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June Round-up

July 7, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

Watching: Fringe (I started back at Season 1 and I’m up to 4), Orphan Black (catching up on Season 4), Orange is the New Black (had to wait till after Paris but then binged Season 4), re-watched Season 5 of OUAT with Nat before we went to the convention, The Great British Sewing Bee, of course Game of Thrones (last episodes!!), the usual Casualty, Holby City, Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow etc. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Just Go With It, Zootropolis, Twilight, Olympus has Fallen, Deadpool,
Reading: Wait for Me, Kingdom Keepers: Disney at Dawn, Cinder.
Sewing & Making (for Closet Geek): Ears!! It’s still been all about the ears. I announced the last day of £6 ears and my social media blew up. In total I think I took orders of over 50 sets in the end. Other than that there was a Woody dress, a Jessie dress, a Belle dress and apron, a Baymax dress and jacket, a custom Sleeping Beauty fabric dress, some custom pencil cases, plus the usual bows and jewellery orders.

And in other news…
– We went to see Zootropolis at the cinema and I loved it.
– We spent a whole day looking for a new car for Chris but he ended up with a really nice one and it was totally worth it. We also got ice cream from Blyton on the way home!
– Lily got a short story printed in a book. It’s not technically printed yet but we got a certificate and I had to give my permission for it to be published.
– Megan had her first day at secondary school on a taster day. It didn’t go as well as she’d hoped but she has another in July.
– I helped Nat to pack up all her belongings and load them into my car and hers. She then moved in with us a few days later.
– Nat and I went to Paris for a very long weekend. We saw loads of tourist attractions, plus attended a OUAT convention and spent the day at Disneyland Paris. It was a great trip but it was lovely to be home.
– We got new broadband. Not a major event in itself but its all connected to Chris now having a BT contract so its all good. Also it seems faster which is great.
– Had our first viewing on the house since being on the market since April. It didn’t come to anything but at least it’s a start.

Looking forward to in July:
– Honestly, nothing really. Most of July is busy with school things, like Sports Day, Transition Day, school reports, end of year service, Leavers Party, Leaver assembly etc. but otherwise I have nothing planned myself in July.

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TV Favourites with Freeview Play

November 11, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

I was recently asked by Freeview Play to make a post about my favorite TV shows and while this sounds like a great thing to talk about (and it is!) how do you narrow it down to an actual list of favorites, when you love so many shows?

As most of you who read my blog will know, I started a small sewing business a few months ago and since then I’ve spent more time sat at the dining table, than I have in the lounge. For the first month I got really behind on all my shows, until I decided to use my iPad to catch up and then keep on top of all the shows I love. Not only that but I have been binge watching series’ like Grimm, Switched at Birth, Awkward, Constantine, Orphan Black and many more. I’ve realized that I like so many different types of genre and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a current series or an old one, I’m ready to give it a go! Using a ceiling mount for tv will make your space to look bigger because saves a lot of space and look very modern.

So here are some of my favorites.

Currently running – At the moment I’m really into the various superhero series that seems to be popping up everywhere. I’m watching The Flash, Arrow and Supergirl (which are all DC) and though they’re not currently airing, I also love Marvel’s Agent’s of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter and Daredevil. Other shows that I love and are currently airing are Once Upon a Time, Grimm (which as I mentioned I recently binge watched from series 1-4), Modern Family and Switched at Birth (another one I recently binged on 3 series of). There are of course a few other series that are between series and waiting to start, such as Game of Thrones, The 100, NCIS, Gotham and Vikings.

British TV – while most of the afore mentioned shows are US ones that we either get a day after the US or wait weeks for, there are a few British shows I love. Casualty and Holby City air every week, while X Factor and I’m a Celebrity are only on this time of year. Orphan Black is also a British show that I recently fell in love with and I’m waiting for it to start again. Though most of these shows are my guilty pleasures, I’m not afraid to say I enjoy them. We’re also watching Release the Hounds which is a recent find but an enjoyable light-hearted watch.

