Liquored Ladies

It’s nice to have a drink or two when you’re on holiday. You can get glammed up and the bartender will glam up your tipple to match with extra straws and plastic tat to make it nice and colourful. Though sometimes you can overdo it and you end up looking like you’ve been playing with mother’s makeup bag. Or perhaps there’s glass on top of that canopy and it’s acting like a heat lamp. Of course you’ll then want a photo to prove that you’ve been there and to show off your adventures to your friends. You might not be able to get a glamourous background every time but at least you can put on a cheesy smile to pretend that you’re enjoying yourselves. And everybody’s posing for everyone. I always try and take revenge by finding an interesting picture to send back; something along the lines of stock photos of the house covered in snow.

Wreck-it Ralph

This movie had a novel approach and I don’t think there’s been a greater effort to rally so many companies into one film. That said, it was a shame not to feature them in the main plot, or least to get them them to rally round at the end. Surely Disney could have forked out a bit more to use the rights; especially since they didn’t use any big-name voices. And as a lot of it was retro animation, they could certainly cut corners when they wanted to. It was easy to warm to the protagonists since they all had a job to do. I liked Penelope’s attitude, and it was great to see some of the other characters develop. But it was a shame that we didn’t get to see Sugar Rush in arcade action before the finale. Now I’ll have to go and play some of these games and experience them for myself. 

A Bumpy Ride

It was time for our flight home. We boarded the coach to take us to the airport. Unfortunately, we got stuck in a traffic jam which left us stationary for an hour. When we arrived at the airport, we only had an hour before the flight. We joined the queue for security but were held up by a man who was trying to take his carry-on luggage through on an airport trolley. Rather than moving aside, he blocked the entrance while he unloaded his things. We asked him to move so that we continue, explaining that we’d been delayed in traffic. Once airside, we found out that our flight had been delayed too. I went to the bathroom and managed to bring up that bug that had been bothering me since yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately it came back at me during some turbulence, and I didn’t make it to the bathroom in time. Then when we landed, we had a quick sprint to our connecting flight which was waiting for us to board.

The Empress #empress2

‘Surely this cannot be right?’

‘These measurements were took by the High Priestess herself.’

‘But these are enormous!’

‘I know.’

‘Perhaps we should ask her to check them. Maybe she had something else in mind when she wrote them down.’

‘Are you suggesting that I question an order from the imperial office?’

Well, no.’

‘Very well. I will return for the garments in four days.’

‘Hang on, that doesn’t give me a lot of time. Usually I start with templates and alternate accordingly but with these sizes I shall have to start from scratch.’

‘The empress is not moulded from a template.’

‘Right…right. But we have got a lot of other customers to attend to as well you know.’

‘None of whom are empresses I’m sure.’

‘Very well. Sachi, how much of the imperial red do we have in at the moment?’

‘There’s two metres left and Sandeep is delivering some more tomorrow’ said an unseen voice from the back.

‘Get hold of Sandeep. He’s going to need a bigger cart.’

A Railway Walk

Back on the ground, it was a hot sunny day and we still had 45 minutes before we had to get back on the bus. After taking a selfie of the tour from the balcony of the convention centre, we wandered into the aquarium in the hope that their café was situated before the ticket gate. Unfortunately it wasn’t, so we headed towards the train station and found a subway sandwich shop. I felt a bit queasy so I didn’t have anything, then we decided to head to the green on the other side of the tower. Dotted around this green were old steam locomotives which had been put out on display next to the railway museum. At the very end of the railway shed was a brewery, but time was against us to take a tour. Our last Canadian landmark was a turtle that had been sculptured out of a shrubbery.

