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Black Widow Film Review

I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I’m a huge fan of superheroes and really love the direction the Marvel franchise is going on the screen from the recent Disney+ TV shows. Adam has been particularly looking forward to the Black Widow movie although I wasn’t quite as excited – Wanda (Scarlet Witch) is my go to and favourite is really the only reason why – but we paid the premier access fee of £20 to watch in the comfort of our home. I can not tell you how much I love this adjustment from having to pay high prices for the cinema to sit in specific seats because I have sensory issues and not feeling comfortable to move as/when I need to, watching through Disney+ was a really great experience for me. The film was available early on in the day so we dropped Felix off to preschool and then sat down with lunch and switched on. This blog post contains spoilers for Black Widow.

Black Widow starts with Nat as a child in what seems like a regular family with a mother and a sister, playing in the woods by their home. Then of course it shows that they’re actually Russian spies living in America and need to flee when the authories find out what Dad, Alexi, has done – then we are in Cuba and the girls are being seperated to train as Widows. There’s a time jump of about 21 years and Black Widow is being persued by the authorities for breaking the Sokovia Accords. So in a chronological order this puts the Black Widow movie after Captain America Civil War and before Avengers Infinity War. Nat is on the run and has hidden away in a Caravan to try and wait it all out. As she’s sat getting comfy her generator fails and she heads off into town to get fuel only of course nothing goes to plan and it ends in disaster. It turns out there was something in her mail sent by her long lost sister which encourages her to go and find her. When they collide things from the past are revealed and Black Widow goes to resolve it leading her to finding people from her past she never expected to see again.

I really enjoyed Black Widow. There was plenty of action, plenty of humourous moments which audiences have come to know and love. I found it really funny when Nat’s sister asked her why she does her black widow pose and hair toss and called her a poser. It was just really funny. I also loved that Scarlett Johanson wasn’t completely made up for the movie and the credit lies with the costume designers of the film, they did a great job. She was on the run, it was realistic that she wouldn’t look completely airbrushed and perfect and I just loved it. I also loved Yelena’s survival vest jacket and her reference to it having so many pockets. Women just love clothes with pockets! It had a real sort of dysfunctional found family vibe too which I really liked. There is an after credits scene which takes place after the events of Endgame which could show how Yelena (played by Florence Pugh) could come back into the franchise – she was my favourite character of the film for sure and brought a lot of the humour to the film but she was smart and strong too.

One thing that could have been done better was the addition of Taskmaster. Taskmasker is a mimic villain which in all fairness entered the film with a real bang. I honestly thought this was going to be a recurring, violent, persuit threat throughout the Black Widow film but sadly the film would be pretty much exactly the same without this character. I just feel that they didn’t live up to their potential, they would have been easily forgettable and really didn’t bring as much of an impact to the story as I was hoping. That isn’t to say that the character wasn’t compelling enough or a critique of the acting – the actual fight scenes were really clever and I did like how this was a character that could take on any fighting stance and replicate it – you saw this in fighting styles similar to Black Widow, Hawkeye and Black Panther. However, it could have been any tank style soldier to try and beat and the story would just be the same. Reading other reviews, some much more strongly worded than mine, I think this is a common feeling. But not every movie is going to be perfect for every person.

For those that have been watching the Disney+ TV shows which I really recommend, the after credits feature also has a character we see towards the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I feel like this particular person is going to be causing trouble for what’s left of the Avengers and will kind of tie in the shows to the future films. I’m excited for the future of Marvel films. I also need to say that this is an excellent film, with a great story that really gives background and makes Black Widow’s sacrifice in Endgame so much more heroic and painful. Like when watching Endgame you just think she’s alone aside from the Avengers but she had people in her life, who may not have been her family but were family enough for a part of her childhood and this inbetween time that Black Widow takes place. It’s soulcrushing and the end credits sequence really brings that to light. I am incredibly proud that this was a film directed by a woman, Cate Shortland, and I am here for more female lead superhero movies.

Black Widow is a really good movie with a strong female lead cast, an interesting, exciting and action-centric plot with some funny one liners that I think both Marvel fans and non-Marvel fans will enjoy.

July 21, 2021
Isle of Wight Holiday & Vlog July 2021

We recently visited the Isle of Wight for our summer holiday. It was a trip for three adults and two children, one almost 11 and one almost 3. We stayed in July 2021 at Nodes Point Holiday Park and this is what we got up to. If you’d rather watch than read you can take a look at my vlog below.

