Anglo-Force: The New Age - Full Story Now Online!

Those of you who follow me on social media may have seen that I've been adding a few old chapters to the blog in recent times. The New Age was by far the biggest Anglo-Force story I'd written at the time,coming in at over 25 chapters. Hopefully you've already read the prequel, set during World War II, and there will also be a sequel of sorts, set during the time of The Valkyrie Chronicles.

All of the chapters been posted, and you can read them by clicking on the links below. More links will be added when the chapters go online. Enjoy!

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven 
Chapter Eight 
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven   
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen  
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen 
Chapter Sixteen  
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two  
Chapter Twenty-Three 
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five  
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine 

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One 

This Really Wouldn't Have Worked

Back in the deep, dark days of the lockdown when countless ideas were going through my head about what I could do to pass the time I considered jumping on a bandwagon that’s been getting a lot of mileage in recent times.

If you look on Youtube these days you’ll see countless videos of young people “discovering” songs. These peeps are often quite young, probably born after the year 2000, and they film themselves listening and reacting to classic rock songs. The first one I saw featured a young girl listening to Deep Purple’s “Child In Time”, and most recently a video of two young lads listening to Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” went viral on social media.

How Coronavirus Really Effects Business

Louise Hale is the owner of Justy Beauty here in Cromer. Like many business owners she was forced to close during lockdown, and she only re-opened a few weeks ago with the strict post-lockdown regulations in place.

She used to post weekly videos on JB's Facebook page about life during lockdown, and this is the first video she's posted since her salon reopened. She speaks openly about everything she's had to do to make sure her business could re-open and remain open, as well as her own views on the pandemic and the views of others she's encountered in the past few weeks.

If you don't really have an idea just how the pandemic has affected businesses then this may be an eye opener for you. It's probably one of the best coronavirus-related videos I've seen in the past few months, and even if you don't live in the area and you have no interest in the health and beauty business I would recommend watching this.

Rest In Peace Frodo

Frodo reached her 15th birthday this month. Sadly Father Time began to catch up with her, and even though her body was failing her she still showed what a loving, caring and selfless soul she was, right up to the moment she passed away earlier this morning.

Rest in peace old friend.

Wear Your Bloody Mask! #coronavirus #wearthemask

The guy in the green mask and his friend both got on the bus without masks on. He put his on when he sat down but took it off immediately, only to be bollocked by an old woman sitting nearby. His excuse was that he'd already been on one long bus journey and he was hot. He then spent the rest of my journey taking his mask off and putting it back on again. 

The guidelines are there for a reason and apply to everyone. We can't pick and choose which ones to follow, and you can be sure that they'll want the healthcare professionals treating them to wear their masks.

Gabriel Ain't No Angel

A few days ago the BBC’s Amelia Reynolds took to the streets of Norwich to get some views on the current state of things regarding the coronavirus pandemic. She managed to get a wide range of views, and expectedly among the more serious and sensible people she encountered some whose views made you want to bang your head against the wall.

There was the old man sitting on a bench eating chips who seemed to believe that everything was okay now, a woman who seemed to find wearing a face covering quite inconvenient, as well as a young chap called Gabriel who made you want to bang your head on that wall a hell of a lot harder.

What I Need For My "Hospital Appointment"

I've finally got a follow-up appointment with my cardiologist on the 23rd. It's via telephone because of the pandemic, so as I'm not going to the hospital this time around I need to find the following for my house so it feels like a normal trip to the hospital.

An old couple to moan loudly about how things were better in "their day".
A young couple complaining that they've been waiting too long.
A woman with two young children who are very loud and who won't behave.
Two people who don't seem to understand what a "please queue here" sign means.
A nurse with a very loud voice.
Someone to open a shop in my hallway selling stuff that you don't normally associate with hospitals.
Someone to set up a cafe in my kitchen with very expensive drinks and snacks.
A drunk man who argues with pigeons at bus stops.
An annoying man who normally sits on the bus claiming to know everything about everything.
An old woman who refuses to move the shopping from the seat next to her so I can sit down.

And a dedicated team of health professionals who have done the NHS proud this year. :)

Remembering Peter Green

It was around 1987-88 that my brother Michael was really getting into Fleetwood Mac. Their Tango in the Night album had been doing incredibly well, and Michael had been searching out the band’s vast back catalogue. It wasn’t just the Buckingham/Nicks era he was interested in, he’d been searching out the old Peter Green era stuff as well.

One afternoon he began playing a video of a late-night documentary about the band he’d recorded. It was the first time I’d really paid any attention to the band, although I’d had a brief dalliance when Albatross became a part of my record collection when I was a very young child and when big sister Sue got a copy of the Tusk single in 1979.

The Two Sheds Review Podcast Episode 12: Where Have All The Sensible People Gone?

In this edition Julian continues to make his way through this coronavirus-affected world as he wonders what's happened to all of the sensible people. Are we incapable of following a few helpful and possibly life-saving suggestions?

*Contains language that some people may find offensive.*

The Two Sheds Review Podcast Episode 11: Walk This Way!

Julian's back after his recent chest infection, and in this episode he checks out what the new normal is like in Cromer. He also wonders what will happen to the British wrestling business now that the U.K. Parliament has taken an interest in it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's The Twentieth Anniversary, But I Don't Feel Like Celebrating #Coronavirus #SpeakingOut

On June 19th 2000 The Two Sheds Review debuted online. This year marked it’s twentieth anniversary, but at the moment I really don’t feel like celebrating.

