The Lego Ninjago Movie

There was a choice of four films to see at the 3-D cinema, though we did have to wait our turn and queue up so we were limited to which one we saw. Not surprisingly, Millie fell asleep while we were in the queue; I had to rest her against my shoulder and when we tried to wake her up as we went in she wasn’t having it and insisted on going back to sleep. Chloe was kept entertained by the trailers of the other films on show while we waited; alongside a countdown clock that ticked the seconds away as to how long we had to wait for our screening. Despite not being one of my favourite Lego subjects, the film itself was quite enjoyable; there was a bit of rumbling and we didn’t get too wet. Our favourite part during the training session was the added effect of bubbles inside the auditorium.

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime."

-Babe Ruth.

It’s no good being part of a team if you’re not going to play your part. It’s all very well if you can run really fast, but if you’re not going to help others to develop to the same level then they won’t be there when you need them; and they may not want to help you out after every time you outshine them. And it’s not just about helping each other to get better; you need to co-ordinate too. If everyone’s running for the ball at the same time, it’s very easy to be outflanked by the opposition. And that only comes with understanding. Each team member needs to be aware of each other’s abilities and make split decisions about who can do what. But you also can’t assume that someone else will do it for you. By working together, you can overcome so much in so little time. 

Magic Ride

Our next task was to build a car. There was a test ramp where we could compete with other children to see who would make it down the slope and up over the hill first. Naturally, there was a competition to find the best parts, and we were hopelessly outmatched in this respect and decided to move on. The masterclass session looked pretty busy and I don’t think that the girls’ attention span would have lasted that long so we got in the queue for Merlin’s Apprentice ride. This was a merry-go-round which had pedals fitted to the carriage and riders can control the height of the carriage to some extent by pedalling (although I told Millie it was because we were reading the spell printed on the large plastic book in front of us!). I liked the mural on this ride as it did feel like we were flying through an antique library.  

Blonde Boss

Tall, busty, blonde and overconfident. Not someone that you’d want necessarily want to oversee something but that’s what I’ve got. But at least she’s professional and she doesn’t flaunt her sexuality while at work. But she does have a cheeky smile and can get up to mischief when she wants to. She’s in her fifties and has a small wart near her nose. She’s also quite unladylike and is happy to muscle in when carrying heavy items. She’s not quiet, and likes to be heard, noticed and seen. If she wants to be discreet, she’s more than likely move you to another area so as not to be heard. She doesn’t like to be crossed, and is often compared to a bull in a china shop when enraged. She likes to stay in shape, and rarely treats herself. It’s great when she gets things wrong though; she’s a classic ditzy blonde.

Construction Zone

The best part of Lego is playing with it, and after looking at the display models it was finally time to build something, and the build room was just that. We sat on the edge of a massive pit of Lego Friends parts and started to put blocks together. At one point we managed to get seats on a bench and started to follow a challenge card to build rooms for a house. In the centre of the room wad a ten-foot clock made of Lego built to the design of the University’s clock tower, and every fifteen minutes the clock-face opened to reveal a dragon inside. It was then that the kids noticed the Lego city soft play area; compete with slides, hideaways and a ball pit inside. We let them loose while I went to get some refreshments in the Costa café. Once they were ready to come out, I had to collect them at the entrance; then we prepared for our next build.

Do managers care when a good employee resigns?

There’s been some sensible answers from a business side towards the question; but not so many from an employee’s perspective. Are you wondering what life would be in the workplace after you’ve gone? If so, why do you want to leave? What will you miss? Perhaps the manager recognises and accepts your career goals and aspirations and has the foresight to realise that your prospects are better deployed in other opportunities. They may even be delighted to see you go and progress. They may miss you and ask to keep in touch; realising that there are better situations out there. Or is it something else that you’d like to change; maybe the attitude of the manager towards you? A good manager will try to find out the reason first unless they genuinely believe that you’re not a good employee. It’s more work for them to recruit and train a new employee. But if they really don’t care, then they’re not a very good manager.  

Round and Round

This tunnel which allowed youngsters to crawl underneath the Lego cityscape to become surrounded with a part of Spaghetti Junction was a great idea.  Of course, the little one wouldn’t dream of checking it out without letting her big sister go first. It’s just one of the amazing models displayed here. The Library of Birmingham has its own lights, there’s a football stadium that tilts so you’ve got a chance of scoring a goal against a friend; and there’s even a twilight theme as the lights dim and animated fireworks are projected onto the walls. There’s New Street Station complete with a working train, and nearby landmarks haven’t been forgotten about as there’s a replica of the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. There’s even a canal complete with a working narrowboat. You’ll want to do more than one circuit to check out the whole diorama to ensure that you get the best views and have the opportunity to play with everything.

