Past Tense by Lee Child

Past Tense by Lee Child
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I think that this book tries too hard to be a script for TV. There are way too many adjectives, verbs, and thought processes. Every single minute action seems to be commented upon with military precision. And I’m not entirely too convinced about the police’s cavalier attitude towards Reacher’s good Samaritan actions. It’s like they have no backbone. I also thought that some scenarios were just too predictable, and when these moments did occur, my anticipation of them just flew by in a flash. Character like Amos and Castle were too similar and just blended into a category of ‘Other People that Reacher talked to’ for a while. The dialogue between Patty and Shorty was much more convincing. I know the protagonist had purpose here but it looks like the whole series is based on an ex-solider wandering about poking his nose into situations that he sees and makes things right in his own ‘special’ way. I’m not sure that it’s an appealing saga that I would want to follow.

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"Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn."

-Mahatma Gandhi.

It’s amazing what a good night of sleep will do to you. Sometimes you’ve just got to give up your body to natural rest to allow it to repair itself. Some people can just fight through it with just a short pause; while others know that they need to reset and they can’t continue otherwise. It’s amazing where this morning energy comes from. I’m not sure about dying every night though. There’s certain aspects about the past that you must retain in order to progress and you need to use this knowledge to better yourself rather than to learn it each day. But what does happen when we sleep? Maybe we drift from body to soul without even realising it; and occasionally we pick this up when we wake by recalling fragments of dreams. In this sense, everyone is connected to everyone because everyone is one. But would you want to take responsibility for it, or do you have a choice?

The Battle of Bosworth

I’m off on a little day trip to Ashby-de-la-Zouch. I’m trying to visit the castle, and on this occasion I’ve managed to find a car park space but the castle is closed. I’ve walked all around the outside and admired it from outside the grounds but there’s no other entrance. I retreat to the pub to plan my next steps. Over a pint in the beer garden, I discover the new opening times and try to discover another nearby venue to visit. The Battle of Bosworth Heritage Centre seems to be the nearest place to visit, and although I don’t get free entry I do get a discount. I fire up the sat-nav, and soon I’m in a gravel car park next to a set of converted barns and red-bricked buildings. Inside, as well a period armour and artefacts on display, there’s a brilliant interactive projector displaying the tactics of each of the different armies. After I’ve finished learning, I opt for a breath of fresh air and decide to take a trail around the country park. 

 

What I Really Believe

I believe in Christmas trees. There’s something magical about them but you can’t expect them to materialise on their own. I believe in true love and that the world can be a bleak place if you don’t attempt to seek out companionship. I believe that the world is full of cruelty and hardship and that it’s our duty to shape it otherwise, and that it’s down to each individual to find their own path and create their success. I believe that if you want something, you’ve got to put the effort in to obtain it and don’t rely on others to do it for you. You might need to acquire their experience and expertise but ultimately it’s down to you to make it happen. I believe that COVID isn’t a natural phenomenon but no-one’s going to own up to such devastation. I believe that there’s a lot more that we can do to protect our planet but governments need to lead the way by dictating how we act rather than creating taxes and forcing companies to put prices up. 

Musing Around the Museum

While we’re here, we take a quick look around the railway memorabilia inside the museum. There’s a donation to get in and it consists mainly of two or three rooms joined together, mainly with large models of locomotives and pictures of team trains and volunteers mounted on the wall. I’ve got no idea why this particular sign caught my attention. Maybe I was baffled at the time that bridges couldn’t suffice to carry a motor car, but then it could be a small bridge solely for the purpose of allowing a farmer to access his property from one side of the line to the other. The museum is also big on signage and preserves posters advertising destinations to day-trippers and tourist, as well as a showcase of tools used to preserve the railway alongside everyday artefacts of their time. You certainly get a sense of a time gone by but maybe they’ve overdone the preservation a bit. 