What We Did on Isle of Wight Summer 2021

As you can see from the video we had a fun filled and busy week with lovely sunny, warm weather. Well apart from our first day where there were flash floods all around. The trip was a great way to get out of the home and honestly I have come home feeling inspired and ready to properly get back into writing again. I’ve really missed blogging but it’s been so hard to keep up with it recently. I have a lot of content ideas and I really want to get back to filming regularly for YouTube and tip my toe in the water when it comes to Reels and making better photos. Anyway, back to our trip! We really did have a fantastic time. Our base was a Freshwater Lodge situated at Nodes Point Holiday Park. Our holiday was for three adults and two children; Evangeline is (almost) 11 and Felix will be 3 in October.

Planning days out to keep everyone happy can be a challenge but I think we managed to accomplish it for everyone. Our first day was spent, mostly, travelling with a ferry trip from Southamptom over to East Cowes and then on to our holiday park. We booked early check in from 1pm so we could make the most of our break. I decided to book and take the kids swimming whilst Adam and his mum went to Tesco for a food shop. After a check of the lodge me and the kids got our swim stuff on and walked over to the pool. We managed to go three times in total for 45 minutes each session which was really good. Adam arrived with the shopping shortly after we got back so we had some much needed chill time before ordering a takeout from a local Mediterranean inspired restuarant. I always find on the first night I don’t want to cook so a click and collect option worked well for us. We got a few bits and all kind of dug in with a medley of Greek and Italian food. When Felix was fast asleep we had our first dip in the hot tub which was a really nice way to unwind.

Visiting the Isle of Wight steam train

On the Tuesday we headed over to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway and had a ride on the train before a look around the museum and a play in the park. It was a lovely sunny morning and as we were a little late arriving we ended up with a carriage upgrade and were placed in First Class which felt very fancy. We booked in for the pool again in the evening before coming back for some dinner. I think on the first night we had mushroom stroganoff which is a nice and easy meal to cook for the family. Then we went to grab a drink in the show lounge and catch some of the entertainment before an evening stroll down to the beach to look at the rock pools.

Midweek seems to be our busiest day, and it was also the hottest. We had tickets booked for the Zoo but little Felix I think was feeling a bit overwhelmed. After a year and a half of doing very little we were suddenly in a new place and very busy doing all kinds of things. I think he was tired, hot and really could have done with a chill day. I’ll take my lesson from that and remember when planning our next break. We had some down time playing in the park after looking at the animals with an ice cream before walking over the road to Sandown beach which is really nice. Then we went into Dinosaur Isle which is a museum back across the road. Both kids really liked the displays inside and as it was later in the afternoon it was really quiet. When we got back we were all pretty hungry so we went over to the onsite restaraunt. I wrote a review of our experience at Nodes Point holiday park if you want to hear more about the facilities there.

Evie and Felix at Isle of Wight Zoo enjoying an ice cream

On our last full day we had a late morning swim before heading into Shanklin which is a little seaside village around 40 minutes away from Nodes Point. It’s really beautiful. We’ve stayed in Shanklin a couple of times and had a really lovely holiday. Unfortunately I was struck down with a migraine so we only really made it to lunch as I wasn’t feeling up to a walk through Shanklin Chine. We did, however, visit the Old Thatch Teashop which is a beautiful pink cottage complete with fairy garden and a must visit. You can call up to book a table to avoid missing out. The food is delicious. A firm favourite is the afternoon teas and fresh crab sandwiches. Dogs are welcome too and the place is just beautifully quirky. I would absolutely love to own a pink cottage like that; it’s just a little bit of me.

A little snapshot of The Old Thatch Cottage in Shanklin – I love this shade of pink

With the end of our holiday in sight we came home and cooked a big pasta bake using up the last of the food in the lodge and our final evening hot tub dip. It was a really lovely break and I can not wait for our next trip!

July 20, 2021
Parkdean Resorts Nodes Point Holiday Park Review 2021

Review of Nodes Point Holiday Park – a Parkdean Resorts caravan, pitching and touring site on Isle of Wight. We had a four night stay in July 2021. Please note this post has to be marked as AD (advertisement) because it contains affiliate links where I may get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase – this is at no additional cost to you. I paid in full for my stay at Nodes Point Holiday park and all opinions are my own.