Contractual Cheapness

It’s that time of year when the phone contract is due to be renewed. Once again, my phone is still functional. There are no amazing new features on the latest new models that interest me, so I don’t see any advantage in shelling out on a much more expensive contract for a new phone. But neither do I see the advantage in paying the same tariff. One of the deals that was on offer was the same plan and the same price but with more data. In fact, it was slightly cheaper because the previous plan had gone up because of a rise in inflation. No doubt this one will too, but at least I’ll be saving a few more pennies and getting more bytes for my buck too. In fact, my first new bill was slightly cheaper and I’m not exactly sure why. It’s probably better not to question it…

Ghost Riders

It’s time to rescue the princess! She’s been captured by an army of trolls and needs budding adventurers to save her! Enter the castle and stroll through the hallway until you find the tunnel! Then after a brief safety video, it’s time to grab a gun and hop onto the chariot to shoot the trolls down! Each single car follows a track around a circuit which takes about five minutes. It’s not the most comfortable way to travel but you’ll probably be more occupied with your surroundings and shooting the little red sensors with a plastic musket to rack up your points. The chariot even keeps count of how many targets you hit on a small LCD display so that you can compare scores with your fellow passengers. You might just want to fire at everything; but don’t forget that you’ve got unlimited ammo and the sharpest shooter may not be the winner.

Fit and Fearless

Three birds with northern accents attempt to give the rest of the world some fitness tips. At least, that was what I thought the purpose was. It all seems to be inside gossip with no personal tips but rather what three fit birds have been up to in their careers and how other women can develop similar careers. There’s no real intro as to what the show is about before you’re plugged in, and it all seems to be feministic.  There’s also no real sense of how to be fearless. It’s not a great source of inspiration, especially when the first guest mentions smoking as a way of coping with their exercise routine. But there’s no advice about diets or routines or even definitions about the abbreviations used, and the trends are only revealed at the end. That said, they’re very supportive of people who are participating in workouts that aren’t traditionally fitness people. Ultimately, it offers good encouragement to keep up your routine and not to expect instant results.

Bricket

It’s a beautiful day here in Edgbaston; well, let’s face it; it’s always sunny in Legoland. We’re gathered here at the stadium to watch the blue team play the red team at cricket. At the moment everyone’s trying to work out where the ball is. Everyone’s head is turned towards the bowler who looks like he’s just about to start his approach, even though he’s empty-handed. The wicket keeper has his arms outstretched and ready to receive whatever comes his way. The Bowler’s end umpire has his attention firmly on the stumps but the square leg umpire seems a bit confused. No-one is actually moving. Hang on, there’s a rumbling sound. It’s not thunder as we’re in Legoland. It sounds like something is spinning. Machinery is turning. And there we go; the players are in motion. The batsmen are edging forward very slowly in a long oval motion while the bowler is edging backwards and forwards between the stumps. But where the ball is and what the score is still at this moment remains a mystery.  

Grub on the Go #devilsdaughter 12

Luke wandered over to the window to admire the view. Meanwhile Lucinda wasted no time in being left alone. She guzzled down the drink in front of her then strode over to Luke in for a quick embrace. Luke quite quickly excused himself as he needed the bathroom. Lucinda smiled as she guzzled down the second glass of champagne. Then came a timid knock on the door. 

‘Come in’ said Lucinda. A timid skinny girl in a short tartan skirt with brown hair and glasses came in.

‘Hello’ she said, ‘I’m Flor-oh! I’m sorry, I’ve never met anyone like you before.’

‘That’s all right Flor-oh, we’re a rare breed. I believe you’re here for my measurements.’

‘Yes, that’s right.’ She opened a drawer and stared inside at the tape measures. She gulped. Would she need two tied together? She selected the longest one and asked Lucinda to stand on the podium and hold out her arms. Lucinda’s head brushed the ceiling and the podium creaked a little as she stepped on. She walked around her, taking measurements and scribbling notes onto a sketch pad. When she measured Lucinda’s breasts, she gasped. She looked up into her eyes. ‘You’re huge’ she said.

Lucinda looked down at her and smiled.

