#London marathon 2020

[whilereadingandwalking]

In March 2020, I left Spain in a state of panic and tears. Covid-19 was a global emergency, but I had to snake maskless through crowds of hundred panicked tourists, shove myself into airplane seats, overuse my hand sanitizer, stand in endless Madrid & London airport lines, overhear racist remarks and people coughing into the air, for 36 hours straight. I got home sure I had Covid, cycling between a selfish sadness of my dream trip being canceled and overwhelming, isolated panic.

I recognize 2020 me, but 2024 me is utterly changed. From the little things (playing Animal Crossing with my sister with 900 miles between us, a Studio Ghibli movie marathon, the little neurotransmitters that make my nerves act wrong) to the big (watching my friends birth entire humans, seeing loved ones almost die, losing my job), I am new. I’m grown up now. I was 25 in Spain, now I’m 30.

Tomorrow, I’m going to step off my airplane, and I will be in Seville. Where I left off. The pandemic isn’t over, but it does feel like things have come full-circle. My family and I will go to Granada after that, and then I’ll go to Madrid. The dream cut short in 2020 will be completed, by a much different me. If I could see that me—maybe as I step off, she’ll be stepping on, in that same pocket of space—I would tell her that it will all be too much. But that she is going to find so much confidence and conviction in herself, up ahead. That she will survive it. That amidst all the pain, she’ll have so, so many adventures.

And I’d promise her: You will be back.

[thewales-family]

Special post ahead of Prince George of Wales's 10th birthday (3/4) : from 2019 to 2021.

•Prince George's 6th birthday on July 22nd 2019, in St Lucia on The Mustique Island, Carribbean Islands.

•King's Cup Regatta hosted by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on August 8th 2019, in Cowes, England.

•First Christmas Day Church service on December 25th 2019, at Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham Estate in King's Lynn, England.

•Official portrait with Queen Elizabeth II, The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Cambridge to mark the beginning of a new decade, on January 3rd 2020, at Buckingham Palace in London.

•Support to the doctors, nurses, carers, and others NHS staff during the Coronavirus pandemic on March 26th 2020, at Amner Hall in Norfolk, England.

•7th birthday on July 22nd 2020, at Amner Hall in Norfolk, England.

•Message video with Sir David Attenborough on October 3rd 2020.

•Run Sandringham Half Marathon on June 20th 2021, in King's Lynn, England.

•UEFA Euro 2020 Championship final between Italy and England on July 11th 2021, in London.

•8th birthday on July 22nd 2021, in Norfolk, England.

📷 (1, 5, 6, 7 & 10) : The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge/Kensington Palace.

(4) : Ranald Mackechnie/The Royal Family.

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

A Potted History of The Princess of Wales and the Early Years

I had an idea, at about 6 o'clock this evening, to go through everything Catherine has done with the Early Years before tomorrow and this has been rushed but let's go...

After marrying Prince William in 2011, the then-Duchess of Cambridge began working with a number of grass-roots charities, which focused on mental health, addiction, and hospice care. Her first set of patronages - announced in January 2012 - included three charities within this sphere: Action on Addiction, The Art Room and EACH. Early the following year, Place2Be joined her list of patronages. During this time, Catherine visited her patronages, as well as other charities, and began to develop an understanding of the importance of childhood and mental health. She also made a number of private visits to children's hospices and her patronages. In 2013, she became a mother for the first time, which she spoke about in a 2020 podcast with Giovanna Fletcher (Happy Mum, Happy Baby), allowing her insight into what new mums experienced. It was around the same time she first began to publicly support Children's Hospice Week.

Her work continued to develop and she began supporting the initiatives started by her patronages, such as M-PACT, which aims to improve the well-being of children and families affected by substance misuse. In 2015, Catherine began to engage in more "taboo" topics, such as fostering and the care system, as well as hospital schools, and women in prisons. By doing this, she was able to see how early intervention could positively impact on young lives. Catherine also undertook an engagement with Mind (her first engagement on World Mental Health Day) and began to meet with professionals, such as headteachers, to develop her knowledge.

In 2016, Catherine supported the first ever Children's Mental Health Week (fun fact, in 2021, Kensington Palace retweeted some CMHW work I did in school). She also guest edited the Huffington Post, promoting Young Minds Matter. She became Patron of both the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Familes and Action for Children that year (a representative from both patronages is in her recently-convened Early Years Advisory Group). 2016 also saw Catherine bring together her work along with her husband's and brother-in-law's to set up Heads Together, an awareness campaign focusing on mental health. The trio also continued to celebrate World Mental Health Day, which they would continue to do for many years.

The then-Duchess of Cambridge visted the Anna Freud Centre’s Early Years Parenting Unit, which works with parents who have personality disorders and aims to help them seek help and keep families together. Throughout this period, she undertook a number of engagements focusing on promoting Heads Together, including releasing a personal video alongside William and Harry for #OktoSay and appearing on BBC Radio 1. Heads Together culminated in the 2017 London Marathon, which she attended. 2018 saw Catherine begin to promote Mentally Healthy Schools. She also continued to expand her range of interests, attending the Headstart conference privately and visiting GOSH.

