Dear All

It is Boxing Day today in the UK. A public holiday here but elsewhere such as the USA and in the UK retail sector people are back at work.

Time to share with you the top tv of 2012 in my own opinion. This is based on tv programmes watched, downloads are previous years dvd recordings do not count.

10 Haven
9 Caprica
8 True Blood
7 Sherlock
6 Dr Who
5 Continuum
4= Spartacus & The Killing III
3 bRAQUO
2 Game of Thrones
1 Fringe

The video shown below is of the favourite song of the year "Out of the Game"

The next blog will look at Cinema and Sport and other stuff, hopes and fears etc.

Keep the Faith

 

 

 

 

2012 part 1

Well what a year it has been.

We had the Jubilee, the Olympics, the Paralympics and now the prospect of a royal baby to take away the taste in our mouth as our faces are being ground into the dirt.

I am trying to remember what a pay rise is, for the last five years we have had 10% cut and then nothing. Not even a letter saying sorry, thank you for your efforts like.

Over the next few postings well look back at the year.

Music Top 5 for 2012


5. We all go back to where we belong   REM
4.Skyfall    Adele
3. Hold on - Alabama Shakes
2. Next to me - Emile Sande
1. Out of the Game - Rufus Wainwright


Next time tv sports etc  

Well this has been 2011, a year in which we boldly went where we had never been before to munchen flughafen, Singapore, variou parts of New Zealand such as Auckland, Hamilton, Waitomo, Meadsville, Rotoura, Hobbiton. We have seen things such as the set of the Hobbit film which we can't tell you about for several years !!! . Waiotapo with the mad crazy Italian Fans, Lake Tapo, Napier just stunning, the home of the yummie mummy Cheese cakes, up close and personal with a windfarm as the Manawatu gorge was closed. To a restuarant in Wanganui which introduced us to new fish, which you can't find in Europe and to Fejoua which you also can't get here. To New Plymouth, Mount Taranaki and the Windwand, to Raglan and Kite Surfing. To family in Ashley, Canterbury and to see my great neices for the first time. To the ruins of CHCH CBD and the strength to rebuild and moveon. To Pegasus, a development not a horse. To Countdown and New World not just supermarkets. I would add piediol wyth i'm gwlad but  I could happily live in New Zealand. To Sydney and the reality that is theri customs and immigration, now there is reality tv for you boyz and grrls, and to our hosts and seeing the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge and Darling Harbour.
Remember it is only the trip of a life time if you never go back.

The six Nations was won by an English team which dared to dream and then forgot how to . Our highlights including meeting most of the welsh squad in Waitomo and see them win in New Plymouth and then on the tv see them beat Ireland in the quarters and for a week we dared to dream. But alas a fussy Irishmand and our own inability to kick goals dashed the dream for now.

Catching up

Holy Blog abandonment issues Batman !!

Well I did go to New Zealand via Singapore and return via Australia for three weeks.

I did get to see Hobitton after signing the Film Company's disclaimer . So yes I have seen it and no you can't see my pictures no now and possibly never. We did get to see the Wales squad in Waitomo and get to Rotorua and Napier. We visited the Rugby museum in Palmerston North and saw Wales wallop Namibia in New Plymouth.

We also got to see family in South Island.

So for what it is worth here are my top 3's for 2011.

movies
3 Harry Potter 7.2
2 The Bad Teacher.
1 The hangover

Tv

3 The Killing - Dansk Version
2. Game of Thrones .
1. Fringe .

Music

3 Glorious - The Pierces
2. Set Fire to the Rain - Adele
1. Rolling in the Deep - Adele

Our Winter sports are nearly done with just the NHL, NBA & Top 14 Rugby Union to resolve.

In 2012 Wales have won the Six Nations with a Grand Slam the question is can they win in Australia for the first time since 1969.

 

On her self titled album Julia Fordham once sang "where does the time go". if I knew I would tell you.
The weather and the return of Dr Who, Warehouse 13 and Eureka tell us that the autumn is here. We have had all manner of stuff the declaration of GOP candidates for the 2012 US Presidential Election. Riots in the major cities of England with apologies to Leeds and Newcastle and places down south like Plymouth and Reading and Swindon etc. The Rugby World Cup 2011 starts in New Zealand, tomorrow, today and Wales go in with decent form, possibly the best form since 1999 when we lost to Samoa and the Convicts. Who knows.

As for the NFL , this is not a bold tip but Baltimore Ravens is it your year ????

It has been a long time between Blogs maybes too long so this time we shall just look at Sport and save the Pol and tv and films and music which this year is Lady Gaga and Adele until another time. The moldovan euro entry appears elsewhere.

So Sport Man Utd won the premiership and then got spanked by Barcelona. Leinster won the Heineken Cup with Harlequins winning the Amlin, Munster won the Magners and to complete a piss poor season Wales came 4th again in the Six Nations, although 3wins from 5 games sounds better than 2 from 5 but we did lose at home to the English for the first time since 2003. England won the Championship but no slam. As for the NBA it is rewind time to 2006 as Miami this time with added Lebron face Dallas with Dirk. And on a sad note Stockport County finished 92/92 and are relegated to the Conference, which may be the kick they so badly need. of course if it hadn't been for re-election they might/ought/should have been there ages ago. But that's life.   

So we have arrived at the end of another year and so here come the lists in no particular order.
Films  5) The Girl who kicked the Hornet's nest. 4) Watchmen 3) Girl with the Dragon Tatoo 2) Avatar 1) Inception.

TV   6) 24 5) Dr Who 4) True Blood 3) Fringe 2) Spartacus 1) Wallander  with a nod to The Walking Dead which only had six episodes and of which more can be expected next year. What ever happened to the UK debut of Hawaii Five O remains to be seen. Praise also for the cliff hanger to Haven.

Music 7) Only Girl in the World - Rhianna  6) Alessandro - Lady Gaga 5) Well, Well Well - Duffy. 4) 7th Avenue - Bruce Springsteen 3) Slow - Rumer  2) Future Soul Song - Prince 1) Its not War - Manic Street Preachers.




Unfortunately Blues fell foul of two French refs in their games with Northampton Saints so there will be no European Trophies in 2011. So here is a picture of the boys in Marseille

Happy New year.

 

There have been several articles about people neglecting or abandonning their blogs. Surfice it to say after 6 months in which I have groomed the cat, played a lot of Blackout Rugby, watched in horror at the antics of the Con-Dem Coalition, and visited the Mold Food & Drink Festival, here we are . 

The subject this time is TV, this year has seen an 11th Doctor, the end of Lost (in a Church) the end of Ashes to Ashes (in a pub) the cancellation of Caprica (going too far back with the old prequel stuff) and some good stuff.
It is too early for me to comment on "the Walking Dead" but what we do have for your consideration are the following:

Fringe now into series 3 shown on Sky closely after it is shown on Fox and why not. The first epsiodes are split between our universe and an alt - universe from whence the surviving Peter Bishop hails.

True Blood - Shown on FX in the UK, Sex, Violence and Fangs and why not, however I have to ask am I the only one who finds the British born lead made of wood .

Spartacus - Shown in the UK on Bravo, home of the brave and Dog the Bounty Hunter. The first few episodes seemed to be like a bad comic, it became thanks to the leads, like Rome with added Sex & Violence and a warning to viewers at every add break.

Wallender - that's with a V, The original and the Best, okay not the original, the second swedish attempt but very very good all the same.

So with this blog comes some pictures and next time, hopefully next week we shall talk about sport in the meantime I have to watch some Zombies.