Brick by Bus

On your left you can see the famous Midland Metro. This opened around twenty years ago and connects the city to Wolverhampton via a network of suburbs. An extension to the line is currently in construction which will see the line run out to Edgbaston in time for the Commonwealth Games. As we turn the corner, on your right we can see the new Bullring Centre with its famous bronze statue outside; symbolising the might of Birmingham. It was constructed fifteen years ago and the big shiny dalek houses a Selfridges store; though its 15,000 aluminium discs that cover the building are supposed to resemble a sequinned Paco Rabanne dress. On your left is the Rotunda which are the remains of the first indoor shopping centre in England. The tower served as an office block until it suffered damage in a pub bombing on the ground floor. It wasn’t built out of Lego then. It’s now been converted into housing.

Protect our businesses to survive the Pandemic

Everything’s closing. We’re being advised not to socialise. And that includes visiting the pub. While the government is urging people not to use certain businesses to try and contain the virus, they’re not actually asking the businesses themselves to close. And this is having a devastating effect on people’s livelihoods. Not only are we being asked to live a different way of life, we’re also reducing our disposable expenditure. So of course, the major spreading grounds of the virus will soon be our supermarkets since that’ll be the only place that most people will be able to head to. Beer will be the next thing that people will stock up on, and we won’t see a decent trade in pubs for a long time. If we don’t protect and support our way of life now, these businesses will struggle to get going after the pandemic. We need to support our local services more than ever. 

Brum by Brick

The best thing that I like about Lego is that they use their models to tell a story. The only thing that did look a little bit odd was the Bullring where they’d left the footbridge openings to it open as a cross-section. I love the detail, accuracy and humour that Lego put into their models, but the effort that they’d made to build their city was amazing. So many landmarks were represented with spectacular accuracy; and the fact that you could interact with some of them was fantastic. I loved the fact that you could peer right into the cube, to see little balconies and people at their desks. I could have watched the motorised narrowboat chug around the canal all day. It looked like a giant out-of-place minion. And it’s such a shame that you can’t play with them or add to the models because of a huge sheet of Perspex. Never mind, I’ll just have to build my own.

Weight a Minute

Right. You lot. Why are you panic buying? It’s not doing a world of good and you’re making everyone stressed out. You’re not going to become immune to the virus by redecorating your living room in toilet paper. In fact, a room that’s completely white will just make you panic even more since the eye won’t know which way to turn and you’ll just panic. Next, you’ve bought loads of pasta and tinned foods so that you can shit yourself as much as you like. You’ve also bought loads of computers, tablets and TV streaming sticks so that you can be suitably entertained while you sit in your bunker. Some of you have bought printers so you can work from home; outdoor toys for the garden and art supplies for when the schools shut. And oddly, some of you have decided to be prepared to mow the lawn, or even work out at home, all of which requires the transportation of gigantic heavy boxes. I just hope that people actually use this stuff and don’t just dispose of it, or expect me to give them their money back for it after they’ve finished using it. 

Bricked Up

I presume that they’ve obviously thought of a way to stop a giant giraffe made of Lego from going missing. After all, it is on a street in Birmingham. It’s mounted on a podium and all the bricks are still there, so I imagine that they’ve glued them onto some sort of internal leg structure. That defeats the purpose though; it’d be nice to think that it was just stand-alone Lego. But what’s the alternative? Does he somehow fold in on himself and the staff leave him in the reception area overnight? After all, he is outside an arena. Things could get quite lively at night when a show has finished. Surely there’d be a risk of someone trying to climb or mount him? Or is it built from scratch each day? Perhaps they’ll be a different animal outside tomorrow. I’ll have to pop back later in the evening to see if I can suss these logistics out.

'You Never Lose a Dream, it just incubates as a Hobby'

-Larry Page. I know what I want to do in life. So why can’t I get it? The truth is that reality gets in the way much of the time so you I to try and work around it. There’s bills to pay so money needs to be earnt and at some point you’re going to need more money if your want to hit your target. At the same time you’ve got to take care of yourself and others; keep in touch with friends and be supportive of their goals as well. Life happens. Your true goal becomes a backburner as you attempt to balance everything else. It’s a shame but there’s a chance that you can keep working at it in the background. And maybe one day it will come true. But until then don’t lose sight of it otherwise all hope is lost. And try not to get too distracted.

Lurking around Legoland

As a half-term treat, we decided to take the girls to the new Legoland discovery centre in Birmingham. It’s nestled by the canal in the outer rim of the arena. We’d booked timed entry tickets to the session and hung outside for a few minutes to kill time and to get a photo of the giant giraffe. We had to queue for a bit as other people had the same idea. We still had a few toddlers invading our shots. A sign on the door outside stated that tickets were sold out for today’s session, but there was no-one waiting to go in. We showed our tickets to the staff who told us that we could go down early. We passed a huge wall where we could spell out our names in Lego bricks and walked into an elevator to take us to the main exhibition. The lift doors were also made out of lego.

