Showing posts with label On Going. Show all posts
Showing posts with label On Going. Show all posts

Monday, 24 November 2014

Inspire other people to Start a Bucket List



Jawa Utini

When Cousin James and I were blessed with going to the Star Wars Evening with the Stars a couple of years ago and had the pleasure of sitting on a table with Cathy Monro, we were also blessed with meeting Leslie and Jawa Utini, two more enthusiasts (probably a little more than me!) with who we chatted the night away.  I had explained the Leslie that I had come to find out about the evening whilst carrying out a challenge on my 40 before 40.

The day after we met up with the lovely couple at the Convention in Burnley and found out that Jawa had taken our costume idea and raised the ante.  Whilst James and I were in eBay specials, Jawa had gone full armour as a Imperial Stormtrooper.

Leslie and I have stayed in contact via the power of Facebook, and the occasional meet in Burnley with other geeks.  Recently I received a message from her...
"Hi Danny, I've talked about your 40 before 40 so much, Jawa is planning a 50 before 50, he only had 13 months to do it and do far had only thought of 20 things, lol. Any suggestions?"

Jawa has now created his list and published it, so the challenges are now on for the next 13 months.  I know how much fun this can bring, and wish him all the best with his list.

1 See 13 films in 13 months at the cinema - Interstellar on Friday with LC.
2 Get divorced 
3 Get married - these two might seem a bit strange, but will make sense for this who know me a little better
4 Join and troop with 99th and 501st
5 Join and troop with Rebel Legion
6 Join and troop with Mando Mercs
7 Clear garage - this one is for LC, it's her garage and has been ongoing for some time. No doubt she will enlighten everyone on exactly how long
8 Finish floor - again, this one is for LC, it's her floor and has been ongoing for some time. No doubt she will enlighten everyone on exactly how long
9 Play pooh stick
10 Do a falconry day
11 Properly register for my PhD
12 Learn to swim
13 Do a charity bike ride
14 Do a roller coaster
15 Celebration Anaheim - tickets bought
16 Visit Rancho Obi Wan
17 See the Hollywood sign, for real obviously, take a picture
18 Follow Bretts tourist guide
19 Drive a convertible Mustang
20 All 7 films back to back (yes, I do include Clone Wars in this)
21 Cook for LC
22 See 4 shows at a theatre
23 See 4 gigs
24 Drive a lap in a Caterham
25 Do 4 shows at the NEC - Birmingham Comic Con yesterday and The Clothes Show in a couple of weeks, already half way there.
26 Exercise more and get fitter
27 Holiday in a VW camper
28 Ride a horse
29 Do some volunteer work
30 Publish a paper
31 Go on a road trip in a classic car
32 Fly a kite
33 Spend the night in a haunted house
34 Do my family tree
35 Finally get my website up and running
36 Visit 6 new museums
37 Try 1 new meal per month
38 Canoe
39 Feed animals at a zoo
40 Learn to meditate
41 Write a book of cocktail recipes
42 Try 1 new restaurant per month
43 Learn 1 new recipe per month- tried a new curry recipe today, will write it up soon
44 Have my fortune read
45 Sponsor an animal - Sponsored Jezebel the cat on Saturday. Will be doing more than one so watch out for an update
46 Own an original piece of artwork
47 Go mushroom picking
48 Tweet and Facebook once a week - started
49 Give blood regularly
50 Haven't actually got a 50 yet, any ideas?


Beewell
Ian, mentioned below, has been a true mate for years.  Ever since we met on my first day at Loanmakers we have been really good mates.  Even though Ian returned to his Brummy routes a few years ago we have stayed in touch and speak generally every day of the week via email.

Reading Beewell's Blog has given me further insight into how much he has actually done in his life, and he has always mocked that his bucket list has been filled several times over.  Although, as I have been telling him of all the fun and crazy things I have been doing over the last few months, I think there has been something pestering the back of his brain trying to get out.

Today (21/06/2013) Ian published a bucket list of 31 things he would like to do before he "be-not-well".
His list can be found here: Beewell's Bucket List

I am happy to help Beewell with any of these challenges and will support him through them all.

I look forward to hearing his stories as these are ticked off his list

Remember: BE INSPIRED - create your bucket list or challenge list and do things you never thought you could do!


Tilly Bean

Tilly Bean has been telling me she will be setting up a bucket list for quite some time now, but I know looking after two boys (Daavv and Milo) can be bloody hard work.

