Early start, NJPW, gardening, hockey and Queen

I was up early today as I forget to turn my alarms off and it's a bank holiday. Despite the early start at least it was an extra day off. Made a cuppa and watched NJPW Summer Struggle 13 and 14 before heading out into the garden to do some pruning. Made good progress out the back and then went and did the front as everything was looking a tad unruly out there. Back lawn also received some much needed love

The cracks are now weed free!

It was back to the hockey catch up today starting with Dallas Stars v Colorado Avalanche. Stars were leading the series 2 - 1 and our hope was that they would extend this. Stars came out all guns blazing and at the end of the first period were leading 3 - 0. Avalanche got back in it for the second and the Stars ended up with a 3 - 2 lead at the end go the second period. Both teams were going for it in the third period. Stars won the game 4 - 3 and extended their series lead to 3 - 1. Some results go my way!

Next up was New York Islanders v Philadelphia Flyers. Islanders were leading this series 2 - 1. It still pains me to support the Flyers but there is no way the Islanders are getting any love from me (what with them being arch rivals of the Rangers). First period ended tied at 0 - 0. Both teams upped their game aft that and the second period ended 1 - 1. Things got a bit frantic at the end but sadly the Islanders emerged as 3 - 2 winners and now lead the series 3 - 1. Boo.

Last game of the night was Vancouver Canucks v Vegas Gold Knights. This Golden Knights were leading this series 2 - 1 so it was fingers crossed that the Canucks could tie things up. Golden Knights were certainly the better team in the first and ended it 2 - 1 ahead. Second period ended with the Canucks leading 3 - 2. Sadly Golden Knight bounced back and won the game 5 - 3 and extended their series lead to 3 - 1. 

We finished our evening off with The Show Must Go On: The Queen & Adam Lambert Story.

Up early, NJPW, Body Fixers, hockey and Star Trek Lower Decks

Toni doesn't always sleep too well these days (either broken sleep it just can't nod off) so I quite often wake up early-is and then then leave her to catch up. Today was no different so it was time to entertain myself. 

I really enjoy wrestling but have become very disappointed with the recent output from both WWE and AEW. I gave up on WWE RAW and Smackdown and NXT and NXT UK were my go to shows. NXT has gone down hill a bit since it moved from WWE Network to USA Network when they started to introduce more storylines in line with RAW and Smackdown; It's strength for me was always good quality wrestling and less bullshit. Due to coronavirus NXT UK has become a recap/greatest matches show (although apparently they are going to start taping new shows soon). I keep dipping into AEW shows but I just can't get on with it.

Today I returned to Japanese wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) taking in an episode of NJPW Strong and working my way through their Summer Struggle 2020 series (I started on day 12). 

NJPW shows have always been entertaining, good quality wrestling and very little bullshit. Silly entrances aside, it's all about the grappling and there is no end of taken in NJPW. I ended up watching a combination of English and Japanese broadcasts. In a way the Japanese ones are better as I don't speak a word so just focus on the in ring action.  If you like a bit of wrestling it is definitely worth trying to get hold of some of the NJPW stuff, don't let the language barrier put you off.

When Toni got up we had breakfast and then embarked on some more episodes of Body Fixers. We finished Season 1 and now are all set for Season 2 to be on Netflix on Tuesday.

I made a chicken curry for dinner (with supervision from Toni). This was delicious!

We caught up with the New York Islanders v Philadelphia Flyers game hoping to see the Islanders get knocked back a bit. There series was tied 1 - 1 so it was fingers crossed that the Flyers could take a lead. Fist person ended with Flyers leading 1 - 0, both teams being a little cautious but there was hope! Second period ended with the Flyers on the wrong end of a 1 - 2 scoreline but still everything to play for. The Flyers certainly tried to play but sadly not well enough and the Islanders won 3 - 1 and went ahead in the series 2 - 1. 

Picking up on something new we checked out Star Trek Lower Decks.This animated series is slightly bonkers and and pretty irreverent but channels that Star Trek aesthetic, If you like Star Trek you'll either love it or hate it!

The evening ended the Vancouver Canucks v Vegas Golden Knights game from last night. My support was for the Canucks in this series that was tied 1 - 1. Five minuted in and the Golden Knights were ahead 2 - 0, Not the start I had hoped for. First period ended with the Golden Knights leading 2 - 0. Second period ended the same with the Golden Knights leading. Golden Knights dominated this game and won 3 - 0 and extended their series lead to 2 - 1. *sigh*

Remember what I said the other day about placing bets on hockey games? That sill stands! LOL 

Chia seed rolls, cucumbers, hockey and Fixers

It was baking day today. I did my usual recipe for almond flour gluten free keto bread but this time through in two table spoons of chia seeds to the dry mix. The cooking time didn't change and they seemed to come out well. The additional seeds actually ended giving me enough for seven rather than the usual six rolls which was surprising as the volume of seeds didn't look that much.