A Mischievous Map

Don’t waste your money (or your luggage allowance)! The free visitor’s map that we picked up in the arrivals hall of Jersey airport was much more useful than this waste of paper. Having bought this directly off the Ordnance Survey website, I was under the impression that this was one of their products but it turned out to be published by the State of Jersey with a similar key. A blend of greens makes it difficult to distinguish small roads from footpaths, while cycle routes aren’t numbered or displayed at all. Places of interest seem to be disguised in a weird black font in a blue box which seems to just blend into the map and makes them difficult to find rather than the traditional star system that’s used in the OS Explorer series maps. Also, there's no online version and country pubs aren’t displayed at all. The attached map of St. Helier is unnecessarily huge and looks more like a map for the town planner rather than a leisure one. The whole thing needs to be re-designed. 

Pissing around the Platform

My friend wanted to visit this place in memory of his dad. It’s a bit of the way out from the town, and it’s a shame that he didn’t mention it sooner as we could have made it the first stop on the bus and everyone could have visited. We walked down a wooden corridor of steps and onto the platform. As it was, the buffet bar was closed for the afternoon as it was preparing for an evening event. We had a look through the window, and it looked nicely preserved. A terminating train came in and my friend located the buffet car and persuaded the guard to sell us a couple of bottles. We walked around watching passing trains with plastic cups but it didn’t feel right. A few months later, I recognise the station’s entrance right away on a TV show and identify the station before confirming it on the closing credits. ‘I’ve been there’ I say. 

Seated Self-Righteousness

 A slightly athletic bald older man approaches with white sideburns. He tries to keep himself in shape but suffers slight mobility problems owing to old age. He walks around slowly with a sense of ownership of everything and self-righteousness. His head is a perfect egg with stuck-out ears to receive the smallest of remarks which he tries to translate as smuttily as possible. He speaks slowly in an entitled voice about topics fifty years ago as if it’s current news and likes to keep an eye out on everyone. Be prepared for a long and drawn-out conversation at the most inappropriate of times with plenty of slow guffaws. Occasionally he’ll venture some interesting information, usually scouted out from Facebook. He’s always got something to say on everything and would rather be a critic than part of the solution. He’s someone that you’d really enjoy watching them trying to squirm themselves out of a sticky situation and see justice being served.

Northern Star at the Needle & Pin, Loughborough

Once we’d finished at Wetherspoons, it was time to cross the road and head all the way into the next pub. But why use the pelican crossing 100 yards down the road when you can stagger across a busy bus route? Once we’d made it safely inside, we found that other members of our party had beaten us to it. We ignore our surrounds for a moment to take in the bar. It’s located in a tiny corridor at the far end of the building. Four ales sit on top of an exposed brick wall separated only by polished cuts of beech. There’s a nearby bookshelf but the point of interest is the beers on the keg T-bar. One of these beers is brewed in our home town, yet this pub, which is sixty miles away from the brewery, is the first pub that we’ve come across that has it available. We sit on the small pew and put our feet up under the tiny tables to ponder this. 

 

Why are Machines getting Thicker?

Last month, Alexa decided to stop reading my emails. While I thank her for not invading my privacy, I still find it strange that there’s no option to allow this to continue and that the decision has been taken for me without giving me any choice in the matter. It might have been nice for her to give me more notice too. Some people might even depend on this service, such as those who have difficulty with sight; and this could be a major blow for people with sight problems. You’d think that technology would move forward rather than backwards. Perhaps the complexity of emails meant that Alexa struggled between text and graphics and read out binary code when attempting to describe pictures. Or perhaps people weren’t listening to the whole e-mail and skipped over vital information. More importantly, we don’t know why this feature has been suspended. Perhaps Alexa is getting too clever for her own good. 