Suspenders and Belts

I do a lot of my gym training on a weekday morning when it’s quiet. As a result, I do tend to see a lot of older people there when I work out. They often wear outdated apparel like trousers and shoes. That’s okay. Perhaps they can’t afford to fork out on a trendy pair of trainers. Perhaps they’re hardcore and want to give themselves an extra-hard session. But you’ve got to wonder what’s going through their minds when they’re wearing a shirt, trousers shoes and suspenders. What goes through their mind when they turn up like that? Do they have lunch plans that have been cancelled so they’ve just decided to go as they are? They’re probably not going to work out that hard, but it’s going to be really embarrassing for them if they do work up a sweat. They don’t always clean the machines after them either. I hope they have a good deodorant.  

Pales of the Unexpected at the Bramley Cottage, Redditch

We come here quite often for the quiz. It’s only a pound a go, and while some questions are easier than others; they’ve levelled the playing field with instant questions. In other words, you’ve got very little time to google the answer. Rather than a traditional pen and paper, all the answers are recorded on each team’s smartphone which are sent straight to the quizmaster. He can even award bonus points for the quickest team. As there’s a time limit it can be difficult to type a whole answer so he usually asks for just the first letter. This has meant that we scored some flukes on some answers. At the end of the evening, there’s an option to play your cards and open the box to take the jackpot; providing your number is called. The night closes with a music quiz putting boys against girls which is just for fun as the bar closes.

What is the Rudest Job interview that you've ever had?

It was for a conductor on a train company. I’d been invited to an interview and was shown into a corridor of a hired office alongside several other people. We were shown into a large room which had tables and chairs arranged like a school seminar. We were then told that the interview would be a group exercise and that we each had a role to play in a debate. Of course, there has to be both a pro and a con side for a debate to be successful, so a bit of role-playing was required. I wasn’t comfortable talking about my part in the debate or pretending to be something that I wasn’t. It was strange that we weren’t offered reversing roles since I’d have thought that they were looking for people that could both attack and defend successfully. I felt annoyed that I had to argue views that I didn’t share; and of course I didn’t know any of the other applicants so I felt that they took my views personally.

Rudgate (Hogshead) Mr. Jones Brixton Bitter at the Bramley Cottage, Redditch

The local council runs an annual music festival. It’s a bit of hit and miss as it’s mainly local bands looking for some stage time and to try and get recognised. I once went and saw a teenage boy on an acoustic guitar wailing on about getting wasted. Over the years it has got better, with the edition of a second stage to keep the music going; a fairground, and even a community rave tent along with festival bars and food to accompany the event. One year we even had fireworks and Republica as the closing act; though I had to work late that night. The reaction is always a bit divided. Some residents always complain about the noise it makes; while others say it’s not ambitious enough. But the best bit is that it’s always free. After the festival is finished, we wander through the woods which brings us out to a local pub for a pint.

A Small Year

It’s bargain time again apparently, and because I have an account, I’ve been drawn into some dodgy deals from Photobox. It does take some time to create these calendars, but when I’d finished I couldn’t get a discount because I wasn’t creating multiple quantities of the same calendar. What also annoyed me was the delivery charge. I had to pay a separate shipping charge for each item, even though they were going to the same destination at the same time, and they arrived as two separate packages. When I got them out, I wasn’t happy with the size of them. In previous calendars I had a page for the picture and a page for the calendar. On these calendars the photo and the calendar are on the same page. It’s half the size. There nowhere on the specifications to indicate this. Even when they asked for feedback, there was nowhere for me to write any comments in their survey. This is the last time that I will use them and I’ve unsubscribed from their mailing list.

Wildmoor Oak Cider and Beer Festival

Country pubs aren’t the easiest to get to. You’ve got to time the buses right to get there during the day or face a lengthy walk. And if the pub’s got an event on, you need to sort out transport back too. But this pub is well worth visiting for the quality of its Caribbean menu. It’s a bit on the pricey side but the dishes are worth it. There’s also a good selection of cider and some real ales too. The pub’s split into a bar and a restaurant with a circular bar separating the two. The landlord has got some strange customs of late. There’s been some constant arguments behind the scenes between the staff; which a lot of people have picked up on. He lost a lot of customers by directly messaging everyone to tell them that they should attend his festival, and I think that he lost a lot of custom from that. So tread carefully if you go, as the locals may still bite.

