Christmas Time in London

Posted on December 18, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Yesterday Tabby and I got up very early and set out to go to London. Due to the train strikes we ended up getting a coach into London. The way there went well, the coach was on time and everything went smoothly. We arrived quite early and walked from Victoria Coach Station and into central London to go book shopping. Everything was so empty, due to how early it was which was really cool.

One of our first stops was to go to the Hotel Chcolat shop to get a hot chocolate with cream, which we’d seen last time but hadn’t bought. It was so good, but even the small amount we had was too much. It was so rich and sickly that I don’t think I could drink another hot chocolate anytime soon. I would definitely recommend it, but go for a small size. I had a regular, and am so glad I wasn’t tempted more for the large. After that we went for a little aimless walking, without using a map, and got a little lost. We did find Covent Garden Market, which was pretty cool and something new to walk around. There was a lot of things related to Punch and Judy there, which is something I haven’t thought about in years.

My main aim was to get the new volumes of Asadora! and Zom 100 that came out earlier in the month. The first store that we went to didn’t have either, but I did find a few other books. Heaven by MIeko Kawakami, which is about two schoolchildren who bond over being bullied, as well as Beautiful Star by Tukio Mishima, which I bought purely because I liked the front cover. I’d seen Heaven previously while book shopping so had it on my list already. The second store that we went to, Forbidden Planet, I managed to find both Asadora! and Zom 100, and they were in the 3 for 2 deal as well, so picked up the next volume of Beastars that I wanted. I also bought Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout. I’ve really enjoyed her books about Lucy Barton, so had to get this. I’m looking forward to reading them all soon.

The main reason we were going to London was to go to the Abroad in Japan Ultimate Christmas Party show at Picturehouse Central. Chris Broad is one of my favourite YouTubers, so when the show was first announced I bought tickets instantly. The show itself was so good, and more than worth the trip to London for it. It was very funny, and a great night out. After the show we got to meet Chris and Natsuki from the channel, which was also brilliant.

After the show we had quite a wait until the coach back home, which wasn’t so bad, except the coach left late even though it was sitting there for ages beforehand. Every stop the coach reached was a little later than expected and on top of that I was feeling incredibly travel sick. I didn’t actually throw-up, but it’s the closest I’ve been since I was a little kid. It was horrible. All I wanted to do was curl up on the floor. We finally got home at just past 2 in the morning, and I slept right through until about 10. Even with that almost 8 hours of solid sleep, I’ve been very tired today and have taken a couple of naps.

Overall, yesterday I walked, according to my watch, 29607 steps/14.34 miles. I’ve worked really hard on getting back into shape over the last year as during the pandemic I put on a load of weight and could barely walk for half an hour without my feet hurting. I’m so glad to have made good progress on that.

Thanks for reading, I’m off to go and do some reading.

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The Camden Murder by Mike Hollow

Posted on December 17, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

The Camden Murder is the latest in the Blitz Detective series from Mike Hollow that follow DI John Jago and his assistant DC Cradock. In The Camden Murder, Les Latham is found dead in a burning car, and it’s almost instantly clear that he was killed before the car was set ablaze. Jago and Cradock are on the case and find that Les had a lot of secrets and a lot of people had motive to kill him.

I picked this book out purely because of the cover. I’ve not read any of entries to the series and I’ve never come across them before. Sometimes a good cover is all it takes to get my attention and I’m so glad that this one did. I was completely gripped to the story. It wastes no time getting to the mystery and introducing the main characters.

I had absolutely no idea who the killer was for most of the story, although I had some theories. It’s a really gripping mystery and I flew through the pages, reading over 200 pages in sitting when I started the book. It’s set during the second World War, and there’s some nice scene setting and context building throughout the story. It felt a little like a history book in places. It’s not intrusive to the story at all and is a really nice touch.

While the book is part of a series, it can be read completely on its own. At no point did I feel like I was confused or that I didn’t know the characters. I think that’s mostly because the focus is on the case rather than characters. When I found out there were more books I was happy to know there’s more to read. Mike Hollow’s writing style is so easy to read and I will definitely be checking out more.

On the downside some of the dialogue is weak and unnatural. Some characters speak in pure exposition just to explain how ration books work or the real estate market during the war. It’s not the biggest issue, but it’s quite obvious. It also makes the characters come across a little thin, especially the side characters.

Overall The Camden Murder is a very enjoyable light read. It’s very fast paced and easy to get into. Perfect for a night time read before bed.

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The Never Ending Watch List

Posted on December 16, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

A couple of weeks ago Tabby and I had a little weekend away and we were looking through some TV shows to download and picked Bob’s Burgers. An animated show, set in a family run burger joint, that’s always on the brink of going bankrupt. I watched the show way back when it first started, but didn’t get very far with it, although I did enjoy it. We then watched the movie when that was released on Disney Plus, which I really enjoyed and I’m glad to have finally started the show. We’ve been watching it most nights with dinner and have now finished season 1. It’s always a good feeling to have a new show to watch, especially when there’s a good few seasons so it’s not all over before it starts.

We’ve also been watching What We Do in the Shadows, which has been brilliant as always. I think this is my favourite comedy airing at the moment. Every episode is incredibly funny and the characters are excellent. If you haven’t seen it, then I highly recommend it. It’s a mockumentary about a household of vampires, that’s a spin-off of Taika Waititi’s film of the same name. Very funny and silly.