Fuller's Hop Tropic at the Old Joint Stock, Birmingham

This classic pub is full of iconic features. An island bar dominates the room with handpumps on every side which can be a bit inconvenient when deciding what to order. Raised tables are placed next to the windows to allow office workers a view of the outside world while relaxing with a pint and a pie (of which I must get round to trying!). The remaining space is taken up by raised tables, huge paintings with golden frames and chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling. Upstairs is a balcony with regular seating while behind this lies a small theatre that runs a regular programme. Back downstairs, there’s more seating designed for intimate conversation, and there’s even a small courtyard if you feel the need for a puff. And just through here you can exit via the rear and end up in a completely different pub on the opposite side of the alleyway.

Security Alerts

Security seems to be a big deal on the internet. We appreciate that it’s there to protect us, but when we know that we’re not committing fraud and that it’s our own account, it’s just annoying. Why do our passwords have to be so long? Why does the whole thing have to be delayed while we wait for a text to arrive? You wouldn’t wait to be verified to gain entry to your home because you have a key, so why should this virtual instrument be any different? Maybe on-line life would be much easier if computers had a lock built into the keyboard or be powered by a USB device. Some people are relying on digital methods such as passcodes and fingerprints to gain entrance. That’s fine too, but at least we don’t get an e-mail or notification sent to our phone every time we do it. Banks seem to be more trusting with cardholders these days through contactless payments, so why can’t websites?

Fyne Ales Double or Nothing at the Head of Steam, Birmingham

With a name like that, you’d think the pub would have a big railway theme but the truth is far from it. This place is quiet and cosy during the day but it’s a popular nightspot for groups with its long tables laid out like a beer hall in what is essentially the building’s porch. Above this is a locked drinks cabinet filled with bottles and lights to suggest to patrons what they could drink next. Hidden on top these is a bunch of leather cases which are meant to portray luggage but it’s difficult to see them in dark light. Upstairs is a square bar surrounded with plush seats. Overhead piping is on display to give the impression that steam is passing over us to somewhere useful. One could hope that it’s to vent a fermenter but the beers on sale here are quite interesting.  There’s a further raised area near the window for those who like to be seated in the warm. 

Coffee Shop #dreamdiary 122

I’m inside the tower of an historic building. Inside, the walls are of a straight grey with no signs of brickwork at all. In the centre is a large hole with blue rope ladders to ascend to the lower floor. At the bottom is plush seating and to one side is a counter with a glass top and a table to the side. Beyond this is a large barista coffee machine. It all seems very odd that this is here. Surely there must be some kind of service door to allow people to come and go or even for the coffee shop to take deliveries. There’s a large set of brown double doors to the left but they’re firmly bolted. Maybe I’ve arrived too early. Suddenly a thin silvery-blonde woman wearing a green apron pops up from behind the counter. ‘What would you like?’ she asks. I ask for the way out.    

Bedlam Wilde at the Keg and Comfort, Wolverhampton

We step off the bus and gather outside a strange bricked building with white window framing. It looks a bit out of place as a standalone building, but inside it’s quite roomy. There’s groups of plush chairs surrounding coffee tables by the windows and the bar is quite small. On the wall adjacent to it is this huge clock which looked quite impressive at the time with its different bottles but it’s shame that the paint is peeling. It’s as if someone’s spilt the beers over the face as they tried to fix them on. Next to the bar are the kegs which are painted black and are converted into tables for people to gather round when there’s no seats or when they want to be closer to the bar. We take our drinks to a small area hidden at the back of the room which looks like a former office. It’s lined with sofas and a bookcase filled with board games.

