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My change of mind is partly due to a friend whose views I truly trust. Too many people in days gone by have said to me that I’ll totally love a film just because they do, and in reality that kind of recommendation doesn’t really cut the mustard with me. It’s also because I made the decision to attempt to collect all of the films which have in the cast my favourite actor, Johnny Depp, and by seeing some of his films within genres which I don’t usually enjoy, I’ve been encouraged to explore similar films and have surprisingly enjoyed most of them. My film viewing has also been improved by a recent Laser eye surgery operation which has sorted out a eyesight problem so that I can now see the screen properly without any blurred areas.

Nevertheless, there are a number of films that I love, having viewed them many times. The Monty Python films absolutely qualify for that accolade, and although I’d have to say that my favourite is probably Life Of Brian, they are all equally entertaining and are totally the right thing to watch to cheer yourself up on a bad day.

Another of my favourites, and maybe the only one of my favourite films that could be referred to as a ‘chick flick’ is Four Weddings And A Funeral, one of Hugh Grant’s better roles where he actually just plays himself, though I always wonder why someone who was obviously quite rich in the film kept on fumbling with his glasses all the time instead of just investing in Laser eye surgery. I do maintain though that the film is superbly cast which is largely what made it so enjoyable, but I also like it because I’ve been invited to far too many weddings in my life and have witnessed so many of the things that occur at the various nuptials.

When it comes to a series of films, I actually don’t think there’s anything better than Pirates Of The Caribbean, but then I may be slightly biased as my favourite actor features in them. Captain Jack Sparrow really is the most loveable rogue and I for one can’t wait to see the latest instalment of his pirate capers when it is showing at the local cinema. So odd to think that the whole idea of the films stemmed from a theme park ride which has been around for decades and from memory, even though it was great fun, it wasn’t particularly sophisticated. I am sure I recall travelling in a boat through an unfolding pirate story. I suppose that the activities of the moving parts of the ride were triggered by the boats breaking a Laser eye beam or the like so that each boatload viewed exactly the same activity and the story made sense. Though I have heard that after the success of the films they have updated the ride, so I could be thinking of something that doesn’t really exist any more!

Despite the fact that I’m not a huge a fan of Tom Hanks, one film that would definitely get into my Top Three is Apollo 13. I have seen this with a friend who is a lot younger than me, and she didn’t really enjoy it, so I have to guess that the most likely reason why I love it so much is because I really do recall the events that it portrays, can very much remember news updates about what had gone wrong and remember seeing film of the astronauts after they had proved everyone wrong and landed safely back on earth. I’m not an emotional person and it’s very rare for a film to have much impact on me, but the scene when they are all waiting for radio contact from the craft after re-entry often brings a tear to my eye (though nowadays I can blame it on my eyes being more sensitive after the Laser eye treatment!).

But I think, in all probability, my very favourite movie ever would surely be Local Hero. Shot with some fantastic Scottish scenery as the location, the script about the Texas oil negotiator sent abroad to secure land for a refinery who ends up falling in love with the place could really be described as a modern day fairy tale. The thing I approve of most about the film is that it’s not easy to describe as a specific genre. There are moments when it’s funny, quirky, thought provoking and socially aware. And then there are the questions that you never really get an answer to and have to allow your imagination to come up with a suitable explanation. Who is Marina, the woman with the webbed feet? Is Mr Knox of Knox Oil & Gas actually a distant relation of Ben’s? Or, as Mac himself asks in the film ‘Whose baby is it?’. With a soundtrack by Mark Knopfler which beautifully compliments what is happening, this is without doubt my Number One film choice.

There are a number of people who tell me that doing such a thing is a bit odd, but I always ask them if they assume it strange that someone would go and follow a football team at every match they play, and as we are all aware, there are loads of people all over the world who do exactly that. And very few people ask why they do it! In any case, I don’t honestly care what other people think about it. Countless people have hobbies that I have no interest in, so why do I deserve to be rebuked for doing something that I get so much pleasure from?

In any case, when my very favourite band announces some shows, the first thing me and my friend do is to consult our diaries and assess our bank balances. Money is always the biggest obstacle, as a proper road trip isn’t just about the expense of tickets, but petrol and hotel costs too. If the tour appears to be financially viable, then holiday from work needs to be confirmed. And we do consider that for the purposes of going to a gig straight after finishing work and then make our way back home afterwards, anything under two hours in transit each way is quite achievable.

From then onwards it’s all about identifying hotels in whichever locations we have to use them, getting them booked, checking out maps of any of the venues that we haven’t been to before, and then we’re ready to to rock and roll – for real! As the gigs draw closer, the expectations rise.

I inevitably get butterflies in my stomach before they walk on stage, and that pleasure never decreases no matter how many times I go to see them. And before I get on my soapbox about manufactured pop music, it’s great following a decent band, guys who write all their own material, are all very accomplished musicians and sound amazing live. They don’t have any need to depend on choreographed dance steps, loads of lighting, Laser eye beam effects and fireworks – their music and their personalities are all they need to keep the punters happy.