After a little teasing, Tilly's blog is now up and running with her 30 before 30.
Please take time to have a little look and see if there is anything you can help her with.
Tilly's 30 before 30




Craig (Brother) - 1st inspired

Craig has now decided to finalise his 50 before 50.
He will not be publishing online as in his own words "No blogs, facebooks or any rubbish. Just a good old spreadsheet between you and me."

I have seen the list and it is a going to be a fair old challenge including doing the ironman!

My brother has been an inspiration to me most of my life.  He has introduced me to "proper" music, Star Wars, films, poker and generally most of the good things in my life.

He was my best man for our wedding and did a bloody good job of that!  The stag do was fantastic and brought together a great bunch to celebrate in Cardiff (see the Meet someone from Star Wars link)

I am happy for once to inspire my brother and I know that we are all here to support his midlife crisis!

Good luck with the list bro

Beewells Blog

My good friend Ian (Beewell) has also taken some inspiration and set up a blog of his thoughts.  On seeing my 40 before 40 he told me "what a great idea, although I have done so much in my life I don't think I could fit much more in!"

I met Beewell a good few years ago whilst working at Loanmakers.  His infectious laugh, great personality and kind nature are just a few of his great qualities.  He has joined me in a fair few challenges over the years and some of them we both wondered if he would survive to the end. 

On one of our cycle events from Manchester to Liverpool, he thought that looking where he was going was not the best use of his energy.  So an early collision with me, a later head on collision with another cycler and a final incident with a dog left Beewell pretty much incapacitated!  The picture below is at the end (I must add, this was at my "chunky, but had already lost some weight" stage)

Ian is now joining the cousins in our triathlon madness by starting with a Super-sprint (kids version) in Birmingham - I am sure he will be hooked (if he survives)- keep an eye on his blog for updates on training regimes and other random thoughts passing through his crazy brain.
http://beewell68.blogspot.co.uk/

I can't class this one as an inspiration for a bucket list

Trying to inspire

Everyone keeps telling me how much of a good idea this is and that they "will" set one up but I am yet to see some results.

For those of you who have said I have inspired you to set up a list....the first task is to carry on being inspired and start the list going. I will link your details in this section of my blog

If you don't start it, you may be missing out on experiencing some of the best things you never thought you would see and do.

Please BE INSPIRED

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Watch the IMDB top 250 films









Film Club

As a bit of a film buff, I feel I should have seen the films that are regarded as the best ever.  I have used the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) for many years now to see upcoming trailers, get information on upcoming films and to get recommendations.

As the top 250 films change on a regular basis, I decided to take a snap shot to focus on making sure I have watched the top films, and then I can do a mop up later.

There are films in this list that I have never heard of, never thought of watching, never had any intention of watching and then there are those which I have seen many times over.  My goal at the end of this is to try to broaden my film knowledge and be open to new ideas, styles and directors.

Are the films listed here worthy of being regarded the top 250 films?  I will be putting a tiny "Pondo Quick Review" after each film when I have seen it to portray my thoughts.

The first rule of film club.....

Top 10 - Seen: 9
Top 50 - Seen: 49
Top 100 - Seen: 95
Top 150 - Seen: 141
Top 200 - Seen: 187
Top 250 - Seen: 232

