Napoleon

This is a serious biopic of lengthy proportions which lacks humour and entertainment, but provides some fascinating insight. There’s some interesting war scenes which are dramatically staged with all of the action, but these scenes are too short in length and there’s no sense of kinship within the troops. Instead, the focus is much upon Napoleon’s social and political life, and the love scenes show too much spooning which is surprising since it’s French. I find it amazing that a man with no religious values whatsoever is allowed by the rest of the populace to become their King, though he preferred the title of emperor. But while he’s heavy-handed in his actions, he makes no attempts to hide behind anything. He’s a man who’ not afraid not get what he want, and even in exile he still manages to get people to follow him. It must be the hat. But it’s all held back for the final battle which leaves you thirsty for more.

Back on Track #astoncantlow 6

Back on a paved track, we passed a farm followed by some holiday cottages on a single-track road. It then leaves the built-up area then curves round and faces north. We stayed on this road and enjoyed the view of gently rolling hills until we reached a T-junction. Turning right, we headed east underneath the Edstone then ascended the staircase on the right to join up with the canal. Turning right, we were able to walk north along one of the country’s longest aqueducts before following the canal back towards Wootton Warren. Along the way, we just happened to pass one of my ex-girlfriends. After passing the marina, the canal changes course and bears north-east. At the next footbridge was a stile on our left which led us west down a gravel track to a single-track road. Heading north, we turned left at the main road which led us back to the village hall car park.

"When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this, you haven't."

-Thomas Edison.

You think that you’ve thought of everything. There’s always another way. You just have to find it. It might take a bit of imagining for it to become a reality. It’s a good incentive to help you not give up, though you might have to give it some extreme thought. Perhaps you could create some technology to help you. Or maybe you could look to nature for inspiration. Perhaps another species already has the solution, and you need to adapt to it as much as possible. It’s important to not give up, but you also have to recognise when to move on. Perhaps there’s a way of skirting around it so that you can work on something else and come back to it later. There’s other people here too. It’s going to be a way that you haven’t thought of, and you may need to ask others for their insight, or at least follow in their footsteps for a while. Perhaps you can inspire them to get the task done.

Away after Afters #astoncantlow 5

We resorted to drinking out of plastic cups, and there wasn’t much available in the way of dessert but we were happy with ice cream. Then it was time to head back to the walk. Heading north, we walked back the way we came, passing the turn into our village on our left. As the road bent round to the left, a trail on a footpath opened out onto a field just past the houses on the right-hand side. We followed this east until we reached a gap in the hedge, then we were supposed to head north until the path intersected with the road again, but we missed the gap in the hedge and wandered east a bit too far. Instead, we cut across and headed north-east to get back on track. Here, we followed the footpath east through a small wood followed by two fields before bearing north-east to reach the road. 

Ironing out my Dreams #dreamdiary 176

I’ve built my own smart speaker. It’s a little on the impractical side, it’s currently the size of a steam generator. But the base is see-through and all the wiring is neatly stowed away in the plastic lid so that you can’t see it. I think it was the only available container that I had to hand. At the moment it’s primarily used as an alarm clock that can wake you to the sound of your choice and tell you the weather, but other features are coming, which is why there’s so much space. I decide to show this idea to a friend who runs a tech store to see if he’s interested in helping me to develop it and sell it at his store. I manage to accost him on his way to work. Unfortunately he’s running a bit late so he has to run ahead of me so that he can start to open up the store on time.

The Pub

It sounds nice, doesn’t it? It’s short, simple, safe and relaxing. It’s somewhere that you’d like to end up at the end of a hard day. You know that there’s not much to worry about while you’re here (unless, of course, you’re in the wrong one and you have to watch out for potential deviants). Keeping the tax the same gives the impression that nothing changes, but the people who run these places still have to adapt to the world outside. Wages will rise, which mean prices will have to rise so that people can still have the same proportionate income that they did before. There’s little sign of any assistance or support. It’s just used as a buzz word. Meanwhile, while there are benefits for working people, everything else is rising so the extra wages are absorbed into coping with these costs while communities are struggling with the cuts in their services.