I’ve also started watching The Always Sunny Podcast on YouTube. I really love It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and I knew the podcast with the three main cast members was out there, but hadn’t ever listened to it. I didn’t even know there was a YouTube version until it came up on my recommended list, with an episode featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda about the Nightman Cometh episode of It’s Always Sunny. I really enjoyed it, and have gone back to episode one and started watching/listening to the podcast in order. If you’re a fan of It’s Always Sunny, then definitely check out the podcast. If you’ve not seen the show, then watch it. The podcast has made me want to go back and watch it all over again. The show follows a group of friends who run a bar in Philadelphia, but they’re the worst people imaginable.

Something else I watched recently, is the Liam Gallagher: Knebworth 22 documentary. I saw this in the cinema a few weeks back, and it’s now available on Paramount Plus (along with a shortened version of the actual concert). It’s a pretty decent documentary about the concerts that Gallagher performed at Knebworth back in June and acts as a nice follow up to the documentary about Oasis playing there in 96. The best bits are the actual songs that are played, and it’s definitely worth watching if you’re a fan of his solo stuff or Oasis in general. I haven’t watched all of the concert yet, I paused it around half way through, but I’ll watch the rest soon.

Thanks for reading!

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Mid-December

Posted on December 15, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Just like every other month this year, December is flying by. If you saw my post the other day, you know that I’ve had a lot of time wasted with my heating. There’s no major update on that just yet, we’re just waiting on an electrician to check the wiring. In between that I’ve still been playing Fall Guys, which is a lot of fun, and started Final Fantasy Crisis Core, which I’m also enjoying.

I consider myself a morning person, and have recently started working earlier shifts, starting at 7am. I work from home, so commuting isn’t an issue, but I am really struggling with getting up. I’ve not been late just yet, but I am still in bed at 6:45 most mornings. I had Tuesday off and managed to get up earlier than I have when I’ve been working, which is just typical. It does mean I have a lot more of an evening to get on with other stuff though, so it’s better. I am very likely going to be switching in late March to working much later, so will have to adjust again. That should also be good though.

On 31st December I’m going to publish my short story Teddy on here. That’s my plan and then on the last day of every month I’m going to publish a full short story. One of my challenges for next year is to publish one short story every month. I’m writing that here, to keep me motivated. I already have an idea bubbling for January’s one. I’m also hoping to write a few more shorter pieces like what I did yesterday (if you haven’t already check it out here: https://ashleymanning.com/2022/12/14/late-night-pitstop/ ).

There’s still a lot to do in December. I’m still hoping to get to see Violent Night, hopefully sometime next week. Avatar is also on my watch list, but I won’t be seeing it tomorrow. I have a very early start on Saturday and a 3 hour plus film is too much the evening before. I’m hoping to see that on Sunday afternoon, when I have a bit more time free. All of that depends on whether we’re waiting on someone to take a look at the heating or not.

I’ll also be writing about my top ten films of the year, which I think is pretty much set at the moment, although there’s still a few I want to see that I haven’t. I’ll be publishing that in the last week of December, along with another post about my favourite TV shows, books, and games that I’ve watched/read/played this year.

That’s from me for now. I hope everyone has a good December and happy holidays!

Thanks,

Ashley

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Late Night Pitstop

Posted on December 14, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

It was just sitting there, so I had to pick it up. Tell me you wouldn’t have done the same. Tell me with a straight face and I’ll try to believe you. It was just there, sitting on the side next to the sink. Underneath the soap dispenser with just a few droplets of water sitting on the screen. I dried it straight away and turned it on, the battery was still good, and it just had one of those generic background lock screens. It looked like a brand new phone, straight out of the box. How could someone just leave it there? Didn’t they have pockets? That’s what I was thinking when I picked it up. It’s not like I saw anyone go in or leave the toilet at any point, I would have chased after them if I did, to give it back to them.

I don’t know how to unlock the phone, and I don’t have a clue how to get around that. So, it’s not like I was planning on keeping it. It’s just you see a gadget on the side with no owner, you have to take it. It was a small service station, and it was quite late, so there was barely anyone around. Just a few people getting a late-night snack at the never closing McDonalds. I rushed past them and got back to the car, turned the engine on to get rid of the chill and by that point I’d already forgotten about the phone in my pocket. Then it buzzed.

I pulled it out and lit up the screen, there was a message. I pressed the little icon so the preview would come up and pulled it down to read it:

“Thanks for picking up my phone” it read.

Another buzz

“Now you get to decide” replaced the first message.

At that point my heart was already racing. It was some kind of joke, a prank, or experiment to see who would pick up the phone. I was going to be filmed and put online on some clickbait rubbish with my face blurred out, I could sense it. Then the phone buzzed again.

This time it was a picture, and when I pulled the preview down, I could just about make it out. There was a man tied to a chair, a gag in his mouth with dried blood dripped down his face like fangs. He was looking directly into the camera. His eyes pleading with me.

Another buzz, and the next text came through.

“Does he live or die?”

This must be a joke, it has to be. There’s no way this is real. Why did I pick up that phone? why did I? I should have just left it on the side. Saw it and ignored it.

“Well?”

Should have just left it there. I can’t even do anything with it, it’s useless to me.

“Yes or No?”

Little quick responses popped up with the two options underneath it, before the message was replaced again.

“10…”

“9…”

“8…”

Thanks for reading my little story. I hope you enjoyed it!

When I first started this blog, something I used to do was to give myself a word target and just write a story or at least part of one. I decided I was going to do that again today and gave myself 500 words as the limit. Once I started I just carried on and wrote it in about fifteen minutes, gave it a once over and now it’s out there. Maybe I’ll do more in the future.

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