Cancelled shows – over the years there have been a lot of cancelled shows that I’ve loved, including Buffy, Angel, Firefly and Doll House (all Joss Whedon!). However I recently watched one series of Constantine and really enjoyed it and I started on Defiance (though I’m not sure if I like it or not) and I found out that had been cancelled too. I also enjoyed both The Following and Revolution, both of which have been cancelled and a recent TimeHop post reminded me of a series called Flash Forward which was so good and such a shame it was cancelled. Finally I’m just now catching up a the last few series of Glee. I was a hardcore fan for the first few but it dropped off and while I still enjoyed it for light-hearted entertainment, I wasn’t bothered either. Now, with my VIZIO smart tv I search for shows to watch and have plenty of series to go at, so I’m just making my way through 4-6 with the hope of ticking it off the list.

There are so many more shows I could give a mention to but I would be here all day. I hope to find and enjoy even more over the weeks to come but I’ll be sure to let you know of what I find!

TV To Get Excited For!

September 17, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

It’s September!! And for the most part, that can be a bit depressing – kids back to school, weather getting colder, days getting shorter etc. However there is one big plus point to me and that’s all the TV shows that begin again! For more family-friendly tv programs, check out AWKNG TV. Here are just a few new season tv that I’m looking forward to! Check with your tv provider if any of these shows will be available to you.

Arrow Season 4 and The Flash Season 2 – October sees the return of both Arrow and The Flash, both of which I love. While I originally struggled a little to get into Arrow, it’s now one of my favourite TV shows. I completely love The Flash too, but in a totally different way. Arrow is dark and a bit more adult, where The Flash is a lot more lighthearted but still gets me quite emotional. While I’m sure it will be the end of October before we get the TV shows, I’m still excited as the trailers start to trickle out. I’m a huge Superhero fan and these two series are some of the best I’ve watched when it comes to Superheroes.

Once Upon a Time Season 5 – I’m such a massive Disney fan and this is pretty much the closest you get to a Disney series for adults. While it wasn’t always as Disney orientated as it is now, its always been fairytale related and that’s one of my favourite topics (not to mention, there are villains and I love them!). Last season was left on a great cliffhanger and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Not only that but I’m going to a OUAT Convention next year and I am seriously SO excited. Lana (Regina), Sean (Robin) and Bex (Zelena) are all confirmed guests so far and I’m sure there will be more!

Grimm Season 5 – I posted last week about my new found love for a tv show called Grimm. Well now I’m up to the end of Season 3 and about to start 4 so I can’t wait for Season 5 to air. It will be hard to watch on a week to week basis instead of binging, but I’m looking forward to it regardless!

Doctor Who Season 9 – While I’m not a huge Doctor Who fan, I’ve also really gotten into it over the last few years. Season 9 starts this coming weekend and I’m pleased about that. I’m still not 100% sure that I like the new Doctor but maybe 12 more episodes will help me decide! I’m sure the Christmas special will be good too.

Gotham Season 2 – I’m not entirely sure when we will get this over in the UK, it might even be next year, but its released in the US soon. I didn’t enjoy all of Season One but it definitely had potential towards the end. I’m excited to see what might come from Season 2 so fingers crossed it won’t be a let down!

The Walking Dead Season 6 – TWD is SO up and down to me. I loved Season 1, Season 2 was okay and after that it became less stable. I enjoyed parts of the last few seasons but I couldn’t say I liked them in full. Hopefully season 6 will be an improvement but honestly I’m not holding my breath.

The 100 Season 3 – I loved both Season 1 and Season 2 of The 100 and it was yet another series that I binged watched, along with Chris. We were late getting into it but once we did, I remember several very late nights, watching “just one more episode”. Season 2 was left on a bit of a cliffhanger so I’ll be interested to see where they take it. A large proportion of the storyline was tied off so its going to have to head in a whole new direction for this new series.