The good news is that Toni said they were really nice. The idea of the chia seeds was to get more fibre in them which will help with Toni's blood sugar levels. They look great on the inside too:

We harvested some of our cucumbers today, they are delicious! Hand added for scale....

Live hockey was back on at a reasonable hour so it was time to see how the Boston Bruins would fare against Tampa Bay Lightning after their shocking 1 - 7 loss. Tampa Bay were leading the series 2 - 1 so this was time for Boston to even things up. First period ended with Tampa Bay leading 1 - 0. Second period ended with Tampa Bay leading 3 - 0.  This was not going how we wanted. Third period ended with Tampa winning 3 - 1 and also extending their series lead to 3 - 1. Now Boston have to win all three remaining games to progress to the next round.  

If you want to place an online bet on the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Play Offs just pick any team that I am not rooting for and you'll have a good chance of winning something!

We then finished off Tattoo Fixers before moving to it's spin off show Body Fixers. Following on from a similar premise: people who have extreme, shocking and downright hilarious beauty and hair fails visit a one-stop shop to have their problems fixed by a team of top young professionals 

It's certainly more extreme than Tattoo Fixers was, even gross in places, but is just as entertaining car crash TV.

Good day, weird house, hockey and Tattoo Fixers

Today was a good day. My momentum finally carried on and I was able to do some major catch up on a number of tasks. The day wasn't without it's challenges but I finished earlier than I normally and quite relaxed heading into the back holiday weekend so that was a great feeling.

This self isolation thing is all a bit weird. The seems so much quieter with Zoe staying with Jade and Aaron and Sam confined to his room. We do occasionally get to talk to Sam at a safe distance but it is strange especially as he is taking this very serious and when navigating the house always wears a mask. His diligence is very much appreciated. Only another two (wish) weeks to go!

The NHL Play Off schedule was changed with some games being postponed to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Instead of scheduled game we caught up with the Dallas Stars v Colorado Avalanche game from Wednesday night. Dallas were leading this series 2 - 0 but Cororado dug deep for this one and and closed the series 2 - 1 after a strong 6 - 4 win. It was a good game out not the result we wanted!

We closed the night out with a few more episodes of Tattoo Fixers.

Under control and a night of hockey

So the good news is that everything is finally getting back under control at work. I had some good break throughs today that enabled me to catch up on a couple of things and one impending worry has now turned into something I am no longer concerned about. Phew! Tomorrow might be a day where I now make a real dent into things and then it's plain sailing!

We did some Play Off hockey catch up this evening. With the series tied 1 - 1 we rooted for Boston Bruins against Tampa Bay Lightning. Not sure this was a wise choice The Bruins came out the wrong end of a 7 - 1 scoreline. Ouch, that was a shocker. So the Lightning now lead the series 2 - 1.

Next up was New York Islanders against Philadelphia Flyers. Two teams that we despise but we hoped to see the Islanders get beaten. They have been doing very well so far in this Play Offs having dumped out the Washington Capitals (a MAJOR upset). The Islanders were leading the series 1 - 0 so we wanted the Flyers to tie things up. This one was tied 3 - 3 so went into overtime. Thankfully the Flyers won 4 - 3 in overtime to tie the series 1 - 1. Can't believe I am supporting the Flyers LOL.

Well done to Zoe

A BIG well done to Zoe who passed her BTEC Extended Diploma In Animal Management with a MERIT.

 She was also a victim of the uncertainties of the lockdown and the recent exam results drama for other exams she came away with a good result.

Too much work and Tattoo Fixers

Work is not going my way at the moment so I won't bore you with my trials and tribulations LOL. 

Nothing to worry about it's just really busy and I am not managing to get everything done that I need to.

Our evenings have been spent watching Tattoo Fixers on Netflix. It's good old car crash TV watching people having their shite tattoos covered up. Most are these are done on boozy lads weekends and are things that were funny at the time (you had to be there....). The downside is that we have watched so many seasons of Ink Master now that we have a very critical eye when examining the resulting cover ups!

DC trailers

As the entertainment industry tries to kick start itself once again we have had a nice little drop of trailers from DC for upcoming movies.

First up we have The Batman, which will be the first one to star Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman taking over from Ben Affleck. From Batfleck to Patman! This one should be interesting and I'd really like to have another decent Batman film.

Next up is Gil Gadot returning as Wonder Woman in Wonder Woman 1984.

Next we have the 'sequal' to Suicide Squad, called The Suicide Squad. This one should be interesting as it is helmed by James Gunn who did such great work with Marvel on the Guardians Of The Galaxy films. It's a soft reboot hence it not being referred to as Suicide Squad 2.

Last but not least is an extended recut version of the Justice League movie now known as Justice League: The Snyder Cut. There were many rumours of a Snyder Cut existing of this film but nothing ever seemed to come of it. Now it appears that it will be released on HBO Max in four hour long instalments with a full length four hour release coming at some point after that.

