Again I recorded the video whilst waiting for a connecting Transport For Wales Train from Chester to the West Midlands, having just alighted from a Merseyrail metro train on platform 7, which is the only platform at Chester with an electric line, being a third rail powered line.
Book review blog site, with some entertainment material from time-to-time.
Friday, 13 February 2026
More Steam Trains at Chester Station
This time it is the preserved steam hauled train The Irish Mail.
Thursday, 12 February 2026
A Steam Train in Chester
During my commutes to and from Liverpool to the West Midlands I use a slightly convoluted, but shorter, train journey which involves travelling via Chester and then using the Metro to Liverpool which is Liverpool's very own underground railway service which goes under the River Mersey and direct in the heart of Liverpool's iconic city centre.
There's often a fairly lengthy wait at Chester for a connecting service to the West Midlands. However, there's often a good deal of steam trains passing through Chester station and I have made videos of those steam trains.
I was watching a steam train video on YouTube the other day when I thought: "Wait a minute! I have a number of steam train videos that I recorded at Chester station. And as I also have a YouTube channel, why not upload those videos to my channel?"
And this is what I have started to do from today onward. I hope you enjoy this short example of British steam train nostalgia.
Saturday, 7 February 2026
Not Quite Done with Dating: Latest book from Bella Osborne
Nora realises that leaving her dating life up to chance or fate, as she has done so ar, simply hasn't been working out for her.
However, Nora has one more trick up her sleeve that most of us don't have. Because Nora is a statistician.
Her gut feelings might have let her down but have numbers ever let her down? No! You always know where you are with numbers.
So Nora designs a unique mathematical formula to help her play the dating game. But this time she intends to use math and numbers to conquer the quest to find romantic love in her life!
Putting her love theory to the test takes Nora to some decidedly odd places that are populated with some decidedly odd men.
But she's not going to accept defeat. After all, she knows that her one, special man must be out there, somewhere. But maybe that one, special man is closer to her than she realises?
What do readers say?
"I love Bella Osborne’s books and this one is no exception! Not Quite Done With Dating is a smart, funny rom-com that kept me turning the pages. I loved the mix of humour and heart — especially the idea of trying to logic your way to finding love. The characters are delightful, the writing is beautiful, and the humour genuinely made me smile. 5 sparkling stars for this gorgeous read!"
"So many laugh out loud moments, along with adorable characters and a story that keeps you on the toes as Nora backtracks through her catalogue of boyfriends. The sort of book where you want to be friends with many of the characters and others give them a good shake. The perfect heartwarming read you didn't know you needed."
It's available in paperback at £9.49 or Kindle at £3.99 on Amazon and you can order it here:-
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon -Shining Theater Shinagawa Tokyo- Performance Details Announced & Ticket Sales Now Open!
The cast lineup and ticket details have been officially announced for the highly anticipated new Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon theater production, “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon – Shining Theater Shinagawa Tokyo, japan” set to open in April 2026 at Club eX, Shinagawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo.
This new theater experience continues the legacy of the beloved theater restaurant “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon – SHINING MOON TOKYO,” which operated in Azabu-Juban in 2019 and attracted significant attention from fans.
Reimagined as a next-generation entertainment space, the Shinagawa theater offers audiences a deeper and more immersive encounter with the world of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon through original stories and stage direction created exclusively for this venue.
The show and greeting performances will feature a double-cast system divided into Team Gold Moon and Team Silver Moon.
In addition, the production introduces an original enemy character, Queen Valsia, created specifically for this theatre. With bespoke stage direction, music, and costumes, the cast will bring to life an entirely new musical experience unique to this production.
Original Drinks & Sweets
Guests can enhance their theater experience with exclusive menu items available for pre-purchase through the official online ticketing system. These include the “Crystal Bottle Drink,” designed to be enjoyed while watching the performance, and the “Luna Cut-Out Baumkuchen (Plain),” featuring original artwork of Luna.
The Crystal Bottle Drink lineup includes flavors and colors inspired by the ten Sailor Guardians and Tuxedo Mask. Limited-edition drinks themed after the Sailor Starlights will also be available during each character’s birthday period.
Inside the theater, guests may order alcoholic beverages such as the “Shining Cocktail,” inspired by Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion, as well as a selection of non-alcoholic drinks.
Please check the official website for important notes and details.
Ticket Information
Tickets will be sold through the official online platform, where both domestic and international audiences can select seats.
General On-sale: February 8, 2026
All ticket sales operate on a first-come, first-served basis and will close once inventory is sold out.
Ticket sales will be released in phases, each covering four months of performances. Phase 1 includes shows from April through July 2026. Details for later phases will be announced via official websites.
