A Guy Called Bloke Has Tagged Me For A Friday Funday Challenge That Was Just My Slice Of Cake!

Many of you know the challenges that the wonderful Rory aka A Guy Called Bloke creates. Last year Rory very kindly put together a challenge that suited me down to the ground! It has mostly cake related questions! Please free to have a go at using the questions in Rory’s wonderful challenge. 

I am very grateful to Rory the creator of A Guy Called Bloke and K9 Doodlepip! who has very very kindly nominated me for a Friday Funday challenge that was much more my cup of tea than some of the others I was tagged in.  Well…I perhaps I should say it was just my slice of cake?

  aguycalledbloke, you probably already know has created some great blogging challenges and is a superb  and very kind man from everything I have seen and heard of him.

I am very proud to present my replies to the questions posed in his recent Friday Funday Challenge:

https://aguycalledbloke.blog/2018/08/03/friday-funday-challenge-game-on-you-name-it-9/comment-page-1/#comment-7819

The Rules …

1] Thank the nominator

2] Answer Q1 – Q19

3] Nominate three bloggers of your choice and notify them.

4] Each selected blogger MUST answer 16 of the asked 19 questions, but also insert 3 new questions to make up the 19 compliment. Every time a new blogger is selected they MUST only answer 16 of the asked 19 questions as well as answer their own 3, and choose 3 new bloggers. Each time a new blogger sees the questionnaire it will be completely different to the next blogger along.

[Hint: delete three of the questions you don’t like or have no answer for and insert your own in its place]

5] Q20 & Q14  Must always remain intact.

[Unless you don’t wish to have your answered shared, l will reblog your answers]

Today, my questions to my 3 blogger’s are?

1] Cupcakes or Teacakes?

To look at cupcakes probably have the edge…goodness you can do a lot with a cupcake…

The possibilities are endless!

To eat…a teacake has to win…oh goodness, oozy buttery crispy fruity toasted teacake with a great pot of tea.  Oh yum!

One of my early posts was about how inferior I feel compared to other women…it was based on a letter I wrote to Goldfinch fairly early on:

I Guess I Am Your Buttery Toasted Teacake

2] Did you / do you have a pet?  Please tell us all about them:

I am not allowed pets under my current tenancy agreement. But in the past, we had pets.

Several, mainly cats, but I used to look after our neighbours pets too while they went on holiday…the one I had the biggest soft-spot for though was the one that got away.  I found him in a pond…took him home.  He had other plans clearly…which was probably the best thing for him.  (I think it was a him).

I am talking about my pet frog.

Frogs are fascinating to me.  The variety of size and colour amongst frogs is incredible.  As soon as I learnt more about them at school I was delighted because the were amphibious…something that I wanted to be.

3] If animals had no fear of humans and we had no fear of certain animals…is there a particular animal you would love to be able to observe closely?

When I was at primary school a man used to come once or twice a year and share his slide show with the class.  I think his name was Mr Crabtree, but I might be totally mistaken.  The photographs were of his dives, mainly off the coast Scotland or Wales.  We saw seals, dolphins and whales as well as many other fish and coastal birds.

Mr Crabtree used to ask the class if we had any questions…some were a bit shy, so to help get the ball rolling my hand would shoot up, and I would ask the same question as I had the time before, and the time before that…”What is the biggest creature in the sea?”  Mr Crabtree would smile and tell me it was the blue whale.

Since I was five years old and first heard this wonderful information about the blue whale, I have been in awe…I can’t convey the excitement in my bones at the thought of being close to a blue whale.

I would love to spend years out on boats studying them.  I am pretty mesmerised by the idea.

4] What is the biggest audience you have ever faced? (school plays, karaoke, speeches or any other kind of situation where all eyes and ears were on view?)

Actually, I was on stage in front of an audience of 15,000 at an arena.  I have been in front of lots of smaller audiences – more around 1000.  But being at the arena was terrifying because of the way the sound system works.  It kind of echos around the speakers, so I could hear my own voice bouncing back at me…so strange.  You have to ignore what you can hear and carry on.

5] What is the alternative name to the film ‘Too Many Chefs?’

I have never heard of it…but Google says: Who Is Killing The Great Chefs Of Europe?

6] Do you have a favourite flower?

Uh….I would love to say daisies…like Meg Ryan’s character in “You’ve Got Mail”…yes I think they are the friendliest flower beyond doubt!

I used to have a massive thing for sunflowers – except that they can become such giant monstrosities can’t they!