Aston Antics #astoncantlow 4

Continuing to the end of the road, we turned right and passed a mixture of old and brick-built housing. We passed the village club on our left which looked more like a pub, and oddly a beautiful village hall in a traditional merchant’s house was just on the other side of the T-junction. But why would you have two community spaces next to each other? Perhaps they both cater for distinct types of residents. Across the road from this was the pub. Because of restrictions, we had to enter via the car park at the side where we had a table in the garden in the shelter of a magnificent oak tree, and a hatch operated a bar  service. The menu was also restricted, but we opted for the fish platter for two, which was a feast of goujons, sardines, bread, salad, dips and prawns alongside a side order of chips.

My boss threatened to fire me because I usually leave at 6pm and don't stay until 8/9 like other employees. How should I handle this?

You need to look at your employment contract. It will clearly state how many hours you are required to work that week. You’ll also need to examine any overtime agreements. If you’re fulfilling your hours then you’re perfectly within your rights to claim unfair dismissal if they do fire you, though with the way they’re treating you it could be a quick and easy way out with a free pay check for a while as you hunt for other jobs. It might also be worth discussing your hours of employment contract with your colleagues. Perhaps their contract is longer than yours and your boss needs to be reminded of this. You’ve got to know your worth, the job market, and what other companies are willing to pay for the same hours. Is the exploitation worth it? Or perhaps you’ve got it all wrong and you really need to put in that overtime.

Descent to the Pub #astoncantlow 3

The field brought us out next to a hen coup with a kissing gate in front of us onto a road. Turning left, we followed the road around the bend heading south-west past some newly built houses, and after passing traditional farm buildings that had also been converted into housing were barns that had been converted into small boutique workshops. There’s also a café here but we weren’t that far from the pub. The road then passed open fields again, and at the second one was a gate on our left. Here, we enter the field where we were re-united with the river again, and we followed the river south until we spotted a gap in the hedge where we crossed the river over a footbridge. We bore south along the next field then exited onto a track alongside some houses which deposited us on a road of built-up housing.

 

Strapless

I’d bought my Mum one of the cheap unbranded smartwatches. It’s a Chinese product that does everything that all the branded ones do at a slice of the cost. She’s quite impressed with its functionality and design. The only problem is that a few months later she’s dropped it and the strap no longer seems to want to hold together. She thinks that she’s managed together all the part back together, but I’ve got no idea how they all fit. There’s no diagram, and although I can see how some of the parts clip back in, I’ve got no idea if I’m attaching them the right way. Fortunately, the watch comes with a spare band but it’s a rubber silicon design instead of a fitted mesh strap. I’ve followed the path that the manufacturers want -purchasing  a new one instead of repairing the old. I’ve taken the lazy way out.

Old Bull #astoncantlow 2

We followed the river for a brief period then continued north-west for a moment until we’d past some railings on our right containing a yard of skips. Shortly after that on our left was a kissing gate which took us into a field bearing south-west with a small line of fenced trees separating us from the river. We bore south-west to another kissing gate then crossed a farm track to a third kissing gate on our right where we climbed a gently sloped grass hill towards a row of trees. On the horizon of this field was a gate which slope down to the next field. A farmer was busy tending to a cow that had passed away and was attaching a net around its carcass so that it could be carried away by forklift. My mother was absolutely fascinated by  this as she’d often had a fear of cows in fields.