She continued to develop her interests and began looking into neuroscience and its impact on mental health and early development. She also, for the first time, began showing an interest in the perinatal, with her also becoming Patron of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. In mid-2018, Catherine attended a symposium on the importance of early intervention. That year, she also convened an Early Years Steering group - showing the beginnings of her current work - and attended the Mental Health in Education Conference.

Alongside William, she met with the BBC, where she spoke about children's wellbeing and the positive impact media can have. She also undertook a two-week private work placement at Kingston Hospital, on the maternity wards. In 2020, Catherine launched 5 Big Questions, and promoted this with a UK-wide tour, including a return visit to HMP Send. The questions were in the form of a short survey, open to the public.

The afore-mentioned Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast aired in early 2020. During the chat, Catherine confessed to feeling upset and scared after the birth of George, and spoke about the importance of mums' seeking help. During the pandemic, she chaired a Zoom roundtable of health professionals and joined a number of calls with midwives. Throughout the pandemic, a number of her Zoom calls and phone meetings were held with medical and mental health professionals, as well as with schools, children, parents and young families. She leant her public support to the BBC's Tiny Happy People project, as well.

Catherine used her resources to pull together donations for Baby Banks in the summer of 2020, and confessed to volunteering for her local Norfolk branch in her own time. The partnerships created by Catherine continue to this day. She met with parents and peers who have been supported by peer-to-peer parent-led support programmes, as well as representatives from Home-Start UK and the National Childbirth Trust. She continued her work with the Scouts, with whom she had been volunteering from the early days of her marriage, and continued to promote the importance of the outdoors, an area she really focused on when producing her Back to Nature garden in 2018. The Duchess of Cambridge also looked at miscarriages, during a visit to Tommy's. The results of her 5 Big Questions survey were shared as 5 Big Insights later that year. Catherine met with First Lady Jill Biden in 2021, with whom she co-hosted a roundtable discussion with a number of representatives from the early years sector.

In 2021, Catherine finally launched the Royal Foundation's Centre for Early Childhood. Since the launch of the Centre, she has continued to develop her understanding of early neurodevelopment, and travelled to Denmark - world leader's in childhood mental health - to learn how they promote early years wellbeing. Catherine continued to focus on young people, with a long-awaited appearance on CBeebies Bedtime Stories, where she read The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, a book she later shared was one of her childhood favourites. During the year, she became Patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, adding to the other child-focused patronages she had gained over the years (including Family Action and Evelina London). Catherine hosted another roundtable to learn about the progress made by the Centre for Early Childhood and recently convened an Early Years Advisory Group. Throughout the past few years, she has attended regular "Early Years" meetings.

[dweemeister]

The complete list of films featured on this blog’s 2024 “31 Days of Oscar” marathon

Hello everyone,

Thank you once more for allowing me to present this annual marathon of Oscar-nominated films to your dashboards. This year, the films were grouped by category (for the most part, one day featured only films nominated in a particular category). This is the most exclusive period on this blog, as the selection of films that I can post and queue about is at its most limited. But at the same time, the blog is at its most accessible as this yearly marathon’s selection skews to more popular fare than what I usually queue. I hope you enjoyed this year’s presentation of 31 Days of Oscar once more!

What follows is the exhaustive list of all 381 short- and feature-length films featured on this blog over the last thirty-one days for the 31 Days of Oscar marathon. This is down from 2022’s record of 420. But that count remains only a fraction of the 5,145 films that have been nominated for Academy Awards since 1927 (excluding Honorary Oscar winners that weren't nominated in a competitive category).

Of those 382, 28 were short films (53 short films is the record, which was set in 2022). 354 were feature films.

BREAKDOWN BY DECADE 1927-1929: 10 1930s: 51 1940s: 54 1950s: 44 1960s: 42 1970s: 26 1980s: 26 1990s: 23 2000s: 26 2010s: 26 2020s: 54

TOTAL: 382 (380 last year)

Year with most representation (2023 excluded): 1938 and 1942 (9 films each) Median year: 1966

Time for the list. 59 Best Picture winners and the one (and only) winner for Unique and Artistic Production that I featured this year are in bold. Asterisked (*) films are films I haven’t seen in their entirety as of the publishing of this post. Films primarily not in the English language are accompanied with their nation(s) of origin.

The ten Best Picture nominees for the 96th Academy Awards, including the winner, Oppenheimer (2023)

The fifteen nominees in the short film categories for the 96th Academy Awards

À nous la liberté (1931, France)

The Adventures of Don Juan (1938)*

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Albert Schweitzer (1957)*

Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938)

Alice Adams (1935)*

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)*

Aliens (1986)

All About Eve (1950)

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

All That Jazz (1979)*

Amadeus (1984)

Amarcord (1973, Italy)

An American in Paris (1951)

An American Werewolf in London (1981)*

Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)*

The Apartment (1960)

Aquamania (1961 short)

Autumn Sonata (1978, Sweden)

Avatar (2009)

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

The Awful Truth (1937)

The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

The Band Wagon (1953)

The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

Batman (1989)

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Becket (1964)*

Before the Rain (1993, Macedonia)*

Ben-Hur (1959)

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Bicycle Thieves (1948, Italy)

The Big Country (1958)

The Big House (1930)

Black Narcissus (1947)