Brew 61

Redditch & Bromsgrove CAMRA paid a visit to Upton Warren in September to check out an up-and-coming brewery named Brew 61. Brewer Tim Dunkley has been practising his hobby on his family farm and decided to begin brewing commercially last year. He was very keen to show members around his new site and talk about his venture. He owns eight fermenters and is producing around 25 barrels a week. The current brewery is version four and was previously operating in a 15 square foot workshop. Four core beers are being produced which are named to reflect the neighbouring farm. They include a golden session ale named Greenfields Gold, an IPA called Spring Meadow, a light ale titled Grazing Girls and a second IPA named Hop On. There are also plans to produce a stout in the winter. The beers have been well received in both bottles and casks and have been spotted around local pubs in the branch such as the Nevill Arms in New End, the Hanbury Turn in Bromsgrove, Vaughan’s in Redditch and the Rose & Crown in Feckenham. They’re also stocked at Decanter in Bromsgrove or you can buy and collect direct from the brewery through their website: www.brew61.co.uk 

Vaulting to the Post Office Vaults

There’s a staircase that just drops right into the ground. It’s the ultimate test of whether you’re sober enough to be served, and if you hit the floor then you’re out. But if you enter via the rear, you only have to walk down a slope and through the door and the bar’s right in front of you. Seating can be sparse, and three solo people sitting on each table is enough to fill the bar up and you’ve got to wander how the staff can cope when there’s a rush on. There’s also a traditional bar billiards table that takes up a bit of space. But it’s a bar which is handy to pop into if you’ve just missed your train and you’ve got a little bit of breathing space before the next one. Just beware that you might be tempted to miss the next one too as you’re usually guaranteed to bump into someone that you know on your way out.

 

The stonemaid #empress 9

Zhong wondered off down the passage. It was at least a square forty feet. Along the way, lanterns had hastily been fixed into the sides and workmen were on ladders hoisting buffers into place. They looked at him as he passed but saw him no more than a man on his way to complete a job. After all, what harm could he do to the empress? Occasionally, a cart would pass carrying manure. As Zhong progressed, he passed more workers shovelling the manure to the sides as it looked like they were awaiting an empty cart. Zhong kicked himself as he realised that if he had waited longer, he could have hitched a ride on an empty one. The passageway grew wider and wider, until one time it opened up into a giant hole where daylight poured in. As he passed underneath, he saw the occasional dweller peek over the edge above. 

Insight Guides: Great Breaks Jersey

Insight Guides: Great Breaks Jersey by Insight Guides
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This little book has much to get the reader excited about. It’s divided the island into itineraries that can be taken via car, but it also keeps in mind that not everyone has access to a car when they’re sightseeing and keeps alternative transport in mind, particularly when it comes to suggesting walks. The history is brief but adequate and lists each feature in both its historical and modern cultural context. The book certainly doesn’t cover everything, but it’s got just the right amount of information to get you up and running with the basics of the island, and web links are supplied to encourage the reader to get the latest information on each topic, and suggests a wide range of activities for both dry and wet outcomes. The maps are heavily laden with features and suggested route, and the guide is aptly illustrated on every page to get the reader excited about what to expect. Time to get packing.

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The Goes Wrong Show: Series 2

I was disappointed with this series. It opened strongly but the laughs were as rushed as the end of the first episode. It was great to escalate the off-screen tension between Chris and Robert but it all became too child-like to watch in “The Most Lamentable”. Here, there’s so much that could have gone wrong but didn’t. The antics returned to better form in the prison break play even though the script was weak and was probably something that you’d expect to see in a TV movie. But a showcase of characters in the final two episodes were awful and lacked many opportunities for disaster to occur. The fairy ballet seemed to work but the rest was a waste of screentime; especially the one-man circus which went on for far too long. It would have been more fun if the characters had tried to squeeze these performances in between full episodes. There were so many sets that could have been produced but weren’t. The original formula worked well but in this series they needed better stunts to make it work as the gags were too predictable. 

Purity Bunny Hop at Pure Craft Bar and Kitchen, Birmingham

It’s quite a loud and modern bar, and its exterior is quite deceiving from what’s inside, almost as if you’ve stepped into a prohibition era. The tables are long and are set up like a beer hall to encourage groups and people to congregate together rather than smaller groups of individuals. It’s all about a sharing experience. There’s a mixture of bright lights placed over tables and dimmed gangways so that everything blends into the background once you’re seated to allow you to focus on your party. Overhead are sets of giant pipes to give the impression that you’re underneath some giant industrial machine. Sadly, the beer is overpriced compared to where it’s served elsewhere, but you’re paying for the location and atmosphere as well as the product. I purchase my beer separate to the group as I’m only here for the beer. My tour is ending as my company’s party is beginning.

