I use to be a big movie goer. A really big movie goer.
One of those people who went to the movies pretty much every week and who had been known to see not only a double feature but a triple feature and even a quad feature. Yeah that's right, I once saw 4 movies in a row at the movie theatre and it was awesome.
Watching a movie was always one of those feel good things for me. Yet weirdly enough I've noticed over the last few years that I've been watching less and less movies each year.
Life, of course, is mostly to blame. Priorities shift and change and watching a movie somehow moved lower and lower down on the list. But it wasn't the only reason. So in an effort to get back in touch with what I loved about movies I'd decided on this project - 365 Movies in 365 Days.
It's a crazy thing to do especially when it's not even on my
list of 101 in 1001 Days plans. But as they say why do things in half
when you can go all in.
I'm keeping it pretty flexible which should help. I can watch a movie a day but if I skip a day then I have to catch up and watch 2 movies the following day. All that matters is that I watch 365 movies in 365 Days. If I end up watching more... well... well done me, though somehow I think I have set myself a pretty big target in trying to watch 365 movies.
As for the kind of movies, anything and everything is on the agenda though I probably won't be watching many, if any, horror films as they just can't my thing. I'm hoping to mix it up as much as I can and as always I'm open to any recommendations. Believe me, I'm probably going to need them if I want to reach my goal.
So here's this weeks viewing.
Brubaker
Starring: Robert Redford
Original release: 1980
Synopsis: One man tries to clean up a corrupt and violent penal system.
I know. Probably the weirdest film to pick as my very first choice to watch, especially when I had originally planned on watching The Princess Bride for the umpteenth hundred time, and if you have to ask why then you seriously need to watch The Princess Bride right now.
As for this unexpected first choice well it was a totally random one supported by my Other Half and the fact that it had Robert Redford it in. Not that I'm a big fan but he can usually be relied on to do a pretty decent job when needed.
And actually the movie was pretty good. It's brutal and shocking but also really gripping. Robert Redford's hair also looked amazingly good as it did back in the 70s and 80s.
Viceroy's House
Starring: Hugh Bonneville and Gillian Anderson
Original Release: 2017
Synopsis: The final Viceroy of India, Lord Mountbatten, is tasked with overseeing
the transition of British India to independence, but meets with conflict
as different sides clash in the face of monumental change.
I knew very little about this time in India's history so found it really interesting and a bit of an eye-opener. The acting was also good all even if Hugh B doesn't look anything like Mountbatten. But as most of us probably don't know what Mountbatten looked it anyway it's pretty inconsequential.
Ferdinand
Starring: John Cena
Original Release: 2017
Synopsis: Ferdinand is not like other bulls. He hates to fight and loves flowers. But when he is forced into the bullfighting ring he may have to do the very thing he hates.
You can pretty much never go wrong with a kids animated film and this movie was no exception. It's cute and funny and feel-good so a perfect movie to sit back and be a big kid.
Hostiles
Starring: Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike
Original Release: 2017
Synopsis: An army captain escorts an Indian chief and his family through dangerous territory.
I'd read a review of this one and being a lover of good westerns I opted to watched this hoping it would be as good as the review said and I wasn't disappointed. Brutal (again) and shocking (also again) and totally riveting. A movie that shows both sides of the conflict between Indians and White Men and how prejudice can led to terrible things and how a little understanding and humanity can heal old wounds.
Eating You Alive
Starring: na
Original Release: 2018
Synopsis: How and why what we eat is the cause of the chronic diseases that are
killing us, and changing what we eat can save our lives one bite at a
time.
I wanted to like this documentary. I really did. And for the first 20 minutes or so it was quite interesting. After that it kind of went down hill really fast. Any way of life that claims it can not only prevent cancer but cure it too has definitely not got my vote. I couldn't even finish it in the end.
A big no from me. But if you are interesting in becoming a Vegan then you might find it interesting. Just be prepared for some of their claims.
Village of the Damned
Starring: George Sanders
Original Release: 1960
Synopsis: In an English village the inexplicable happens when everyone falls into a deep, mysterious sleep.
A cult classic which I finally watched for the very first time. Creepy as children doing very bad things. I loved it. I also loved the very serious facial acting that went on and the women's eyebrows. One of those movies you can totally pick to pieces and still enjoy it.
The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society
Starring: Lily James and other Downton Abbey actors
Original Release: 2018
Synopsis: A writer forms an unexpected bond with some of the residents of Guernsey Island shortly after the end of the war.
