy to set up a routine and mainta...

  Strava post workout analysis! It’s another afternoon at the gym and today it’s shoulders.  I started off with some light rowing always a good idea to get the blood flowing. After 30 mins of cardio it was on the weights  First up shoulder press machine starting light at 20kg and working up to 37kg  Lateral raise machine next and again starting with 20 kg and this time up to 32kg  Onto the barbells next 20kg military press and going on to 30kg  Then upright row and working down so 30kg to 20kg  Front plate raises starting with 10kg going up to 20kg  Ann’s traps to finish starting with 16kg going up to 28kg a side 

  For some reason the internet likes groups of numbers people even plan it out to get a run.  Well I’ve just come out of the gym got in the car and the odometer is on 44444 miles 

Stalingrad, Antony Beevor Cover After the Cold War had ended Russia opened its doors to the west and western academics could look at the military archives it was a short window and before the millennium when they were closed to all foreigners and only select Russian academics could view them.  Antony Beevor made the most of that period to research this book and combining the information with the German archives he has competed a historical masterpiece. I think we can all agree my writing skill are poor at best, do yourself a favour and read this book by a genius.  Beevor takes you from the front lines where you feel like you’re embedded with a unit to the meetings between generals discussing tactics. Then you’re in meetings between Hitler and his Generals reading as thoughts take shape and seeing Hitler take the credit for the best ideas and pinning the failures on others.  You’re placed in the lines a civilian parts dig tank traps to engage the advancing Germans and then...

  Leg press station  It’s to the gym again after work and I have to get a leg work out in otherwise I’ll be a strange shape, well I’m already a strange sharp but skinny legs will make it worse.  So I get to the gym get changed put my headphones on and they are flat I know it’s my own fault but it’s a pain in the ass. I go on the cross trainer to start intervals on 14 I’m doing ok but I can feel my left knee is swollen and my patella is flapping about in fluid. I push on but if I feel pain I’ll stop !  It was leg press to start 50kg and working up to 100kg it felt good and the knee was ok.  Squats on the machine next starting at 50kg and going up to 70kg am improvement on last week.  Leg curls next and starting on 50 working up to 72.5kg very good  Leg extensions to finish and I mirror the curls  So last legs of the year and a 70kg squat not bad, have I got the social media headline right ? 

LAMY Safari Aqua sky Aquamarine  I thought I’d change out the content for something new.  I write a daily journal, most what happened during the day and any thoughts or things I need to process. Most of the time it’s just routine information.  To partner writing the journal I have a large collection of fountain pens this is my latest.  LAMY are a German manufacturer founded in 1930 by a former Parker sales man.  LAMY Safari Aqua sky Aquamarine  There’s a big cult around LAMY Safari’s the collector scene is big, every year LAMY releases limited edition colours and there are also limited number special editions also. If you have any old LAMY Safari’s in a draw have a look the dark forest green is well sort after .  So what are they like to write with ? I would describe them as a school type pen. There’s an easy grip with triangular grip that guides your thumb and index finger to the conventional place it’s light and easy to write with and helps you to fo...

  I wanted to take a break from the gym and walking just a day to have some recovery.  I’ve had some hotspots on my left knee which I’ve had problems with in the past bursitis, so I’m going to let it settle down today and hit the gym again tomorrow. 

  Fly machine  I think I’ve used the back pun before but let’s be honest nobody read it then so I can use it again !  It was from work and in to the gym again the diet is well out the window but at least I’m putting in cameos at the gym.  It was rowing machine to kick things off just a nice pace to get some blood moving.  On to dead lifts next in the main area I was able to get a rack as it wasn’t too busy working from 30kg up to 60kg just getting reps in.  Narrow cable rows again lucky as the station is normally busy starting on 42.5kg and moving up to 60kg it was good.  Rowing on a weight machine next again 42.5kg up to 60kg it was a bit of a struggle but I got through.  Rear deltoid's with rope next not heavy 12 kg and up to 20kg just catching them right !  Lat pull down 42.5kg up to 60kg it was was a bit of a struggle near the end.  Reverse fly to finish hence the picture 45kg up to 65kg that was me done 

  Techmoan Home Screen  Not a book this morning but a you tube channel instead, firstly I’d like to take my hat off to all you tubers. The time and energy you put in to making videos is staggering. I’ve tried editing a video on my phone and it’s a pain in the ass.  On to Techmoan it’s a great you tube channel covering mostly audio and camera technology. The audio tech is mainly obscure and obsolete technology that is qwerky or has a unique function or way of working.  It’s really well presented and has come a long way in the time I’ve been watching. I’d love to break down this content but it’s so vast let’s see. Reel to reels of different sizes, Boom box’s, modern streaming speakers, cassette players and decks, mini hi-if’s, strange audio tech, old out of date tech you get the idea the list goes on.  Sometimes if the item has seen better days he’ll service it or conduct a minor repair. There’s a good explanation of the items history the videos are all well resea...

