Christian Ainley my day to day

  After lunch I decided to get out for a walk around the estate to pick up my WeWards then up Rowley path. It was very muddy under foot but I had a good book and sturdy boots.  I got to the top of the path and there were some teenagers who'd lost there friend Michael. The fact one was completely soaked fro where he'd stood next to a flooded road as a car cane past at speed led me to think Michael didn't appreciate that game.  It was a nice walk just over six miles and 7 golf balls it was home to get my head down and study some more. I finished off the last of the questions in unit 2 read it and submitted it for marking. That puts me 12 days ahead on the course. I have unit 3 to complete before half term, yes I get a week off for half term!  It's been a productive day in all, on Monday evening I'll start unit 3 it's only ten questions.  Have fun stay safe 👍

I woke up early this morning and set about unit two of my course. I did take some breaks for breakfast and when it got to mid morning I decided to get my arse to the gym.  It was cross trainer to start on intervals on level 14 I pushed and got into level 5. It was 475 calories over 30 mins and 1.65km.  I really wanted to train legs but a lot of the machines are busted. In total there are 5 broken machines which puts more pressure on other equipment. I decided to write an email to complain as it’s a joke having so much equipment out of action.  I decided to do chest instead and started with machine chest press low to start on 20kg and the up to 35kg. I did some Tri’s next on the machine starting at 50 kg and going up to 65kg.  Incline press next and just with a bar to start then adding 10kg. Bar press next I added 10kg to the bar and pressed to failure.  Wide chest press with the machine next starting at 26kg going down to 19kg and failure. It was a nice session ...

  Berlin if you've never been, it's a unique city when you visit most places you're an outsider a tourist, a foreigner, not in Berlin! In Berlin you are a Berliner.  There's the story of a civil servant who's just moved to Berlin in the book. It's his first day and he receives a questionare on a city improvement. Having experience in other German citys he knows it took 2 years before he could have an option in Frankfurt and 18 months before he could have one in Colone, so he skips the survey. 5 minutes later he receives a phone call. ‘You didn't answer the questinare?’ ‘well I'm new so I thought’ he was cut of ‘well you have opinions don't you? Fill out the questonare !’   That's Berlin she embraces you and takes you in, of course most of it was destroyed by the allied airforces during World War 2 and then pillaged by the soviet army after defeat. The irony being that Berlin didn't even vote the NAZI party into power.  The author takes the st...

  It's been a good day, first I received my certificate from my principles of customer service course, then I received grading for my first unit of principles of team leading which was a pass. I did get told off for some bad grammar, if only they read my blog!  For the late afternoon it was a hike up Rowley path and listening to the new expeditionry force book, which is my favourite sci-fi series on audible. It was a good walk and I found 5 gold balls to add for the spring stock.  Have fun stay safe 👍

  All my work during the autumn and winter working towards my level 2 principles in customer service course have come to fruition and today I have been awarded my certificate for completing and  passing the course. Have fun stay safe 👍

  Not many blogs this week I have been busy studying, I’ve worked my way through the first unit of the Team leader course and I have to say it’s very intense and requires a lot of work. There’s lots of different models to study and explain and it takes a lot of work to take a visual diagram and explain it in words. But I’ve done it and I just need to wait to get it marked !  Have fun stay safe 👍🏼

  Waking up early it was straight on to the iPad to get some more course work in. I put in a good couple of hours and I got through a two more questions, I know it doesn’t sound like much but I’ll challenge you to write about Belbin’s team role theory and how it’s used in team leading in less time !  I took a break and headed to the gym, it felt nice to get some positive endorphins following. I started off with cross trainer and really pushed. I was in zone 5 over 175 bpm for my intervals and it felt good. Pushing hard I managed 2.65km and 575 calories. Good going !  It was on to a back workout and dead lifts to start, the only rack free was the smiths machine so it was on to there. I added 30kg to start and then increased to 50kg.  Next it was machine rows my normal machine was out of action so it was a hammer strength machine. Being new to the machine I started off with 25kg and you to 33kg it was good and felt different but good. I’ll add it to the routine.  ...