The Worst Day

They say that piss preparation gives you poor performance. I knew that not having a plan would cause all sorts of problems. It’s one of the first things that they teach you at the training schools. Plan, perform, review. Without it, you can’t sync the learning to the national curriculum. But I’d spent too much time socialising the night before. I’d had to get some marking done afterwards which required constant vigilance of spelling and grammar, as well as fact checking to make sure that any revolutionary views were in line. I thought I’d have just enough time to start planning introductions to the next segment of Romeo & Juliet, and I’d made some notes about language and what to look for in each character’s performance. I was sure that I’d done this all before but I couldn’t recall where the book was. I’d passed out with a giddy head with my textbook on my bed with YouTube in front of me blaring in the background. Then I woke up. I should have called in sick, but when I saw what the time was, I realised that there wasn’t any time to organise any cover…

Aqueduct Antiques #astoncantlow 1

This was an interesting walk that walk us into the heart of countryside while seeing some interesting sights along the way. It was mostly flat, though it was a bit long as we arrived at the pub too early on the route, and we also had to take a slight detour back owing to a missed footpath. Parking at the village hall, we walked directly south past the social club and into the neighbouring field. As the field opened out, we turned left and bore east until we reached the river, and just before the footbridge we turned right and followed the river directly south. The footpath headed directly past a local sewage works, but luckily nothing was stinking at the time. The trial brought us onto a concreted path next to a railway bridge and we were lucky enough to witness a train pass over us before we proceeded underneath.

Regal Worries #empress 20

People were running towards the pit. They’d brought shovels, trowels, and extra paddy hats -anything they could use to scrape dirt out of a hole. A rumour had gone round that the empress was visiting the area and there’d been a cave-in as the royal wagon had passed over. Little did they know that it was the other way around. It became clear to him that lies were being told and that there was some sort of propaganda going on. From what he’d seen, they were just going to be food. Giant hands suddenly appeared out of the ground like tree trunks growing on steroids. They were lifting people up high then dragging them back down beneath the surface. Zhong wondered if they were being stored somewhere or were going straight into the Empress’s mouth. And why weren’t the guards helping? They’d probably cottoned on to what was happening and were taking shelter themselves.

Around the Glens

This is kind of what you’d expect to find in a small commuter village. Large houses that are sheltered away from the main road by a hedgerow to give a sense of privacy and quiet, yet still cheap enough to be built in a batch while having a busy road in earshot. The nearby brook often absorbs some of the sound but it’s not enough to hear just the brook itself. Its only access point is a bridge, but people have attempted to create their own to save time. Sports cars are parked in odd places on narrow roads to allow second cars off the drive to commute. Old features like willow trees have been preserved, but traffic has caused more damage to the foliage than the local council can spare to renew, so it just gets felled for the sake of safety. Then there’s people’s own attempts to tame nature, whether it’s to let it wither or demolish it completely in favour of something more manageable.

Stop Smoking

Is this going to be a diary-driven project which records when I cut down? Am I required to record my daily habits and it’s going to tell me off if I indulge or congratulate me when I’m on a clean break? Or maybe Alexa’s secretly on fire and emitting smoke into the room? Will there be dramatic music or warnings from the Chief Medical Officer? Maybe I should start this day every way just for the moral support, even though I don’t smoke. My attempt was a wall of silence. Either it misheard the command, rejected the app as it’s now closed, or stopped what it was doing. It’d be nice if I could get a message to say that the app’s no longer working so that I’m reassured that it’s the app at fault and not the device itself. Either that, or the air in my room is going to be a lot cleaner.

Fawn and Dandy #fecken 2

Once we hit the bottom of the field, we cross a stile into a small wood then turn left. We follow the path around to the right until we meet a small track which leads us out to the road. It’s then a small incline up a narrow one-track road where we encountered our four-footed friends. Don’t forget that a few hundred years ago this land was all forest without any farms. A short while later, we see a build-up of housing on our left. Gardens are facing out with rooftops protruding over hedges. Then it’s just a small footpath which takes to the other side of these houses and we’re back in suburbia. And it’s amazing how big this estate is. There’s just rows upon rows of houses with large footpaths separating them as we pass through to cut off parts of the road network. It just seems endless.

