UK TV programmes to watch this week : 28/02/2015

World's Toughest Jobs  - 03-03-2015 (YouView app)Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 1st March 2015)

The maternity home sees two school friends reunited and their lives become intertwined in the most unexpected way. Elsewhere, Barbara and Sister Mary Cynthia team up to implement a revolutionary technique on their bedsore patient before it is discovered that it is his steadfast wife who is the one most in need of care.

Top Gear (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 1st March 2015)

Motoring magazine. Richard Hammond is dropped into the remote, frozen wastes of Canada to test a watch with a built-in emergency beacon. Normally, activating the device would summon a vast international rescue crew. Hammond’s safety, however, is dependent on the actions of Jeremy Clarkson and James May – disorganised, disinterested and very many miles away. Eventually, the pair get their hands on two machines they believe are suitable for the job and set off on an epic adventure to find their colleague. Also in this show, Clarkson is on the track in the new 471-horsepower Lexus RC F coupe whilst star of The Fall and The X-Files Gillian Anderson tries her hand in the Reasonably Priced Car.

More Tales From Northumberland with Robson Green (itv/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Monday 2nd March 2015)

Robson Green returns to his home county of Northumberland, uncovering more of the hidden gems of one of the most beautiful parts of England. In this episode, Robson travels by canoe along the county’s longest river, the Coquet, to uncover its rare wildlife and hidden history. He visits the Warkworth Hermitage, an ancient chapel accessible only by boat. Stopping off at Warkworth Castle, he heads on to Amble to find out about the incredible surfing seal, which surprised two surfers last summer by taking a ride on their boards. Finally, Robson heads across the bay by kayak to Coquet Island, an RSPB nature reserve that is home to Britain’s rarest nesting seabird, the roseate tern.

Waterloo Road (BBC 3/HD | 8:30pm to 9:30pm | Monday 2nd March 2015)

Vaughan is torn between campaigning to stop the merger and Justin’s exclusion. Things take an unexpected turn when Kenzie gets involved, while Lorna reveals a buried secret when someone from her past turns up. Sonya discovers something about Guy that sets her own lie onto a different course.

World’s Toughest Jobs (BBC 3/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 3rd March 2015)

Series in which hard-up young Brits, desperate to sort out their finances and get their lives back on track, sign up for one of the world’s toughest jobs. Trawler fishing in the Arctic Circle is gruelling, back-breaking, smelly work, but the job comes with one major bonus – paydays. One fisherman on board earned £75,000 in just six months. But can Jess, Carl and Jamie make it to payday, or will gutting fish round the clock, in freezing conditions, for weeks on end send them screaming back to the UK?

Cucumber (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 5th March 2015)

When a manhunt goes wrong, Henry, Freddie and Dean are trapped together and some long-buried truths rise to the surface. With Marie arriving in town to take charge, and events at the flatshare reaching a climax, Henry’s running out of options – but he’s dangerous when cornered!

Banana (E4 | 10:00pm to 10:30pm | Thursday 5th March 2015)

After a hot, wild night, Aiden and Frank find themselves walking across Manchester. Can a one night stand become something more?

Barging Round Britain with John Sergeant (itv/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Friday 6th March 2015)

Series in which John Sergeant sets off on a rich and colourful voyage along the eight best canal journeys Britain has to offer, exploring their extraordinary stories as he goes. Today, John barges across Scotland on the Caledonian Canal that stretches from coast to coast through stunning scenery, spectacular lochs and, much to his delight, the occasional whisky distillery!

The Graham Norton Show (BBC 1/HD | 10:35pm to 11:25pm | Friday 6th March 2015)

The award-winning host continues his anarchic talk show with a special edition – a week before Comic Relief night, a host of celebrities join Graham to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the iconic fundraiser.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.

Don’t get me started on Virgin Trains East Coast!

Many of you, may or not know. That Virgin Trains East Coast (90% owned by Stagecoach, and 10% by Virgin), takes over from East Coast Trains (publicly owned) on 1st March 2015. They have not even started and they’re already off to a very bad start!

They are stopping the current East Coast Rewards club, in favour of a Nectar points scheme. Right now rewards customers spending £255 on train tickets accrue enough points for a free standard single-class ticket. In but in contrast, a £255 spend under the Nectar scheme will only earn enough points to buy a sandwich – with passengers having to spend thousands of pounds before they qualify for free travel.