  I remember being 11 or 12 when the new Star Trek series started to be shown on BBC in the early 90’s. I’d already watched encounter at far point we’d rented it on video a few years before, it was still amazing to watch the CGI was next level compared to everything else we’d been watching on tv. Every week I’d tune in to watch the latest episode and then discuss it in the playground the following day. Diana Troy was my favourite I have to confess.  Then Deep Space Nine followed, now this is my favourite it’s darker and its characters have more depth and sinister nature. I’m sure this is how it would be. Not the nicely nicely world of the next generation but the dark world where friends and enemies have moving boundaries.  Well now the new Star Trek series has dropped on Paramount+ set way after all the series that have gone before the CGI is top draw. Watching the first episode there looks to be some good action with smart plot lines and some space battles the perfect co...

  It’s my first rest day and I wanted to make some progress on my new course so it was straight on to the iPad to make some headway. The modules on this course are larger then my previous one and the first module has ironically 20 questions to answer. I’ve powered through the first six today and hopefully I’ll be able to submit it before the end of the week. My dead line is the 5th February but I like to be ahead ! For the afternoon it was a walk up Rowley path, there was a young boy trying out his mountain bike on the mud being looked after by his dad. He was playing with a stick he’d found, I think he was going to joust his dad with it. The sight made me smile and long for those simple days when a ride on a muddy path and getting dirty was an achievement and there were no responsibilities. Oh was a reasonable golf ball turn out with 5 added to the spring stock.  Have fun stay safe 👍🏼

  Apple TV have been concentrating on their out put and lifting the bar to compete with mainstream networks.  The Morning show was one of their flagship series. With Good morning America as the inspiration the morning show centres around an early morning magazine tv show that is rocked by the me 2 movement when its male host is fired amidst allegations of wrong doing. The series goes on to show the fall out from such an event.  Jennifer Aniston plays the female co host and of course it’s a great performance as the anchor the show revolves around her reaction to and recovery from her co host being fired. Knowing her position is under threat she takes the initiative to be the master of her destiny and throws a rock into the pond.  Steve Carell is the deposed host who struggles to cope with being black listed and shunned. It’s a good dramatic performance from Carell and give the series a good spring board to start from. He’s not on for long but they are little pieces of...

  On Christmas Eve last year I applied for my next course Principles Of Team Leading and today the funding came through and I can begin the course. I have 12 weeks to complete the course and there’s lots of support available.  This is my second level 2 course and they’re are great fun to do and provide lots of content to learn from. Even when you’ve finished the course you still have access the the content to refer too.  If you are looking for self improvement then you should search (free courses in England ) to see what you could learn. If you want to go direct to a good college who will help you then  https://www.camre.ac.uk/   are really good and if you phone their help line you’ll find a great team willing to help you pick a course.  There are some things to remember, you need to complete the first unit both a and b if it’s split before the dead line in order for the college to claim funding and if you fail to complete the course you’ll have to pay £100...

  It’s a return to the gym today and it’s leg day. It was rowing to warm up and a nice gentle pace. 3726 meters over 30 mins.  On to hack squats and as always 57kg to start the adding 10kg.  Leg extensions next and starting with 47kg going up to 60kg.  Unfortunately a lot of the leg machines were damaged in the gym so I couldn’t do much.  It was leg press next 65kg up to 80kg it felt ok.  To finish it was calf raises seated with 50kg until fatigue set in.  It was a nice session and it felt good to be back training, hopefully next week the machines will be fixed and I can have a good session.  Have fun stay safe 👍🏼

Another Harlan Coben thriller this ones a bit of a slow burner it has to be said a lot of these stories are layered this one more of a long story arc. Michelle Keegan takes the lead as a newly widowed mother who believes she has seen her dead husband on a nanny cam. When she confronts the nanny the situation escalates when the nanny pepper sprays hers and runs for safety. Keegan plays her part well there are some aspects of the character that makes it challenging playing a veteran who suffers post traumatic stress and can present challenges but Keegan dies well.  Dame Joanna Lumley plays the rich mother in law and she's brilliant and revels in playing a darker role, for someone we’re used to seeing as a bubbly happy personality the darker role makes it all the more sinister.  Adeel Akhtar plays Ds Sami Kierce who is the lead police officr during the series. This is a meaty role a senior police officer who's an expectant farther, suffering black outs and under strain to get res...

