1608.01 HAPPY YORKSHIRE DAY

Today is Yorkshire day and as a proper Yorkshireman I am wearing my flat cap eating Yorkshire Puddings whilst feeling smug in the fact that I'm from Yorkshire!

Have a great day everyone!

1607.31 SNIFFLES and NEW TOYS

It's been a bit of a difficult week for me mainly because I contracted a bit of a cold which has slowed me down a little. Thankfully it's stayed in my head so I've managed to work and keep up my cycling all be it on a limited scale. It's also been the long week at work (it's 6 days) which has been a bit of a slog through plus all the preparation for our up and coming holiday. This has given me very little free time. Once I get through today's shift I'll only have 5 more shifts in the next 2 weeks to get through.

On a plus I have a new toy. I've pondered getting an activity tracker for a while and a heart rate monitor for cycling. I decided to get a Garmin Vivosmart HR and kill 2 birds with one stone. I know a wrist based HR monitor aren't generally as accurate as chest straps but I'm never going to be a pro athlete so that's not too important.

New activity tracker and heart rate monitor
on my extremely hairy wrist

It's also a smart watch too.

1607.28 CLASSIC COMEDIES

I was chatting with a few colleagues the other day and I'm not sure how the subject arose we started talking about old movies. I mentioned the likes of Laurel and Hardy, Harold Lloyd and the Marx Brothers. I was surprised, no in fact I was shocked that there were quite a number of my work mates had never heard of some if not all of those that I mentioned.

I remember watching classic black and white comedies, usually shown on BBC2 in the afternoons. Why are they not shown on TV anymore? We could have a channel for them. I've looked around the internet and there are a few lurking on YouTube. It's worth searching them out, they certainly still hold their own as comedy and even surpass modern cinematic efforts. 

1607.26 TOUR WEEK 3 and ROUND UP

Week 3 saw Mark Cavendish pull out to concentrate on his preparation for the Rio Olympics and Chris Froome further his lead and guarantee his hold on the Yellow Jersey. Quintana never got his challenge off the ground and some said that the Tour lacked drama. Although the challenges rarely came, the professionalism of Team Sky and the way they kept control was amazing.

Peter Segan wiped the floor in the points (Green Jersey) competition, ever the showman he certainly entertained.

So the Tour came to Paris and Froome took (or rather kept since he had it since his stage 8 victory) the Yellow Jersey for a third time. Surely a knighthood is deserved.

My free time is free again. I can't believe another Tour is over. Roll on La Vuelta!

1607.24 TRAMLINES

Sheffield has a music festival. It's different to most music festivals because it takes over the City Centre. Everyone gets involved. It's the Tramlines Festival.

For the last few years I've worked Tramlines. Don't get me wrong it's always been a fun way of earning a living, it's always a great atmosphere. This year however I'm off and I've not been asked to change my shift or swap. So Morticia and me decided it would be great to go and enjoy what promised to be an enjoyable event.

The streets were buzzing with crowds, music was everywhere. Street music, music in the pubs and bars.

Morticia and me (being photobombed - hi guys!) 

Whilst sat in the Brewdog enjoying a drink Steve Davis (the snooker player) came in and sat next to us. Before anyone asks, no I didn't get a picture, he was in for a drink like everyone else (it would have been rude).

We were out until the early evening taking in the music, atmosphere and partaking of some wonderful beers. We bumped into a number of friends whilst out (which is amazing considering the size of the city). 

1607.21 STAR TREK TRIPLE

25 years ago as part of Star Trek's 25th Anniversary I attended a cinematic marathon where I watched Star Trek The Motion Picture through to Star Trek V - The Final Frontier, a five movie event that took about 12 hours to get through.

On Thursday, as part of the 50th Anniversary I attended my local Cineworld for a triple bill of the reboot movies which included the latest one, Star Trek Beyond - which came out today.

It was also my first time seeing an IMAX movie. This is how the evening progressed...
 

19:00 - I'm ready for 1st movie. I have my popcorn and my giant Coke Zero. Phone is on silent. No need for 3D glasses for this one.

21:14 - Star Trek has finished. Great to see it on the big screen again. Not a massive fan of 'Into Darkness', that's up next. Second giant drink purchased.

23:53 - I enjoyed 'Into Darkness' more than I expected (and I have seen it many times). I'll forgive the massive plot holes this once. I'm now waiting for the feature presentation. Third drink purchased.

Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk

2:09 - I did it. I got through all 3 movies and didn't nod off at all (like many predicted). The movie was awesome and the IMAX experience was worth the extra uplift (cost me a fiver on top of my Unlimited card). It's time for me to head home now... I have work in the morning.

The Captain's Movie Review

in Seven Words... 

FINALLY PROPER STAR TREK, FITTING NIMOY TRIBUTE

(I know the movie is also dedicated to the late Anton Yelchin but if you see it you'll understand).

1607.20 NEW TREK ARRIVING IN UK

Back in May I wrote about the exciting news (for me and other fans) about a new Star Trek television show. Yesterday I saw a teaser tweet from a certain tv streaming service and later that day read a news article stating that the new show would be exclusively shown on Netflix around the world (with the exception of the US and Canada). I'm really excited by this news - so happy I'll get to see the new show.

1607.18 BETTER THAN POKÉMON GO

Everyone seems to be talking about Pokémon Go, the game where you can capture virtual monsters using augmented reality on your smartphone.

In Sheffield, my hometown, there's a slightly different game going on - and I think it's more fun than Pokémon Go. A herd of 58 elephant sculptures and 72 elephant calves have arrived and can be found in parks and open spaces for the biggest public art mass participation event the city has ever seen.

Each elephant sculpture has been decorated by artists and are proving popular with everyone, the object is to find them all. The 'little herd' are sited at indoor venues and have been decorated by local schools.

I found my first one at the weekend outside the iconic Park Hill flats...

I've only found the 1. #herdofsheffield #sheffield #elephant #art #parkhill #betterthanpokemongo

A photo posted by CaptainKirt™ (@captainkirt) on Jul 16, 2016 at 5:20am PDT

Although I later found what I think will remain my favourite...

This was number 2, an At-At Elephant 🐘. #herdofsheffield #sheffield #elephant #art #Meadowhall #starwars #betterthanpokemongo

A photo posted by CaptainKirt™ (@captainkirt) on Jul 16, 2016 at 12:22pm PDT

"This exciting initiative is brought to you by The Children’s Hospital Charity and Wild in Art, uniting businesses, communities, artists and schools, leaving a lasting legacy for the city."

If you're visiting Sheffield soon it's worth a look but be aware, it's very addictive and you might forget why you originally came.  There's an app for your phone where you can earn points for every elephant you track down. Check out the Herd of Sheffield website for more info or look for #herdofsheffield on social media. The herd are out all summer until 5th October 2016.

Definitely better than Pokémon. Join the stampede!

1607.16 TOUR WEEK 2

Week 2 had an explosive start with Chris Froome amazing everyone with a stage win on Saturday and controversy over his 'punch' when an over enthusiastic fan got too close. 

We went into the first rest day on Monday with 3 of the 4 jerseys on the backs of British riders (Froome-yellow, Yates-white, Cav-green).

The week saw Mark Cavendish lose the green to Peter Segan but the yellow and white were retained by Froome and Yates.... but not without drama.

Nairo Quintana failed to ignite the expected battle with Froome and Alberto Contador abandoned the race.

The biggest drama happened on the iconic mountain finish of Mont Vento on Thursday. A crash within the last 2km involving a camera motorcycle left Froome without a bike.

Photo: CyclingNews.com

He was forced to leave his broken bike (run over by another motorcycle) behind and run up the mountain in a finish to a stage that had already been shortened because of high winds.

Photo: CyclingNews.com

By the time Froome got a replacement bike it had cost him more than a minute against his rivals for the overall in the Tour de France, the race officials later reversed the time gaps due to the crowd-induced chaos, keeping the Team Sky rider in the maillot jaune.

Chris Froome cemented his lead in Friday's time trial and goes into the final week looking strong with a 1 minute 47 second lead.

But as much as the Tour de France gives me pleasure it is tainted with sadness with the terrorist attack on families celebrating Bastille Day in Nice. My thoughts are with those affected by this. This year is unfortunately going to be remembered for the hatred of a few against the innocent. We must continue despite these attacks on our way of life. Ride on my friends... 

1607.15 PRIZE

Yesterday we were invited to attend my daughter's school for the end of year "Evening of Excellence". Rags had been nominated to receive a form tutor excellence award for the second year running. As the head teacher explained to the assembled parents, pupils (I think they call them students these days) and governors, out of 733 pupils only 40 were selected to win awards.

Rags goes from strength to strength and she has grown up to become a kind, thoughtful and clever young lady. As her father I have to say I am immensely proud.

Well done Rags!