The Black Swan (1942)

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Blue Valentine (2010)*

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Born Yesterday (1950)*

The Boy and the Heron (2023, Japan)

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)*

Braveheart (1995)

Brief Encounter (1945)

Brigadoon (1954)

Bullitt (1968)

Butterflies Are Free (1972)*

Cabaret (1972)

Caged (1950)

The Caine Mutiny (1954)

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

Captain Blood (1935)

Casablanca (1942)

Cavalcade (1933)

Chico and Rita (2010, Spain)

Children of a Lesser God (1986)

The Children of Theatre Street (1977)*

Cimarron (1931)

The Circus (1928)

Citizen Kane (1941)

Cleopatra (1963)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

CODA (2021)

The Color Purple (1985)

Come and Get It (1936)*

Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989)*

El Conde (2023, Chile)*

Cool Hand Luke (1967)

The Country Girl (1954)*

Cries and Whispers (1972, Sweden)*

Crossfire (1947)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Taiwan)

The Crowd (1928)

Dances with Wolves (1990)

Dangerous (1935)*

Days of Waiting (1991 short)*

The Deer Hunter (1978)

The Departed (2006)

Desert Victory (1942)*

Disraeli (1929)*

The Divine Lady (1929)*

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Dodsworth (1936)

Double Indemnity (1944)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse (1947 short)

Drive My Car (2021, Japan)

Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

Dune (2021)

8½ (1963, Italy)

Elemental (2023)

The Elephant Whisperers (2022 short, India)

Elmer Gantry (1960)

Emma (1932)*

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Encanto (2021)

The English Patient (1996)

Ernest & Celestine (2012, Belgium/France/Luxembourg)

The Eternal Memory (2023, Chile)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)*

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Fantastic Voyage (1966)

Far From Heaven (2002)*

A Farewell to Arms (1932)

Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

The Firemen’s Ball (1967, Czechoslovakia)*

Five Star Final (1931)*

Flee (2021, Denmark)

Flower Drum Song (1961)

For All Mankind (1989)

Forbidden Planet (1956)

Foreign Correspondent (1940)

Forrest Gump (1994)

42nd Street (1933)

Four Daughters (1938)*

Four Daughters (2023, France/Germany/Tunisia/Saudi Arabia)*

Freedom on My Mind (1994)

Frida (2002)*

The Front Page (1931)*

Funny Girl (1968)

Gandhi (1982)

Gaslight (1944)

Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

Giant (1956)

Gladiator (2000)

The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather Part II (1974)

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

Goldfinger (1964)

Gone with the Wind (1939)

The Goodbye Girl (1977)

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)

Gosford Park (2001)

Grand Prix (1966)

The Grandmaster (2013, Hong Kong/China)*

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

The Great Dictator (1940)

Great Expectations (1946)*

The Great Race (1965)

Green Dolphin Street (1947)*

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

Gypsy (1962)*

Hamlet (1948)

The Heiress (1949)

Henry V (1944)

Henry V (1989)

Hercules (1997)

Here Come the Waves (1945)*

High Noon (1952)

How Green Was My Valley (1941)

How the West Was Won (1962)

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the WIndow and Disappeared (2013, Sweden/France Germany)

The Hurt Locker (2008)

If Anything Happens I Love You (2020 short)

In America (2003)*

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

The Informer (1935)

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970, Italy)*

Io Capitano (2023, Italy)*

It Happened One Night (1934)

JFK (1991)*

Juno (2007)

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Lady for a Day (1933)

The Last Command (1927)

The Last Emperor (1987)

The Last Picture Show (1971)

Laura (1944)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

Life Is Beautiful (1997, Italy)

Lilies of the Field (1963)

Lincoln (2012)

The Little Foxes (1941)*

Lolita (1962)

The Longest Day (1962)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

The Lost Weekend (1945)

Love Affair (1939)*

The Love Parade (1929)

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)

Loving Vincent (2017)

Lust for Life (1956)

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)

Malcolm X (1992)

A Man for All Seasons (1966)

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

The Man Who Skied Down Everest (1975)

March of the Penguins (2005, France)

Marie Antoinette (1938)*

Marty (1955)

Mary Poppins (1964)

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Merrily We Live (1938)*

The Merry Widow (1934)

Mickey’s Orphans (1931 short)

Midnight in Paris (2011)

Milk (2008)*

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Minari (2020)

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

The Miracle Worker (1962)*

Mogambo (1953)*

Moneyball (2011)*

Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953, France)

Monsieur Lazhar (2011, Canada)

Moonstruck (1987)*

The More the Merrier (1943)

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

Mrs. Miniver (1942)

Munich (2005)*

The Music Man (1962)

My Fair Lady (1964)

My Man Godfrey (1936)*

Napoleon (2023)*

National Velvet (1944)

Naughty Marietta (1935)*

Network (1976)

Never on Sunday (1960, Greece)*

Nimona (2023)

No Country for Old Men (2007)

None But the Lonely Heart (1944)*

North by Northwest (1959)

Now, Voyager (1942)

The Nun’s Story (1959)

Odd Man Out (1947)*

On Golden Pond (1981)

On the Waterfront (1954)

Out of Africa (1985)

Papillon (1973)

Parasite (2019, South Korea)