 It was a return to the gym today and cross trainer to start, it was an easy pace and I covered 1.6km in 30 mins and got through 430kc  On to the tri press machine and starting high at 50kg and going up to 65kg. I did have a slight niggle with cramp but it eased off.  On to cable pull downs and starting low with 15kg I worked up to 21.25kg nice and slow.  Overhead pulls and starting on 17.5kg going up to 25kg.  Rope pull downs and starting low again on 15kg working up to 21.25kg nice and slow.  Bar presses next and 20kg over 7 sets until failure.  It was a nice training session and I pushed to be a bit heavier today.  Have fun stay safe 👍

It was out for a walk today and a quick lap around the estate to collect today's Wewards then over the field and up Rowley path. I continued round to Black Park and had a mocha in the coffee shop before heading home.  It was only 5 golf balls today and I met someone else who was searching for them too. In total I covered 8 miles and managed to keep my feet reasonably dry. I did manage to De stress and get some fresh air which was the most important thing.  Have fun stay safe 👍

  For New Years day 2025 Netflix released Harlan Coben’s missing you.  Ok this is my third viewing of a series based on a Harlan Coben novel and I have to say I enjoy them. The recipe is simple a fast and dynamic plot being brought to life by a top draw cast. There are twists and turns along the way and nearly always a shock at the end.  Rosalind Eleazar heads the cast this time around playing a detective who is struggle to get over the lose of her father and is searching for the truth behind his murder. Rosalind is a great actor and delivers, finding a balance between a hard nose police detective and a daughter who's lost her beloved father she delivers a powerful performance. Richard Armitage has a good supporting role playing a superior police officer who makes it difficult for the lead. James Nesbitt has a cameo performance as a criminal master mind, it's nice to have a Harlan Coben favourite in the cast.  It's a good series, if you've watch any of the others the...

  It was a return to the gym today, I wanted to gauge where I was after a week away. It was rowing to start. I found a good place and managed 3842 meters over 30 mins.  On to biceps, it was Preacher curls to kick off with 20kg added to the EZ bar it felt ok. I added 10kg more then forced the last sets.  On to the curl machine next starting with 27.5kg then going up to 35kg higher than my normal. Bar curls next and I started with 20kg going up to 30kg it was a bit of a struggle but got through it.  Lat pull downs with the machine starting with 50kg then going up to 57kg to finish.  Not many sets today but higher weight which I should keep going. Have fun stay safe 👍

  30 years ago work begun on a small film written by two men from Boston who were best friends. They stared in the movie themselves with a little help from the legend that is Robin Williams. The movie is a masterpiece and went on to win two Oscars, one for Williams as best supporting actor and the second for Damon and Affleck for writing the movie, the movie was Good Will Hunting!  This friendship still endures and if you've ever watch the skits on the Jimmy Kimmel show you'll see how much fun they can still have. Matt Damon was watching Get Back The Beatles documentary and when it came to the impromptu roof top concert he realised that was the last time The Beatles played together and the creativity, the bond that held that group together died that day and withered away.  With that pang of nostalgia ringing he was determined to get together with his oldest and best friend to create a project that would bring his band back together. The Rip is centred around a team that s...

  After pledging to work on my fitness and making a start I've been struggling with illness for the last week hence lots of blogs about Netflix TV series and movies.  Today with clear sky and time to spare it was out for a walk, I've been doing some small walks around the estate and yesterday to Mcdonalds but today it was a bigger walk up Rowley path. An opportunity to gather more golf ball stock before the spring and fresh air at the same time. It was good to get out and I was able to finish my book and start a new one.  It was 22 golf balls today which was good going, I really need to sort them out as the pile is growing.  Have fun stay safe 👍