If you ask them via @askVirginEC why they are doing this. They don’t get back to you!

askVirginEC staff guidance

They keep saying they surveyed around 2,000 East Coast passengers. They say the results demonstrated that Nectar was by far the most popular loyalty scheme amongst those people who took part in the research. But they will not make the results of the survey public or even what questions they asked.

Also I, have not found a single person, they asked!!

Want to learn more about this? Then follow @SaveECRewards!!

First RST Pro Series 1 Piece Leather Suit photos of 2015

It’s long over due, that I put the RST Pro Series 1 Piece Leather Suit back on and did some photos! So here, are the first photos of myself wearing it this year.

RST Pro Series 1 Piece Leather SuitRST Pro Series 1 Piece Leather Suit

More photos can be found at www.gordon-valentine.com/zenphoto/rst-pro-series-1-piece-leather-suit/

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 21/02/2015

In the Commons - 24-02-2015 (YouView app)Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 22nd February 2015)

A young diabetic girl faces heartbreak when she falls pregnant as a result of a clandestine romance. Elsewhere, the midwives become involved with a settlement of Irish Travellers and Sister Mary Cynthia delivers her first baby since becoming a nun.

More Tales From Northumberland with Robson Green (ITV/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Monday 23rd February 2015)

Robson Green returns to his home county of Northumberland uncovering more of the hidden gems of one of the most beautiful parts of England. In the second episode, Robson heads to the Northumberland National Park where he tries his hand at one of Britain’s oldest and toughest sports, Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling. He visits one of Britain’s most remote glens, College Valley, spending a night wild camping in the Cheviot Hills. Robson is also given rare access to the Otterburn Ranges, a vast military training camp in the National Park, where he uncovers the story behind its World War One training trenches.

Waterloo Road (BBC 3/HD | 8:30pm to 9:30pm | Monday 23rd February 2015)

Dale’s erratic behaviour reaches new heights and it’s up to Lenny and Maggie to pick up the pieces. Abdul meets his mum, but it’s not as he expected. The school gets a heads-up about a surprise inspection, but will the preparation be enough to save it?

NHS: £2 Billion a Week and Counting (CHannel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 23rd February 2015)

A perfect storm is forming that is testing the NHS like never before. A growing population, increased life expectancy, expensive drugs and poor lifestyle choices are all contributing to a predicted £30 billion-plus funding gap in just over 10 years’ time. Against this backdrop, this interactive series challengers viewers to put themselves in the position of doctors, managers and other NHS professionals as they try to determine where to allocate scarce resources. The series follows people seeking treatments across the NHS, including a liver transplant, breast reduction and new cancer drugs. Some will receive the life-changing or life-saving treatments they desperately want, while others will not.

Inside the Commons (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 24th February 2015)

In the final episode, battles break out over the future of the House. Speaker John Bercow runs into trouble with his own plans for reforming it. Backbencher Zac Goldsmith tries to give voters the power to sack their MPs – and the establishment tries to stop him. Plus the ongoing struggle to conserve the Victorian mock gothic palace and anticipate the challenges of carrying out a multi-billion pound programme of restoration work whilst the House is sitting. At the end of a remarkable year, conflict continues between those who celebrate the Commons’ historic traditions and those who believe it needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century, as MPs gear up for the general election.

Planet Oil (BBC 2 Scotland & BBC iPlayer only | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 24th February 2015)

Conclusion of a three-part documentary series in which Professor Iain Stewart explores the importance of oil and how the world has become so reliant on it in little over the span of a human lifetime. In the final programme, Professor Stewart examines the situation in the 21st century, at which point the global consumption of oil, coal and gas is at an all-time high. He discovers that although advances in technology are prolonging the life of existing oilfields, new unconventional oil and gas supplies like shale gas and tar sands are extending the hydrocarbon age well into the 21st century. It presents the dilemma of whether the planet’s oil resources continue to be drained, at the risk of climate change or should alternative energy sources, such as nuclear, be prioritised in the pursuit of a low-carbon future.

Death in Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 26th February 2015)

Detective drama series set on a Caribbean island. When a prisoner is killed in their custody, DI Goodman and the team are under pressure to solve the case quickly. Humphrey’s father visits Saint Marie intent on meddling in his son’s life.