Other notable mentions are; Heroes Reborn (a new/follow-on series to Heroes), NCIS (not top of the list, but I do love it and have seen every season), Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (I lost interest towards the end of series but hopefully this one will be better), Marvel’s Agent Carter (hated the beginning of Season 1 but loved it towards the end – excited to see what comes next).

If you want to have a wide variety of channels and shows to watch at home, you may consider calling your cable tv provider to upgrade your subscription.

Is there anything you’re particularly looking forward to this fall/autumn?

My Top 5 TV Dads

June 9, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

Father’s Day is always a somber sort of time for me. My dad passed away over 10 years ago and since my husband and I separated, the girls don’t see their dad on Father’s Day either. As such, when I found out Curry’s PC World were hosting a competition about people’s top five tv dads, I decided it would be a great thing to do, to give some positivity to this time of year! All the terms can be found here if you’re wanting to enter. Here are my picks (in no particular order).

Phil Dunphy – Modern Family

I have watched Modern Family since it first came out and Phil Dunphy has always been one of my favourite characters. He’s so incredibly down to earth, so normal, such an idiot. He’s completely loveable and how he puts up with Claire, I really don’t know. Sad part is that half the time I think our family functions a little like the Dunphy household. That makes me Claire, I know, but it’s true! The thing I like most about Phil is that he’s just very real. TV shows us a lot of perfect people, a lot of perfect parents and very few people are actually like that in real life. Phil rocks – thumbs up Ty Burrell.

Joe West – The Flash

This is a bit of a cheat answer, because while Joe West is a dad, it’s not his relationship with daughter Iris that I like him for. Instead, his surrogate/foster dad relationship with Barry Allen in The Flash, is what makes me love him. Though The Flash is only in it’s first series, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it from start to end. I can’t tell you how many times the show has had me in tears. And, without spoiling the season finale, the last episode where Joe and Barry might lose the bond/relationship they currently share, is by far one of the most heartbreaking moments I’ve watched recently.

Marshall Eriksen – How I Met Your Mother

Now if I had to pick a best character from HIMYM, Barney Stinson would win hands down for me. However when it comes to being the best father, Barney doesn’t really come close (until the last ever episode of course). However Marshall Eriksen is awesome. He may not be the first person that springs to mind when you think of TV dads, but I think he would have been so cool to have as a father. Not only that, but with a husband/wife relationship like Marshall and Lily, what more could you want from your parents? He’s a big kid himself but I’m sure he would have been such a fun and loving dad. He’s definitely in my top five picks.

Ned Stark – Game of Thrones

As always, Sean Bean died far too early in the scheme of Game of Thrones series. However the character of Ned Stark was one of the best there has been. Though also a husband, I really only think of Ned as his role as a father. His four/five kids really did have a great role model to look up to. Even to the end he showed that honour was one of the best qualities you can have – even if it gets you killed!

Pop Larkin – The Darling Buds of May

This last choice is a little bit nostalgic as it brings back memories of weekends as my Nan and Grandad’s, watching episodes of TDBOM. David Jason has always been one of my favourite actors and I absolutely adored him as Pop Larkin. The dynamics of the family as a whole were really what made the series, but Pop himself was the core and heart of the Larkin family. To be absolutely truthful I don’t remember a lot about the series itself (I was a lot younger then) but I do know I enjoyed it a lot. I’m pretty sure I wanted to live with the Larkin’s at one stage so that says a lot for both Ma and Pop.

It was really hard to narrow down my top 5 TV dads and so I want to give a notable mention to; Philip Banks (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Cliff Huxtable (Crosby Show), Luke Dane (Gilmore Girls) and Sandy Cohen (The O.C.). I’m sure there are plenty more TV dads that I love though but that’s all I can think of for now!

Who is your favourite TV dad?

In memory of the best dad – my dad.