Nodes Point Holiday Park is situated just outside of Ryde, in St Helens, on the North East side of the Isle of Wight. It’s a Parkdean Resorts holiday park, a company we are fully accustomed to staying with now since our first holiday with them back in 2014. We recently stayed in a Freshwater Lodge which was, for the most part, a really positive experience. This is our second time holidaying during Covid times too so the park did have some guidelines and restrictions in place during our stay. With restrictions set to lift today, July 19th, I’m not really sure what the park will be doing differently but they do have an FAQ on their site to explain and reception is still available. I can however, share my experience of a staycation (and by that I mean a UK based holiday rather than staying in my home for a holiday) in a pandemic that really isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

The view from our lodge on Culver View shows the sports court at Nodes Point holiday park and the bay in the distance

Nodes Point Holiday Park – What is there?

Plenty of lodges with hot tubs – we loved ours, as well as space for touring, pitching, caravans, safari glamping tents and a plethora of different sized holiday homes (caravans) to stay in depending on budget and family size. There’s a good sized indoor swimming pool, play park, beach access and arcade. There is a restaurant on site with indoor and outdoor seating, bar, as well as an evening entertainment lounge. There is also a sports court which was very close to our Lodge on Culver View.

Eating at Nodes Point Holiday Park

We had one meal in the on site resturant and it was okay. There is an order to table app which you can download in advance – much like the Wetherspoons one – you select your park, table number and place your order. This can be paid for using apple pay or other credit and debit cards. You can order drinks and food seperately, you can order just dessert or snacks if you like too. The app is simple and easy to use. In terms of choice it’s currently a limited menu and very, very limited on what is available for vegitarians which was really disappointing. It seemed to be either a salad, burger or a wrap. Off the top of my head I can’t remember what else was suitable. We saw some people taking food away in the evening but there is no seperate on site takeaway which was a real shame as some fish and chips would have gone down a treat. It’s very standard pub food at slightly elevated prices but the portions are fairly decent. I wouldn’t say it’s anything special.

If you do fancy something different we did a click and collect order from Ada’s Meditarianean Kitchen in Ryde which had a variety of Italian, Greek and Turkish food on the menu. You can eat in but as we had the kids we thought eating in our lodge would be easier. If you fancy eating out or doing click and collect I really recommend.

On Site Shop and Arcade

The on site shop is a Nisa store which has all of your basics although it is very expensive so I do not recommend filling your kitchen up there. It’s great for the odd loaf of bread, drinks and breakfast food as well as plenty of sweets for the kids pocket money. The daily opening hours are 8am – 7pm at the Nodes Point holiday park shop. The arcade is located just before you get into the show bar and restaurant. It has plenty of games to play. Felix particularly loved the win every time claw machine although at £2 a go you could probably get a better quality toy elsewhere. We also loved the 2p machines and won a few goodies from there including some magic sand – a favourite for Felix.

Felix loved the claw game in the arcade at Nodes Point Holiday Park

Swimming Pool at Nodes Point Holiday Park

The swimming pool is located towards the back of the park, just around the corner from reception. It’s an indoor pool and at the time of writing changing facilities are not currently in place. You can book up to two slots online one week before your arrival, and, if you check in at the swimming pool reception you can check availablity for any extra sessions. They do not encourage spectators and you get a 45 minute swim session allocated to you. The pool is cold and the room doesn’t feel particularly warm so I would advice having small ones in full swim suits. We took Felix in his Konfidence swim jacket which enabled him to float in the water rather than arm bands as they look so restrictive. He really loved wearing it and it was much easier to get around the pool with him. There are two pools in the swimming pool complex at Nodes Point which include a small, shallow 0.5m pool and a larger lagoon style pool with slides. You need to be over 1m tall to ride down the water slides at Nodes Point Holiday Park. If you want to purchase a Konfidence Swim vest for your toddler I have an affiliate link below.

Getting down to the Beach

The beach was about a ten minute walk for us and in the evening the tide goes right out leaving behind loads of rock pools for curious little explorers. We had a walk down there one evening and found lots of crabs, shells and pebbles – a favourite for Felix. There’s a dog friendly area and there are plenty of dog friendly accomodations at Nodes Point holiday park so if you’re taking your pets Nodes Point seems like an ideal location for them. The beach has a mix of sand and stones so I would recommend taking something to wear on your feet. In July the tide seemed to start heading out around 6pm so when we went for our stroll it was still quite wet but lovely to walk around.

The beach at nodes point caravan park

Overall Nodes Point holiday park is a good family friendly destination with plenty of accomodation to choose from. We didn’t see much of the evening entertainment but they had a movie on one night and there was a chance to get your photo taken with a member of the Star Land crew. The night we happened to be in the show lounge we saw Lizzy the Lizard.