The PM and the Pauper #dreamdiary79

I’m working in a large clothes shop. It’s my job to keep the shelves full so that people can constantly circulate for new items. Whenever I see a gap, I must head into the stockroom to search out another garment, pop it into a little trolley and wheel it out. Then I head over to a security dispenser to tag it which are at random points throughout the store, before hanging the item on the shelf. The store is constantly busy with browsers and it’s company policy to give way to them on the walkways, though I have a personal policy of not giving way to them if they ignore me, and often I have to use Karma and take it out on the next customer. We also have a worry wall where we can anonymously write our fears down for management to consider. I wrote store closures but someone else has simply written “This!” on a poster announcing a restructuring programme. One day, Prime Minister Boris Johnson comes into the shop and gives way to me and my little trolley. I hide from him for a while then tell him about the importance of young people working in retail.

The CN Tower

After spending so much time in the countryside, it was great to be back in a city. After passing through a security check, we got our tickets and shot up 342 metres in the building’s elevator. And the first thing we headed to see was the view. Facing north, we looked down upon skyscrapers and saw trains arriving at the station underneath us. To the south, we could watch planes take off and land on Centre Island. Then we took a brave leap and laid down on the glass to stare at the ground. We also enjoyed the fact that you could go outside and feel the wind whistle through the air at that height. Having done this, we discarded the need to be suspended over the edge in a jumpsuit. Back on concrete ground, we toured the gift shop, spotting a Lego model of the tower and I bought the obligatory keyring.

Mike and Romeo #mr 1

Romeo is a mechanic who works for his uncle at a small garage. He’s single and is looking to mingle. Mike is also looking for love. He’s recently divorced and has had to move back to his parent’s house after a failed marriage. Not long after the move, Mike notices that his MOT on his lime-green Volvo is due to expire and needs to get it sorted this week. He’s called in a sickie at the office in the hope that someone can fit him in today.

Mike pulls up in front of the garage and steps out of the car. He spots Romeo walking around a red escort with a large wrench in his hand.

‘Oi Oi, how you doing pal?’

‘Why hello sailor! Fine thanks yeah.’

‘Hey, I just wondered if you’ve got a few spare minutes to get this warhorse put through an MOT? I’ll grab some bacon butties for you while it’s on the table?’

Niagara-on-the-Lake

Before setting off for Toronto, we stopped off at Niagara-on-the-Lake to stretch our legs. This was a small town with a clock tower and many small shops, and several members of our party disappeared into the coffee shops. The rest of us were keen to explore and headed out to the lake itself. It was a bit of a march to the lake and we weren’t sure where we were going. At one point we were following the road to the local golf club until we spotted a viewpoint. With a bit of hindsight and binoculars and perhaps with some advice from our guide we might have known that there was a chance of getting a glimpse of Toronto. As it was, it was just a vast ocean of water which makes up Lake Ontario. Then it was a short march back to the coach and while everyone was using the conveniences I had just enough time to take a photograph to the entrance of Fort George that my former supervisor had recommended. At least I could say that I came close.

Why is rear wheel drive better than front wheel drive?

It depends what you want to do. I have a friend who has a custom Mercedes. A group of us met in the pub one Winter’s evening and while we were inside it began to snow. I decided to get going while it was still snowing but as I exited the car park and went back past the pub, I noticed that his car was slipping all over the place. He had to recruit some locals to help him on his way. So in this respect front wheel drive is definitely safer. But if you’re climbing a lot of slopes then you may favour a vehicle with pull in which case the opposite will be more efficient. A car with front wheel drive will still get the job done but it may be a lot slower and you may need a higher gear. And rear wheel drive is for those who like their racers. What would be interesting if manufacturers gave consumers the choice when manufacturing the same model.

Boardom

We walked down the boardwalk alongside the rapids. Along the way there were viewpoints where you could stop and let others pass and have a few photos take along the way. It’s a shame that these places don’t publicise where these photo stops are as you’re always waiting for someone else to finish their picture then you discover another one just around the corner. Then it was a short trek back the way we came to the bus stop. While we were waiting, we came across a temple which was impressive to look at. When we got back, Mum felt a bit tired, and being as it was a bright hot day she wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon sunbathing. I still hadn’t had my fill of the sights and went to watch an IMAX film about the falls. While I waited, I explored a museum dedicated to those who were brave enough to venture over the water’s edge.