  So after watching one Harlen Coben series Netflix helpfully recommended another!  Not only that but with a bit of digging I've discovered that this is a new year tradition for Netflix to release the next Story on New Years Eve.  It's another James Nesbitt vehicle but again there's a great cast around him. Having only watched two series I'm taking a punt that the layered story line is a theme for the author and that he has a clever or twisted mind to think up these story arcs.  This times it's a person who goes missing and you're tasked with trying to work out what happened and who cause it, you'll have some allys in the series who have the same task. Lots of good relationships in this series. Eddie Izzard is a fabulous actor (Amongst a long list of other talents) and he's no different in this, it's like finding the best chocolate in the box and I longed for him to come back on screen. Cush Jumbo is the main character and your main guide as events u...

 Harlan Coben has been writing drama for over 20 years but this is my first dip into his work. I saw James Nesbitt and had a bit of nostalgia for the Cold Feet actor so thought I'd give it a try.  No beating around the bush it's straight into the plot with this one and then hold on tight as the story progresses. There's a layered approach to the story as you follow three different arcs as the story unfolds.  James Nesbitt is of course a brilliant actor and delivers so much with his performance and quickly pulls you in to the story and gets you on side and pulls you along with him. As he digs further into his daughters disappearence information come to light that shakes him to his core. Everyone has a steak in the game and he can't be sure who to trust as the plot unfolds. Ruth Jones is good in support and brings an interesting sub plot to the story which keeps the audience engaged when the main is developing.  There are some major plot points that would let the story...

  This project has been in the pipeline for a long while. Firstly it was linked to Brad Pitt with Adam Sadler attached. Pitt didn’t want to commit and the role was offered to Clooney how accepted after reading the first page of the script.  A successful actor is entering the twilight of his career and events unfold that make him look back over the small margins that separated him from his contemporary’s. Of course Clooney is brilliant as the aging actor who is feeling nostalgic about his past. Adam Sandler is a great foil in playing the agent who has to look after his biggest client as he heads out on an impromptu trip to Europe.  I was a little bit unsure when I first put it on but if I’m honest it’s a slow burner. Once the characters are laid out the depth of the acting and script is explored and there’s a lot to bite into as an audience member. If you don’t like the long build up or struggle to recognise the art in the multi faceted story then this isn’t for you and yo...

  In the 80’s action films where being released constantly by the studios. Arnold Schwarzenegger was approaching the hight of his star power producing two blockbuster movies a year. Following hot on the heals of ‘Preditor’ ‘The Running Man’ became a satirical look at gameshows and the means they would go to attract an audience.  In the modern world where social media dominates and likes and clicks are king it was time to revisit this premise and reinvent it for a modern audience. I must confess that when I was 9 years old I did rather like the original it was fast paced and with good action scenes. There wasn't a lot of acting from Arnold which is probably a plus point. So with the nine year old me in mind I sat down to watch the reboot.  If I'm brutality honest the start is a bit cheesey but a necessary to set up the rest of the film. The sick daughter in need of medicine is a bit cliche but you'll forgive that as the film progresses. Once the film kicks into high gear i...

  It's back to the gym today to where I was physically after my week away. It was cross trainer to start with intervals on 15. It was 30 mins and 470 calories over 1.7km not bad going.  On to hack squats and 57kg up to 67kg felt good today should go up next week.  Leg extensions next and starting with 50kg going up to 65kg again I'll need to up the weight next week.  Leg curls where a mirrorof extensions. The leg press machine was free so it was on and 50kg going up to 100kg felt good.  Calf raises to finish 30kg and up to 50kg It was good to be back and training again.  Have fun stay safe 👍 

  After months of going to Windsor Pizza Express and collecting my silver pizza stamps in my rewards app I am finally there. Gold status, I’m sure it's an accolade then few are interested in and even fewer care about but I'll try to cover the main points of the gold status. With silver status there were already some benefits a free side or salad, a free dip and sometimes a free Romana upgrade. Well these continue to be present in the app. I think the Romana Upgrade is now permanent rather than Mon-Thur as on silver. There's a free soft drink or tea/coffee on the gold tier which is a nice saving.  At the gold tier there is also the addition of a free Piccolo meal a Childs meal so once it's been added up there are around £18 of savings with the gold rewards not to bad.  I've listed them and published it to the web so you can judge for yourself if it's worth getting this far! 

