1606.08 SEA MONKEYS

Back in March this year I put out a flippant tweet about Sea Monkeys. "Sea-Monkeys is a brand name for brine shrimp—a group of crustaceans that undergo cryptobiosis—sold in hatching kits as novelty aquarium pets." - Source, Wikipedia. 

Well my birthday came along and thanks to my step sister in law I GOT SEA MONKEYS!! Sea Monkeys come with a mini aquarium, a feeding spoon and 3 sachets (water purifier, Sea Monkey eggs and growth food). So a couple of days later I started the process.

Purifying the water

Adding the Sea Monkey eggs

The next day I had hatchlings, hundreds of them...

 So since then I've fed them and cared for them. Loads of fell by the wayside and today they are getting  quite big. There are 6 left, all seem pretty healthy and active. I've read they can last for up to 2 years. Let's see how they go.

A photo posted by CaptainKirt™ (@captainkirt) on Jun 5, 2016 at 11:52am PDT

1606.06 HOME ALONE

Well, not quite alone but all this week it'll be me with my (not so) little girl, Rags. Morticia is off to spend a week at her mother's while life goes on up here at home. This is a regular thing, she goes probably once or twice a year for a little restbite. As always I think it's a good idea right up to the point that she has to get on the train, then it gets emotional. Anyway, I put her on the train and then dashed home (5 minutes away) to track her journey on the National Rail Enquiries website. Surprisingly she got to her destination with little issue (just the booked seat booked not being as requested).

Morticia leaving on the train (this isn't a stock pic,
it's the actual train leaving Meadowhall Station).

People abroad and in the south may be looking at this picture wondering how this train is running without electricity. Well up in the "Northern Powerhouse" our trains are pretty much long buses on train tracks. Luckily this was just the first leg of her trip, the rest of the trip was on more modern electric trains.

So what plans have I for my temporary freedom? Not much really, I'm planning to watch a few movies, grab a Chinese takeaway and generally relax. Naps without nags are in this week!

1606.05 TOP TELLY PART 3

The final installment of my pick of current shows being piped into my television... 

Doctor Who
I've watched Doctor Who since I had eyes. What is there to say? I love it.

Angie Tribeca
An Airplane/Naked Gun style comedy that's actually quite good.

Celebrity Juice
Got fed up with this ages ago but with a live show to start the latest series off I ended up watching the rest and enjoyed it (again).

Have I Got News For You
Classic comedy current affairs panel show. Still good stuff.

Marvel's Agent Carter
A spin off from Captain America this show featured a strong female lead. Sadly the American tv execs have decided to bin it after 2 seasons.

Big Bang Theory
One of the most successful sitcoms since 'Friends'. What's not to like?

Aliens
I thought this was going to be like 'Misfits'. If there's a season 2 I might just give it a miss.

Wentworth Prison
A reboot of the old Australian soap 'Prisoner Cell Block H'. With season 3 about to arrive in the UK this show is surprisingly great drama.

The Last Leg

Current affairs discussion with Adam Hills. One of the funniest and thought provoking shows on TV. New series from this week. 

The Secret Life of the Zoo
The only documentary on my list. Behind the scenes of Chester Zoo.

The Walking Dead
Gripping zombie action. I would like some progression towards an end game next season.

X Files
It was great to see this show revived after son long with the original cast. I'm still only halfway through.

Mock the Week
Another comedy current affairs panel show. 

This list isn't exhaustive, it's a selection of shows I've watched this year. 

1606.02 NEW TOP GEAR

Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars, and the most widely watched factual television programme in the world. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine programme, but over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous and sometimes controversial style. [source: Wikipedia]

Ok, I admit it. Top Gear used to be a bit of a guilty pleasure. When the controversy ensued and the original trio were no longer going to be presenting I thought it was all done with. But no, the BBC pushed forward with an all new presenting team. Chris Evans was named the new front man with Matt LeBlanc and a number of other journalists assisting. The critics were against the new team before it even started. But they went ahead and made a new series, it aired on Sunday.

So today I decided to watch on iPlayer. I went into this with an open mind not listening to the critics. I wanted to like this, I was worried however.

Source: BBC

So the presenters? I like Chris Evans, I did feel the style was a little forced but this was the first show so I accept he needs to find his level. Matt LeBlanc seemed like fun, he handled the transition from acting to presenting. All in all the ingredients were there but what was wrong? The chemistry just wasn't there. I can't put my finger on it, maybe it'll find it's feet.

Overall the programme felt overlong even though it was the same length as previous episodes, I found myself distracted by anything and everything. I think the word I'm looking for is "boring".

Will I watch again? I may try episode 2 to see if it gets any better.

1605.30 STRICTLY SHUFFLE'S WEDDING

Yesterday (Sunday) we went to celebrate my friend "Shuffle's"  wedding. It was at a very nice hotel on the other side of Sheffield. It was in fact the same hotel Morticia used to work in about 20 years ago. It was a well put together do, now my friend Shuffle and his bride (and a number of his friends - not me obviously) are really good dancers. I've seen him perform a number of times. His wedding day was no exception, the happy couple performed a choreographed routine for their 'first dance' before the other dancing couples hit the dance floor. Later the amateurs got to have a go.