After reading “Villette” by Charlotte Bronte I went through a phase of claiming I would not want to receive flowers as a gift because Lucy Snowe said: “I like to see flowers growing, but when they are gathered, they cease to please. I look on them as things rootless and perishable; their likeness to life makes me sad. I never offer flowers to those I love; I never wish to receive them from hands dear to me.”

Then I realized I was being obnoxiously profound, and I should be heartily grateful for any flowers that came my way!  The most romantic and poetic choice for a bouquet has to be wildflowers.

7] Favourite muffin flavour?

I am not really allowed muffins on my strict new “ONCE ON THE LIPS FOREVER ON THE HIPS” food regime.  |But knowing me, if I was going to give into temptation it would not be for a skinny lemon and poppyseed muffin.  I am much more likely to break my diet with a full on calorific uber-delicious sweetest treat available.

It has to be a salted caramel surely.  I love variety and I try new flavours and love them, but goodness if you are going to have a muffin, it’s best to just get the stickiest, oooey goooeyest muffin on display is it not?

8] What’s the best cake you have ever baked? Why?

Oooooh…goodness, I have baked so many many cakes.  I know which are my own favourites, but what matters is how much others like them.

I remember making around one hundred white chocolate and hazelnut blondies and taking them down to a construction project.  Ooooey, goooey, nutty and sweet.  The volunteers loved them…they were the perfect boost for exhausted limbs.  I had requests for them for several years afterwards.

9] Where did the term ‘Royal Icing’ get its name from?

I don’t know to be honest, but this is what Google told me:

There is a myth that it was named royal after it gained widespread publicity when images of Victoria and Albert’s bride cake (wedding cake) were circulated, but this is untrue, not least because the real boost came when images of their eldest daughter’s wedding cake were published in papers such as the Illustrated London News (not founded until 1842), by which time the name had been in use for over 80 years.

I have no idea if this is true…only t’internet thinks so.

10] What is your favourite colour of the rainbow?

I love anything between green and blue.

Sky to sea to grassy meadow…aaaah!  Love this end of the spectrum.

11] If you were a Mr Men or Little Miss character which one would you be?

I guess Little Miss Sunshine seems most appropriate overall.

I guess it’s a natural part of me to try to brighten someone else’s day if I possibly can.

Yup…I just looked through the list of Little Miss characters…and it’s pretty certain, that’s what my friends would say.

12] Coffee and biscuits, tea and cake or beer and crisps?

I am going to admit…I happily could do any of these depending on the company I was with.

But if I was on my own it probably would be coffee and biscuits.  I discovered their delicious combination when I was about seven and my mother had to ban me from drinking coffee because I was becoming an addict to caffeine!

I was convinced that biscuits made me swim faster. So I would gobble around six custard creams (dunked in coffee preferably) and then it felt as if I had an extra edge in the swimming pool when I was racing.

I am reminded of a certain Peter Kay sketch about Rich Tea v HobNobs and their dunking merits.  I am not recommending it because of the bad language…but except for the colourful terms, it is hilarious.

If there was a video clip of his biscuit sketch available without the bad language I would have added a link here, but I can’t find one.

13] What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever done?

I seem to be very good at embarrassing myself…only now I have reached the stage that I can brush it off so much more quickly!

I have written a few posts about occasions I was deeply embarrassed or felt incredibly awkward and have a hundred more stories  I am sure.

Where do I begin?…

• Was it flashing the finance director when I was 18?
• Was it when strawberries leaked all over my white skirt and I had a big red patch on my skirt (would be with the young man I had a major teenage crush on)?
• Was it when I was grabbed by a haystack and dragged up on to the stage at a theatre and made to dance with the other characters?
• Was it when Buttons dragged me up onto the stage during “Cinderella” at a theatre?  I am sure that was not in his script – I blame my friends.
• Was it the first time I dived off a boat into water and lost my bikini briefs?
• Was it deciding to jump of the boat instead of diving and losing my bikini top?
• Was it being dragged by a team of waiters onto a stage to try to get the karaoke night I had suggested going…and singing for over an hour in front of an audience of hundreds of holiday makers?
• Was it when I had to take my bosses dog to the vet and something (I think it was an abscess) inside the poor hound burst splattering the vet with (I won’t go into detail) all over her face?
• Was it standing outside a train station for almost three hours waiting to meet a man who had been sending me love-letters for a year….and he never showed up?
• Was it doing a cartwheel and landing on the wall of our friend’s paddling pool and splitting the plastic so that all the water gushed out?
• Was it turning up at a training session for around a thousand people involved in an event and as soon as the training video started seeing myself on the big screen (we had filmed it a couple of years earlier and I had absolutely no idea it would be used at an event I would attend as a trainee)?  Can you imagine the reaction of everyone who was around me!