Mister Big

At first glance, there’s a tall thin man with short ginger hair and a short face. There’s a character with the bare minimum of a wax jacket, wellingtons and gaiters who isn’t afraid to put in a bit of hard work to achieve a goal. There’s a lot of nervousness about him but he’s equally grateful to anyone who’s placed a little faith and investment in him. A few years down the line, the times have changed. He’s strutting his stuff like a peacock as he realises how good his product is. His dress sense has changed to more of a business sense where he’s now seen in a clean shirt and polished shoes. He’s also seeking out opportunities rather than compliments. There’s an effort to make contacts but it’s to sell the business rather than to seek out sales. The gaiters have been swapped for a business jacket to portray someone who’s no longer prepared to get their hands dirty.

Fawning around #fecken 1

It’s quite easy to get to the countryside where I live. You only have to walk two clicks to be on the edge of town. Though the border’s still expanding, there’s still many a house that backs onto woodland or rural fields. It starts from an estate pub where there’s plenty of parking and meals are served. We ascend eastwards towards a cluster of large houses, then as we pass another cluster of houses sheltered in a wood, the pavement becomes non-existent as the council’s desire is to keep you within the town borders and head back through a laid-out path in the woods. Instead, we turn away from the main road onto a field next to the stables. We’re greeted by someone tending to the horses as we cross the stile. We ascend the hill, and as well as the view of the hills in front of us, we’re also treated to someone’s magnificent house where the rear end is mounted onto a large balcony extension which also shares the same views.

Funeral for a Friend #dreamdiary 175

It’s time for a funeral of a friend of mine. I haven’t seen him for a long time so I’m not even sure how he died. The only thing I know is that someone has decided that it should be some kind of a party. We’re encouraged to wear brightly coloured clothes. I end up wearing a fabric rainbow top hat with a bright green shirt and white trousers. As a disguise, I also decide to wear dark sunglasses in case someone recognises me and has repercussions. There’s quite a crowd. People are actually lining the streets to see him pass by. Considering the length of time since I’d last seen him and the amount of people standing around, I decide to just watch the body roll through the gates rather than stay and attend the whole service. Instead of a hearse, it’s a limousine that rolls past me at the gates to the crematorium. 

"My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to push them and make them even better."

 -Steve Jobs

Everyone likes an easy boss. It makes them feel more relaxed and less under pressure to fulfil their tasks. But that’s not a good attitude for the company. You have to be ruthless and ambitious to get ahead of your competitors and turn some profit. But you also need the backing of a good team. You need to push them to do their best, but you also have to show compassion and solidarity in their efforts. You must help others to overcome their problems rather than become one. You have to be inspirational and persuade them to stay with you otherwise they’ll use your efforts to usurp or rival you. There’ll be skills that you want to teach them, but it’s also worth listening to them at the same time as they may have ideas that they want to teach you to make everyone’s tasks easier. It’s a two-way process all in the name of progress.

Sanctuary #wootton 13

I’ve driven past this building many times. Apart from sounding like a hideout for a Doctor Who villain, a sign outside proclaims that it’s the oldest building in Warwickshire. From the outside, at a distance, it just looks like any other church. If you pass by early enough in the morning, you’ll see plenty of bunnies on its lawn. Once you’re up close, it looks fairly big but there are other nearby buildings that are bigger, but they’re not necessarily older. Its entrance has few tombstones which was withered away over the years. It’s a shame that it was closed so that we were denied the opportunity to look inside. The lawn and foliage are well looked after, though there’s few plants to attend to and the clock could do with some maintenance. It’s unclear whether its neighbouring mausoleum belongs to the church, the caravan park, or if it’s independent of the two.