Justice League was a mess so I really hope that the Snyder Cut will give it a better place in the DC Extended Universe.

Rolls and vegetables

I'm still on a weekly baking kick making sure that Toni has her gluten free keto bread. Currently I make rolls rather than a loaf as Toni prefers this. Here's the batch I made today. I am trying something new next week and all will be revealed then :) 

The vegetable garden is coming on well still and we have a bumper crop of cucumbers, courgettes,peppers, tomatoes and chillis coming along

It's been a really productive year on the gardening front with some delicious things being grown. We haven't tried the peppers yet as they are still growing but I can't wait to see how they are.

Miggi's, burgers and Lucifer

Toni has now had the date through for her second attempt at her procedure so we will be self isolating from Monday in preparation. We took the opportunity for one last early morning visit to Miggi's for some breakfast before we lock ourselves away.  Such an attractive bunch LOL.

On our way back I spotted this wonderful display (sorry for the quality but we were in the car and it was some distance away):

We did a hockey recap watching the Dallas Stars win their series 4 - 2 with a 7 -3 victory over the Calgary Flames. Dallas were my pick in the bracket challenge although I have a soft spot for Calgary as netminder Cam Talbot is an ex-Ranger.

Sam made some delicious burgers fro scratch which were perfectly cooked on the BBQ. We then embarked on some more Lucifer. 

Condition critical, Lucifer and Rust Valley Restorers

Condition critical, state of emergency was the order of the day.

I had a plan today, things to do and a list of things to accomplish. Sadly, the wold conspired against me. Just as I had started getting into my stride everything went condition critical and I spent the majority of that day trying to put out the fires, As a result I didn't get very much done that I needed to! I worked non-stop, didn't have a break and missed out on lunch. It was such a relief to finally log off and at least I managed to avoid working late. 

A yummy dinner was accompanied by Season 5 of Lucifer. The first eight episodes dropped on Netflix so we burned our way through the first four of them.

It was a great start and can't wait to do the next four,

We finished the evening off with a coupe of episodes of Rust Valley Restorers, a Canadian car building show. Now into it's third season this one is a bot of car crash TV but great fun.

This day in history: Metallica @ 100 Club

Way back in 1987 (I was 17) I had the joy of attending Metallica's 'secret' gig at the 100 Club, a warm up show for their Monsters Of Rock performance. This was one crazy night, it was hotter than hell and there were so many wonderful people there. I remember seeing Peter Mensch rugby tackle a guy who was running to the stage to get to one of Metallica, I talked to Johnny Z with other members of Howling Mad , we might even have given him a demo. It was hot, it was raw and it was pretty unforgettable.

The memory remains:

Happy Birthday Dad

 Happy Birthday Dad

Hope you have a great day

Love from all at Glitzville

Hockey night in Canada

Productive day at work today which was great for the old morale. PWEI once again were the supporting musical cast. 

Now that we've completed Lucifer we were at a bit of a loose end. We did a quick Canada's Drag Race  catch up and then went back to watching a puck load of hockey, live from Canada.

First up was watching Columbus Blue Jackets get knocked out by Tampa Bay Lighting with an overtime win. Lightning won the series 4 - 1. Soft spot vote was for Blue Jackets but hey ho. We did stick around for the post game so we could see John Tortorella storm out of the press conference (which Toni predicted he would do)

Next up was Boston Bruins v Carolina Hurricanes. Bruins were leading this series 3 - 1 so we hoped they could finish things off tonight as we have a soft spot for them. No love of the Hurricanes due to them seeping the Rangers LOL First period ended with Hurricanes lading 1 - 0. Second period ended with the Bruins bouncing back and leading 2 - 1. The third period ended with a Bruins 2 - 1 win and they have now closed the series with a 4 - 1 win.

With the results that have been coming in so far my Play Off Bracket Challenge entry looks to be failing pretty badly. We'll see where we are once all the 1st Round games are over.

Pop Will Eat Itself and Lucifer

Today has been a day of trying to juggle lots of things and tick things off of my to do list. To keep myself focussed I have had Pop Will Eat Itself blasting in my ears. I often forget how awesome this band were.

I have a feeling that tomorrow might also be a PWEI day as well! Might also chuck a bit of The Prodigy in to the mix for good measure.

Dinner didn't go quite as planned as the fish that we were going to have seemed to be off so we resorted to ye olde kebab.

Can you guess what we watched tonight. Lucifer you say? Hell yeah! So that's the end of Season 4 and now we just have to wait until Friday for Season 5 to drop!

Vegetables are doing well and loads more Lucifer

 The vegetables that we have growing in the garden are doing really well. We've had some of the tomatoes, cucumbers and chillis and I can't wait to try the peppers once we start harvesting them.

It's so rewarding to be able to grow some things and reap the benefits too.

Chilling and watching loads more Lucifer was the order of the day today.