For this band though, budgets are not huge, so when we are able to make ourselves useful by doing things like staffing their merchandise stand or taking with us things we know they’ve left behind, it’s good to feel like we’re helping with their crusade. It’s good to feel useful!

We’d really love for this band to be massive and for the whole world to have heard of them, although sadly they have a fair few fans who would prefer them to remain a well kept secret so that they carry on playing in intimate venues and can meet up with fans after each show. But as I have said to so many people, small venue concerts don’t pay the mortgage, fund dependable transport, finance the Laser eye surgery and elbow operation that two of the guys need or most critically, provide any money to devote to promoting their music.

To go back to something I commented on earlier, the music industry in 2011 is far more interested in making money fast and has little interest in supporting musicians with potential because they take much longer to become well known. It’s really sad to think that many great musicians get out of the industry because they can’t survive financially, whilst the music business throws all of its money at the people who appear on television reality shows, spending millions on their ‘image’ – presumably cosmetic surgery, Laser eye treatment, hours with stylists, quirky choreographers and almost without question the infamous autotune. But, of course, it’s all about the music!

I’m visiting Wembley Arena on Friday. But I’m going to see the support act. I’ve paid nearly £30 just to enjoy forty minutes of great music. I really won’t bother to stay and see the band whose gig it is, as I’ve seen them once before at a festival and they really weren’t very good. Given the huge open spaces of Wembley, I expect I’ll wish I’d already had my Laser eye surgery performed as I know that my eyesight is quite bad, so it’s likely that the money I’ve spent will allow me a blurred view of half a dozen moving dots on stage, but it’s still vital to me that I show my support for the musicians I love.

Travel Gadgets: Handy Gizmos for Stress-Free Travelling

There are so many things about travelling that can cause stress, that sometimes we wonder why we bother leaving the house at all.

For one thing, there’s the packing. Stressing about whether or not there’s room in your suitcase for everything you need on your trip can be a real headache – and if you go over your baggage weight limit, you’ll either have to pay the airline an excess baggage fee, or leave a few things behind.

But we say: Stress not! There are some excellent travel gadgets and accessories that can significantly reduce the stress of going on a trip, and we’ve selected a few of our favourites that can help you have a happier holiday.

Trace Me Luggage Tag

One of the things most likely to spoil your holiday is losing your luggage. Spending your entire trip wearing just the clothes you arrived in is painful enough, but knowing you’ll never see your precious suitcase contents again is deeply distressing.

With the Trace Me Luggage Tag you can greatly reduce the chances of losing your luggage forever. The Trace Me Luggage Tag is strong and durable, and contains an individual serial number and 2D bar code, linked for life to your registration details on a secure data storage system used by law enforcement agencies, airport baggage handling organisations and lost property services worldwide.

If your luggage goes astray, a simple scan of the Trace Me Luggage Tag will identify it as your property. Registering your Trace Me Luggage Tag is quick and easy to do online, and there are no recurring fees or subscription charges.

Travel Charger Adaptor

If you rely on mobile phones and other gadgets to stay in touch while travelling, the Travel Charger Adaptor is probably the most useful travel gadget you will ever own.

The Travel Charger Adaptor combines adaptors suitable for use throughout Europe, North America, Africa, Australasia and the Far East, as well as featuring a handy USB power socket for charging MP3 players and other gadgets that you would normally charge through your computer.

Digital Portable Luggage Scale

Airline baggage weight limits can be very confusing – they differ from one airline to another, and when you check your bags in at the airport there’s always that little nagging worry that you’ve exceeded the limit and will have to leave something behind or pay an excess baggage fee.

With the Digital Portable Luggage Scale, you’ll never have this worry again. This handy travel gadget can handle up to 50kg – before you leave home, simply attach it to your case, wait for the beep, and read the weight. If you’re over your baggage weight limit you can remove a few things and leave them at home, or pack them into your hand luggage instead.

The Digital Portable Luggage Scale can then be carried in your hand luggage so that you can check your bag weight again on the way home – which is very handy if you’ve stocked up on souvenirs and duty free goods during your holiday.

Paper Toiletries

Camping and backpacking holidays are lots of fun, but without a car to carry all the equipment in, you need to be quite strict about what goes in your luggage. Bottled toiletries can be heavy; even travel-sized bottles, if you carry enough of them, will weigh you down and make walking uncomfortable.

The best solution to this problem that we’ve seen is a fantastic range of paper toiletries that are ideal for travelling light. The range includes paper shampoo, paper shaving foam and paper anti-bacterial soap – simply remove a sheet from the small, lightweight pack, add water, and lather up.

Paper toiletries are also ideal for carrying in your hand luggage on flights; they’re not liquid, so they won’t break any no-liquid regulations when you go through security checks at the airport.

Portable Solar Charger

The Portable Solar Charger is another travel gadget that’s ideal for camping trips, when access to an electricity supply might be restricted.

The Portable Solar Charger contains a Li-Ion battery which is charged by the sun during the day. Once charged, the Portable Solar Charger can charge your mobile phone with enough power to talk for two hours, or load your MP3 player with power equivalent to six hours of listening time.

The Portable Solar Charger comes complete with cables and a selection of adaptors, making it suitable for a huge range of mobile phones as well as many iPod models.