What is your "I can't believe that happened on our vacation" event?

It’s not so much a specific event in so much as something happened, it’s more how people react when they’re on holiday. It’s time to explore and you might find yourself venturing into somewhere that you normally wouldn’t have the courage to think about. And because you’re not local and you know you’re leaving, you might think it’s OK for someone else to sort out your mess. It’s great that people switch off and forget about the outside world, but there’s still people to interact with which needs consideration. It’s great if you’re having a good time but it’s not so good if your actions are wrecking other people’s experiences. The world doesn’t just stop because you’re in a different place. It’s as if all the senses of the mind have fled. I suppose it’s in the wording of the first two syllables of the word. That said, some trips do change people and they learn important lessons. It’s up to them whether they apply them when they return home. 

Orkney Wave Breaker Blonde at the Lynch Gate Tavern, Wolverhampton

John apologises but explains that he’s been invited out to someone’s party for the evening, but he’s determined to give me as much of a guest of honour’s tour as he can. He heads home to change while we pop into a city centre pub to wait for him. From the outside, the pub looks like an out-of-place townhouse, but once you’re in it resembles something out of a Harry Potter movie. It just screams comfort and security with plush lounge chairs in both the upstairs and downstairs bars, though it’s annoying to have to fetch beer from the upstairs bar and bring it back down again when you’ve got a nice spot. I spy some local produce and splash out on a round of pork pies with the drinks. We chat amicably about ourselves and what we get up to, then it’s time to board a train to Birmingham where John will alight at a different station and find us.   

 

"Some days you learn from a book; other days you learn from hours of practice; and then there are the times you're so embarrassed by something you know you'll never do it again."

-Michael Phelps.

Everybody learns in different ways. You might take a philosophical approach, or you might need some practice or practical education to home your craft. You might be a good footballer but you might need a certain mindset to become a great one which might be something that you can’t gain in the field. Or you might be brilliant at absorbing information but you need the co-ordination to put it into practice during a training session before you can use it. But people should also learn from their mistakes. Sometimes there’s no manual for the task that you want to do (or at least not at the time) and you have to work out the best way to complete the task yourself. You might even want to approach others to ask or even pay for their experience and skills. But there are also things that you wouldn’t want to do again and hopefully you can take steps to avoid them in the future. 

Banks's Sunbeam at the Stiles, Wolverhampton

The festival venue is a colourful one. It’s split into two rooms and there’s also a few studios open for local artists to showcase their work. More familiar people are piling in but I’ve been here for a few hours and I’ve more or less finished the beers that I want to sample. John is up for giving me a local tour. I’m about ready for a change of scenery so we walk around the corner to The Stiles. It’s an old red-brick Banks’s pub with a large beer garden and a bowls field. It’s been taken on by a Polish couple who are big on building a sharing and caring community and Polish cuisine is served alongside regular staples. Inside it’s a bit dreary; there’s green walls with Victorian photographs in frames on display. The bar is quite narrow, but outside there is a terrace with colourful canvasses on the walls and blooming hanging baskets drape down from above. We sit outside and watch a local bowls match take place in the sunshine.

If I was Brave enough...

I’d like to do the things I regret not doing. Completing one more activity to check off my list rather than leaving it for next time. It might take a little more time and energy but at least I’d feel more productive. Instead, I curl up into a little ball and hide myself from the world, doing only what I feel is safe rather than risking something new. I'd take more risks. I'd cram in as much as I can to see what I can get away with. I'll avoid paying that train fare and see if anyone does come round to check my ticket. I'd stand up and say no more often, whether it's a customer insisting on me giving them a refund for a product that I know that they’ve misused, or saying no to completing a task that I shouldn't really be doing.  I’d say not to an event that someone asks me to attend. I'll get into fights more. That may sound a bit vicious, but when you get picked on you need to stand up for yourself and face the consequences no matter what they are, and never take the easy path to let injustice get the better of you.