Week 19 – Monday Round-up

May 11, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

All weeks seem very samey at the moment so I’m sorry if these posts are a bit of a bore. Monday this week was Bank Holiday so it was a short school week and that’s always nice. The girls were with their dad on Monday and so after he picked them up, Chris and I went out for the day. We started by going to visit his Nan and then headed over to Lincoln where we were going to the cinema to see Avengers again and then on to Pizza Express for dinner. It was also May Fourth which for most means Star Wars Day, but for me it’s my dad’s birthday and since he died, its always been a day for reflection. It was nice to keep busy though and have a sort of “date day” with Chris. We ended our day with an ice cream and a walk through Lincoln, before meeting the girls and their dad to switch and go home. Once the girls were in bed we spent the evening catching up on TV like S.H.I.E.L.D., Gotham and Game of Thrones.

Tuesday was back to school and back to work for everyone, including me. Chris was on an early shift so he was out of the house early, but the girls and I headed to school as normal. After dropping them off in their classrooms, I headed to the office to help out. I stayed the whole day and even ended up covering a lunch shift in the dining room. After school the girls and I headed home, getting dinner and then getting homework done. The girls also had a bath because it was class photos at school the next day. When Chris got home, he had dinner and then we spent the evening catching up on Arrow together.

Wednesday was a nice relaxing day, spent catching up on blogging and everything around the house. Chris was at work and the girls were at school, so it was nice to have time to myself and I even started the day with a bacon butty and a cup of tea. I made curry for dinner, so it was easy when we all got home and once I’d picked up the kids from school it meant we didn’t have much to do. Again once Chris was home, we caught up on Arrow, trying to make sure we’re up to date by the finale!

On Thursday Chris was on a later shift and so once I took the girls to school, he was still here when I got back. He did have a driving lesson though so he wasn’t around for long. Once he was gone, I settled down to watch all my TV shows. I kept meaning to go and vote but ended up procrastinating the day away. In the end I collected the girls from school and then went to vote instead.

It was actually pretty interesting going with the girls as it sparked some conversation between us, making it really good fun. We came home and had dinner, before tidying up the girls room – putting away all their clothes and giving the room a hoover. Nat came round in the evening and we spent the evening catching up and having a gossip.

Friday came really quick and once I’d dropped off the kids at school, I came home to spend time with Chris before he went to work. I then made some jewellery orders and tidied up the house. Finally I went out to PC World to do a Mystery Shopper visit and then on to the girls at school to collect them. On the way home we stopped at Aldi and it was there we met Amy and Olivia who were visiting for the weekend. We all went back to our house and hung out, Olivia going to bed first, followed later by the girls. Amy and I ordered Indian takeaway and spent the evening chatting, then when Chris got home we looked for the most awful thing we could watch on TV.

In the morning we all got up and got ready, heading out to Nottingham where we would see Disney on Ice. Chris didn’t come as he had work but the rest of us went to Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, for the show at 11am. Everyone really enjoyed it and I got some lovely pictures. I even posted about it over on Twice the Mum. The show took us up till about 1pm and we’d already decided we’d go to Five Guys for lunch and then on to the Disney Store in Victoria Shopping Centre after that. It was about a ten minute walk for lunch and then another ten minute wait in the queue. It definitely wasn’t as nice as in America but it was still good. After lunch we all headed to the shopping centre but to be honest there wasn’t an awful lot we wanted (I just placed a Disney Store order last week) so we just picked up a couple of Tsum Tsums and then headed back to the car. On the way home we decided we fancied Starbucks so swung via Lincoln. We stopped to get drinks and by that time it was 5pm so we knew it would be almost bedtime for the girls by the time we got back and settled. Olivia had some toast before heading to bed and the girls waited a bit longer to make sure she was asleep. Amy and I ordered a pizza to share and then sat chatting and watching rubbish TV again for the evening.