Rank                 Title                                                                                                          
1       The Shawshank Redemption (1994) awesome film…but is it number 1?
2       The Godfather (1972) Fantastic
3       The Godfather: Part II (1974) The Don
4       Pulp Fiction (1994) One of Tarantino's best films
5       The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)  the best of the Leone spaghetti westerns
6       12 Angry Men (1957) Need to make more films like this
7       The Dark Knight (2008) best of the Nolan revamp
8       Schindler's List (1993) Not Seen 
9       LOTR The Return of the King(2003) There is only one return of….the Jedi
10     Fight Club (1999) I am Tyler Durden
11     Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back(1980) The greatest part of the Holy Trilogy
12     LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring(2001) the start of a great trilogy
14     Inception (2010) Visually impressive, not as amazing as hyped to be
15     Goodfellas (1990) Love this film
16     Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) Need I Comment?
17     Seven Samurai (1954)  Preferred the remake....all of them! 3 Hours!!!
18     Forrest Gump (1994) Terrible film
19     The Matrix (1999) This was good, the sequels were terrible
20     LOTR The Two Towers (2002)Mid way through a decent trilogy
21     City of God (2002) Bro made me watch this…I Enjoyed
22     Se7en (1995) Whats in the box? Great film
23     Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) Great intro, enjoyable film
24     The Silence of the Lambs (1991) good to watch with a bottle of Chianti
25     Casablanca (1942) One of the most quoted films, reasonable
26     The Usual Suspects (1995) who is Keyser Soze? Awesome film
27     Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Han Solo's other superb role
28     Rear Window (1954) great film, shame it spawned 400 crap remakes
29     It's a Wonderful Life (1946) Lovely, Christmas Carol-esque, feel good film 
30     Psycho (1960) mother?
31     Leon (1994) Luc Besson's best film
32     Sunset Boulevard (1950) Enjoyed this, Billy Wilder films entertaining...so far
33     Memento (2000) revelc yrev ,mlif siht evol
34     American History X (1998) great film, great ending
35     Apocalypse Now (1979) I love the smell of napalm in a morning
36     Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) He came back, and this time it was ace!
37     Saving Private Ryan (1998) Sucks
39     Alien (1979) Best horror movie ever
40     City Lights (1931) Usual Chaplin crap
41     Django Unchained (2012) Sergio Leone meets Blazing Saddles - Awesome Film
42     North by Northwest (1959) Who is George Kaplan, enjoyed...but probably wouldn't watch again
43     Spirited Away (2001) So this must be what it is like to be on drugs! what is this crap?
44     Modern Times (1936) repeat offender sponges off the system, modern times indeed. Usual Chaplin
45     The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Nolan finished of the trilogy well
46     Citizen Kane (1941) Really? That's it? Rosebud is the name of his.....? Really?
47     The Shining (1980) WTF is this about? Still enjoyed it
48     Back to the Future (1985) The DeLorean!!! Great film
49     The Pianist (2002) Very moving film, more poignant after visiting Poland
50     The Departed (2006) Jack is Back! Awesome
51     Vertigo (1958) Not Hitchcock's best
52     M (1931)  Can't get over the fact that the child murderer whistles the Alton Towers theme tune!
53     Life Is Beautiful (1997) Not what I expected, very good film
54     American Beauty (1999) Fantastic - Sam Mendes' best
55     Taxi Driver (1976) time to clean up the streets - gritty
56     Paths of Glory (1957) quite a strong film
57     Double Indemnity (1944) Good Film Noir - more of a how-dunnit than a who-dunnit.
58     Aliens (1986) James Cameron's Best - Game Over Man!
59     Toy Story 3 (2010) The only trilogy which I don’t mind Tom Hanks
60     WALL·E (2008) Great Film - Great underlying meanings
61     The Lives of Others (2006) reasonable
62     Untouchable (2011) not seen
63     Gladiator (2000) reasonable - think it was over hyped
64     The Green Mile (1999) again, an over hyped film (Tom Hanks)
65     A Clockwork Orange (1971) Weird Film
66     Amelie (2001) Reasonable - but French
67     The Great Dictator (1940) should have stayed silent! hardly Duck Soup
68     The Prestige (2006) good film - better than the illusionist
69     Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Boring and pompous! good to see Obi Wan though
70     To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Another excellent courtroom drama! Wake up Boo!
71     Reservoir Dogs (1992) Another Tarantino classic, Mr Pink is a legend
72     Das Boot (1981) not seen
73     The Third Man (1949) film Noir as is should be
74     Requiem for a Dream (2000) weird weird film
75     The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) We don't need no stinkin' badges!
76     Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) superb film - Jim Carrey can act!
77     Cinema Paradiso (1988) A bit of blue!
78     Once Upon a Time in America (1984) great film - long film
79     The Lion King (1994) Hakuna Matata
80     Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) Ewoks can be forgiven for the Hutt start