Fun on the Dancefloor

It was a great night with only the bar prices letting the event down.

1605.29 SPORTSMANSHIP

This weekend there has been 2 big football matches at Wembley Stadium featuring teams from South Yorkshire. I'm not about to talk about football, if you know me you know that football isn't my thing. What gets me is the reaction from some fans when a neighbouring team who pour hate and scorn over the achievements of others. I really don't get it. They are all as bad as each other. Surely if there are 2 teams playing then you put your support behind the one most local to you? I always thought the term 'sport' denotes 'fair play'.

1605.28 THE HEAVY BIKE PROS

Everyone in the cycling world seems to go on about how light a bike must be. Carbon fibre seems to be pretty much the norm on a Sunday club run. But what if I said there was something in having a heavy bike, usually made of steel? Maybe vintage? I'm not suggesting ditching the carbon bike by any means. What about that commute to work though?

I, like a lot of people, commute to work by bike. I don't use my favourite carbon machine or even the aluminium one I save for those bad weather rides. I have a heavy steel framed Raleigh which was built in the late 1980s. It has a rack over the back wheel with pannier bags for all my gear, the machine weighs about the same as a Nissan Micra(!).

So what's the benefit in the heavy weight? My commute isn't that far so to get the best out of the journey and for it to contribute to my training the weight provides some good resistance training, by making the going a little harder I get maximum benefit from the journey.

If you're in the market for a commuter machine and your journey isn't too taxing then consider a heavier bike. Don't go straight for the feather light or listen to the sales pitch about how a lighter bike is always better.

1605.26 CRYSTAL BALL

Morticia visited a clairvoyant yesterday. She likes that sort of thing. Personally I'm not convinced but I do have an interest in the supernatural so I like to hear what they say. The details of the reading are of course personal to Morticia so I'm not going to go over the whole thing but some things were said that relate to me. They're fair game. 

Our eldest daughter was mentioned, they said she would be in touch at some point. Apparently our luck is about to change and it might be a good idea to put the lottery on. My work is about to get better or my hours may change after a long stint of difficult times. Our youngest is extremely clever, well balanced and is going to succeed (I don't need a psychic to tell me that). 

I think to convince me they'd have to tell me something that I didn't know (but could later coroberate), after all I'm not above believing in mind reading. 

1605.25 TOP TELLY PART 2

Ok here's the second look into my telly viewing habits. They're in no particular order. If you missed part one you can see it here.

Sleepy Hollow

An 'out of time' reimagining of the Ichabod Crane story sees the hero transported to modern day. This season (3) has been a bit difficult and I was surprised to see it get renewed for a 4th season. I expect many changes next season.

Continuum

This is an older show I'm catching up with on Netflix. I'm busy with other shows at the moment so it's on hold. A time travel sci fi show, what's not to like?

Elementary

I love Sherlock Holmes. I am a big fan of all the incarnations. This version sees Sherlock in modern day New York.

You're The Worst

I came across this by accident and was immediately hooked by this grown up comedy. Season 1 was crammed on 5USA (double bills every week), I'm hoping we get following seasons in due course (although Channel 5 aren't to reliable).

Spooks

Never caught this on it's original run (called MI5 in the US) so I binge watched season 1 and half of season 2 on Netflix.

Second Chance

This has just started showing on Universal channel and I've got episode 1 queued on my planner. Just learned it has been cancelled so not sure whether to bother.

American Horror Story

Supernatural anthology series. Last season "Hotel" was one of the best yet. Can't wait for the next season.

American Crime Story: People Vs OJ Simpson

Don't know if this was a 'one off' series but it was very well made and gripping (even if everyone obviously knew the outcome).

Colony

Another alien invasion show. I've given up after 2 episodes because it just wasn't gripping me.

iZombie

Another chance find on Netflix. A light hearted crime show with a zombie twist.

Raised by Wolves

One of those 'hidden gems', an actually funny sitcom returned for season 2.

Sherlock

Most of the world likes this one. 

Humans

Quite a thought provoking drama about androids set in an alternative present day. Hoping for a season 2 soon. 

The A Word

An eye opening and occasionally funny drama about how a family copes with a child with autism. The little boy acted amazingly. 

I've still got some more to mention. Coming soon to a blog post near you. 

1605.23 DARK AND SUNNY WEEKEND

When you look at other peoples' lives from the outside they look like they're having the best of times. Facebook, I feel exaggerates this. I know that people rarely share the bad stuff on social media unless they are (probably) attention seeking. From time to time I feel the dark hand of.... well, er, I don't quite think I have the words but it what I get since 2012 when I had what I can only describe as a life changing event. Anyway, this weekend has been a bit of a 'dark time' for me, without a noticeable reason either. Reading those Facebook statuses of "friends", colleagues, ex-colleagues and people I may have met briefly at some point in my life haven't helped, to that end I've not been interacting on there for quite a while now. I only keep it around because it's the only way to speak to my cycling club.

Anyway, I digress. This weekend I've pretty much shut myself away, I didn't even feel like getting out on the bike yesterday despite the billed ride being a spectacular one and the weather being pretty nice too. I'm off today and up to now I'm not even dressed.

I just read that back and I can't make much sense of it, I'm going to publish anyway since it is a reflection of where my head is at at the moment.