"And He Smells Like Strawberries"

As mentioned previously, I have been having a think about the movies I have watched and enjoyed over the last year. Of all the movies watched, the absolute standout was Cinema Paradiso. But in keeping with the multitude of Internet lists out there, I'm sticking with 2010 releases for the rankings. So, what is going to take the Basterds 2009 crown. Scroll down to find out.

5. The Town



Standout moment: The final heist.

4. The Disappearance of Alice Creed



Standout moment: The first 10 minutes when Danny and Vic are setting up the flat.

3. Kick-Ass



Standout moment: The last part of the finale when Elvis' American trilogy comes blasting over the speakers.

2. Inception



Standout moment: The folding city.

1. Toy Story 3



Standout moment: One word - furnace.

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Cyrus

I was planning on having my top 5 decided and written up, ready to post for tomorrow. There is a slight delay in that so I decided to post this as a wee stop gap. Supposedly, Jonah Hill's character of Cyrus bares an uncanny resemblence to me.



Seriously though, if you get the chance to catch this one, you should. But be warned. The trailer might make it seem like a comedy in the vein of Old School, Step Brothers etc. It isn't.

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Nuovo Cinema Paradiso

It's December and apart from planning for Christmas, it usually means it is time to have a think about what movies have been been watched over the past year and how they rank amongst each other. I've been thinking about this over the last few weeks and have a fair idea of what the top 5 are and what order they are in but there is one notable exception which will not be on the list. There was one movie I watched this year which would definitely be top of the list but I am not including it as it was not a 2010 release. The film in question was Giuseppe Tornatore's 1988 Award Winning Nuovo Cinema Paradiso [or Cinema Paradiso for the international release].

Do you ever watch a film that you come away from feeling this could be the best thing you have ever seen? I'm not talking about the latest effects laden blockbuster which is a visual spectacle like nothing before. I mean the film where the story and performances are key with the perfect musical accompanyment in the background. Not since seeing Almost Famous had a film done this to me. There was just something about the story that was gripping and left you speechless at the filmmakers ability.

The film is about a modern day director's reflection on his childhood in the Sicilian town of Giancaldo after he receives a phonecall to tell him his friend and mentor Alfredo has passed away. What follows is a tale of friendship, love and tragedy as we see Toto grow up and finally leave the town, only to return to attend Alfredo's funeral. The finale played along to Morricone's score is a touching piece of filmmaking. Don't worry, you learn about the death withing the first few minutes so I haven't spoiled anything.

The ironic thing about Cinema Paradiso was that I knew nothing about it and had no intention of seeing it. It wasn't until I was in FOPP one day earlier in the year. They had the deluxe set going cheap so decided it might be worth a punt especially as it was on the IMDB Top 250 which I was slowly working my way through at the time. I'm glad I did buy it and even moreso that it was the 4-disc set. The score by Ennio Morricone is majestic. It is one you could easily listen to independently and definitely cements him as one of the finest composers in my opinion. Check out the video below for a sample of the score.



I didn't allow this one on the list but I will be back withing the next couple of weeks with my top 5 of 2010 releases.

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Beards For Balls: The Finale

So, here we are. The end of November and it is mission accomplished. I have not shaved all month and have a relatively scruffy, almost Grizzly Adams style beard. As it stands, the charity balance is sitting at £205. This has taken me a bit by surprise, I was expecting about £20 with half of that coming from me. Honestly though, I came up with this idea as a comedic alternative to Movember and really didn't think it would take. This is the first proper charity thing I have ever done. I'm always quick off the mark to give to other people but it was nice for a wee change to try and get the money from others.

What to do now though?

The intention was to do this, and go for the full clean shave to get rid of it but I'm not sure now. Firstly, as a fat man, the beard hides the double [or in my case triple] chin. Having one less area of fat to try and disguise is always a bonus. Secondly, it is quite warm for this weather. I'll probably keep the basis that is there but tidy it up a bit.

To all those who contributed, thanks very much. It was a pleasure to save lives through laziness for you.

If you have not contributed but would like to, you can still use the button below. If you don't do the whole internet thing, you can email me using the link at the bottom of this page, text me or send a carrier pigeon and I will add your name to the form and get money off you at a later date.