A Christmas Carol (2019)

This was a dark and gloomy tale, with a bit of suspense to make you keep watching. Scrooge was played well and I loved the fact that he tried to justify himself at every opportunity. I also thought that the idea of someone travelling from Wales to London to piss on his grave every year was brilliant. The extra storylines and the extra interaction with Marley made it even more interesting. I loved the special effects in the final episode where Scrooge sits underneath the ice; though his attempt to stop Tiny Tim from going on the ice is quite lame and could even have done more harm than good. I also think it’s a shame that Scrooge did nothing for the miners on his repentance. Perhaps a memorial statue would have sufficed or a donation to the parish. And I was always waiting for someone to go boo. But I loved the closing line.

Cooling off at the Cafe

There’s still a bit more to the Country Park. Next to the play area are table tennis tables; all you need is a bat and ball to play. There’s also adult fitness machines that are self-propelled. But the best bit is the café. It’s in an old boathouse and there’s a balcony that overlooks the lake. There’s a small enclosed garden which holds various metals that you can bash to make some interesting sounds. At the weekends there’s an outdoor bar complete with ice creams. Inside are comfy sofas and a wide selection of hot drinks. I’m only seeing the girls for the morning as I’m working in the afternoon, but they’d rather have an ice cream than a hot sausage roll (that’s for lunch); even if it’s freezing outside. They used to hold exhibitions but the café needed to expand its seating so this space was lost. 

Caught in the Community #dreamdiary 86

I’ve been temporarily working at a theme park. I’m in charge of a miniature train ride which runs on a figure of eight track. Today I’ve chosen to go to the gym instead, but I’m traveling on foot. I’m wondering whether I should have phoned up to let someone know so that my job will be safe tomorrow.  Because I’m on foot I’ve taken the footpath network, and as usual I’ve forgotten the most direct way. I stop outside a community centre at the end of a cul-de-sac to google the route. I notice that there’s a event happening. There’s some ruins on one side of the building, and through a hole in the wall I see people carrying sports gear getting changed. Then a woman appears and desperately needs me to attend her meeting to ensure the survival of the building. She says that the council have already demolished the old one and that they’ve got their eyes on the new one too.

Antics at Arrow Valley

Just near the centre of our town is a community park which is run by the council. There’s a large lake which has a circumference of about one mile, which makes for a very pleasant walk. It’s populated with fish and Canadian Geese and has plenty of landing spots for fishermen. Behind this lies a few fields where the council hosts large vents throughout the year. And in between is a large-scale children’s play area. It’s built on a hill and is divided into different sections to keep different age groups apart. The lower section sees rubber tiling, small swings, animal rockers plus a small slide and a see-saw. The middle section sees the same apart from the rockers being swapped for a roundabout, some taller swings and a higher climbing area. The top area is a rope course which the girls love having a go on but we have to hold onto them on the higher bits so they don’t get afraid of falling off.

Saucy Shopping #devilsdaughter 11

They entered the mall and soon attracted a gathering of onlookers. As Luke noticed the heads starting to turn and people stopping in their tracks; he wasn’t sure whether he should soak it up like Lucinda or be a bit modest. He quickly guided her into a large department store where they could be hidden by the many signs and displays. It wasn’t long before the sales assistants found them. 

‘I need a new suit, ideally in red’ said Lucinda. 

‘Right this way madam’ said a man in an English accent. ‘Do you know what size?’

‘I’ve put on a few pounds. I’ll probably need to be measured first.’

‘Please do allow me to show you upstairs to one of our personal tailors.’

‘That would be wonderful.’ The assistant invited them to board a series of elevators, taking them up to the fifth floor and showed them into a large room with a huge window overlooking the street while all the other walls were lined with mirrors. In the centre was a podium and next to this was a small table that held two glasses of champagne.

‘Floretta will be with you in a moment’ said the salesman.

‘Thank you’ said Lucinda. ‘How absolutely spiffing’ she added once the door had closed.

Wadworth Studs Up at the Bowling Green Inn, Hadley

I approach the pub from the bottom of a hill on a country lane. It hasn’t been an easy journey to get here but I’ve arrived. I pass traditional wooden fencing and notice that there’s a bowls match at play. It looks like it’s lunchtime as sandwiches are being eaten in the gazebo. I cross the car park and enter the pub. There’s a main corridor with a small dining room on the left then the pub opens out to an open dining room with a bar. It’s virtually empty. The beer suits me since I’ve been walking quite a while, but I have to turn my nose up at the place when they tell me that it’s over £4 a pint. Normally I like to soak up the atmosphere in the beer garden but I’ve had some fresh air already. I take a seat at one of the tables and get my map out to plan my next destination.