God it’s been hot in the UK for the last couple of days. It’s our week of summer and I don’t deal with it very well. I’m boiling, sweating and generally irritable.

There’s been a change of plans. I’ve been told by the NHS to self-isolate as I have come into contact with someone who has tested positive. I don’t know where or when, but I will assume it was at the cinema last weekend. This means that I can’t see The Croods tonight and the cinema plans for the weekend have been scrapped. I can’t leave the house again until Tuesday at the earliest. Yay.

If all goes well, I can see Old and The Croods 2 on Tuesday. In the meantime I’m going to be working through what I’ve got piled up at home. My granddad, on my mum’s side, recommended me Once Upon a Time in America, which I’ve had on my shelf for along time. It’s just the 4 hour run time that’s put me off. That’s my Thursday morning plan. He also recommended Cutter’s Way from 1981. I’ve added that to my list on Cinema Paradiso, so maybe they will send that soon.

Other than that I’ve been writing still. My short story, The Teeth Faries, has been delayed until next month. It’s longer than I thought it would be and I started writing something else. The new piece is going to be shorter and should be ready for the end of July. This one, which is untitled at the moment is a sci-fi horror and could be the start of a series of short stories following the same character. I have an idea for a second one at the very least.

I mentioned last week that I was trying to loose weight. I’m still focused on that. It’s too hot to move at the moment so exorcise isn’t an option. I did do 2 half hour sessions on my exorcise bike before the heat soared up and plan on getting back on it as soon as I can. Over the last couple of years I’ve turned our conservatory into a makeshift home-gym. It’s brilliant except being a conservatory turns into an oven in the heat.

Last week after writing the post I was 16 stone and 4 pounds. (About 104Kg) I’m aiming to be below 13 stone by the end of the year. My heaviest was back in 2016/17. I stopped weighing myself when I hit 17 and a half stone. So I don’t know how high I got up to, but got myself down to 12.7 by the end of 2018. At the moment I weigh 16 stone and 2 pound (102.5KG). I’m happy with the result and it’s a step in the right direction.

I’ll be back next Wednesday with another update on writing and fitness. In the meantime, the daily reviews will continue with one for The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) later this evening. I’ve also got John Wick – Franchise Catch Up coming tomorrow morning and part 3 of my top 50 films on Friday morning.

Thanks for reading and until next time,

Ashley