 

Futurama (Season 11)

When I first heard the news that a new batch of seasons had been commissioned, I was delighted. However, from what I've seen so far, it seems to have lost its charm and ironic wit, which is often animated and hidden into the background rather than becoming part of the plot. There's some interesting attempts at continuity, but it lacks creativity such as interesting inventions and time travel, with the original situ taking a major back story. It’s certainly not enough to attract new viewers from this airing. A lot of the lower-level characters like the robots haven't been included, maybe for budget reasons, and there's not enough attempts at worldwide peril and too many character developments. Perhaps ten episodes are too few for a new season. But at least these writers haven't attempted to undo anything, and has left the series open for someone else to have a better attempt.

Camper View #wootton 12

This is a fantastic beauty spot for the locals. It’s not a great known river, but it still has a job to do. At least here the weir diverts water away from the adjacent hall and caravan site. It doesn’t like fast-flowing, and these even gaps over the walls. I love how the light balances over the top of it. It looks like a geyser is sprouting. I wonder how their flood defences are, or whether the caravans are seasonal so that they don’t have to worry about evacuating the residents. The river does like quite shallow at the bottom, though there’s no way of knowing how deep those roots go down until you put something into it. There’s plenty of foliage to soak everything up, and the root on the right could be mistaken for a giant insect or a monster sticking its neck out for a look at the fisherman.

Beyond the Job

It’s nice when you can do what people ask of you. You might not have the time to do it, which just sounds rude. But you might not be obligated to do what they ask either. There’s being kind but there’s also other duties that you have to fulfil as well as legal consequences if they aren’t done correctly. Sometimes you’d wonder how they would cope if you weren’t so obliging. Would there be negative publicity as a result of your actions? But some assume that it’s all part of the service, but the world can only carry you so far. You need to be a bit independent or have something pre-arranged. It does make you wonder how some people survive, and that they only can with the assistance of others. That’s not a good thing. And then you wonder how they’re going to cope when they get to their destination.

Is This the Way to [insert town here]? #wootton 11

It took me a while to work out what this symbolised. Obviously it was a milepost, but it was the abbreviations underneath which intrigued me (for the record, it’s Stratford On Avon Canal Society). Did it belong to an ancient secret society who planted these as message points? If I were to dig a hole nearby, would I find a letterbox or a key? Maybe it was an access point to listen to an underwater radio like on a submarine but for a canal network. Perhaps if you push down, the wooden fencing behind it would open, leaving you to access a safe haven or resting place. The answer is a bit more obvious, though it’s weird because of the letters they chose. Is it a less formal way of pronouncing the town? It does make it feel more guild-like and with the people. I suppose it’s got less syllables in it, and it identifies more with the society and fellow nearby societies rather than the town itself.

 

Long Alcoholic Drinks

Once you google the term and get over the fact that it’s not a young man out for a pint, or kebabs and other things that they may like to spend their money on, you’ll discover that it’s yet another category for the consumer to contend with. I thought a cocktail was a LAD, now it seems that we’re including beer in this category. I suppose that shorts and shots would be in the other. But how do the figures differ with pints and halves (or even thirds, sticks and whatever other measure you may care to bring to the table, even steins?!) And do these figures take off-sales into account? Beer can be drunk quite quickly if need be, but are we now being encouraged to drink more slowly and socially? Is there such a thing as a SAD or SOD or LNAD or SLAD when you bring non-alcoholic drinks into the mix? It’s going to get very confusing as to what you’re referring to.

Following the Yellow Brick Road #wootton 10

It might just be a farm track, but it’s all linked up somehow. Someone somewhere has a plan. It’s now concreted and paved to reinforce the bridge so that farm machinery can pass over the canal. I suppose in yonder days the bridge would lift so that boats wouldn’t have to worry about load height. It’s interesting how everything is linked into our road network, and though it’s not on a map or a public right of way, you can still gain access with a vehicle with ease, though you may need a pair of bolt cutters or a screwdriver to remove a gate, and you might hit a few potholes in the track leading up to the bridge. Unfortunately, concrete does tend to turn into mortar and crumble. And just like the roads, we’re going to see structural damage in these traditional bridges which could lead to an accident if they’re not maintained.