A Passage to India (1984)*

Patton (1970)

Penny Serenade (1941)

Perfect Days (2023, Japan)*

Persepolis (2007, France)

Phantom Thread (2017)

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Pillow Talk (1959)

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Platoon (1986)

Pollock (2000)*

Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (1936 short)

The Pride of the Yankees (1942)

The Prince of Egypt (1998)

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)*

The Public Enemy (1931)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Pygmalion (1938)

Quo Vadis (1951)

The Quiet Man (1952)

Raging Bull (1980)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Rain Man (1988)

Raintree County (1957)*

Random Harvest (1942)

Rashômon (1950, Japan)

The Razor's Edge (1946)

Rebecca (1940)

Rejected (2000 short)

Return of the Jedi (1983)

Rhapsody in Rivets (1941 short)*

The Robe (1953)*

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)*

Robot Dreams (2023, Spain)

Rocky (1976)

Roma (2018, Mexico)

Roman Holiday (1953)

Room (2015)

Rustin (2023)*

Sadie Thompson (1928)*

Schindler's List (1993)

Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

Seconds (1966)*

Sergeant York (1941)

7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)

7th Heaven (1927)*

Shall We Dance (1937)

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

The Shop on Main Street (1965, Czechoslovakia)

Silence (2016)*

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The Silent Child (2017 short)

The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931)

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

The Sixth Sense (1999)*

Society of the Snow (2023, Spain)*

The Sound of Music (1965)

Spellbound (1945)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Spotlight (2015)

Stagecoach (1939)

A Star Is Born (1937)

A Star Is Born (1954)

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1994)

Star Wars (1977)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The Sting (1973)

La Strada (1954, Italy)

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Strike Up the Band (1940)

Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Superman (1978)

Superman Returns (2006)

Suspicion (1941)

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013, Japan)

A Tale of Two Cities (1935)*

The Teachers’ Lounge (2023, Germany)

Terms of Endearment (1983)

Test Pilot (1938)*

The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

The Thin Man (1934)

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Tom Jones (1963)*

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

The Triplets of Belleville (2003, France)

12 Angry Men (1957)

20 Days in Mariupol (2023, Ukraine)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

The Two Mouseketeers (1952 short)

Up (2009)

The Valley of Decision (1945)*

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)*

War Horse (2011)

West Side Story (1961)

Whiplash (2014)

The White Helmets (2016 short)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

The Window (1949)*

Wings (1927)

Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974 short)

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

The Woman in Red (1984)*

Woman in the Dunes (1964, Japan)*

Written on the Wind (1956)*

Wuthering Heights (1939)

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

You Can’t Take It with You (1938)

[denimbex1986]

'Andrew Scott made a surprise appearance during Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones's Normal People marathon screening on Sunday.

Paul and Daisy, who shot to fame thanks to the 2020 miniseries, hosted a marathon screening of the romance drama at the Prince Charles Cinema in London to raise money for UNICEF and the suicide prevention charity Pieta.

Instead of simply introducing the screening, the actors stayed at the cinema for the duration of the event and watched all 12 episodes with the audience. They also signed books, posed for photos and sat down for a Q&A hosted by surprise guest Andrew.

Introducing his All of Us Strangers co-star, Paul said, "And the best of the best to ask us questions my friend Andrew Scott!" as the crowd clapped and cheered.

During the Q&A, the Fleabag star commended the duo and the crew on making "the most beautiful sex scenes" and the Where the Crawdads Sing actress admitted it was embarrassing to rewatch all of their intimate sequences with the crowd.

Her Irish co-star confessed that he found the last episodes "moving" and "rough to watch".

He also addressed the public, thanking them for "changing (their) lives" by making the series such a success.

In May, Paul and Daisy appeared to tease a second season of Normal People on social media. However, they quickly came clean and revealed they were simply reuniting for the one-off charity event...'

[scotianostra]

Happy 47th birthday Scottish TV presenter  DJ and model. Jenni Falconer, born February 12th 1976 in Glasgow.

I always like when Jenni’s birthday comes around, not just because it gives me a chance to admire this Scottish beauty, but I always post the pics of her wsaring that saltire style dress!

Falconer spent her formative years in Bishopbriggs and Milngavie, before the family relocated to  South of England when she was seven.

Jenni Falconer was introduced to the world of TV in 1994, when she appeared as a contestant on Blind Date. Her good looks, bubbly personality and easy manner in front of the camera were noted by BBC Scotland, which invited the then university student to do some presenting. She spent 3 years cutting her teeth with Dougie Vipond in the show  The Big Country

It was in 2000 that she got her big break, when she was asked to host GMTV’s new entertainment segment.

Jenni ended up interviewing some of Hollywood’s biggest stars among them Tom Cruise and Will Smith in exotic locations. A self-confessed work-a-holic, she’s fronted a wide range of programmes, including The National Lottery Big Draw and Sky One show Cirque De Celebrite. When she isn’t travelling the world on assignment, Jenni, who shares her London base with former Cutting It boyfriend James Midgely and her dog Alfie, likes to keep fit by horse riding Jenni and James have a daughter, Ella born in 2011.

In July 2020 Falconer became the new running coach in the Start 2 Run app, guiding and motivating others to start and keep on running. 