It is never too late to be what you might have been.

-George Eliot.

There are endless possibilities and if you can’t think of them all then you’re just not trying hard enough. What makes everything unique is attention to detail. Often we look at the past too much and wonder where we went wrong. If you can find the fault then there may be a chance to correct. But to accept it is to admit defeat which is why we must always remain young; even if we need to think of another method. You must not let anyone tell you anything to the contrary. There is always a way forward. You’ve just got to find the best path that works for you. Sometimes, you may need to draw the line and forget the past to focus on the future, beginning afresh if necessary. There’s still time to change yourself. Just get focused and stop trying to build that time machine and get on and do it.

The Rough Guide to China

The Rough Guide to China by Rough Guides
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It’s hard to keep a travel guide up to date but this book does its best. It’s great as a guide to independent travellers, but it doesn’t consider the fact that sometimes people just like to wander and often it’s hard to decipher which area each destination is focusing on. It’s hard to cram such a vast area into one volume but there are methods that the publishers can use to reduce the volume or at least allow more space for better content. Rather than print entire addresses; a postcode and map reference might suffice as many people have access to online maps nowadays. Also, some use of symbols in the listings or a simple referral to earlier page numbers may reduce the need to list the same venue in another section. Finally, given the vast size of the country; it’s kind of insulting that the same image is used to illustrate both the front and back cover. As is stood, there was no way I could cart this thing around with me every day and so it stayed in the hotel room as I tried to commit the relevant pages to memory each morning.

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Getting the Most from your Money

There’s a couple in the shop who’ve ordered a new wardrobe. I’ve wheeled their new wardrobe through the warehouse door and I’ve offered to take it to the car for them. I just need to see their receipt to confirm that I’ve got the right item for them. The man calls the woman over who shows me her receipt then storms back to the counter. I’m puzzled as to why she chose to do this. I ask the gentleman if they’re awaiting another item and he replies in the negative. So the only way that I can justify that she’s still waiting for something is to get her receipt stamped. I attempt to get this resolved by asking one of my colleagues to stamp her receipt, and lo and behold, she’s on the move as soon as the ink hits the paper. It’s amazing that people still insist on getting their monies worth out of every nook and cranny.

A sight from every Angle

After we’d been on the falls, our next destination was to go under it. We descended in a lift to an old abandoned part of the hydroelectric dam where a cutaway part of the wall lets you view the falls from the other side. We’re then able to walk round the falls and ascend a platform in front of them. We dried off by browsing through a gift shop before boarding a 4-D simulator with a tilting floor and lots of spray to simulate going over the falls in a barrel. Our pass included access to several other attractions to see the falls; though we would have to pay to access some of them. We decided to give the boardwalk a go so we caught a courtesy bus which took us past the rainbow bridge and further down the stream. This was to witness one of the fastest rapids in the world.

Pass the Power

We had a new fuse box fitted but for some reason Mum’s laptop caused the electrics to trip. We tried changing the fuse which got the same result; until in the end we tried my power adapter and it seemed to work fine. However, it got to the point where one of us was limited to using our laptop which slowed things down for a while. Eventually I broke the deadlock and bought a new laptop adapter. Because it was a universal product, it came with a selection of inserts to link the laptop to the transformer. The only problem I had was that there were two adapters which connected to my laptop. They both charged it but I have no way of knowing which is the most efficient or even if one of them was doing damage to my laptop. The length of the cord is slightly shorter than I would like but it does the job.

