Finally got round to watching this.
I remember watching that first film in 1977… looking forward to seeing how the story ends.
Look what we found!
Close to my house, on an old piece of land, a new petrol station, 24hour supermarket (and not quite yet) Starbucks has been built. No I am not blogging that there’s going to be a new coffee shop…
During clearance work, two Type 22 Pillbox bunkers were uncovered.
I know the area quite well, and have seen a few pillboxes in the area, but having passed this way many times I wasn’t aware that they were even there.
Looking at this old Google Street View image you can see why, this is how it looked before the construction started.
Here is how it looks now. Part of the planning permission was that these should be retained and protected.
So what we have is a World War Two pillbox defending a Shell petrol station!
The pillboxes were constructed to protect the airfield, RAF Weston-super-Mare, which was a Royal Air Force station on a civilian airfield in Weston-super-Mare. The civilian airfield was taken over by the RAF on the 1st May 1940 and would remain there until 1993.
The Mandalorian
After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. “The Mandalorian” is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.
I do quite like the look of this series, then again I enjoyed Rogue One.
The question I have is, how can I watch this in the UK? I know it will be on Disney+ streaming service in the US, will it be the same for the UK?
You had one job…
So you want a door?
What do you mean it needed to be at ground level… No problem, just use a ladder…
Seen at Mont St Michel in Normandy in France.
The one with the Lego set…
After the teaser yesterday, we have the details of the new set from Lego Ideas.
So as well as all the Friends, Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey, Phoebe, you also get Central Perk’s very own Gunther.
Could you BE anymore excited? Well if you are a fan of Lego and Friends then this set must be a must buy.
Celebrate the 25th anniversary of Friends, the legendary American TV sitcom, with this highly collectible LEGO® Ideas 21319 CENTRAL PERK set! This wonderful LEGO recreation of the café TV studio set is packed with authentic details, making it a must-have Friends memorabilia item for fans. The iconic seating area with a couch, armchair and 2 chairs for the friends is removable for easy play. And check out the stage where Phoebe performed her songs on guitar (and where Ross once played his keyboard and everyone except Phoebe thought he was terrible). The 7 new-for-September-2019 LEGO toy minifigures of Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey, Phoebe and CENTRAL PERK’s long-suffering manager Gunther each come with accessories to role-play famously hilarious scenes. An ideal Friends-themed gift for your own friends and family who love the TV show, this hot toy is great for play and will grab attention when displayed in any room.
The minifigures each have their own items inspired by the TV series, including Ross’s brick-built keyboard and the following accessory elements: Rachel’s tray and coffee cup, Monica’s muffin, Joey’s pizza box, pizza slice and ‘man bag’, Chandler’s laptop, Phoebe’s guitar and Gunther’s broom.
So will you be buying it?
The one with the LEGO bricks….
Coming soon…
A sneaky peek at the new upcoming LEGO Ideas Central Perk set.
Nostalgic grocery shopping
St Fagans National Museum of History is an open-air museum in Cardiff chronicling the historical lifestyle, culture, and architecture of the Welsh people.
Gwalia Stores is a retail premises originally built at Ogmore Vale, Glamorgan, in 1880 and relocated to the St Fagans National Museum of History.
The stores closed for business in Ogmore Vale in 1973 and reopened at St Fagans in 1991. Part of the shop is still a retail premises; the rest of the ground floor is set up as it would have been during the 1920s
Photographs taken when we visited in August 2010.
His Dark Materials – the extended trailer
I have to admit I am quite looking forward to the new BBC interpretation of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials.
The books tell an exciting story that mixes up magic and science.
Northern Lights introduces Lyra, an orphan, who lives in a parallel universe in which science, theology and magic are entwined. Lyra’s search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. In The Subtle Knife she is joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As Lyra learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that ranges across many worlds and leads to a thrilling conclusion in The Amber Spyglass.
I quite enjoyed the film, though it didn’t do well at the box office. Of course the end result was that they didn’t make anymore films. Maybe a TV series will be a better choice in telling the whole story.
It does seem quite similar in look and feel to the film, maybe that was intentional.
Visiting Chepstow Castle in 2009
In 2009 we visited Chepstow Castle which is just over the original Severn Crossing. It was a beautiful sunny day and we really enjoyed walking around and exploring the castle.
Chepstow Castle is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain.
Construction began in 1067, just after the Norman conquest by the Norman Lord William FitzOsbern.
In the 12th century the castle was used in the conquest of Gwent, the first independent Welsh kingdom to be conquered by the Normans.
By the 16th century its military importance was diminished.
The castle saw action again during the English Civil War, when it was in the front line between Royalist Monmouthshire and Parliamentarian Gloucestershire. It was held by the Royalists and besieged in both 1645 and in 1648, eventually falling to the Parliamentarian forces on 25 May 1648.
Although re-garrisoned during and after the English Civil War, by the 1700s it had fallen into decay.
It has been used for filming TV and films including the Day of the Doctor when David Tennant’s tenth Doctor was “wooing” Queen Elizabeth I.
A treasure of retail ephemeral
Most people throw away their packaging (well hopefully today they recycle it) but at Oakham Treasures in North Somerset there is a treasure trove of retail ephemeral showcasing a snapshot of grocery history that would probably otherwise have disappeared.
It reminded me if similar displays at the Castle Museum in York.
The reconstructed shops at St Fagans near Cardiff also have collections of old grocery packaging.
Do we keep todays rubbish for future generations? Will they reminisce over the stuff they use to buy? Will they be shocked at the enormous use of single use plastic? Who is going to be the guardian of today’s unwanted stuff, that will be the exhibits of the museums of tomorrow.