Reinventing the Royals (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 26th February 2015)

Two-part series about the battle between the monarchy and the media over personal privacy and public image. Steve Hewlett examines how the experience of growing up in the media spotlight has affected Princes William and Harry, and their attitudes to the press and media. Seismic events like the phone-hacking scandal – which started with the royal princes – and the impact of the Leveson Inquiry that followed have tipped the balance of power in their favour. The programme also looks at the question of succession. For Prince Charles it is now not so much his private life as his personal views that are under the microscope, and their potential impact on his upcoming kingship is explored.

Cucumber (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 26th February 2015)

Lance tries to work out the truth about Daniel, so Henry takes a final, desperate chance to win his old boyfriend back. But with their past history falling away, the lure of Canal Street calling, and Lance spellbound by his new man, is it too late for any of them to change paths?

Banana (E4 | 10:00pm to 10:30pm | Thursday 26th February 2015)

Amy’s got a date with Kay, but in order to find happiness, she must defeat her greatest enemy – her own imagination!

Britain’s Supermarket Revolution: What’s in it for Us? (BBC 2/HD | 8:30pm to 9:00pm | Friday 27th February 2015)

There’s a revolution going on in supermarkets. After years of relentless expansion, these huge businesses – names as big as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons – face closing stores and desperately slashing prices. Cherry Healey gains behind-the-scenes access to see how these companies are adapting to a seismic shift in shopping habits. She discovers how Aldi and Lidl won over the hard-up shopper tired of too much choice, and how the big supermarkets lose as much as £15 for every shop done online. A visit to Britain’s only ‘virtual supermarket’ reveals how these giants of retail make up to a third of their profits not from customers, but from the companies supplying the goods. Plus, how supermarkets are reshaping their stores to lure us in. Cherry also spends time with the people driving this transformation – the shoppers themselves -and tests out whether we really are seeing a once-in-a-generation change in the way we buy our groceries.

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Friday 27th February 2015)

Sarah Millican joins Adam Hills and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker for the last show of the current series. Adam and the team review the main talking points of the week with irreverence and satire. The show features the all-encompassing question ‘Is It Ok?’ as viewers at home, as well as the studio audience, ask questions about anything from the week, without fear of judgement.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.

18-Feb-2015 : Starting to get back into cycling!

At long last, think I have got the cycling bug back! Did 23.13 miles, which takes my monthly total to 61.97 miles. Which is still not great, but much better than it was! They are saying it will rain tomorrow. So that, will be the real test! Will or won’t get out a cycle, that is the question!!!??

I will now leave you with the route map, elevation graph and route statistics.

Route map:-

18-02-2015 bike ride

Elevation graph:-

18-02-2015 bike ride elevation graph

Route statistics:-

  • Start time: 1:44 pm.
  • Distance: 23.13 miles.
  • Time: 2:02:06 (h:m:s).
  • Elapsed Time: 2:30:42 (h:m:s).
  • Avg Speed: 11.4 mph.
  • Max Speed: 31.8 mph.
  • Elevation Gain: 228 meters.
  • Min Elevation: 44 meters.
  • Max Elevation: 99 meters.

Data from: Garmin Connect.

17-Feb-2015 : First good cycle of the year

Hoping that at long last this year, I am going to start getting back into cycling. So far this year, I have only done 82 miles. When normally by now, I’ve done at least 500 miles. So this month, I am going to have to try to get more of miles in. Which is not going to be easy. Since more than half the month is already gone. And I’ve only done one cycle! But at least at 38.84 miles, it was a good one! 🙂

I will now leave you with the route map, elevation graph and route statistics.

Route map:-

17-02-2015 bike ride

Elevation graph:-

17-02-2015 bike ride elevation graph

Route statistics:-

  • Start time: 11:44 am.
  • Distance: 38.84 miles.
  • Time: 3:29:42 (h:m:s).
  • Elapsed Time: 4:43:42 (h:m:s).
  • Avg Speed: 11.1 mph.
  • Max Speed: 29.3 mph.
  • Elevation Gain: 350 meters.
  • Min Elevation: 31 meters.
  • Max Elevation: 140 meters.

Data from: Garmin Connect.

Photos from the cycle:-

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