Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Watched the first episode of this on Paramount Plus. Has a lot of promise and I intend to get to the others at some point soon. Quite a lot competing for the limited attention of my eyeballs at the moment. 

Roe v. Wade overturning

The US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade is a regressive decision that will harm many thousands of women. It needs to be overturned itself - at the ballot box.

I may find the concept of abortion personally distasteful, but the best way to reduce its occurrence is through better contraception and better education, not this.

Stranger Things 4 Volume 1

So, just a warning, this post contains spoilers. Although I'll give you a paragraph or two before I actually launch into them.

I didn't actually join Netflix for Stranger Things back in 2016; I came in 2017 for Star Trek: Discovery, which is no longer carried by that platform in the UK and also Mystery Science Theater 3000, which was cancelled there, now operating on its own streaming service.

I don't actually remember when I watched the previous seasons and since I generally don't note TV shows I've watched in my diary (although films I do), I can't really check.

But it's simply put a brilliant show and the latest season has knocked it out of the park...

Spoilers start here

With a spiked baseball bat, which isn't a weapon actually used by Steve "The Hair" Harrington in this series.

The show has a superb atmosphere, storylines with some real depth to them, great production design and - most importantly - a host of characters you will grow to love, played brilliantly by a talented cast. My personal favourite is Robin, but Nancy is handy to have in a fight.

The scene that everyone is talking about is the conclusion of episode 4 - "Dear Billy":

"Girl saved from demon by Kate Bush song" is a concept that when you type it on the screen, but it absolutely works here thanks for a masterful combination of all departments. I came into the second half of this episode (having watched the first part bit on my commute) seriously concerned for Max and fully prepared to write a Facebook post bemoaning her death. The tension is kept going right throughout, with the four-second cut to black a genius stroke in the edit suite, as that's usually when the credits start. It's frankly up there with Doctor Who regeneration scenes in being that good.

Looking forward to Volume 2 and hoping none of the main characters die. They're all loveable.

Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebrations

The longest reigning monarch in British history has frankly done an excellent job. There have been hiccups and problems along the way for the Royal Family, but she has managed to keep going and serving through all of them. She keeps going even when many others would have retired.

Thank you very much, Your Majesty. Enjoy the celebrations.

London Loop Sections 4 & 5

I did Section 4 of the London Loop on the May Day Holiday; that resulted in me doing over 30,000 steps for the day and breaking my all-time personal record in that department. It's over nine miles with the walk from Hayes station, although proper stretching resulted in a good deal less pain afterwards than previously.

It's been over a month in any event and so memories are a bit hazy. You're in the foothills of the Downs at this point and can see the towers of Central London or the Docklands from a few vantage points, depending on conditions.

These walks vary between large parks where there are plenty of people (and their dogs) about and more remote wooded areas where you might be the only person for half a mile or so. There are patches of civilisation though, sometimes outright suburbia.

Had a very good lunch at the Surprise Inn, where the waiter/manager noticed and remarked on my book. "I've walked from X" never fails to impress.

The route was a challenge in places, especially once you're into the fifth hour of walking, and I was glad when I reached the road that marks the end.

Section 4 ends at Hamsey Green, a village you haven't heard of and without a railway station, so you need a bus to get to one. That will be East Croydon if you're going a longer distance due to more frequent and faster trains. There is a Wendy's there and yes, I did post something about that on Reddit.