Chris' Film Club: The Empire Strikes Back

The film I've chosen for the film club today is The Empire Strikes Back, which was released today in 1980, making it 33 years old! The film (the 2nd in George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy) is often held up as being the best of the bunch. It displays several qualities that Lucas failed to replicate in his more recent Star Wars films: character development, decent acting, interesting plotting and not Hayden Christensen.

The film, directed by Irvin Kirshner and starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams, is an all time classic and features one of cinema's most famous twists......... Bruce Willis is a ghost!

Clare Gill and the East Common Project

Clare Gill from Redbourn spoke to Danny today and explained all about the East Common Project. The project is a group of local residents who want to provide a natural, all age and all ability area for children and families.
The volunteers are now working with the Redbourn Parish Council and have a goal to transform the East Common, they listened to residents of all ages and got feedback from both children and their parents so they have a great knowledge of what people would like.
So far they have raised over seventy thousand pounds however to hit their target they still need another ten thousand. Their next fund raising event is Redbourn Strikes Back on the 30th June. The film "The Empire Strikes back" will be shown, there will be characters and a fate with stalls.
For more information on the project or to look out for when the tickets go on sale follow the links to:

http://www.eastcommonproject.co.uk/

You can also like their Facebook page,  https://www.facebook.com/RedbournEastCommonPlayGroup

Or follow on Twitter.
@EastCommonProj 

Chris' Film Club: Willow

All this week, Chris' Film Club will be featuring films that were released this week in years gone by. Today's film was released on this day in 1988.

Directed by Ron Howard and stars Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley and Jean Marsh. The story is one of an evil queen who foresees her downfall being caused by a young girl, so it is up to Davis and Kilmer to protect this girl and defeat the queen.

New Music Playlist w/c 20th May 2013 & This Week's Featured Track by Caro Emerald

Hi Drivetimers

Here is our new music playlist for the forthcoming week:

Agnetha Fältskog - When You Really Loved Someone
Bastille - Laura Palmer
Black Star Riders - Bound For Glory
Bon Jovi - What About Now
Bonnie Tyler - Believe In Me
Caro Emerald - Liquid Lunch
Daft Punk - Get Lucky ft. Pharrell Williams
Depeche Mode - Soothe My Soul
Fleetwood Mac - Sad Angel / Without You / It Takes Time / Miss Fantasy
Goo Goo Dolls - Rebel Beat
Jamie Cullum - Everything You Didn’t Do
Josephine - Last Minute
Josh Groban - I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)
KT Tunstall - Feel It All
Lady Antebellum - Downtown
Nell Bryden - Echoes
Olly Murs - Dear Darlin’
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Dresden
Passenger - Let Her Go
Phillip Phillips - Home
Sinéad O’Connor - Old Lady
Status Quo - Bula Bula Quo
Stereophonics - Graffiti on The Train
Stooshe - Slip
Tegan And Sara - I Was A Fool
Texas - The Conversation
The Band Perry - Done
The Script - Millionaires

Items in BOLD are new additions

This week's featured track is Liquid Lunch by Caro Emerald:

Lifestyle - with Lisa Pearson

 Lisa Pearson our lifesyle correspondent was our guest this eveing, Lisa coverd healthy eating:

What is a rubbish cook?
Just because I’m a rubbish cook DOES NOT mean I eat READY MEALS!

In my case it’s someone who ….
1) Can’t follow a recipe that involves more than three ingredients
2) Panics when there are too many steps
3) Add to that children who are not willing to politely wait for more than 10 minutes, so it’s got to be quick
4) A lack of interest in improving my skills (in fact a big mental block which I’m happy to keep)
5) No chance of being organised at the beginning of the day for dinner at the end
6) Not worried about being boring and having only enough meals for 2-3 weeks of repeats
7) Cleverly married the Big Northern Hairy One who can cook brilliantly
8) Makes the same meals for the kids and adults, because I really don’t have enough time not to
9) Has a phobia of soup apart from Heinz tomato soup with lots of bread
10) Quite likes a bit of salad, but definitely couldn’t be considered a health nut

I really, really, really think that you mums who can cook, casserole, make pies, and organise yourselves so brilliantly are amazing.  You don’t appreciate the skill required to read and follow a recipe.
Seriously, it is NOT that easy!
BUT, I’m not that bothered about learning.  I have been a domestic goddess twice in my life and it kicked me big time in the butt both times, so I’m totally content with my rubbishness.

So why on earth am I going to write about it, if I’m so rubbish at it?

Because I think that the media only gives three really extreme images of cooking.
1) You have the chips, curries, fried in humungous amounts of fat with a sprinkling of sugar and salt on top image.
2) Then there are the incredibly extremely healthy bunch, who eat a pile of things that I wouldn’t consider, let alone my children.
3) Then there are the chefs who seem insistent on adding so many ingredients and chopping so many things up, even when they are cooking something ‘simple’ or ‘quick’.
more details can be found at the web site  http://mummywhispererblog.com

I have learnt to cook healthy well balanced meals, that are simple and quick to cook.
There’s hardly any preparation time.
They are easily mix and matched.
And they work for both the grown ups and the kids in this house.

So that’s what I’m going to share.  Hopefully it will help anyone stuck in the chip scenario to break out of it, and Mums struggling to balance their demanding lives with providing healthy food.
Some of you may then go on to become brilliant cooks, which will be great.
Some brilliant cooks might still like to read my ideas, just to make sure that they are also brilliantly healthy.