All proceeds go to Everyman - The Male Cancer Campaign and you can view the beard's progress over the month using the embedded web album link below.

Beards For Balls

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Beards For Balls: Week 2 Update

"You look like a young Brian Blessed!"

What else can be said.




Remember, you can donate using the above button with all proceeds going to Everyman - The Male Cancer Campaign and follow daily beard progress using the embedded web album link below.

Beards For Balls

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Beards For Balls: Week 1 Update

So, 8 days in and the campaign is still going strong. The face ain't been touched and I have to admit, although there is no itching yet, it is starting to look a bit scraggly. This could be amusing by day 30. Remember, you can follow daily beard progress using the embedded web album link at the bottom of the page.




Although I am once again making an internet ridicule of myself, don't forget that there is a good cause behind it. Donate using the above button and all proceeds go to Everyman - The Male Cancer Campaign

Beards For Balls

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Beards For Balls

It is no secret that I am a bit crazy when it comes to online blog challenges, take the year of food for example. So, imagine my curiosity when I heard about the Movember campaign. The concept of the annual November moustache-a-thon did pique my interest but I was not too keen on the single strand of hair. Instead, I have created my own charity concept - Beards for Balls. For the month of November, I am not going to shave, trim or cut my facial hair. In my mind I am going to end up looking like Joaquin Pheonix from "I'm Still Here". My normal daily look is a bit of stubble that I run the beard trimmer over twice a week just to keep it under control but that is getting locked away till next month. I was gonna use fully clean shaven as the starting point, but decided where is the fun in that. To get maximum Grizzly Adams, I'll start from my daily style.



So the point of this? Well, Movember runs throughout November with the donations going to mens health charities. So, to keep parity with the main campaign, I have set up a Just Giving page to collect donations for
Everyman - The Male Cancer Campaign, to help testicular and prostate cancer. If you like the idea and would like to make a donation towards this charity, you can use the permanent widget to the right or the button in this post. It may not seem like much of a challenge but believe me, any more than a week and a half of not shaving is usually itchy enough so this will be a porper test of perseverance.



To fit in with my blog obsession I am going to take a photo of my face everday and upload it to a Picasa Web Album and see what kind of animated gif we can get at the end of it. Once again, thanks to Mario @ Lucid Studio for the graphic.

Beards For Balls

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Blockbuster

I was browsing about on the iPhone App Store the other day and came across an app which piqued my interest. The app in question was My Movies Pro. It is essentially a catalogue app for your DVD/BluRay collection. Being a bit of a geek, I love this kind of thing.

I have used programs like this in the past to try and do it, but the lack of easy input really puts you off. This is where the iPhone version of MyMovies comes into it's own. You can use the iPhone camera as a barcode scanner for quick batch inputting. This combined with the free online gallery makes the app a winner in my book. Click the coverflow to view my collection.

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Twin Peaks

For the second Sunday in a row, it was back to the hills. Sunday's plan was the long awaited trip to Killin in Perthshire to bag a double. The Hills in question were Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers, the first two peaks of the Lawers Ridge.

We arrived in Killin and set off on the walk about 10:30. From the get go, it wasn't looking too good weatherwise. You could see the cloud level sitting quite low but we were quite optimistic it would lift. There are a few good things about our intended route. Firstly, it has one of the best maintained routes you will find up a hill, especially considering Lawers is the 10th highest peak in Scotland at 1213 metres. Secondly, the total ascent for getting both summits is only 900 metres. You start at about 450m and as there is a ridge connecting them, you only descent 100m before making the final ascent to the second peak.



It wasn't long before we were right in the thick of the clouds. Having very little experience of poor weather conditions up the hills, this was an eye opener. However, it is a really good route to use to get a feel for the weather due to the well defined path. We took our time up the path and were approaching Beinn Ghlas when we came across a cairn.