Jenni has supported a number of charities,she was celebrity patron of the charity Breast Cancer 2000. In 2012, Falconer took part in her first London Marathon, raising money for CLIC Sargent,  she has run the race 8 times now, raising money for The Children's Trust the UK's leading charity for children with brain injury and neurodisability, and Cancer Research UK. Jenni is currently in training for this years London Marathon in April having returned from injury, my wee sis is hoping to run in the race, but is carrying an injury herself just now.

Falconer is a host on Smooth Radio, she also has a podcast series, RunPod guiding and motivating others to start and keep on running and welcomes special guests who share that passion for running.

Though she’s spent most of her adult life in the south of England, the presenter who’s proud of her Scottish heritage - still thinks of Glasgow as home.  

The final pic is probably Jenni's most recent just 8 days ago at Twickenham, with hubbie, actor James Midgley where she helped cheer Scotland to victory in the Calcutta Cup 6 nations match.  

[adamwatchesmovies]

A Christmas Carol (1984)

There are many adaptations of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol to choose from for your Holiday Christmas marathon. Many consider this 1984 version by Clive Donner the one to go with. If you ask me, no Christmas season is complete without viewing either Alastair Sim or George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge.

Ebenezer Scrooge (Scott) is a bitter miser who considers the ideals and spirit of Christmas pure humbug. He hesitates to give his underpaid assistant Bob Cratchit (David Warner) the day off and scoffs at his nephew Fred (Roger Rees) when he suggests a holiday dinner. One cold Christmas Eve, the ghost of Scrooge's former partner Jacob Marley (Frank Finlay) appears to him with a warning "You will soon be visited by three spirits, heed their counsel and change your ways or risk an eternity of suffering."

Though originally made for television, this is a top-notch production. The locations/sets transport you to 1843 London like a Ghost of Christmas Past and the costumes all look authentic. The stage is set and George C. Scott is perfect for his role. One look at the actor and you can practically see every time he's rolled his eyes at the concept of charity. He delivers the over-the-top dialogue like it was written for him but Scott also grounds the story in reality. It makes the drama that follows that much more powerful. Scrooge is a miserable, horrible person… but he’s still a person. His journey through the many Christmases the ghosts take him through rouses intense emotions.

So much of what makes this story endure is the message. Christmas is a joyous time, but it can be scary under certain lights. That uniformly white blanket over everything, the bare branches swaying in the frigid wind, the shortening days, the cold… the idea of ghosts emerging from the darkness just fits. These fears are juxtaposed by this renewed hope of salvation, the explosion of generosity and the potential for miracles. A Christmas Carol taps into all of those sentiments. There are talks of gifts but no commercialism. It’s about the importance of relationships with loved ones and what you must do to keep them close to you. That's not to say any adaptation is a hit; the cast and the production's dedication make this a special rendition of the timeless story.

There’s only one flaw with the film: the portrayal of the Spirit of Christmas Past by Angela Pleasence. It isn’t her performance; it’s that unless you know what the movie is trying to do, she'll leave you scratching your head. She’s supposed to be candle-like: a light that could easily be put out (which is why we see Scrooge extinguish her with his cap). You can't tell unless you already know. Otherwise, everything you want to see in this story is there. The comedy of a miser so cheap he won’t even spend money to keep himself comfortable, the drama over lost love and seeing a heart grow cold, the warmth of redemption and the horror of the ghosts. As a child, I distinctly remember seeing the Ghost of Christmas Present (Edward Woodward) showing off Scrooge’s “children” to him and finding it terrifying.

It’s easy to become bitter around Christmas. Even if you don’t feel like the true meaning of the holiday has eroded, there’s so much pressure and so many high expectations that are rarely met. 1984's A Christmas Carol is the perfect remedy for any bitter sentiments. Whether you see yourself as Ebenezer Scrooge and need to be shown the error of your ways or you’re his nephew and need your faith in others renewed, this is the movie for you. Its final scene always brings tears to my eyes. (December 14, 2020)

[blogshout]

About Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex

Prince Harry, also known as Henry Charles Albert David, is the younger son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana. He is sixth in line to the British throne and is known for his charitable work, military service, and public speaking. Here are 10 unknown facts about Prince Harry:

"SPARE" is a memoir by Prince Harry, Ghost written by  J. R. Moehringer

Prince Harry was born on September 15, 1984, at St. Mary's Hospital in London. He is the younger brother of Prince William and the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II.

In addition to his royal duties, Prince Harry is also a trained helicopter pilot. He served two tours of duty in Afghanistan as a co-pilot and gunner for the British Army Air Corps.

Prince Harry is a keen sportsman and has competed in several charity polo matches. He also enjoys skiing, swimming, and playing football.

Prince Harry has a strong interest in conservation and has worked with several organizations to promote sustainable living and wildlife conservation. He is also a patron of Rhino Conservation Botswana.

Prince Harry and his brother Prince William established the charitable organization, The Royal Foundation, which focuses on issues such as mental health, conservation, and young people.

Prince Harry is a supporter of the London Marathon and has run the race several times, including in 2007 and 2008. He also completed the marathon in a charity run in 2014.

Prince Harry has a soft spot for animals and has several pets including a Labrador Retriever named Guy.