Performance Details
Title: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon -Shining Theater Shinagawa Tokyo-
Opening: April 4, 2026
Venue: Club eX, Shinagawa Prince Hotel (Tokyo, Japan)
Original Work: Naoko Takeuchi (Published by Kodansha)
Composition & Direction: Go Ueki
Script: Shinjiro Kameda
Visual Art & Theatre Design: Wataru Linda Igarashi
Ticket Prices (tax included):
Premium Seat / Premium Seat (Sofa): ¥18,000
Class S Seat: ¥13,000
Class A Seat: ¥8,000
Class A Seat (Ages 4–12): ¥4,000
BOX Room: ¥32,000
Cast details are available on the official website.
Official Channels:
Website https://prettyguardiansailormoon-stst.com
X https://x.com/sailormoon_STST
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sailormoon_stst/
Official Hashtags:
#prettyguardiansailormoonshiningtheater #shiningtheater
#美少女戦士セーラームーン #シャイニングシアター
© Naoko Takeuchi
© Naoko Takeuchi,PNP/“Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Shining Theater Shinagawa Tokyo” project
Wednesday, 4 February 2026
Celebrating International Book Giving Day
Because stories and ideas are meant to be shared.
International Book Giving Day, marked each year on 14 February, is a gentle reminder that books are one of the most meaningful gifts we can give.
Whether it’s a brand-new picture book, a much-loved paperback, or a surprise novel slipped onto a friend’s doorstep, the day is all about spreading the joy of reading – without pressure, price tags, or pretence.
Why book giving matters
A book can educate, comfort, distract, inspire, or simply offer a few quiet minutes away from the world. For children especially, receiving a book can spark a lifelong love of reading. For adults, it can feel like being truly seen – “I thought you’d like this.”
International Book Giving Day encourages us to think beyond ourselves and remember that not everyone has easy access to books at home.
Simple ways to take part
You don’t need to do anything elaborate. Small gestures are very much the point:
Gift a book to a child – a new title or a gently used favourite
Donate books to schools, libraries, food banks, or charities such as Book Aid International https://bookaid.org
Leave a book somewhere public with a note inviting someone to enjoy it
Post a book to a friend “just because”
Share a recommendation on social media and encourage others to do the same
Even one book can make a difference.
A lovely excuse to talk about reading
For book lovers, the day is also a chance to celebrate stories and ideas themselves. It’s a great prompt to revisit childhood favourites, support local bookshops, or finally pass on that novel you couldn’t stop talking about.
At That’s Books and More, we love anything that puts books into more hands and more homes. International Book Giving Day isn’t about grand gestures – it’s about kindness, connection, and the quiet magic of a good read finding the right reader.
So if you’re looking for a thoughtful way to mark the day, skip the chocolates and share a story instead.
Monday, 2 February 2026
New Book, Leading in Chaos, Calls for a Fundamental Revisioning of Leadership
As leaders face an era defined by polycrisis, institutional fragility, and sustained uncertainty, Leading in Chaos argues today’s conditions demand not better tools or frameworks, not best practice, but next practice - a fundamentally different inner operating system for leadership, grounded in deeper forms of human intelligence.
Rather than offering another methodology to master, Leading in Chaos reframes leadership itself as an embodied, developmental practice.
The book invites leaders, consultants, and changemakers to cultivate inner capacities that cannot be faked - such as receptivity, humility, and the ability to navigate paradox - so they can act with clarity and integrity amid ongoing disruption. Because, in their words, “chaos is the new black” – not a temporary situation.
Michael Watkins, Professor of Leadership and Organisational Change at IMD Business School, told That's Books and More: says: “In Leading in Chaos, ancient wisdom traditions speak to quarterly earnings. Trauma healing becomes organisational strategy. The body’s intelligence supersedes the mind’s calculations. Prayer and spreadsheets coexist. This isn’t New Age wishful thinking but a rigorous argument that unless we reunite body and mind, heart and strategy, sacred and secular, we will continue to create the conditions that threaten our species’ survival.”
Nicholas Janni and Amy Elizabeth Fox, said: “We wrote this book for leaders who find themselves operating without stable points of reference, in conditions that are increasingly volatile and destabilising. Leading in Chaos asks leaders to shift from driving harder to listening more deeply, from control to coherence, and from speed to presence—so that more profound forms of knowing can come online.”
Written as a collection of interlinked essays, Leading in Chaos draws on the authors’ combined decades of work with CEOs and senior leadership teams in global organisations. The book explores themes including sense-making in complex systems, embodied leadership, trauma-informed development, and helping leaders to become more effective through prolonged uncertainty.
Nicholas Janni has spent over 25 years advising CEOs and senior leadership teams worldwide and teaching at leading business schools. Leading in Chaos follows Janni’s previous book, Leader as Healer, which won UK Business Book of the Year in 2023.
Amy Elizabeth Fox, MA, has spent over two decades facilitating transformational leadership programmes in Fortune 500 companies and professional service firms. She is Co-founder and CEO of Mobius Executive Leadership.
Friday, 30 January 2026
That's Business: Why Calm, Consistent Leadership Matters More Than ...
That's Business: Why Calm, Consistent Leadership Matters More Than ...: In a world where leadership is often loud, performative, and driven by constant urgency, particularly in the wake of burnout , disengagement...
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