81     Full Metal Jacket (1987) best Vietnam film
82     Chinatown (1974) reasonable - Jack Nicholson is always a star
83     L.A. Confidential (1997) enjoyed - a little over hyped
84     Braveheart (1995) FreeeeeeeDom
85     Oldboy (2003) sick
86     Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Its only a flesh wound - awesome
87     Singin' in the Rain (1952) didn't think I would enjoy, I did
88     Some Like It Hot (1959) Not tonight Josephine, boo-boop-a-doop
89     Metropolis (1927) Meh-Tripe-Olis - Good start, but went on.....and on
90     Amadeus (1984) better than I thought, but still not very good
91     Rashomon (1950) More Jap Crap
92     Bicycle Thieves (1948) not seen
93     2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) a classic - but not amazing
94     Unforgiven (1992) good film, Clint trying to redo Blondie
95     All About Eve (1950) I love DeWitt's voice, ending was ok
96     The Sting (1973) Paul Newmans best- soundtrack awesome
97     Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) not the best of the bunch, but still fun....junior
98     The Apartment (1960) I like Billy Wilder's films, been good to see these
99     Raging Bull (1980) Jake La Motta Biopic - great film
100   The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Obi Wan? Is that you? Watched this with Grandad
101   Witness for the Prosecution (1957) Great Film - Although I will not divulge the secret of the ending
102   Die Hard (1988) great start, each sequel gets weaker
103   Grave of the Fireflies (1988) very sad - poor Setsuko
104   Batman Begins (2005) not the best of the Nolan bunch
105   A Separation (2011) not seen
106   Yojimbo (1961) Clint was better
107   Pan's Labyrinth (2006) Guilmerro Del Torro is superb
108   Downfall (2004) not seen
109   For a Few Dollars More (1965) great trilogy
110   Snatch. (2000) Brad Pitt's best film
111   Inglorious Basterds (2009) a great take on WW2
112   The Great Escape (1963) awesome film.
113   Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) Could have been good, but I wasn't a fan
114   Up (2009) Pixar excelled with this one - emotional start
115   On the Waterfront (1954) So Marlon Brando stood up to the mob and won!
116   Toy Story (1995) great film - start of a fun trilogy (even Tom Hanks)
117   The Elephant Man (1980) I am not an elephant - I am a Man
118   The Seventh Seal (1957) not seen
119   Heat (1995) great film, gripping
120   The General (1926) bored!
121   The Maltese Falcon (1941) Enjoyable Film Nior
122   Blade Runner (1982) Ridley Scott does it again - great
123   Rebecca (1940) didn't think I would enjoy this one at the start, but I did
124   Gran Torino (2008) predicatble, and so-so
125   Wild Strawberries (1957) not seen
126   Scarface (1983) say hello to my little friend
127   The Kid (1921) Chaplin fanatics put this here - doesn't belong. Gimme Marx Brothers any day
128   Fargo (1996) the wood chipper in the snow - funny
129   The Big Lebowski(1998) the dude rocks
130   Touch of Evil (1958) didn't enjoy
131   Ran (1985) Bloody Power Rangers!
132   The Deer Hunter (1978) reasonable
133   Cool Hand Luke (1967) "What we got here is, failure to communicate"
134   The Gold Rush (1925) The last Chaplin film I will ever see! All crap!
135   Sin City (2005) frank millers strange mind - good film
136   It Happened One Night (1934) not the best - but can see how it inspired many films of the future
137   Avengers Assemble (2012) Good bit of fun, but nothing fancy
138   Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) Guy Richie started well
139   No Country for Old Men (2007) reasonable
140   Strangers on a Train (1951) Good start, but got boring
141   Jaws (1975) should be number 1 in my opinion
142   The Sixth Sense (1999) I see dead people
143   Platoon (1986) a reasonable Vietman film
144   Casino (1995) De Niro is back
145   The Thing (1982) the original - great
146   Hotel Rwanda (2004) can't believe this actually happened! Film is ok
147   High Noon (1952) not a great western film
148   Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) good film, but years since I have seen it
149   Trainspotting (1996) Over Hyped
150   The Wizard of Oz (1939) camp camp camp
151   Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) crap crap crap
152   Warrior (2011) The Rocky film of the 21st Century - Superb!
153   Good Will Hunting (1997) its Ok
154   Annie Hall (1977) not the best Woody Allen film (although, is there one?)
155   The Secret in Their Eyes (2009) not seen
156   Gone with the Wind (1939) Frankly My Dear, this is a boring film
157   Notorious (1946) Good spy thriller
158   The Grapes of Wrath (1940) The Clampetts road trip
159   The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) loved it! What will the next two bring?
160   Into the Wild (2007) Inspirational, but a little too long
161   Life of Brian (1979) he's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy
162   V for Vendetta (2005) it's OK - Bald Portman is good
163   The King's Speech (2010) not worth all the hype, but enjoyable
164   My Neighbour Totoro (1988) Why? Absolute Tripe! Who votes for this crap?
165   Finding Nemo (2003) can Pixar do wrong?
166   How to Train Your Dragon (2010) Absolutely fantastic! great film!
167   Dial M for Murder (1954) If only he had the right key!