14] Which 3 questions will you be deleting to add your own in?

3, 4 and 6

(Rory I tried to ask Google for some help with that #3…and I was baffled, absolutely baffled!

15] Can you do any impersonations, if so who?

I can beat-box…I am on a video with scores of other unlikely beat-boxers…in fact, I think I am the grand finale.  We were impersonating a celebrity.  It was a surprise for his engagement party.

I can impersonate several of the muppets.  Who else?  Erm…I am sure I have done impersonations in the past, but not for ages.

I  have a friend who is brilliant at impersonations but he is always upsetting our friends by impersonating them and causing anger!  He is not exactly flattering.

16] What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

Besides Goldfinch?…hmm….

Tyrell’s vegetable Crisps.

17] Uh oh, you have gone to a dinner party and the dessert is diabolical, what do you say to the host when she/he asks for your honest opinion?

I am a master of tact.  I have been in that position many times and am incredibly careful in my choice of words.

“This is such an interesting combination of flavours.  You must give us the recipe later.”

I have travelled all over the country on voluntary projects and have enjoyed a lot of very delicious home-cooking.  But every now and then we were presented with something that was “challenging” to enjoy…but we were over polite and gracious.

18] If you could kill off any one character from a TV show who would it be and why?

I didn’t have a TV for over ten years, so I am fairly new to TV.  My Dad recommended the BBC’s “Poldark” to me.  I have to admit George Warleggen is really getting on my nerves.  What on earth is his problem?

He has lost the plot!  That is not normal behaviour and I think he needs to sit down with a big glass of milk and a plate of cookies and talk about his issues with someone.  I am surprised he is not bent over with pain – he is such a misery guts.  I just wish he could be genuinely happy and drop his obnoxiousness!

19] If you were a fancy piece of jewellery what would you be?

I think I would be a pair of earrings…something simple but sparkly, like a little pair of diamond studs.  They don’t get in the way, they just sit unobtrusively and and make someone else look classy.

I am not keen on jewellery myself…except for a simple pair of earrings.  I often break or lose anything else…or fiddle with it all night, and just generally annoy myself.

20] The three bloggers you are nominating are?

    Cadie Mclendon

    Violetta Sochka Khamis

    Thegirlwhobakes

A huge thank you to Rory…and I hope these three fantastic bloggers have as much fun as I did with this week’s Friday Funday Challenge!

via Awkward — Word of the Day Challenge

https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2018/08/05/awkward/

The Haunted Wordsmith Has Tagged Me For Another Friday Funday Challenge

I have been working on this post for a whole week and decided it had to be ready for the earliest Friday.  I am going to admit, I have been tagged for two Friday Funday Challenges with questions on murder, horror and strange goings on.  An awful lot of the questions are not my cup of tea…or in some cases the question seems to be referring to something I don’t actually understand.  Think of me as Little Miss Sunshine…I don’t watch horror, I don’t dabble in the occult and if I do watch an episode of Miss Marple, I tend to change the channel as soon as the music starts to become a bit intense because I suspect something scary might be about to happen.

Nonetheless, I have made my best attempt to provide responses to the questions in this challenge.  I am also very grateful to Teresa (aka The Haunted Wordsmith) who nominated me.  She is a brilliant creative story writer and is also very supportive of other bloggers.  I love her blogsite…it’s one I pour over everyday.

I was tagged to take part in the Friday Fun Challenge by   The Haunted Wordsmith  as you can see in her post below:

https://thehauntedwordsmith.wordpress.com/2018/07/27/friday-funday-challenge/

This is a challenge created by A Guy Called Bloke and K9 Doodlepip! and is all explained in a post on his site!

It is a little like musical chairs. He writes: Each Friday l will ask 19 new questions, and nominate 3 bloggers of my own who will answer 16 of my questions, but insert 3 questions of their own and answer those as well, so that they are STILL answering 19 questions.

Rules:

1. Thank the nominator
2. Answer Q1-19
3. Nominate three bloggers and notify them
4. Each selected blogger must answer 16 of the 19 questions AND insert three new questions to make the 19. [hint, delete three questions you don’t like or have an answer for and replace those]
5. Q14 and Q20 Must remain intact.

Today’s Questions:

1] If you were facing the death penalty what would be your last meal choice??