Beautiful story, beautiful clothes and beautiful scenery. I now totally want to visit Guernsey Island one day.
Once again my brain decided to go on the fritz and somehow almost 8 weeks have gone by since I blogged.
I'm going to blame it all on the newest member of our family, a bundle of fur named Nudge, who is wonderful but also very tiring. Surprisingly enough I managed to achieve most of the things on my March list despite being seriously sleep deprived. How that happened I have no idea. But I'm taking it as a win.
As for April and May well I've completed some of the things on my list already so that's a positive sign. Cross fingers the next 5 weeks go just as well.
1. Year One by Nora Roberts
Would you believe I've only read one Nora Roberts before. This one is a complete
departure from her usual suspense romance novels and sounds like something that is
totally my thing.
2. As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti
A YA novel about a town where everyone gets one wish granted on their 18th
birthday. Only thing is Eldon is starting to wonder if the wishes are really as
wonderful as they seem.
3. Every Day by David Levithan
I've been meaning to read this for ages.
4. Earth Storm by Mons Kallentoft
You just knew I had to have at least one crime novel.
5. Deep Freeze by John Sandford
Make that two
6. A Map of the Dark by Karen Ellis
Okay I actually have three in to be read pile. And all by authors I haven't read before.
7. Torchwood: Aliens Among Us
I'm a big audio book fan but struggle to find the kind I like. Amazingly enough I have
three in this month's pile and all of them look amazing. I can't wait to start listening
to them.
8. Doctor Who: Doom Coalition 4
I love Paul McGann as Doctor Who and these Big Finish audio books are always
brilliant.
9 The Martian Invasion of Earth
I'll admit it. I mostly have this because Richard Armitage is in the cast. Swoony voice
feels all round.
10. Hap and Leonard
A comic swamp film noir? Sounds just my kind of thing.
11. Outlander
I've gotten behind on this so have decided to do a major marathon binge starting from
the very beginning.
12. Love Simon
I so have to see this. A teenage gay coming out story that has had rave reviews.
13. Get Healthier, Eat Well and Get Fit.
I actually didn't do too bad with this last month and am already feeling the benefits.
14. Write More
A permanent goal in my life.
15. 365 Movies In 365 Days
Yep, I know. I must be seriously nuts. What can I say. I love setting goals and making
plans and this latest one really appeals to me. We'll just wait and see how I feel in a
month's time...
As a former city girl moving to a smaller town seemed like something a mad woman would do. Was I really that desperate for some peace and quiet and a slower pace of life?
Actually yes I was.
After years of living in the city it had began to lose its appeal.. Not that I was ever really big fan of it to begin with. The shops and cafes, lovely as they are, lose some of their appeal after years of constant noise, traffic, pollution and crowds. The pace of life that is one hectic rush, rush, rush.
After awhile it wears you down.
Not that any of it was helped by having a job that had for the last year been giving me constant stress. The job that I had once loved but that had in what almost seemed overnight had turned into a hellish nightmare of relentless change and stress. I wasn't of course the only one feeling it. Many of my colleagues were in the same boat with me. We were at least united in our disillusionment of the job and management. The job had become just that. A job.
Leaving it was a big step. But an oh so right one. Which in turn led to the next step - leaving the city.
It was a no brainer really. Both of us, my Other Half and I, had talked for years of the day we would flee to somewhere quieter. Somewhere where life was less of a rush and more one day at a time. And so the move was made.
Small town living is certainly different.
The people here are so friendly. Which is such a cliche and kind of nice but also kind of weird. In the city where everyone doesn't know your name or even care that you have name, you are invisible. Here in the country you are seen. They are friendly and helpful and nothing is too much trouble.
Like I said... weird.
I keep wondering if they are going to invite me over for dinner and then sacrifice me to the corn gods because surely people aren't that helpful? And yes I know I watch way too many movies.
Really though that's just the way people are in small towns. The slower pace of life means they can take the time to be helpful, offer a cheery hello and just be friendly.
Though if I see a corn field near by you won't be surprised if I run the other way.
We brought a house!
A surprisingly big house considering there is just the two of us. It has a garden and everything and it is all ours. Which is quite exciting as we have never had anything that was completely ours and ours alone. In the years my Other Half and I have been together we have rented, house sat, owned half a house, had a house that was owned by one of us but not the other and even been given a house, but we have never owned a house together.