On reading reports beforehand, the common trait of this route is that you can easily walk passed the Ghlas summit and not even realise it is there. This is what made me doubt that this was of any significance - it was too noticeable. Anyways, we stopped for a few photos just in case and then it was confirmed. A guy and his young daughter who were just behind us, caught up and confirmed that the actual summit is just up the road. We got blethering to him for a couple of minutes until we reached the proper summit. It's true, you could pass it and not know about it. The guy kindly took a photo of the the three of us atop said carin and it was time to move on as it was very chilly.



After the descent of Beinn Ghlas it was time for my first the first ridge walk. I was looking forward to this but the weather kind of ruined it as you had no view whatsoever. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not though. With the severe buffeting we were getting from the winds, I'm not sure I would want to see where we would be heading if we got blown off our feet.



After a longer than expected walk in the gales, the trig and cairn of Ben Lawers came into view. It was really unexpected. We were walking just staring into clouds and then out of nowhere the shapes appeared with the final boulders we had to navigate.



When we finally reached them, we realised this was th ehighest either of us had ever been outwith an aeroplane. 1213m above see level is not that bad for me. The biggest ascent so far is still the Beinn Imne trip but this felt pretty good to be this high up. Especially in the weather we had, it was such a surreal experience. We quickly got the pictures and made our way back down to find some shelter to stop for a breather.



Heading down was like a polar opposite to the way up. When we got off the ridge and started on the alternative path down the side of Beinn Ghlas, the clouds just lifted in a matter of minutes. Only a couple of hours before at the exact same spot, you could hardly see in front of you. Even stranger though, about 20 minutes later, the summit of Lawers was visible from about 800 metres. If only we started an hour later, the weather and views would have been so different.

The path down on this one was great. It was a different route from the ascent which bypassed the summit of Beinn Ghlas by taking you around it and down at a shallower rate. This was welcome after the previous hills. It may have took longer but as the altitude drop was gradual, the pain on the knees was minimal.

We were back in the car about 5½ hours after we started and on reflection this was one of my best days on the hills. Fair enough, the weather was poor but the route was good. It was challenging but not scunnering and the day as a whole was great. I aim to do this one again next summer, hopefully with better weather in the company of a certain fan of Killin - you know who you are.

2010-09-05 - Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers

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Boulders

Last weekend was set to be not bad weatherwise, so I decided on a plan. I was going to head to Arrochar and walk up a hill and try and bag a Munro. There was a slight problem in my thinking though, everybody else who would want to go was doing something else. So, that left me with the prospect of mixing public transport with a walk.

After checking the timetables and the forecasts, the plan was to head to Glasgow on Saturday morning and get the train from Queen Street to Arrochar and Tarbert station on the West Highland Line. As with all great plans there was a vital flaw. On Friday night there were a few drinks straight after work so I was a bit more tired than expected on Saturday morning at 0600. However, on looking out the window the weather was a bit crap and a quick check of the web confirmed that the rest of the day would not be ideal so back to bed it was.

Fast forward to Saturday night. The forecast and the MWIS report for Sunday was tremendous. It was set to be an ideal summer's day so instead of packing up the bag I already had ready, I decided to plan for a Sunday hike to Beinn Narnain.

Crap Sunday public transport meant I was able to get an extra couple of hours in my bed. One McGills to Glasgow later and I was ready to board the Oban train. That train journey was an eye opener. Once you get passed the build up areas of Dalmuir, Dumbarton and Helensburgh it becomes a train journey like no other. The scenery was breathtaking. You wouldn't think that a train journey 30 minutes from Glasgow would have those views. After Garelochead, Loch Long and the Arrocher Alps came into view.

From Arrochar and Tarbet station there is a forestry track that takes you to the head of Loch Long. Looking at this path on an OS map doesn't give the whole picture. It is not as flat as it looks. This eventually takes you to the road which you follow around and end up at the car park where you'd start if you were to drive through.



My intended route was to head up the zig-zags, passed the dam and follow the path to the point it splits about 600m before you fork off to either The Cobbler or Narnain. So a quick check of the bag and I set off up the hill. Having being very inactive over the last couple of months, I can confirm that the zig-zags were one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. Definitely the worst they have been of the few times I've tried them.