Do you think I would have any appetite if I had been given the death penalty?  I would be traumatised.

What could I possible have done to be facing the death penalty?  I am presuming it would be for something remarkable, like refusing to bear arms that had enraged the rulers of a society shaped by war-mongering political propaganda…somehow I do not see myself tucking into a roast dinner with all the trimmings, when I was going to need every ounce of courage and conviction right to the last moment!

Why else would someone serve the death penalty to Little Miss Sunshine?

2] Have you ever whispered Candyman five times in front of a mirror?

Here we arrive at the first question I suspect means something to others but nothing to me.

I am not sure why I would ever do that?  Does this mean something?  Are we talking about Roald Dahls’ “Charlie and The Factory”?

Or more this type of Candyman?

3] Should popcorn be sweet or salty?  Have you tried any unusual flavours of popcorn?

I say sweet, Goldfinch says salty.  It’s the only subject we seriously disagree on.  Although because I love him, last time we went to the cinema, we shared a box of salted popcorn.

Which was very weird.

I have not tried them…yet…but I saw these and I find myself wondering what on earth they would taste like.  Just in case you can’t make out the small print – they are blue cheese and rhubarb flavoured popcorn.  The company who make them have some other rather bizarre flavours on their website.

4] What unsolved murder unsettled you the most?

I am not the type to dwell on these crimes.

I can understand why anyone would be unsettled by a crime that remained “unsolved”. Many feel strongly that their pain is prolonged until they feel “justice has been served”. There are many who long for true justice.

I dread the day the man in the park is identified by the police and the court case takes place – it will be awful.  I spent lots of time at courts when I was training to be a legal secretary and I couldn’t bear them.  It’s an event I dread taking place.

I have mentioned this in a previous post…but I don’t want to waste many of my happy thoughts on a subject as miserable as murder.  I have good reason.  When I was 13, one of my close school friends was murdered.  I used to go running with her at lunch times (when I was not playing hockey) and after school.  They found her close to a route we often ran along, close to the hospital I was born in.

5] Would you sleep inside a coffin underground for a night?

Who writes these questions?  This is another wierd one.  I could probably sleep anywhere…  I find I fall asleep pretty much as soon as I am horizontal.

If I was being asked to sleep in the coffin as some kind of dare or for some droll entertainment related purpose I would politely decline.  I don’t understand the question.  Do you think it would be a frightening thing to do because people might forget you were there and leave you trapped?  Little Miss Sunshine does not really understand this.

6] If money where no object, is there a destination on our planet that you would love to visit?

If I have to choose one place…well, I just cannot believe that after all this time I still have not visited a country that I have been enchanted by my entire life: ITALY!  I think it needs to be right up at the top of my list for many reasons.

After we have finished building a boat, Goldfinch and I set sail away into the deep blue.

We would travel to every port and harbour and we would meet the people who lived locally, taste their cuisine, dance to their music, and explore their culture.  We would visit every land on the planet.  There would also be plenty of swimming and diving when we were out a sea.  We would walk hand in hand along many beaches watching the magnificent sunsets.  There would be no such thing as passports and visas.  Just love!!!

7] Is there a horror movie you simply could NEVER watch because of the advertising hype?

All horror movies – why would I ever want to watch one?  I like fluffy bunnies and cupcakes and rainbows and daisies… Horror movies are not my cup of tea whatsoever!

8] What is the worst nightmare you have ever experienced? – Describe.

Nightmares are not my style either.  When I was very young, I used to dream about a bright blue lion that chased us and we were all hiding with our neighbour’s children from the blue lion.  One by one the lion caught them.  The only way I escaped is by walking upside on the ceiling and then climbing out onto the roof.

I sleep so very heavily that I very rarely dream.  When I do dream, well, my dreams are normally rather odd, sometimes funny.  Normally my brain is trying to make sense of something new.  Nightmares…not so much.  I have had flashbacks (of the night in the park) but they were when I was wide awake usually when something triggered a memory.

9] Are you afraid of clowns?

Am I missing the point of some of these questions?  Little Miss Sunshine has no problem with clowns.  I used to go to lots of fancy dress parties as a child dressed as a clown.

CLOWNS:

Why should I be afraid of clowns?  Is this a trick question?  I am afraid of…erm…I am not too sure…afraid of getting locked out of the house when I desperately need to “spend a penny”!

10] If you could switch your job or career – is there anything that appeals to you?