Prince Harry has a strong connection to Africa, having spent time living and working in the continent, including Lesotho and South Africa.

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from their roles as senior members of the royal family in 2020, and have since been living in the United States. They have also been focusing on various charitable and philanthropic endeavors, such as their Archewell Foundation.

In conclusion, Prince Harry is more than just a royal figurehead, he is a passionate humanitarian, sportsman, animal lover, and music enthusiast. He has spent much of his life serving his country and doing charitable work both in the UK and abroad. He has also been a trailblazer in terms of changing the traditional role of a royal and has shown that it is possible to live a more independent life while still being a member of the royal family.

[lboogie1906]

Eliud Kipchoge EGH (November 5, 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly specialized in the 5000-metre distance. Regarded as one of the greatest marathon runners of all time, he is the 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon champion, and was the world record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:01:09 set at the 2022 Berlin Marathon, until that record was broken at the Chicago Marathon October 2023 with a time of 2:00:35. He has run four of the ten fastest marathons in history.

He was born in Kapsisiywa, Nandi County, in Kenya. He graduated from the Kaptel Secondary School in Nandi County. He ran 2 mi to school daily. He was raised by a single mother. He is the youngest of four children.

His wife and three children live in Eldoret, Kenya. He lives and trains in Kaptagat.

He won his first individual world championship title in 2003 by winning the junior race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and setting a world junior record over 5000 m on the track. He became the senior 5000 m world champion at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics with a championships record, then followed by an Olympic bronze for Kenya in 2004 and a bronze at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships. A five-time World Championship 5000 m finalist, he took silver medals at the 2007 World Championships, 2008 Olympics, and 2010 Commonwealth Games.

He switched to road running in 2012 and made the second-fastest-ever half marathon debut with 59:25 minutes. On his marathon debut, he won the 2013 Hamburg Marathon in a course record time. His first victory at a World Marathon Major came at the Chicago Marathon in 2014, and he went on to become series champion in 2016, 2017, and 2018. He won the London Marathon a record 4 times. He has won 12 of the 13 marathons he has entered. His only loss was second place at the 2013 Berlin Marathon. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[theuniverseawakens347]

Alissa.. now why you playing stupid miss “you’re crazy and need help”

GIRL WHEN YOU KNOW YOU DID SOME WEIRDO FUCK SHIT SPREAD MY PICTURES TO GET INTO CSUN,

GOR DYMOND FUCKTARD SELF PRETENDING TO BE ME .. she cud Neva sorry #dry

Twin and ahdarji TELEPATHICALLY, IAN TOO.. now.. JUST COME OUT N SAY IT,

DADDY CLIVE WONT PUT YOU ON MEDS, LIKE MOMMY N ZAE I PROMISE AND HOW YOU TURN YO LIL AIS INTO A TRICC FOR SOME MONEY AND SENDING NIGHAS TO RAPE HER SAYING MY COOCHIE PIC IS HER 🤯 .. BUT SILLINGLY DID CPN FRIAD 2020 WEN UNEMPLOYMENT WAS HOT THEN SIMULTANEOUSLY SET ME UP TO GET “spiritually saved” W VIVVICA WHITSET AND ERYKA BADU CAUSE I SPOKE TRUTHS ABOUT THEM HAVING ME N IS IN A UNDERGROUND POSED AS EVERYDAY LIFESTYLE SEXXRING INCEST CIRCLE 🤷🏽‍♀️🖕🏽🤮🙂

RUN ME A NEW TEDDY BEAR MISS LETME TRY ON HA CLOUD DRESS AND SEE IF I CAN DO IT BETTER AT DUMBASS DYME TAYLOR THINKING / DOING THE SAME DUMBASSSHIT / MARZ IS MY MANS SEED .. meesle vaxx in tummy .. and lil man MY EGG IVF in vitro off shore LLC account 🙂

LAUREN LONDON FUCKTARD SELF YOU A WHOLE SET UO BITCH AINT GOOD FOR SHIT. NIP ONLY MADE YAL LUBLIC CAUSE YOU MISSCARRIED AND HE FELT BAD YOU COOL OR WAS BUT LOOK AT INTERVIEWS MY NIGGA 20 QUESTIONS A NIGGA AINT EVEN ANSWER YA FAVORITE COLOR W SINCERITY .. BUT LIKE THEM CAPTIONS I BE LIKING “saying some player shit to a girl I always wanted” FOR SHOW AND YOU KNOW .. and the “words fail me actions speak” AGAIN HE A MAN OF HIS WORD THATS FOR KROSS TIL HE FOUND OUT KROSS NOT HIS AT .. JORGE .. SAMANTHA TELEPATHIC AND MOMS THEY KNOW YOU SET HIM UO W ERIC AND COWBOY ON LIRPOSE TO CLAIM THE MARATHON BRAND AND TAKE OVER THE SHAW THAT HE OWNED. LAZY FUCK BITCH. FUCKED FOR PUMA BEHIND HIS BACK TO CONTINUE IT KNOWING YOU WERE GOING TO KILL HIM. YEAH THAT MAN BIG MAD AND FAMILY. AT JHENE MAD FOR FUCKIG SEAN WHEN SHE WAS PREGNANT .. and YOU AND JORGE WAS DRUGGIN NIP AND FORCING HIM TO HAVE SEX HE AINT WANT TO HAVE AT SNOOP DOGG RAPE .. FEDERAL IV DRIP QUEEN IN THE WEED CONTAMINATING HIS MARATHON WEED STORE CONOJA AND LETTING DISTRICT FUCKTARD CHRIS AND IAN AND TRACY AND TRISTAN “ROB” IT ..yal got BEEF HE GON BE BACK