Morning Shower

Breakfast before our exploration of the falls was a crowded affair as everyone wanted a table as close to the window as possible. We were only one table behind and got a good view. We also discovered that our hotel overlooked some beautiful parkland complete with a green. Then it was off to the lobby where our guide distributed our passes for the day and we headed out in a group to board the less famous Hornblower boat; unfortunately the Maid of the Mist was on the other side but they both do the same thing. On the way we walked past the ziplines, but it looked as if you’d travel for the view rather than get closer to the falls so I gave it a miss. We still got to experience the mist and see the rainbow effect. The boat was very busy as everyone was jostling for the best view but we all knew that it was only going to busier as the day went on.   

Toy Story 4

This was a beautiful tale of companionship, and it also explained the absence of Bo Peep in previous sequels. It could have been given a subtitle such as The Quest for Bo but it would have been too much of a giveaway and it might have even dissuaded some viewers. On the other hand; there were fewer laugh-out moments than previous sequels and I felt that the idea of using surreal flash-forwards to advance the plot was really milking it, and it was nearly on a par of cartoon violence with such productions as Family Guy. Some of the classic characters didn’t get enough screen time as they should have done; I think it would be much realistic if Hamm had tried to hack the sat-nav as traditionally he was the technology character. Disappointingly, there wasn’t any reference of Jessie’s previous relationship with Buzz. There was a great use of the antagonist; though you could easily see from its first appearance which character it would be. I felt that some of the characters weren’t strictly necessary and it seemed that they were only created to sell toys as merchandise; and thanks to Disney there’ll be more plastic forks in the ocean.

Canadian Steak

After an evening walk to view the falls at night, we decided to take a walk into the little town to find something to eat. We’d found an Indian restaurant on Google, but when we arrived we discovered that they were closed for a re-fit. We walked up the hill and found all manners of sideshows, cafes, and microbrew pubs, but we couldn’t really see anything that looked comfortable and friendly with a decent menu. When we got to the crossroads, half of the street was being dug up. Once we’d walked round the roadworks and cast our eyes over a few souvenir shops, we settled on a BBQ place named Montana’s. We went for the saver menu but we were advised by our waiter that some of the portions might be smaller than what we would expect. He wasn’t kidding, and we called in at a stall for dessert on the way back to the hotel.   

The Empress #empress

Something is stirring in the forbidden city. There’s a rumbling beneath its grounds. The government is arguing that it’s the development of the metro system to join two lines underneath the city and restoration work is in place to repair the damage. There’s even new towers being built, and more of the public areas are being sealed off. But the quakes are felt all over the city. And what’s more, there’s reports of people disappearing. No-one knows who are taking them. At first, it was a few people at a time but people are becoming increasingly worried; especially with the rolling blackouts across the metro system. And in a county where communism overlaps with a dictatorship, you have to be in the know to find out. But with a population of over one billion, there’s a lot of people to spare and in some respects it’s a relief to the government rather than a worry.

Back to the Border

Our exit from the US involved another long train ride; but rather than crossing the border via train, we disembarked at an earlier station and transferred via a lift to a coach, which also meant that we had to wait rather a long time as we had our suitcases with us. Once we’d boarded our bus, we drove along Rainbow Bridge to border control. The security guard was pleasant to chat to and was pleased to hear that I’d visited before; though I’m not sure whether he was compelled to ask or whether he was just masking conversation. Onward we went to the falls, and surprisingly our hotel was just around the corner. There was a bit of confusion at check-in as our itinerary stated that we were entitled to a free breakfast; however the tour manager believed that it wasn’t included. In the meantime; we retired to our room where we’d already paid for a view of the falls. It did not disappoint and we slept with the curtains open.

The Tiger and the Wolf #dreamdiary78

I’ve just walked past the local school playing fields on the way back home from the pub. In it is a great big orange and black striped tiger bigger than anything. It’s about the size of a car. As I stare at it, I sense that there’s something behind me, and I turn to see a large white snow wolf about the same size. The tiger leaps over the chicken wire fence and starts to growl at the wolf. They circle each other for a bit, then the wolf takes off with the tiger in hot pursuit. Bewildered, the first thing that I try to do is call the police but it’s engaged, though oddly my brain is wired to call 911. I should have called 101 instead of 999 so it’s a wonder that I didn’t get through. Finally, I get home and my brother sticks his head around the bedroom door. He tells me that my company has tried to ring me and they want me to go to the school and investigate the alarm going off. I try to ring them back to explain that I don’t work at the school and that it’s not safe because there’s a tiger and a wolf running around but I can’t get through. All I receive is a switchboard service stating that I need to press 1 for option 1 etc, but it doesn’t tell me what the options are. I hope the tiger’s safely away before school starts tomorrow.