On Sunday morning, I managed a bit of a lie-in but mostly I was awake and just too lazy to get out of bed. However I did get up and made everyone a cup of tea/coffee and then we all sat relaxed. At midday, Megan and I took Amy and Olivia to the station. Lily stayed at home with Chris. After dropping them off, Megan and I went to Aldi and did the week shop, making sure we got stuff for a roast dinner that day too. The afternoon was spent just hanging out together as a family, relaxing and not doing much. Eventually though Megan and I got up to make dinner and then we all sat together and ate. Afterwards we had waffle with ice cream and chocolate sauce, along with a glass of wine for Chris and I. It was really a perfect evening. The girls headed to bed and Chris went for a bath so I went on my computer for a while. After that we watched Dredd and then S.H.I.E.L.D. before heading to bed.

Another nice week that seemed dull at the time but always seems fuller when I write about it. No idea what this week will bring but I’ve got a feeling it will be a busy one.

The 100 – TV Series

October 22, 2014 by Bel 2 Comments

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Today I want to tell you all about an awesome TV show called “The 100“. It was originally aired in March 2014, over in America, with a finale aired in June 2014. Of course, in typical UK style, we’re behind the times and it wasn’t shown here until a few months ago, the finale airing just a couple of weeks back.

When this show was advertised, I hadn’t heard anything about it. I didn’t know it had already shown in America and I had no idea of the storyline. The trailers looked interesting an as it had a sort of space theme, added with mysterious island – well I figured I would give it a go. Week after week, the recordings piled up on the Sky Box but neither Chris nor I suggested watching it. We had a lot of other TV to watch anyway, but because we didn’t really know anything about the show, there was no pull to watch it either. Anyway, eventually we got around to the first episode and to be absolutely honest – I thought it was pretty dire. It seemed like a lot of teenage drama, very angsty and though it had a semi-decent plot, I wasn’t sold. However we stuck with it, the following day watching the next episode. Episode two seemed a bit more interesting and both Chris and I were keen to watch the third episode immediately after. The following day we watched four more episodes, then four more… before we knew it, we were completely sucked in. In less than a week we watched the whole series – watching the finale episode within 2-3 days of when it actually aired on UK TV. I immediately rushed to Google, making sure it had been renewed for a second series and when that might be. That was when I discovered it had already aired ages ago in the US and was actually due to start again soon.

Basically, that’s my reason for making this post today. October 22nd is the day that Season 2 of The 100 begins in the US. I am super excited and I can’t wait to find out when we’ll get it over here in the UK. But anyway… I should probably tell you a little bit about the actual series.

The series is set 97 years after a devastating nuclear war wiped out almost all life on Earth. The only known survivors are the residents of twelve space stations in Earth’s orbit prior to the war. The space stations banded together to form a single massive station named “The Ark”, where about 2,400 people live. Resources are scarce and all crimes no matter their nature or severity are punishable by death (“floating”) unless the perpetrator is under 18 years of age. After the Ark’s life support systems are found to be critically failing, one hundred juvenile prisoners are declared “expendable” and sent to the surface in a last ditch attempt to determine if Earth is habitable again. The teens arrive on a beautiful planet they’ve only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. However they discover that not all humanity was wiped out. There are people on Earth who survived the war, called “grounders” by the 100.

If you were a fan of “Lost“, I most definitely recommend that you watch this series. Not only is Earth very similar to the Lost island, but also the ever lovely Des (Henry Ian Cusick) appears in the show as Marcus Kane. Other favourites of mine definitely include Lincoln (Ricky Whittle) and Anya (Dichen Lachman). A lot of the cast, really growns on you – even though at times you think they might not.

As I mention, the series has been renewed for a second season, beginning tonight in the US. There are 13 episodes in Season 1 that you can get your teeth into though, and trust me the season was left on a great cliffhanger so you’ll be desperate to jump into the next season. If you need any more convincing it has a 7.5 rating on IMDB, which is pretty damn good, especially after just one season.

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