July 19, 2021
Freshwater Lodge with Hot Tub at Nodes Point Holiday Park
Reviewing the Freshwater Lodge at Parkdean Resorts Nodes Point Holiday park on the Isle of Wight. We stayed on a Monday-Friday break in July 2021.

The Isle of Wight is a holiday happy place for me and we have just returned from a four night break on the island. We purposely booked early check in so we could make the most of our time and get into our lodge straight away. We decided to book a lodge with a hot tub because we wanted something a little bit fancy and, in my experience, it was worth the money. We did, however, book this break last summer and it cost us just under £600 in the Freshwater Lodge situated in Culver View. Splitting the cost over the year made it an affordable family break.

Freshwater Lodge at Nodes Point

Staying in the Freshwater Lodge as a family of 5 we had plenty of space. It was the four of us and Adam’s mum in a 3 bed, two bathroom lodge with an open plan living space which included a fully stocked kitchen and dining area. There was outside seating for six people as well as a large private hot tub on the decking. Inside there was a dining table for six as well as two bar stools. The open plan living space in the freshwater lodge makes it really easy to socialise. There are two bathrooms – one with a full bath and overhead shower, another; an ensuite to the master bedroom – which includes a shower cubicle. Having two spaces to wash really suited our situation.

Our Lodge Tour Video of Culver View 5 is on YouTube

What does the Freshwater Lodge include
- One Double bedroom with ensuite, wardrobe, dressing table, TV with freeview and USB charging point
- Two twin rooms with dressing table, wardrobe and TV with freeview
- Bathroom with bath, shower, toilet and large cabinet for toiletries
- Open plan living space with sofa and two arm chairs, TV with freeview and sliding doors opening up to the veranda and Hot Tub with outside seating
- To the right of the entrance is a large cupboard with boiler, water heater, radiator control (including heated towel rail control) and a washing machine, air drier and ironing board.
- The dining space has a large table and cabinet with plenty of storage
- The kitchen has fridge, freezer, kettle, microwave, gas oven, dishwasher and toaster. There was an issue with our fridge (Culver View 5) which lead to a leak one morning and our food not staying particularly cold. A temporary fridge was put in the corner of the dining area in the interim and a new fridge has apparently been ordered. There is a large pantry space as well as plenty of cupboards. We did find cutlery to be a little sparse but there were plenty of wine glasses (for us none drinkers). There are no plastic or small bowls, plates or cutlery for children so its worth taking your own if you have very young children.
- The seating area was comfortable for us. The TV seems a little tempremental and slow but worked fine for the times we used it.
Review of Freshwater Lodge at Nodes Point, Isle of Wight

I’ll start with the frustrations first because out stay was mostly positive. There was a smell of sewage for a lot of our stay which was really offputting. We found we could minimise it by keeping the entrance door closed and the sliding doors opened but it was frequent in the large bathroom. It was a bit off putting really but we only cooked twice. The other frustrating thing was the issue with the fridge which is hopefully being replaced. It is quite clearly lacking some sort of seal to keep the water in and the ice forming at the back of the fridge suggests its trying to over compensate to keep cool but with no seal around the door. We were told it didn’t need a seal so I do worry they are just avoiding fixing a problem. The solution was to put a temporary mini fridge in the corner which was acceptable but didn’t store a lot of food. We did have to throw a few things out like yoghurts because they just felt like they’d been left out at room temperature and I didn’t feel good about eating them. Some plastic or smaller, less fragile dishes and beakers for kids would have been fantastic too but this was lacking so we bought our own.
The rest of the lodge, though, was really nice. Having a washing machine was really handy especially after a day at the beach. Having two bathrooms between the five of us meant we getting washed and ready was really easy. Having TV’s in each room meant when the kids needed some much needed downtime we weren’t stuck watching an endless loop of cbeebies. I loved the size of the pantry in the kitchen and having the open plan living space was really great for preparing meals and continuing to socialise. The dining table was comfortable and the bench was an ideal place for my son to sit at – the first year we didn’t request a high chair for him! It absolutely felt like a premium holiday accomodation at a holiday park because we had so much space.

We have been to many caravan parks in the past and I think if I saw a lodge coming up for a similar price I wouldn’t hesitate to book again. I believe you can get some of the lodges included in the Sun holiday and I think they are absolutely worth it if you’re going in a larger group with friends or family – even better if you can split some of the cost down. I know a hot tub lodge won’t suit every budget and I’m not saying we will now only ever go for a lodge – because I’m not really prepared to pay more than £800 for a four night break and they do whack the price up – but if you can afford it, and you can comfortably fit the payment into your monthly budget (if booking in advance) then I would recommend it for the extra space. As a family of larger adults, myself on the chunky side and Adam being 6’5 having a bigger shower and shower over bath honestly made this experience so much more comfortable. I really struggle with the normal caravan showers so this was a huge plus for us.