We're going to the Zoo

We had a map of sorts and followed a road past the horse and carriage drivers (they weren’t pushy) to Strawberry Fields. There was quite a crowd hanging around the footpaths to the mosaic and there were a few people selling John Lennon-related posters. But when we saw saw Imagine carved into the concrete it wasn’t that much of a sight, and a Mum expected it to be bigger. Bethesda fountain was much more impressive and provided us with a lovely respite spot from our walk. We then wondered through the terrace with its golden ceiling and found some of the statues which included Hans Christian Andersen and the Alice statue just behind the model boat lake. Our final stop was Central Park Zoo which I wanted to visit during my last trip but it was shut. Oddly, we found it very small and I felt that there was a certain part missing which had been featured in many films; however as we left we realised that we’d somehow walked into the children’s zoo which was a separate section from the main one! Luckily, our ticket included both sites so I was able to visit Pride Rock which now features seals as it’s centrepiece rather than lions. We had to wait an age for our return bus but we travelled past Columbus Circle including one of Trump’s hotels before depositing us back in Times Square.

Too Close to the Sun

Is it the goal of all bugs to fly to the sun? Perhaps that’s why they’ve got so short a lifespan. If they spent their time flying up to the sky all the time, it’s no wonder that they take an interest in our buildings once they’ve passed out and descended again. Having witnessed all the planes in the sky which can reach a greater altitude than themselves, perhaps their fallback plan is to calculate that one of these buildings can get them there. But once they’re inside, they’re mesmerised by the fake light within. They’re convinced that this new inside light is the sun, and they’ve travelled through a gateway where suddenly this goal is much more achievable. It’s still a lot of flying for them to do though, and if it’s a naked bulb then once they’ve achieved their goal and burnt themselves; they settle for exploring the rest of the environment while they work out whether they’ve reached the right sun after all. But if it’s a mounted bulb; they’ll happily perch themselves behind the fitting until they’re slowly cooked to a crisp.

A Stroll in the Park

Our next stop was Central Park. the bus took us up past a long line of posh shops then turned around to head for the Guggenheim Museum then dropped us off outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Our goal was to take a long stroll through the park and see the sights along the way. Our first sighting was a huge display of cherry blossoms in the trees and in bushes that were bigger than our house. We spotted the local robins, though they looked bad ass since they had black heads. After passing the King Jagiello Monument we arrived at the turtle pond and it certainly didn’t disappoint and we didn’t have long to wait before some its inhabitants came up to greet us. Our next port of call was the Belvedere Castle but unfortunately it was closed for restoration and was surrounded by scaffolding. So instead we called in at the Shakespeare Garden to admire the tulips. The only trouble was that every time we followed a footpath, we seemed to disorientate ourselves and achieved a great deal of circles.  

What to do on the 4th of July?

Hopefully, the same as every other day. If I worked for an America, I might get a free doughnut in celebration, but that might be it. Otherwise, it’s business as usual. Not every day can be celebrated in every culture, or even within the same culture. People still die on Christmas day however festive it may seem. Life goes on. When I was America, I joined in the festivities and no-one excluded me just because I was British. Likewise, I don’t expect Americans to display plastic dragons and have people walking about in suits of armour during the end of April. Americans visiting Britain at that time will have to recognise that we don’t see it (or much else for that matter) as a holiday. I’ve always wondered of running a British bar in New York though. Would I treat that day as just a normal day, or would I have the staff wearing traditional redcoat uniforms or dress them up in black to mourn the loss as a bit of fun?