It was a long slog along the path and there were a lot more breather stops than I had planned. On top of being knackered very early on, I felt my left knee go so that started to give a good bit of pain. I toyed with the idea of turning back, but I had plenty of time, so even being a bit sore I would make it back to the station in time for the train home.

The beauty of walking along this path is the sight when The Cobbler comes into view. Especially with weather like that is is a good sight to see.



After stopping at Narnain Boulders for a bite to eat, I followed the path to the split in the road and turned right to ascend the last 300m to the summit. Soon after this, I was confronted with a good obstacle. I could see the continuation of the path up ahead but between me and it was a boulder field.



After navigating the boulders, the plateau wasn't far away. When I reached the top, there was a group of people already there so I was able to get one of them to take a picture.



After hanging about for a bit I started my descent. This was not pleasant, the pain from my leg was noticeable but I marched on and got to the bottom in not bad time. The time stamps between the summit picture and the start of the walk is 2 hours exactly so that gave me enough time to grab a bite to eat and follow the road round to the station. I really think I need to take some kind of navigational course. I didn't think the station was that far but the road seemed to go on forever until the sign came into view. I was nearly there and still made it in time to be eaten alive by midges for 20 minutes while eating my single sausage.



All in all it was a not bad day out. The experience of bagging Munro no. 5 solo was a weird one. While it was good to not worry about the pace for anyone else, it is nice to have a bit of chat when you're in the wilderness. I definitely want to try this one again when I shift a few pounds.

2010-08-29 - Beinn Narnain

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Screensaver

It's been 62 days since the last blog post. That must be a record for me since the start of my blogging days. I really did mean to put a post up last weekend covering all the events that were going on but I got tied up with other things, so I'll provide a quick summary. We were sitting eating our tea last Friday and we started to hear an alarm - it was coming from Maggie's house across the landing. Getting no answer from her, we phoned 999 and advised there was an alarm but we were convinced she was out. A few minutes later and two engines with the full blue lights and sirens were coming up the wrong way of a one way street - destination Watt Street. One broken door later and there was no smoke and no Maggie for that matter, she was at the Bingo. The alarm turned out to be one of those personal alarms that was hanging on the back of the door that came loose. After a quick repair job, and a visit from the police it was time for Friday night normality. We had a few visitors in for a bit of chat and catch up but this would all end at about 21:44. This was the time Maggie came home. In an effort to prevent a shock when she seen the door, we created a makeshift welcoming party to explian that she hadn't been burgled and all is well as the Fire Brigade left the yale lock on. We were expecting this to be the end of the matter, but the plot thickened. It turned out that the yale lock doesn't get used, as it is permanently jammed, therefore rendering the house unenterable. For the next couple of hours we were in constant conversation with the police station while having no luck getting a 24hr emergency locksmith. A couple of police officers showed up eventually and were left with no option but to kick the door in.

After the faffing about of Friday, Saturday was not much better. The new fish tank had arrived the previous day, and it was time to set up the cabinet and work it where it would be actually going in the room. After a quick few measurements, it turned out to be a bit bigger than previously measured and a rejig of the room was required. Nine hours of moving furniture, emptying cabinets and shelves and refilling them later, the room took a wee bit of shape. Aside from all the crap that was [and still is] in piles on the floor, the room was complete with a slightly different layout.

Sunday was meant to be a good day. The plan was to get the gravel in the tank and start filling with water so it could settle for a few days before adding the fish. I should probably mention, that while all this is going on in the back of the house, the living room has no couch and was getting prepared for a carpet to be lifted. The only sanctity was in the bog. It was time to fill the tank with gravel, only Mr Brightspark here misjudged his calculations again. I was too short and had to try and get to the Linwood Pets at Home on a Sunday using public transport. It turned out to be a lot easier than expected and I got back down the road a few hours later with the gravel in hand. So, tank is placed, gravel is in and we have water on tap - nothing can go wrong now. Well, that's what I thought until Dad highlighted that I didn't have a background in the tank. It was at this point I gave in. A visit to eBay then food.

