A Dodgy Drive #dreamdiary 188

I’ve acquired a BMV convertible. It’s an old classic car in metallic silver but there’s no roof and it looks in excellent condition. It’s got a large engine which sounds great and it fits nicely on the driveway. It’s a great deal at the moment but it’s not so practical in the winter and there’s nothing to secure my property. As I climb out of it, I suddenly realise that I’ve not no logbook to handover or service history to read. I still need to sort out an MOT alongside tax and insurance. And I’ve just given my old car away with the contents inside. I didn’t take anything out and I’ve got no idea where it is. I didn’t even look the BMW over or part with any money; it was just a straight swap that felt a good idea at the time. I’ve got a horrible feeling that I’ve just been fleeced.

Pukemobile #dreamdiary 187

It’s the first day of our holiday1 Our accommodation has a late-check-in so we’ve decided to kill some time by visiting a village stately home which is a bit of a walk away from where we’re staying. It’s further than we thought so we’ve called in a local taxi firm. There’s a bit of confusion over where our driver is going to meet us. We find our way out to the main road running through village. At first we get excited as a limo pulls up, then I realise that it’s a grey van. The taxi company has split our ride into two cars as some of us are going to different places and they don’t have large vehicles. I’m put into one lined with white walls and there’s malnourished children leaning up the sides. As we get moving, I notice that I’m covered in an orange substance. One of the kids is standing right behind me.

Tiny Terrors #warwick 26

So what are the little girls going to be able to do with this? There’s already a net in front of them so maybe they’ve already launched something. It could be a ball full of powder that’s drifted off into the sky. They could have called a press conference to declare war upon their teacher. Or they could have already launched a reign of fire upon the door of the local sweet shop. It’s not likely that they’ve invented the thing, although they could have designed it and have recruited others to put the thing together. It would have made a great school project, though full marks may not be given for demolishing the school. One looks happy but the other has an expression of remorse as if she’s considering the consequences of her actions. It’s either that or the realisation that they’re going to have to share it with others.

 

Gigging Around

I’ve never been inside this place for a gig. I’ve dropped people off outside and occasionally I’ve been into the foyer to check the parking policy where there’s a tidy bar, a foyer with sofas and chairs, a snack counter and a ticket office. I did venture in for my covid jab where a maze of curtains transformed the place but I did look up to see spotlights hanging from the ceiling. They’ve had a few events on here that I’ve been interested in but I was either unavailable or they sold out very quickly. It’s great to see the building up and running again as it supported many community events. But it looks like the group whop was running it for the community have now had the keys taken away from them as the new owners attempt to attract big names to the venue. I hope that they’re able to keep it running smoothly and that it doesn’t fall into disarray again.

Take your Marks #warwick 25

They might be innocently frolicking or fishing for food but they could also be secretly lining up for an attack. It could be a defensive line to halt any boats from passing through or diverting them away for the banks. Perhaps there’s a nest nearby or a food source that they don’t want disturbed. Or perhaps they’re waiting for their numbers to build up before they reclaim more land. Or it could be the other way around and that they’re waiting for more humans to go away. They’re not big enough to change the flow of the water, though they certainly try by making ripples. They might gain a height advantage by having a bird scout the battlements, though they could easily be spotted there. They may already have a bird perched and hidden up in the trees or down in the reeds. They’re just waiting for a honk for go time.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

I had high hopes for this film. The trailer looked good and I really enjoyed the mocking in the first scene. But that looked to be the only humorous scene and things got far too serious after that. There were a couple of ‘god-mode’ executions that just made it unrealistic, and the penultimate scene was something akin to watching one of your mates play a computer game. The off-battle scenes were mostly too predictable. It’s a shame that the script got too close to the truth, and I think a better angle live a love interest could have been told. It also seems unrealistic that a ship could be declared ‘unsinkable’ just by reinforcing the hull. I did spend some time wondering where I’d seen these actors before playing similar roles. Cavill performs well in his role as leader and it’s nice to see him fully clothed for once. Kinnear merely plays dress-up in his role as the Prime Minister.

A Test of Strength

Lots of breweries pride themselves on brewing high-strength beers. In the past there’s been a race to see who could brew the strongest one. Tactical Nuclear Penguin and Sink the Bismark are just two examples of beers that have exceeded the 30% ABV mark. But who could sit down and drink a whole serving of these in one sitting? The cost would also be extortionate. I know of one bar that charged £5 just for a shot of this beer. I hope that the whole bottle was used. But sometimes you don’t want a strong one, especially if you’re driving. And if the choice isn’t offered, it might persuade you to go elsewhere. The point is that people want to enjoy these drinks. If they’re able to finish them, the only reason that they’re likely to purchase them again is for bragging rights. But there’s also been challenges to produce the lowest, bitterest and hoppiest beers.