[khuantru]

31/03/2024: I promise you this is the last version. I wasn't happy with the updated revisit 08/03, opened the file again and reworked on it. Pleased with this outcome. No more on this image file!!!

enjoy

08/03/2024: updated again for this evening Friday. Enjoy & greetings from north London. 

Software: Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator CS3

Tools: wacom pen 03/07/2020: Greetings all. 

13/07/2019: I haven't done these in a while since starting full time work, I miss all my free time on doing these and those marathon walks in London, miss photography, miss the parks.. miss those free chilling times.. working full time shift are god damn prison shifts!!! And these conversations about struggle, how 'struggle' is good. FUCK NO.. there's 2 types of struggle. One struggle depending if you own the business is a good struggle because that's your own personal project. However, if you are working for someone else, and you dislike that work or the hours or the salary.. that's struggle. That's what 80% of people have to go through and endure. We like to struggle... yeah right.. get out of here. 

[thebritishblogofeverything]

The British blog of everything - what does it mean?

I will give you an idea of the topics that maybe covered at some point in the future.

Books - I love reading from thrillers, romance, some fantasy and classics. Expect a few reviews along the way.

Children's Books - As a children's author, I love to read new releases that are in the same genre as mine. As a parent and grandparent I do have many Julia Donaldson books, who doesn't of course and I will leave the review of these books to others. However there are many other talented authors out there and I keep uptodate by reading their works and I will post reviews as I do.

Fitness - I love running I have run often throughout my life. However before my eldest son got married in 2012 I took up running to lose weight and it became a constant, I took part in 10K and Half Marathon races. However when covid came in 2020, already struggling with bad knees, my mobility worsened. I will detail my struggles with getting back to fitness and some methods I have used and their effectiveness. Please note I am not a personal trainer and what works for me will not necessarily work for everyone else.

Food - I love food of all kinds. Currently I am loving following people on Facebook and Instagram and have tried some delicious recipes and I am happy to share them here with you. With all credits given of course.

Grandparenting - my greatest achievement and I am grateful for six healthy, happy, funny, bright, grandchildren, ranging from 17 down to almost 2. I love having them over to sleep and days out. The best time for me is when we are all together, thirteen in total, it makes for crazy times.

Poetry - I took up poetry in 2017 after being knocked over by a motorbike. I had one arm in a cast and the other in a splint and I was walking through the streets of London feeling very anxious. People were completely unaware of my predicament or indeed anyone else's, as they were on their phones and I was inspired to write my first poem "More" - see below:

Sport - I like most sports. As a child I was brought up on football in the winter and cricket in the summer. I love football, cricket, rugby, formula one, speedway. A great mix.

Weight loss - goes hand in hand with fitness. It has been a struggle the last four years but I am now seeing progress and will discuss it here with you.

Writing - as you can tell from this page I love to write. I enter competitions and set myself challenges and I will share them here with you.

Weather - As a brit I couldn't omit this topic. We love talking about it, all the time. Maybe its because our weather is so diverse, being an island, we get a lot of rain! but I will talk about how the weather affects our every day.

[sportsgr8]

Olympic, World Champion Pole Vaulter Katie Moon Become Ambassador For Mumbai Marathon 2024

World Champion Pole Vaulter Katie: Two-time pole vault World Champion and 2020 Olympic gold medalist Katie Moon is the International Event Ambassador for the 19th edition of the Mumbai Marathon to be held January 21. Promoted by Procam Global, Mumbai Marathon is a World Athletics Gold Label Race. It is one of the top 10 marathons in the world. With a prize money of USD 405,000, Mumbai Marathon 2024 will witness participation from across the globe. "While running the race of life, every step is an opportunity to inspire and make a difference. I am deeply honoured to be named the International Event Ambassador for Tata Mumbai Marathon 2024, where each stride carries the spirit of resilience, determination, and community. I look forward to inspiring and being inspired by the incredible participants as we come together to celebrate the power of human potential and the pursuit of excellence. Let's lace up Mumbai, and run towards a healthier, and happier future!" Katie said. The solo Olympic medalist, Katie, has clinched three medals at the World Athletics Championships: a silver in the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, and a gold medal at the 2022 Eugene and 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships. In 2023, she also won the top slot in the Diamond League. Katie hit a streak with two medals in 2018 alone: a gold at the Toronto NACAC Championship and a silver in the London Athletics World Cup. In the consecutive year, she pocketed a silver in the 2019 Lima Pan American Games. In her early childhood, she competed as a level 4 gymnast and diver, while in pole vaulting, she graduated with a state record of 3.97 m (13 ft 0 in). "We are thrilled to welcome Katie Moon to our Tata Mumbai Marathon family as the esteemed International Event Ambassador. With her unparalleled sporting spirit, competitiveness, passion for excellence, and dedication to making a positive impact, we're confident she'll inspire countless others to join us on this incredible journey!" Vivek Singh, Jt MD, Procam International said. Read the full article