By now, as the weekend was nearing a close, I was a bit scunnered and not much could improve it. How wrong could I be. While being buried in amongst all my possessions and 999 calls I forgot that I had a fillet in the fridge. As a fat man who eats a lot of meat, I can honestly say I had never eaten fillet steak in my life. It is probably the only cut of cow I haven't consumed. I just took the notion for it midweek and told Big Bird to source me a bit if she was at the butchers. This is one thing about Big Bird, if you set her a mission, she comes up trumps. She had her sights set on the finest that Inverclyde could provide. None of the Tesco or M & S nonsense for her boy. Sunday night's Steak and Chips was provided by none other than Bob Alexander up the port.



WOW!!!!! How come noone has ever told me how good this is. I have not eaten anything like that in my life. It was mealt in the mouth. I plated it up with southern fries and sweetcorn.

With the weekend over, it was time for work and not a drop of water had entered the tank. It was now a waiting game.

Fast forward to this weekend and it was all systems go. The background is in place and the tank has been filled with water (in truth it has been refilled with water. The first lot had to get emptied as we have a squinty floor). The decor is in place and the fish have flitted and been welcomed by their new buddy. So here is the gang.



So that was that. After two mad weekends, we have a new carpet, a new sofa, new house for the fish and we still have a next door neighbour. I need a day in my bed.

Fish

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To The Moor

So that's the World Cup finally in full swing. As good as it is to have a constant supply of football, I have found myself doing nothing but watching the games and pigging out so I decided I have to do something productive with a nice sunny Saturday.

With the weather being as nice as it was forecast to be, I decided to go a wee walk in Largs/Fairley. The destination was Blaeloch Hill starting in Fairlie and ending in Largs. The good thing about this walk is that Blaeloch Hill is a Sub-2000 (AKA Marilyn) so can be checked off the hill list.

So the walk started from the West Stewart Street bus stop in Greenock where I got the Stagecoach Service 585 which would drop me off on Fairley Main Street. 40 minutes later I was at the start of the path just before the train station in Fairley.

The start of this walk was pretty good. It is a recognised walking path so is reasonably signposted with paths to the waterfalls and paths to Fairlie Moor. First up, however, came the remnants of an old castle.



Past the castle, the path kept its shape until it came to a wall with a stile. It was over this point you start on the proper moorland.



From here on in it was a pleasant walk. The sun was shining, the birds were about and you could hear the random noises of wildlife. It was really a case of checking the compass and pretty much heading in a straight line till I got there.

A wee bit later and the west cairn was visible. I finally made it there and got another successful self portrait done. It is quite amazing to think that this hill which is just less than half a Munro is only 30 minutes from my front door.



After a quick snack and drink stop it was time to go on the move again. I had read about a WW2 plane wreckage (Fairey Firefly DT977) that was on the hill so was quite keen to see it but from what I had read I thought it was East slopes towards the resevoirs so decided to not go out my way to see it. However, as chance would have it, the wreckage appeared over the brow just past the west cairn.



This was the first time I have ever experienced anything like this and it does make you think about some of the stuff that has happened in history. Sfter the wreck, it was time to head back. The descent was different from the ascent. There was no kind of path and you didn't have the hill to walk towards. It was a case of find a direction and follow it down. Usually, this hill is quite boggy and you could see wher eit would be but thanks to the week of sunshine, even the heaviest bits didn't give way. Afer walking for what seemed forever, I finally went over the brow of a hill and saw the wall of Kelburn estate below past one last field. Once I hit the bottom I found a rock to have a seat and grab a quick drink break in preparation of the last section. I followed the wall along to find the gate into the estate. Through the gate and there was clear path ahead.



A pleasant stroll through the upper paths of Kelburn Estate lead to the main road in Largs. Along the road and I got the Morrisons that I thought was there. A bottle of juice and a bog break later and I headed down the lane into the main town centre. This was pretty much the first time all day I had seen civilisation and there was lots of it. A sunny day in Largs definitely brings people out. This was most evident at the bus stop.



So, all in all a good day was had. It was nice to do a walk so close to home. However, the day was not without incident. As nice as the weather was, it was bit too nice that I started to get a splitting headache. The moral of the story - if you can see the sun but you feel a breeze, keep drinking.

2010-06-19 - Blaeloch Hill

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