168   The Big Sleep (1946) I like a good film noir, shame this isn't any good!
169   Network (1976) could have been 30 mins shorter, and more interesting
170   Ben-Hur (1959) Enjoyed, but it was an hour too long, the bit after the Chariot Race was just filler
171   The Terminator (1984) Sarah Connor? I'll be back
172   There Will Be Blood (2007) long long long film
173   The Night of the Hunter (1955) pretty evil bad guy, ok film
174   Million Dollar Baby (2004) Much better than I thought...but no Rocky
175   Stand by Me (1986) great film - loved it
176   Donnie Darko (2001) you think The Shining is confusing?
177   Groundhog Day (1993) very enjoyable, very enjoyable, very enjoyable
178   Twelve Monkeys (1995) again, Brad Pitt plays a mad man well
179   Black Swan (2010) interesting, but a little confusing
180   Dog Day Afternoon (1975) good film
181   Amores Perros (2000) Enjoyed it to start with, but it is too long
182   The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) brilliant trilogy
183   Mary and Max (2009) cute
184   The 400 Blows (1959) Is it really the kids fault? 
185   Life of Pi (2012) Enjoyable, Richard Parker was brill
186   Persona (1966) not seen
187   Gandhi (1982) Long, but enjoyable
188   The Graduate (1967) Mrs Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?
189   Howl's Moving Castle (2004) Jap Crap - absolute tosh!
190   The Killing (1956) Great heist movie
191   The Princess Bride (1987) my name is Inigo Montya, you killed my father, prepare to die
192   A Beautiful Mind (2001) Hmm, it's ok
193   8½ (1963) not seen
194   Sulmdog Millionaire (2008) good film, great story
195   The Hustler (1961) Started well, the just dragged
196   Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) Richard Burton is excellent, but just an hour too long
197   The Manchurian Candidate (1962) Fancy a game of solitaire?
198   La Strada (1954) not seen
199   Rocky (1976) Adrienne!
200   The Artist (2011/I) Rubbish, Singin' in the Rain did it far better!
201   Anatomy of a Murder (1959) Quickest ending ever! not the best courtroom drama in this list
202   The Wild Bunch (1969) That's one big shoot out at the end!
203   The Exorcist (1973) not as spooky as everyone says
204   Stalag 17 (1953) not seen
205   Rope (1948) enjoyed the story, great idea
206   Sleuth (1972) brilliant film
207   Barry Lyndon (1975) Poor Barry - chuff film
209   Infernal Affairs (2002) watched one late night after the pub - action packed
210   Stalker (1979) not seen
211   Memories of Murder (2003) Fun, Dark and really weird police investigation
212   District 9 (2009) Brilliant - really enjoyed
213   The Truman Show (1998) Makes you think
214   In the Name of the Father (1993) Brilliant film - very interesting
215   Roman Holiday (1953) Just like when I took my Princess to Rome
216   Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) fun start, shame about the sequels
217   Monsters, Inc. (2001) Boo! So cute, reminds me of my niece, Ella
218   The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) Emotional film, very well acted...Max Von Sydow?
219   IP Man (2008) Bruce Lee's trainer - good film
220   The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) Great soundtrack - and Emma Watson CAN act.....in this
221   A Fistful of Dollars (1964) again, great trilogy
222   Ratatouille (2007) seems Pixar can go wrong, reasonable
223   Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) Can imagine it being a great closure for Potter fans....for me, just glad I don't have to watch all the other Potter films.
224   Star Trek (2009) Better than I thought it would be, hopefully JJ can do something better with SW
225   A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) The Simpson's episode was rubbish too! STELLA!
226   La Haine(1995) watched in college - sick...and French
227   Beauty and the Beast (1991) not Disney's best
228   Rosemary's Baby (1968) mad film
229   All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) bit boring, longest fades EVER! Unluckiest boots EVER!
230   Shutter Island (2010) great film - messes with your mind
231   Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) Another Jap Crap Pokemon film
232   Rain Man (1988) good film 
233   Harvey (1950) that’s one big rabbit
234   Incendies(2010) not seen
235   Mystic River (2003) not seen
236   Manhattan (1979) Waffle, Waffle, Blah, Blah, sanctimonious crap
237   Like Stars on Earth (2007) 30 mins of story and 2 hours of dance!
238   The Wrestler (2008) Average
239   Jurassic Park (1993) Yay! love this film!
240   Papillon (1973) preferred Cool Hand Luke, good though
241   Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring(2003) my 200th Film of the list
242   3 Idiots (2009) not seen
243   Nosferatu (1922) Your wife has a beautiful neck!
244   The Help (2011) Poo Pie - Bleurgh!
245   Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) Far too much shouting - not a bad film, not great though
246   Big Fish (2003) Made me think of Spud, and how things should have been.  Great Film
247   The Untouchables (1987) Kevin Costner's best film -  Sean Connory is brilliant
248   In the Heat of the Night (1967) They call me Mr Tibbs! Like a Jack Reacher novel
249   Bringing Up Baby (1938) Katherine Hepburn is just annoying all the way through this!
250   Shadow of a Doubt (1943) Herbie and Joseph's conversations are the highlight of this film