I have had a taste of working in several different fields. At this point, I want to avoid a desk job for as long as possible because it us so unhealthy physically for you.  I need a job where I can be active and moving around.

I think I would like to have some training in real gardening – horticulture, I think they call it?  So that I understood the difference between plants and weeds, for a start…and the multitude of other things there are to know about plants.  I would love to know how to cultivate plants of all sorts…after a few years of proper training in gardening, maybe I could move on to agriculture and farming.

When I was self-employed I did a few gardening jobs for a couple of years, but I did warn my clients I didn’t know much about plants so I needed heavy supervision.  That might sound odd, but my clients adored me and patiently guided me so that I could be useful without destroying their gardens.  I loved driving the lawn mower around the lawns of a large estate I used to work on.  I looked after their lawns for two years and became quite adept on the lawn mower.

One of my friends says I am the female equivalent of Forrest Gump!  She claims this because I am always relating the lessons my mumma and dadda taught me, because of the way I care for other people, the way I can run and run, and also because of my innocence and gullibility.  When she found out about my lawn mower experience she felt totally vindicated in her opinion.  I don’t believe I have any other similarities to Forrest Gump.

11] Of all the ways a person could commit murder which do you think is the worst? Why?

I guess there are degrees of murder according to the law are there not?  I am glad I don’t have to decide how much pre-meditation was involved, whether the perpetrator of the crime was under duress or unusual provocation, or whether the mental health of the individual means the individual was not in control of themselves. Ugh – law is fraught with complications and best manipulated by those with wealth.

For the same reason I mentioned in my answer to question four, I would rather not think about the way people carry out this crime… CLEUDO has suddenly popped into my head…

…why does that question make me think of the very end of this movie clip?

12] If you wanted me to bake you a cake…what type would it be?

Normally, I would say caramel…but as it is summer my tastes have back-flipped.  I can’t get enough of fruit at the moment.  I have almost had my fill of strawberries though.

I wonder if you could make me something nice and light but with either lemons, limes…or even grapefruit.  A real citrus feel (but not orange).  And could there be an element of crumbly biscuit within it please?  It would be nice to have a creamy texture, but I would need it to be dairy free…if that is at all possible – PLEASE.

Ask me when summer is over and I would say either a coffee cake, or a caramel anything.

13] Hanging, Injection, guilotine or firing squad what would you prefer?

Preference?  Hmm?  Which would Little Miss Sunshine prefer?  I would prefer any of these:

Hmm…I guess at school we learnt a little about how three of those methods have been used throughout history and sometimes were not quick or effective.  I can only presume that the most humane way for the execution of a criminal in lands where capital punishment is legal is an injection. I don’t know an awful lot about how modern capital punishment is carried out but I would presume it is designed to be quick and not to be a long-drawn out process.

14] Which 3 questions will you be deleting to add your own in?

3, 6, 10 and 12 – whoops I cheated again.  Do I feel guilty?  Nope!  I am Little Miss Sunshine and I am not going to feel guilty about this.

15] What time of the day is the best time to commit a murder?

Can I ask for questions about fluffy bunnies and cupcakes and rainbows and daisies please?

Why are you asking me this question?  Should I be calling the police and reporting you are asking strange questions???

As a resident of WISE (formerly known as the UK) I must inform you, we are being encouraged through national campaigns to report anyone or anything to the police…

All these questions about murder are ringing alarm bells!

16] Do you look guilty?

You are asking me all these questions about murder and then you ask me if I look guilty?

When I am guilty…yes, I look guilty.  Mum and Dad both had mopeds or motorcycles when they were younger.   They were both involved in nasty accidents and so they made it very clear they did not want any of us to develop an interest in motorcyles.  My dad told me never ever ever to allow a young man to talk me into riding pinion on his motorcycle.

Dad knew I had done it because of the look on my face…because I could not make eye-contact with him.  He just knew!

I have a sensitive conscience (which I am pleased about) and so if I do something wrong, yes I am upset with myself and look guilty.  It moves me to do everything I can to put things right.  Sometimes you can’t undo what you have done…just don’t repeat that mistake.

17] Uh oh, you have witnessed a murder, and you think the killer may have seen you but you are not sure, what would you do?

I am guessing this scenario means I am now alone in the same close proximity as the killer?  Well…I press my panic button…which goes through to the local police.  Yes, I have a panic button right next to me on my bed-side table.

18] If you could save three lives by killing one, would you?

Not quite sure what kind of scenario this would refer to?  I understand the question, “Would I risk my own life if it meant saving the lives of others?”