Using the Hot Tub in your hot tub lodge at Nodes Point

The hot tub is in it’s own little gated off area and was much bigger than I thought it would be. It was a lovely addition and we used it every day – sometimes out of obligation really but it was a novelty that didn’t wear off on our break. It was a great way to warm up after the very cold swimming pool. You can use the hot tub after 7pm on your day of arrival, I think this is to give the cleaning chemicals a chance to get working, and between 10am-10pm every other day. Maintenance come around every morning to check the chemical levels and adjust as needed and on changeover days they refill the water and do a clean. The hot tub is kept lidded and locked whilst not in use. The tub was regularly between 37-39 degrees but we couldn’t seem to adjust the temperature. It was hotter during the day when the sun was out and cooler in the evening during the night so I expect this had something to do with it. The jets would go on for 15 minutes at a time which is an indication for how long one should be in a hot tub but I don’t think anyone ever pays attention to that.
July 18, 2021
I have a Bulging Optic Nerve and need an MRI

So when it comes to looking after myself I’m not that brillaint. In fact I tend to go all or nothing which is one of the reasons why I’m seeking an ADHD diagnosis. One thing I haven’t kept on top of is my eye tests. I had one back in March 2021 but previous to that it was like 2015. I was late having one in 2017 and then I was pregnant with my second child for pretty much all of 2018. Then life. So it was a long time. Anyway, my vision was getting worse, I had migraines every so often and then I started getting really painful throbbing headaches that would wake me up in the night. It was really intense throbbing so I just put it down to more migraines. Eventually i got my eyes tested and the optician corrected my glasses prescription and reffered me for further examinations for a bulging optic nerve. Now it says on the referral that the photo taken of my eye was very similar to that taken six years ago so there hasn’t been a huge change and I’m sort of borderline problematic (that’s my life basically).

7th July I go to the opthomologist appointment, he asks about my health and I say aside from why I’m here, physical is fine, mental health is not and I’m currently seeking help for all my issues including binge eating disorder. Dr does the eye examinations and refers me to have an MRI to find the source of the pressure. Could be my nerves have always looked like that, could be something else and hopefully the MRI will show. He suspects its either nothing or something called Idiopathic Intercranial Hypertension (IIH) which is rare, but, 30 something fat women are the ‘typical’ suffers. Guess what puts it in remission? Fucking weight loss. So we’ve got a problem where long term I could lose my sight, short term I have to have lots of horrible inteventions like shunts, medications regular hospital appointments with a neurologist etc but equally I am anti-diet having tried them all over the last fifteen years and being referred for binge eating disorder.

I’m not going to lie to you I’m really scared. I’m scared that the MRI will show something worse, I am scared of loosing my sight and never seeing my kids faces again. Basically I’m left with no other option. I have got to fix my issues with binge eating and food and I have got to focus on building a healthy, strong, happy body. I’m currently on a Rebel Fit programme and I am determined to fix this. I don’t want to make this into a weight loss blog and I do not intend do. I do not support diets, I do not support diet culture. I know I need to change my thought process, make pleasurable but healthy choices and move my body regularly.

I have some blood tests coming up to help with all of this and they will be done before the MRI because that takes around a month. I can however start making some positive lifestyle changes right now. It’s going to be doing the therapies, working with Mind and iTalk, doing the blood tests and getting that sorted. I’m going to start balancing my meals and making them fun, flavourful choices. Rebelfit is really going to help with this. I’m also going to focus on strength workouts, yoga, and as much as I hate it, walking.

I hope my neurodivergent brain will make getting healthy my new hyperfocus and I can turn it into my super power because I am not loosing my sight to this. I know there are visually impaired people that live quality and fufilling lives and I am not trying to disrespect that at all. However, I have a problem that I can fix and I am going to. Obviously I don’t have a diagnosis yet, as I have to wait for the MRI and I’m scared and I just wanted to write down my thoughts and feelings. I know there will be people googling their symptoms or bulging optic never what does it mean like I was.

I will try and write this stuff regularly and write again with the results of the blood tests and MRI scan when that happens. For now, I’m going to focus on moving my body more, drinking more water and making fufilling, healthy food choices.

July 7, 2021