Tuesday, 31 December 2013

Learn to Juggle


Learning to juggle has always been something I have wanted to do...not to the extreme of throwing 20 flaming swords in the air whilst blindfolded and playing the ukulele, but just being able to cope with 3 spherical objects naturally gliding through the air without ending in a complete mess on the floor.

Luckily for me,  Clare uses my 40 before 40 list as a gift guide for stocking fillers at Christmas and kindly purchased 3 juggling Christmas Puds for me to practice.

Now I know this is not going to be something I just pick up straight away, it is going to need a lot of practice.



There are loads of instructional videos on the internet that will help a beginner juggler like me master the 3 ball shuffle.

My guide for this journey is Coach Bob, he is a seasoned juggling coach and will get me closer to my goal with each step


Step 1

Basic Throw with 1 Ball













I will keep you posted with my progress

Sunday, 1 December 2013

Eat something way out of my comfort zone


McBushtucker Trial

Whilst in Edinburgh for our first Anniversary, Clare challenged me to try meal worm, crispy barbecued meal worm.  Now I am a big fan of BBQ's so I thought, surely this would just taste like anything BBQ'd...perfect!

How wrong I was.....

Tasting like crispy sawdust with heavy dusting of BBQ powder this was a texture that would not leave my mouth for hours.

On the journey back from Edinburgh (hours later), I was still finding bits lurking around my mouth. mmmm

Not up there on the "something I would eat again" scale, this is the furthest I have venture from my comfort zone.

Looks like I will have to go more extreme with my next choice


 <-------Before                                                   After--------->







Wild Boar Burger

With Bolton Food and Drink festival hitting the Town Hall Square once more, I thought I would have to try the next selection of meat on the menu.  Having tried Kangaroo Burgers and Venison I opted for the Wild Boar.  The option of onions seemed a perfect accompaniment, whereas the cheese on top was not.

Whilst I thought this would taste like a variety of pork, I was pleasantly surprised by the beefy, very meaty taste.

Thank you Bolton Food Market for once more bringing alternative meats to the menu

I also purchased some Kangaroo Sausages for breakfast with the family this weekend.


Bouncy Burgers

Finally, the sun decided to shine for longer than one day and the temperature went up past 10 degrees, so the BBQ had to be lit.

Perfect opportunity to try a new meat, Kangaroo.
Verdict: Tasted like a smokey meat, very little fat and very tasty.  Yes, I would have them again




No Horse, but other meats are available

Whilst shopping in Bolton today (24/03/2013) we stumbled across a food market, one stall was selling various cuts of meat not usually on the shelves of Tesco (Beef, Chicken, Horse)

Unfortunately, they were all out of fresh Ostrich and Kangaroo Burgers but they did have pre-packed Crocodile steak and frozen Kangaroo.


Tonight for my tea, whilst Clare is enjoying a nice medallion rump beef steak, I will be venturing into my first step of the unknown and munching down a fillet crocodile steak with veg and rustic chips.

The Verdict: Tastes like chicken with a texture of pork.  No fat.
Enjoyed it, and would have it again.
Nice seared with a little garlic and chilli to start with....but isn't everything?

Sunday, 10 February 2013

Learn a New Language


Pierre and his Arabic Lessons

So I am not classing this as my new language (far too difficult), but I did learn a few words in Arabic with the kind help of Pierre (Mohammed) in Tunisia

Pierre is a Tunisian Animation Team Member who apart from Arabic, spoke German, English and Italian.

Here's what I have learnt so far...
(they are written phonetically - so i could say them easier)






Aslema - Hello
Bislema - Goodbye
Saber el Khia - Good Morning
Es Ba La Khia - Good Night
Mesa El Khia - Good Afternoon
Shockran - Thank you
Menfathlek - Please
Shockran Jezeelan - Thank you very much
Wherehead - 1
Ithneen - 2
Itletha - 3
Arabar - 4
Khamsa - 5
Setta - 6
Sabar - 7
Ith Menyar - 8
Tessa - 9
Ashara - 10