  Chest press machine  It’s back to work and back to the gym also. After all the food and sweets yesterday it was hardly going to make a difference but hey.  It was cross trainer intervals to start on 15 it was good but tough going also my legs were feeling it.  It was on to a chest routine and machine flys to start on 40kg and working up to 60kg  It was machine press next starting at 20kg and moving up to 37kg not much I know.  Incline press next adding 10kg to a 20kg bar then moving up to 20kg to finish  Decline next and adding 20kg moving down to 10kg Cable flys starting with 20kg and slowly moving up to 44kg the weights are different because the machine is different to last time  The wide press machine to finish 19kg up to 31kg a good session I enjoyed it. Good to be back !!! 

Bravo Two Zero Cover Andy McNab I’m pretty sure it was Christmas 1995 thst I asked for this book I can remember the hype it received and how fast it was selling. I didn’t actually get this book on Christmas Day because it had been lost so I had to wait a couple of days. I think I got it on the 28th I’m not sure !  Andy McNab was the commander of the Bravo Two Zero mission that went wrong during the first gulf war. Both of these books start the same and out line the beginning of the mission and when it turns into an escape and evasion mission.  There’s a point where they troops get separated and that’s the difference, Andy’s group go on to hijack a car and get captured. Andy is candid about his as a captive in Iraq the abuse and interrogations, then his eventual freedom and return.  Again it’s a really good book and the original S.A.S bestseller. Some of the story has been debunked in a latter book ‘The Real Bravo Two Zero’ but it’s fun nonetheless the less read it and jud...

I’m trying to think back it must have been Christmas Day 1995, I’d asked for the other book Bravo Two Zero but I opened this one instead.  I started it the minute I got it and read solid for two days until I’d finished it.  The Bravo Two Zero mission during the first gulf war has become military history for its failure. 8 members of the Famous S.A.S were inserted into the Iraqi desert to monitor a main supply route for Scud missiles and either call in air strikes from coalition fast air or to take them out with their own anti-armour weapons.  Going in on foot with a radio that didn’t work the mission was in tatters when they were discovered by a goat herder. Now it was a test of escape and evasion across the Iraqi desert being chased by its security forces. Many brave men fell some of the died but this is the story of the one that got away !  A brilliant book that will have you hooked early on, we all love to route for the underdog and it’s even better when they beat...

  Christmas Lunch No gym or walks today as it’s Christmas Day, it was a tradition Christmas lunch while watching its a wonderful life on itv 3.  Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings ! 

  The Day Of The Jackal Poster  2024 Fredrick Forsyth’s political thriller has been adapted for television. If you’ve never read the book then I urge you to do so as it’s brilliant and leads you down many rabbit warrens along its plot.  Sky tv have brought this thriller bang up to date and from the first episode this adrenaline fulfilled thriller keeps you enthralled. The Jackal and his double life being pursued by the security services needs to complete one last job before retirement and he has to rely ever more on his wits as avenues are cut of for him you’ll be on the edge of your seat.  The cast is brilliant being led by Oscar winning Eddie Redmayne as the Jackal being pursued by Lashana Lynch (No Time To Die) you be kept guessing as to how the complicated web could ever be evaded until the end. 

  Dreamlab by Vodafone  It’s Christmas Day so I should use my blog for some good and try to promote a good cause.  Vodafone have been running the Dreamlab app for a long time and the premise is simple. At night when you put your phone on charge open the Dreamlab app and your phone can do low power calculations for research.  There are a number of projects to choose from long covid, Tumours and how to fight them or Cyclone modelling. There all for large universities and all you need is a wi fi connection. If I stay in a hotel I often turn on the app on to get my moneys worth ! 

Berlin Brandenburg Gate When you see images of Berlin one thing stands out the Brandenburg gate.  Erected on the site of the former city gate the current structure was built between 1788 and 1791 and is the start of the road between Berlin and Brandenburg an der Havel. Okay if you want the rest of the history there’s Wikipedia. The Brandenburg Gate is the heart of Berlin the irony is that it’s right next to the U.S Embassy in Berlin, the Bundestag is a short walk away as are a lot of Berlins sights.  Just inside the Brandenburg gate there’s an area used for protesters anyone with an agenda. Yes in the times that I have visited Berlin there has been a couple saving for their wedding, a vegan protest, an ecological protest and a Palestine protest all in this little area. It’s quite safe and monitoring by the police is there but just at arms length to ensure everyone is safe.  Brandenburg gate arch’s  If you visit be sure to walk through it and tell me what’s going on i...