Flag Fetish

Why is there a need to put a flag on every major building? Do people sometimes forget which country they’re in? It might be understandable if there’s a similar destination that looks the same, but being as there’s a giant departure board with a list of domestic destinations I’d have thought that it would be obvious. It’s a fetish that this democracy has and many other countries including my own don’t see the need for it.  I have no idea whether it’s law or what the reasoning behind it is, but there’s going to be a cost for cleaning or replacing it. Do the citizens get that demotivated if they don’t see their patriotic symbol? Or perhaps it’s a sign to remind their people to behave themselves according to their constitution; that their freedom of speech and choice of direction comes at a cost to others. It’s subliminal messaging in a different format.

Marvel Studios Character Guide

I got this as a freebie when I bought a DVD in a supermarket. I really hope that no-one shelled out money for this as it’s quite terrible. For starters, the cover clearly states: “Meet the Heroes and Villains of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame!” And villains are in plural. Yet there’s only one villain in the whole book which is Thanos. There’s no mention of Ebony Maw or any of the Black Order members. You might argue that his role in this movie is fairly insignificant, but he does have more lines than Black Panther who has his own page, and Quicksilver, who doesn’t even make an appearance in the movie. Some characters have two pages which is fair enough as they’re major characters, but it would be a lot easier to do a double page feature of their characters and superhero aliases side by side. And would it have killed them to have included the cast members’ names in there too! The final thing that I found annoying was the unnecessary taglines in the pictures directing the reader to parts of the costumes. I would have understood it more if was pointing out technological gadgets, powers or even fashion relative to the character’s origin, but having obvious labels such as “Leather Boots” of “Bathrobe” shows that the ‘authors’ really haven’t thought this through.       

The Rough Guide to Scotland

Scotland: The Rough Guide, Third Edition by David Abram
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I somehow ended up with this book from a previous visit of Scotland; I certainly didn’t purchase it and I suspect it just ended up in my bag after sharing a previous trip with someone else. Writing this review twenty years after its publication isn’t going to do the authors a great credit, but I guess the scenery hasn’t changed much (although the transport and parking services might have been reviewed). In general, I found this a brief but fair guide for the country. Only the major areas are mapped; but that’s probably all you need now. I was surprised that certain sights that I visited were omitted; but that could be because I focused most of my visit to a specific area. I think that if I was to buy another guide book; it’ll be a title from a different series; perhaps one that isn’t always focused on money.

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"To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

-Alfred Tennyson.

This phrase should be the motto of the British people. It encourages people to do their best in the worst of circumstances, though its preceding lines advise us that there are limits as to what we can achieve and when. But the most important part of this message is to never give up. We should always be encouraged to seek out a solution; and it’s solving a problem or making improvements should make no difference and we should never accept anything less. We should always be encouraged to improve ourselves. It amazes me that this was devised by an artistic man who never saw military service. It’s therefore humbling that Tennyson declined his first offer of baronetcy in view of his comfortable lifestyle and it wasn’t a title that he inherited. It’s a message that we should all take forward and interpret in our own way; and that we shouldn’t just leave it in the hands of fictional MI6 agents.

Grand Central Station

This morning we decided to take a tour of the north side of the city. As we’d already been given our tickets, we were free to go at our own pace, and we tried for an early start but so did everyone else and we had to wait for a second bus to arrive before we got moving. I would have liked to have got a brief glimpse of the United Nations building but that would have meant a forty-minute detour just for a quick pic. So our first stop was the Grand Central Station. We were lucky enough to sit on the top deck of the bus and because of a traffic jam on the roads we managed to get some great shots of this gorgeous building. Once inside, we climbed up to a balcony for a great view of the station with its famous clock and its stone pillars. Rush hour was just ending so it was the perfect time to explore. We spent twenty minutes here before walking back to await the next bus.