  Winter has well and truly set in and this morning the cold was complimented with snow, ok it wasn't flurrys but it did snow. I wanted to get out and get some miles in rather than being stuck indoors. I wrapped up in boots, thick jacket and gloves and headed out. The footpaths were a bit slippery but soon I found a segment that had been gritted. I was able to collect all my WeWards on the way to Windsor and made good time.  I didn't go down the long walk today, just to Pizza Express it's my last silver stamp so I'll have the full rewards after. I had an American hot, cheese bites and a large coke. It was nice and I got my golden pizza. I headed home via Eaton playing fields. It was nice to get out.  Have fun stay safe 👍

  I started off the new year with heavy cold, my throat swelled and I was stuck at home rather than my usual mix of gym visits and walking. That explains the poor book reviews.  Well I felt a lot better today but didn't fancy going to the gym and embarrassing myself by coughing up half a lung in front of all the beautiful people if I'm wrong. So I got home put my hiking gear on and headed out. It felt ok and I managed to make it to the top of Rowley path and then came back via the main road. It was a successful ball hunt with 22 I guess the clear weather had a lot of golfers out playing.  Before I went out I chased up my course application and it's just waiting for funding to be approved and I should receive a email soon.  It was nice to get out and experience nature after nearly a week indoors. Hopefully it's a bigger adventure tomorrow.  Have fun stay safe 👍

 In 1978 Bernard Corneell was working for the BBC in Northern Ireland where he net his second wife, she had a young children back home in the US and didn't want to relocate so it was he who relocated to bring the family together.  Living in the US with savings slowly dwindling away and unable to get a green card which would allow him to seek work he sat down to write his first novel. Sharpe’s Eagle, this is the first outing of our hero Richard Sharpe and while it's complete fiction it's a great yarn about a Sargent who saves Wellingtons life gets promotion to Lieutenant and then captures a French Eagle touched by Napoleon in battle. Initialy published in the US and then further afield the character became legend and there were two books published a year by the author until recently.  I've read 24 of these stories, I've followed Sharpe across India, the Iberian peninsula, France and the field at a Waterloo. Spending hours with the characters Harper, Hagman, Perkins, ...

  At the start of the 20th century the most deadly weapon that could be deployed was the battleship, which over a period of time destroy a town or small city. Well as technology progressed and the Cold War deepened this changed so that by the mid 1960’s the deadliest weapon was a ballistic missile submarine, which could obliterate over 200 cities if so configured.  John Boyes looks into the development of the US weapon system Polaris which equipped US and Royal Navy Submarines from the 1960’s all the way to the late 1980’s. This book covers the development of the missile itself, the submarines that carried them and the counter measures carried inside them. This book contains a lot of technical information but it’s presented in a way that’s easy to read and digest. I will confess there are times when a lot of political information is presented and this can be hard work but it’s an essential part of the history of this weapon system.  If you have an interest in submarine wa...

  Last year it was about self development and I’m hoping to continue that into this year. I’m hoping to start my next course as soon as colleges reopen. I’m hoping to complete three courses if I can stay eligible for them and I’m also considering my CCTV license from SIA to complement my Door Supervisor license.  It’s rather ironic that I’m full of head cold so wrapped up indoors, but I do intend to keep up my fitness by walking or going to the gym.  Those are my main points, let’s see how it goes !  Have fun stay safe 👍🏼

  For 40 years we have watched the animation of Aardman, the creature comforts adverts, Chicken run and Shuan the sheep. Arguably the most famous creation is Wallace and Gromit.  The adventures of Wallace and gromit get more complex from their first in “A Grand Day Out” to this latest incarceration.  I would recommend going back and watching “The Wrong Trousers” before this instalment as they are connected. It's fun for the whole family with a blend of action and humour. If I can't convince you then the four Oscars in the Aardman office should tell you.  All the Wallece and Gromit episodes are on Iplayer and Vengence most fowl is on Netflix.  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Have fun stay safe 👍