And now we do.
As I said, exciting.
And in just one week of moving in it all already feels like home. There is something that is just so comfy about it. Despite the fact that we have the world's smallest kitchen.
I kid you not.
It is the size of a cupboard. A very large cupboard to be sure but still it is small. Two people cannot stand it comfortably without having body parts constantly touching each other which is okay when you're a couple but does making cooking anything rather awkward and a bit of a gymnastic act. But a teeny tiny kitchen is in the scheme of things nothing. Because a teeny tiny kitchen is still all ours.
The rest of the house more than makes up for having the world's smallest kitchen. We have two bathrooms. Two!
Okay one is ensuite but still two bathrooms. I now have bathroom that I can claim as completely my own and spread out all my beauty products and nail polishes of which I have many without Other Half complaining about the all the space being taken up. It's a win win for both us. He has his manly space and I have my girly space.
Absolute heaven.
I also now have a walk in wardrobe. Which I love and which I have also claimed as totally mine. Other Half doesn't mind as being a guy he just tends to throw all his clothes in a heap in the blanket box and pulls out random things to wear as he finds them. I on the other hand like space... and shelves... and rails. And did I say I love having a walk in wardrobe. Because I seriously do.
Having a garden is also nice.
It might need a serious weed and some tree pruning and digging out but it's a riot of colour and filled with veg for us to pick. Which we have been on a daily basis.
So that's one thing crossed of my 101 Things In 1001 Days list. Go me.
Well February went along a lot smoother than the previous months, which is kind of amazing considering how busy we were, what with travelling around the country for three quarters of it and then moving into our new home and all that that entails during the final week.
I'm looking forward to March being a lot quieter and a chance for some down time of just relaxing and pottering around.
As for last month's plans pretty much everything was achieved though the being frugal bit went totally out of the window and we ended up having a bit of spend, though as it was for stuff that was needed for the house I'm looking at it as completely justified, though I did manage to sneak in a couple of treats for myself. As you do.
Last month's reading was a bit flat so I'm hoping this month's choices will be a lot more interesting.
1. Queen Victoria's Matchmaking: The Royal Marriages That Shaped Europe / Deborah
Cadbury
I use to read a lot of history and biographies but for some reason I haven't read any
in awhile so I'm looking forward to getting stuck into this. Sometimes it's nice to go
back to something old and familiar.
2. Unprocessed: My City-Dwelling Year of Reclaiming Real Food / Megan Kimble
Yes another non-fiction book. I'm trying to read at least 10 this year that aren't
related to just knitting books so we'll see how this goes.
3. Where to Go When: The World's Best Destinations
Pretty pictures of places to visits. Sounds just like my sort of thing. And all in the
name of future holiday planning.
4. White Horse Alex Adams
End of the world? You just know I have to read it.
5. The wedding date / Jennifer Joyce
Sometimes you just need something light and fluffy and romantic and this sounds
like just the thing.
6. If You Don't Know Me By Now / A L Michael
Some more light and fluffy. You can tell I'm gearing up for my relaxation, blobbing
around the house mode.
7. Empire of the Tsars
Having caught some of this on TV I'm now keen to watch the whole series. Something
to get stuck into on a wet and windy day.
8. The Tunnel Series 3
I'd loved the first two series so I have high hopes for this one. I also have a little bit of
a crush of Stephen Dillane. Completely weird but true.
9. Mindhunter
After reading some excellent reviews about this I've added it to my watching list. A
good crime show is my jam after all.
10. 101 Things in 1001 Days
So far this is actually going quite well so I'm keen to push ahead a bit more while
it lasts.
11. Get Healthier, Eat Well and Get Fit
Not only has this totally blown up but it has also been stomped on. The past 12
months have not been good for my body or my mind so now that things are a bit
more settled I'm giving this a serious go and sorting myself out.
12. Being More Frugal
Definitely going to try much harder this month and hopefully I will get through it
without spending any money except on the necessities such as food and power and
Internet. Does chocolate count as a necessity?
I'm warning you in advance. There are a lot of pics of pumpkins in this post. Weirdo that I am I went a bit mad at the sight of them everywhere and ended up taking endless photos.
I make no apologies. All things pumpkiny seemed to be the theme during our visit to Prince Edward Island (otherwise known as PEI by the locals). That and pretty houses and Anne of Green Gables.