I could go on about everything I did from that day until I stopped reviewing wrestling shows a few years ago. There’s a lot I could mention, but going on about past achievements in this day and age just doesn’t seem right, especially with everything that’s gone on in the past few days.

#SpeakingOut hasn’t brought the professional wrestling business to it’s knees, but it’s certainly left it with life-changing injuries from which it may never recover. Men and women have spoken about being sexually, physically and emotionally abused by those in the business. Names are being thrown about left right and centre, and some of those volleys have been lobbied to some of those I used to work with, people that I myself have spoken out about in the past.

Football Manager 2005: The Badgers Made It to League One. Then Disaster Struck!

Some of you may remember when the coronavirus lockdown began I started playing old versions of Championship Manager, taking control of Norwich City (to mixed results) in various games before moving on to Football Manager 2005 and cheating a little, changing the game so I could manage to Soccer AM Badgers, giving them an unlimited budget and putting them in the Conference South division.

Well, my superstar big budget line-up made it from that division through to League One in consecutive seasons, winning each division by massive margins and winning a few lower division knockout trophies on the way.

#SpeakingOut Again....About The Knight Family

In 2011 I wrote a piece about the verbal and emotional abuse I went through at the hands of the Knight Family after I left WAW in 2005. The UK Fan Forum had a field day with me back then. Now there's a big thread about #SpeakingOut. Here's my reply.

You know, I wasn't going to say anything here, but screw it, I've got nothing to lose.

A few years ago I wrote about the verbal and emotional abuse I had recieved from the Knight family and their associates after I left WAW, about all of the lies and the rumours that were floating around about me back then. Nobody believed a word I said. Nobody in the business, none of the so-called friends I'd made supported me when I left and when I wrote that piece. All I got was even more abuse.

The Two Sheds Review Podcast Episode 10: #SpeakingOut, Coronavirus & Football's Return

In this episode Julian gives his thoughts on the men and women who are #SpeakingOut against abuse in the professional wrestling business, as well as looking at how the easing of the lockdown restrictions has affected his hometown of Cromer, and the return of professional football.

Speaking Out Again

I've been watching the growing #SpeakingOut movement for the past day or so. It's now reached the point where it contains both women and men, with people not just speaking about the sexual abuse they've gone through but also the physical, emotional and verbal abuse they've had to take from those in the wrestling business.

I did consider adding my own experiences to this list, but I said my piece a few years ago, and even though there were some things I could have added I think it's best to shine the light on the brave men and women who have shown the courage to speak out against their abusers.

The fact is that there are many practices in the professional wrestling business that date back decades, and while some may think it's okay to continue with these they forget that times have changed and that we've moved you. If the Black Lives Matter movement has taught us anything recently is that you can't continue to put people in the business down, no matter what job they do. It doesn't matter if it's someone coming into the business for the first time or if it's someone whose been in the business for decades, everyone should be treated with the respect they deserve.

To the people who have spoken out, once again I applaud you. Stay strong, and as the old saying goes don't let the b*****ds grind you down.

Speaking Out

It's sad and shocking to read some of the allegations that have been flying around the British wrestling business in the past few days. What these women have been going through is extremely distressing, and I commend them for their bravery in standing up and telling their stories.

And to the people in the business who are touting the "innocent until proven guilty" line, and those who are staying silent, shame on you. Stop protecting "the boys" and offer support to those who need it now more than ever.

The Two Sheds Review Podcast Episode 9: Are We Easily Offended?

With statues being toppled and films and television shows being deleted in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests Julian wonders if we're now easily offended, and if we couldn't learn from our past instead of trying to erase it.

(Please note that this podcast was being recorded before UKTV announced that they were restoring the offending Fawlty Towers episode to their streaming service.)

Excuse Me Sir, But What Are You Raging Against Exactly?

The other day I was in my local record shop when I heard an irate customer who apparently wasn’t too happy with the music he’d purchased earlier in the day.

    “This Rage Against The Machine album I brought not half an hour ago is too political!” he said.
    “Beautiful guitar work though!” replied the sales assistant.
    “The guitar work don’t enter into it!” said the customer. “I didn’t buy this album to hear about the political machinations of a supposedly corrupt governmental system! I expected to hear a whimsical song in the style of Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep!”

As you may have guess by now this didn’t actually happen, mainly because there hasn’t been a record shop in Cromer for over twenty years, and even if there was one it would be closed right now because of the corona virus pandemic.

The Two Sheds Review Podcast Episode 8: More Trump, More Coronavirus, and a Little Bit About Music

Julian's made it to episode eight of his podcast, and this time around he takes a look at Donald Trump's latest behaviour, at the easing of lockdown restrictions in the U.K., and wonders of the coronavirus pandemic has changed his taste in music.

 

 

 

 

The Daft Thing About The Lockdown Restrictions

So here's the daft thing about life at the moment.

My sister lives on her own in Norwich. She's been okay with the lockdown restrictions, but for obvious reasons she's been unable to see any of her family, especially her daughter, her son-in-law and grandchildren, and even though the restrictions have now been eased, and she can meet up with us outside her house, none of us can actually go indoors and have a nice chat. However, my sister works in Primark, which reopens soon. Which means that instead of going into her house to talk to her we can go to her workplace instead.

I'm sure her supervisor won't mind if we sit on the floor near the cheap hoodies and have a catch up with a cuppa.