  All Creatures Great And Small   If you’re of a certain age you’ll remember Sunday evenings as a child and watching the original All Creatures Great And Small on BBC 1 with your family, Christopher Timothy sticking his hand up a cows backside and all the other adventures they got up to. I hope like me you remember them fondly with nostalgia.  Well channel 5 have rebooted the series and it’s been on for a few years now and has become well established it’s never a long series run but the cast is really good and at the top of their game, sadly they lost Diana Rigg a couple of years ago but with only a small series run they were able to find a just as capable replacement. It’s a must as a feel good program that unlocks childhood memories of the Yorkshire dales and Trickywoo. 

  Die Hard movie poster It’s happened I our home Hans Gruber has fallen from the Nakatomi Plaza to his death after the Rolex on Holly’s wrist was unclasped.  I’m sure there debate as to whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie will rage on but it’s set at Christmas good triumphs over evil and there’s a great story on the way so it has all the things a great Christmas movie needs in my opinion.  Get your snacks piled up along side your drinks and put it on you know the lines ‘you want miracles Theo, I give you the FBI’  Hay agent Johnson and Johnson isn’t Johnson another name for penis ?  Ok there’s enough to be getting on with for now 

  Langley Park Hotel/Spa  It’s traditional now to go for a walk on Christmas Eve and this year it’s around Langley Park. I first visited Langley Park on a school trip I believe the school had just got a minibus and the novelty hadn’t warn off. There was a visitors centre in Langley Park then and we learned about the owl’s that lived in the park and the giant redwoods and the soft fury bark that they have.  Today It was very muddy under foot and at times it was tricky to keep balance but we both made it around without slipping over. It was a nice walk just over 5.5 miles in total and now it’s time to relax. Oh I completed the apple challenge for December which is a bonus !  Giant Redwood (small)

  So rather than being stuck indoors it’s now tradition to go for a Christmas Eve walk and so I’ve completed the Apple challenge for December 👍🏼 December Apple Challenge Complete 

  It has to be one of the most iconic sights in Berlin, the art on display in the east side gallery and it’s a must on any trip to the city.  In 1990 after the fall of the wall 118 artists from 21 countries made a political statement with art work on the eastern side of the Berlin Wall the area has been developed since and not all of the pieces remain and the ones that do are repainted versions of the originals but they are part of the city and its story.  The best part is that it’s free it’s literally just a wall along a main road. Very close to  Berlin   Ostbahnhof  station and easily accessible from both the U Bhan and S Bhan stations. There’s a shopping mall very near the east side mall and it’s close to the Mercedes arena where they play ice hockey.  It’s a must on any Berlin trip 

  I’m taking a recovery afternoon and we’re putting up some Christmas decorations, I’m not a big fan and if it were down to me I wouldn’t bother but I compromise and have a small tree for a few days.  I used to put up a big false tree but as it got older it sheds more than a real tree I guess it’s the glue getting old. 

  Ark Royal Cover Some time you see a title and you just think I’ll give it a go and see.  Well that the case with Ark Royal it’s what the world used to call a paperback but it’s fun and fast paced, it’s also spawned an entire series I think I read up to book twelve then got distracted.  The writer is British so the books have a heavy bias towards that nationality but it’s still fun and a bit different. The science aspect is well written and easy to follow no complicated jargon to unravel. It’s fun and you can take it on holiday pick it up whenever and you’ll catch up.  If you’re looking for a light sci fi adventure then this is for you ! 

  Leg press view  I thought I’d get in a leg day before Christmas  week begins in earnest.  I did some rowing to start not going mad just a steady pace 3739 meters in 30 minutes to get a bit warm, I’d just walked in from 6°c outside. On to squats I’m not the best at these but starting at 50kg and working up to 70kg no bouncing.  Press next with plates, some say you shouldn’t do squats the press back to back any thoughts ? Starting ant 50 working up to 90kg  Leg extension my bruise had cleared up so it wasn’t painful today starting at 42.5 and going to 65 kg I should move up there  Leg curl to finish mirroring the extensions in the book.  No calf exercises today next time. 

  Only one more day of walking over 4.54 miles to unlock Decembers medal ! 

Two dumbbells  It’s back to the gym today and just a general day to do bits and pieces nothing specific.  Cross trainer intervals to start on 15 for some reason this became a bit of a grind towards the 30 min mark but it’s all good.  On to abdominal crutches on the machine next starting at 57.5 and working up to 72.5  Forearm next behind the back first starting with 20kg fixed bar then on to 30kg that burns  Then forearm prone over a bench same weights but failed on the last 30kg set  Traps next starting with 18kg dumbbells and going on to 22kgs not heavy I know but doing the job.  Side bends with a bar next 20kg moving up to 30 kg not to tricky but you’ll feel it latter when you pick up the towel after the shower !!