As a book lover a visit to Prince Edward Island was high on my list of must visit places. And I'm so glad that we made the effort to get there.
But I'll be honest. Getting to PEI isn't easy without a car. It will most likely involve a train trip and then a bus trip. Although calling it a bus might be pushing it a bit. Think more along the lines of a van... with really cramped seating. Shorty that I am, even I had my knees squished up to my ears in the seat they gave me.
Taking a car is definitely a much better way to go. It will also mean that you will be able to see a lot more of the island because without one you're be pretty much stuck to seeing the sights of Charlottetown and nowhere else.
Hiring a car for a couple of days was the best thing we ever did.
With a car we were able to visit the Anne of Green Gables house and even better we didn't have to pay a cent. Yes you heard me right. You can visit the house for free. Only if you want to go into the house do you have to pay. But if you're like us and are happy to just wander around the property and the outside then you can. And all for free.
Driving around the island we also got to see pumpkins and lighthouses and more pumpkins and pretty coastal towns.
We
also wandered around Charlottetown a lot. A super pretty town filled
with beautiful painted houses, trees galore and a lovely boardwalk that
takes you right along the waterfront.
We
spent a whole day just wandering around oohing and ahhing at all the
sights while trying to take photographs that would do it justice
and failing.
In the end we just soaked it all in and drank ice cold lemonade.
PEI seemed like the perfect place to treat ourselves. So we did.
First
by staying in an inn which made me feel very Gilmore Girlish. Then by
having an amazing meal at the Lobster Barn Eatery just outside of
Charlottetown and finally I went out on my lonesome at night and saw Anne & Gilbert the musical which was totally worth the $75 price of admission. I came away singing all things Green Gables.
All in all PEI was amazing place to visit and one I would definitely love to go back to.
See. I told you there would be lots of pumpkins.
We won't talk about December and January except to say that selling, buying and moving house pretty much don't go well with having any kind of plans. I spent the months trying to play catch up (and failing) while moving between house sitting gigs as we sorted out both ends of finally buying a house. Now so much closer and there is a light at the end of tunnel. A pretty dim light to be sure but a light never the less.
And on top of all that my anxiety decided to kick into to gear for the first time in years and hit me with a whammy of fear and terror completely out of the blue.
It's no wonder that Monday will see us heading off on a two week jaunt around the South Island, taking in the sights and relaxing.
As you might imagine my plans then for February are fairly small.
First up reading...
I'm trying to mix up my reading a little bit more this year, while at the same time curtailing it just a little bit and not read quite so many books so I've just got 3 books on my reading pile at the moment.
1. A Home By The Sea / Christina Skye
A sappy romantic chick lit about finding love again sounds just the thing to read under a
shaded tree with a nice cold drink.
2. A Year Of Being Single / Fiona Collins
And another rom-com with a little less sap and hopefully a lot more sass and laughs.
This is also going into my holiday bag.
3. Breakfast At The Exit Cafe / Wayne Grady and Merilyn Simonds
I've mentioned in a couple of recent posts that I'm keen to up my non-fiction reading so
when this one caught my eye I decided to add it to my pile. I love a good travel
memoir and this one sounds interesting, cross fingers.
4. South Island Holiday
This is pretty much all organised. We have our ferry tickets and first night of
accommodation booked. The car all ready and camping gear loaded. It's now just a
matter of days and we are off on our little adventure. And yes you heard right, I, lady
of all things comfy is going camping. I'm not sure how I will cope without my ties to
civilsation but I'm giving it a go and have at least got some books and hidden chocolate
if and when I need reminders of all things home.
5. Being More Frugal
Having money is nice. No question about it. It pays the bills, helps you out when you
are sick and gives you a few treats when you want something pretty or to do
something fun. Other Half and I have always walked a pretty fine line between
splashing out on things just because and being extremely careful with money such as
me mostly buying clothes etc at charity stores. Mixing the two seems weirds but it
works for us and means that we spend our money on the things we really want and not
spend much on the things we need.
Our holiday down South is a mixture of this. We'll be saving money by camping as
much as we can handle, buying cheap food at the supermarket, and using our
saved up gift cards to buy our fuel and food which means that we can splash out on
some sightseeing like whale watching etc.
6. 101 Things In 1001 Days
I'm pretty close to ticking off one thing on my list and I'm also busy working on some of
the others. Hopefully our holiday will see me nearer to crossing off some more items.