A Wander Around Wolverhampton

It’s time for a wander around Wolverhampton. I’ve greed to meet my friend John at the beer festival which is usually held in the Civic Centre, but owing to a refurbishment it’s being held at an arts centre instead. On arrival to the city, I’m amazed at how much the bus station has transformed since my last visit. It’s gone from an open-air roundabout to a full-on commercial centre. My journey takes me across a well-placed pelican crossing over a dual carriageway followed by the Wanderer’s grounds and into the suburbs. I then follow a cycle lane through some back-to-back houses which brings me out at the back of the arts hall. This brings me out at the volunteer’s entrance, but there’s no sign to the customer’s entrance. Once I’m redirected, I find myself near the front of the queue to this colourful building. It’s not long before John arrives further down and I sacrifice my place to join him.

Disney+

You might think that you might be finished with a product after six months. But that time has just flown by, and as well as catching up with a series that I’ve very much enjoyed, I’ve also watched some old favourites (perhaps too often). There is simply too much to choose from. As well as having access to the Star Wars and Marvel worlds, there’s also occasional material fed through third parties. And Fox have worked their way in there as well, so The Simpsons and Family Guy also make an appearance. The result is too much choice, and with the lack of advertising you may be amazed at what you can get through. There may be a thing as too much telly. But as long as there’s a good source of data to stream then it’s all good and the trial-free price isn’t bad either. I wonder how I did without it. 

Profit Procurers

We made an impressive bit of profit from the shop. Not bad considering we’d only make a pound or two off each customer. The main thing that we have to work out is what we’d make the money from as we’d be billed for the items that aren’t returned to the warehouse. We’d keep a separate till for the beer tokens so that wouldn’t be an issue, and we’d try to update our inventory every time we sold an item but it’s hard to keep track of everything when it gets busy. This year we had surplus inventory anyway so we had to label up our own boxes so that it would be accountable to the warehouse and I even took photographic proof just in case there were any issues between the courier and the warehouse. Luckily, both the treasurer and the warehouse accepted the figures that I supplied. They didn’t query them and I had to chase them to acknowledge it to be certain that I could wash my hands of it.

Supermarket Parking Wars #dreamdiary 121

It’s a dark and stormy evening. I’ve borrowed a friend’s car to drive some other friends to the pub. Ironically he’s a pub landlord but we’re not planning to visit his pub. His car is a beautiful silvery Jaguar which has a touch of blue. One of my friends has asked me to pick him up from the supermarket. We’re in the queue to leave the car park when suddenly a trolley sails past and hits the car square on the bonnet. We get out but we can’t see where it came from. I quickly reverse the car into a vacant space and we use our phones to check the car but we can’t spot any scratches. Then just in front of us there’s a large bang. An old woman has driven right into the back of a red reliant robin which has caused it to rise up into the air and onto her bonnet. There’s a screech of tyres as the offending car, a light purple Volkswagen Beetle, roars away.

Product Range

I’m amazed by what we sell at the festival. For example, it’s the middle of summer and we’ve managed to sell three beanie hats. Maybe these people are starting their gift shopping early just like they get up early in the morning. Or maybe they’re off their head and they’ll buy anything for a bit of fun and festival spirit. Some of the old beer guides go alongside the current ones and occasionally people like to haggle but we do have a cost price and a recommended price that’s set by our distributors. Sometimes they set discounts if the customer’s a member and occasionally they’ll be some clearance bargains. Sometimes we’re able to sell festival staff shirts that people have donated or take orders for shirts if we run out and people are desperate to have them delivered. There used to be a greater range of merchandise like umbrellas that may come in handy but we don’t really want to jinx it!