[thoughts-from-my-lizard-brain]

31 days of movies I've never seen

1. Rear Window (1954) 2. Psycho (1960) 3. Rosemary's Baby (1968) 4. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) 5. Jaws (1974) 6. Suspiria (1977) 7. Halloween (1978) 8. An American Werewolf in London (1981) 9. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) 10. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 11. Single White Female (1992) 12. The Sixth Sense (1999) 13. Shaun of the Dead (2004) 14. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006) 15. Pan's Labyrinth (2006) 16. Let the Right One In (2008) 17. Shutter Island (2010) 18. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2011) 19. The VVitch (2015) 20. Hush (2016) 21. It (2017) 22. Suspiria (2018) 23. Midsommar (2019) 24. The Lodge (2019) 25. The Invisible Man (2020) 26. I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020) 27. Old (2021) 28. Fresh (2022) 29. Nope (2022) 30. The Menu (2022) 31. Talk to Me (2022)

[qudachuk]

There were 578,374 applications for the 2024 TCS London Marathon, compared with the previous record of 457,861 for the 2020 event.

[thespoondrawer]

So...I did a thing.

A long thing, a wet thing.

Did I enjoy every minute? nope. Did I enjoy most of it? nope.

But, did I finish it? yes. Did I run every step? yes. Did I finish in 3h59m and 26 seconds? hell yeah!

THANK YOU to EVERY single one of you who donated and made it worth doing the thing. I won't do it again so don't worry...you will stop hearing about this very soon.

It was the hardest thing I've done physically, and almost as wet as the last horrid (virtual) London Marathon I did in 4h2m in 2020.

I AM happy, honest....but I think I'll only realise that in a day or two more. I'm aching but it's a nice ache and only going DOWN stairs hurts and I ain't picking anything of the floor any time soon.

BUT...without seeming arrogant, and I know Nicola Hunt gets it (thank you so much for saying exactly what's in my head), but I did think I could possibly hit 3h40m...looking at my 22 mile training run to Bedworth and back which I did in 3:00 including a fall at 19 miles only a few weeks ago...so 4 hours was a surprise. BUT as I'd written off that target by mile 20 when I was overtaken by the 3:55 pacers (obviously not MY pacers in the end) it was a pleasant one.

Why did it take me 20+ minutes more than I thought? why was every single step after Tower Bridge awful? I put it down to 'sensory overload'. From Saturday AM getting to London on shitty trains, getting to the Expo to pick up my number in 5 mins then getting back to the AirBnb (surely making this mandatory to do in person is all about trying to sell me more running tech I don't need), meeting Shiv and the girls who arrived later, trying to eat well, get some sleep, then getting up in Tower Hamlets and trying to eat something when the stomach said NO...finding out the Underground line to Lewisham was out of action, having to get 3 tubes to get to Blackheath (waiting for 4 trains before one has 3cm of space for me to fit in), walking up to the heath not even being able to see any of London on the horizon, queuing for the toilet I didn't even need because I'd been told I should, hanging around in the cold and wet for 90 mins then ALL that 'I don't know what is going on' in my head.

Once we had started it felt...ok....I did have a little space and quickly I started chatting to the lovely Amber who entertained and motivated me all the way to Tower Bridge....but then I 'let her go' to smash it in 3h42m. What I did know but didn't prepare for, I don't know how you could, was the noise, the cheering, the banging choons, the puddles, the desolate drab arse end of London for the first 13 miles (except a tiny bit of Cutty Sark) then another 10 of drab 'could be any city in the world' before the final ouchy 3 miles where you CAN see London but you just want to see a foil blanket.

4 hours of simultaneously trying to ignore the other 44,000 runners and having to be uber-aware where they are about to slow/stop inches in front of you, elbow past you or find a tiny gap to slip between them in a rare burst of speed. Exhausting and VERY different to a happy 13 miles to Kenilworth and back taking in the sights and smells of HS2.

Then the cheering was lovely, and I WISH I had put my name on my shirt...every 30 seconds...bloody 'GO AMBER YOU'RE SMASHING IT' whilst an older grumpier looking bloke got no love. I really WANTED to high five all the kids but by halfway I just didn't have anything to give them...

Then to nail my coffin, seeing so many obviously keen runners (in vests!) pulling up with cramp, lying on the street covered in coats and holding their loved one's hands over the barrier...thinking all the time 'my calves are going to cramp soon, that will be me' all the way to the line.

So...I've done it and that's a closed chapter I think. I know people say 'you'll change your mind' but I don't think I will. Those 34 seconds I think mean I don't feel I need to prove anything. I don't get my running mojo from races, medals or speed. Parkrun maybe...but I might have also reached my peak there with 22:03...

Back to solo running, early sunny mornings, podcasts on and my stats on Strava and fewer wobbly bits to motivate me.

BUT THANK YOU ALL for support, cash and love. xx

Especially Siobhán Harrison and my amazing girls who had a shit time in shit busy wet tiring London too.

Look at the face. That says it all