Would I kill Larry to save Greg, Mike and Barbara?  I don’t have the authority designated upon me to choose when to terminate life.  It is not my choice to make.

Life is an extraordinary gift.  I do not have the right to take another life.  Full stop.

19] Whilst gardening the body of a neighbour is discovered in your back yard that everyone knows you had a feud with, what are you going to do to prove your innocence or?

Little Miss Sunshine does not get into feuds.  If a friend (or a neighbour) and I have a misunderstanding, I do everything I possibly can to fix it, until it ends like this:

The only unresolved situation I have ever encountered with any person who has entered my life is my ex-flatmate.  I did everything I possibly could to resolve the situation with him.  I am still on his side, despite what he did.  I love him.

The only unresolved difficulty I have ever had with another human was with my ex-flatmate:

• He…To Me…Is Superior To All Other Men

20] The three bloggers you are nominating are?

  yammymommyblog

  K.M. Sutton

and last, but not least:

  BloomsandBeautifuls because they are inviting all of us to a blogging party!!!

So…if you don’t have plans already for a Funday Friday of your own…then head to their Friday blogging party to meet lots of lovely bloggers.

 

Stephen T Has Tagged Me For The Friday Funday Challenge

It’s Frrrrrrrriiiiiiiiday – a day of fun, laughter and mirth…

I have just been for an interview and they offered me the job there and then…when can I start?  That’s a great start to the day – is it not?  Big thanks to all the lovely well-wishers who left comments on my post yesterday.

To continue the mirthful mood I am in, it seemed the right time to publish my post in connection to the Friday Funday Challenge.

I was tagged to take part in the Friday Fun Challenge by   Stephen T (thank you Stephen) the creator of Armageddon Cafe as you can see in his post below:

https://revelationsend.wordpress.com/2018/07/15/fun/

This was another challenge created by A Guy Called Bloke and K9 Doodlepip! and is all explained in a post on his site!

It is a little like musical chairs. He writes: Each Friday l will ask 19 new questions, and nominate 3 bloggers of my own who will answer 16 of my questions, but insert 3 questions of their own and answer those as well, so that they are STILL answering 19 questions.

Rules:

1. Thank the nominator
2. Answer Q1-19
3. Nominate three bloggers and notify them
4. Each selected blogger must answer 16 of the 19 questions AND insert three new questions to make the 19. [hint, delete three questions you don’t like or have an answer for and replace those]
5. Q14 and Q20 Must remain intact.

Today’s Questions: (Some of which might not strike you as on a mirthful note, I have to admit)

1] Which horror movie monster do you think is the deadliest?

Well, I have not seen many horror monster movies.  They are not my cup-of-tea. I like animated films and the occasional musical, and the perhaps the even more occasional chick flick. Does Jurassic Park count as a monster movie?

My parents told me not to watch “Jaws” when I was younger.  I watched it in secret.  Of course I regretted it a lot.  Next time we went on holiday and I was swimming in the sea, I kept on imagining I was seeing sharks in the water and I was totally freaked out.  I spent the rest of the holiday only swimming in the hotel pool.

Yet another example of how I should have always listened to my parents – they know best!

2] Which serial killer do you find the most fascinating?

I certainly don’t find serial killers fascinating.

When I was 13, one of my close school friends was murdered.  I used to go running with her at lunch times (when I was not playing hockey) and after school.  They found her close to a route we often ran along, close to the hospital I was born in.

I can watch a light-hearted detective show, so long as there is no graphic violence in it, but I would not want to watch or read some kind of psychological thriller or delve into the mental state of a criminal.  Years ago I trained as a legal secretary but I couldn’t cope with the cases we  heard at court so I sought employment in other fields.  There was a man who tried to electrocute his wife by rigging up the garage door – he did it twice and I am glad to say both attempts failed.  I didn’t want to be around that kind of craziness.

3] Would you rather know the date of your death or the cause of your death?

Neither have happened – so there is no way of knowing them. Maybe I will never die at all. Won’t worry about that one yet.

Life is for living, I would rather not dwell on the prospect of death.  I want each day of my life to count for something.  I have had one close brush with death which has  reminded me to use time/life wisely.

No regrets!

4] Would you rather be eaten alive by wolves or eat another human alive?

What a choice!  Rory – did you write these questions?

I am a vegetarian – so I don’t know if that helps answer that one!  I have no problem with other people eating animals – that is allowed.  Eating another human is not allowed.  Of course neither would I particularly desire to be eaten by wolves.  But I might be dead already and it would be beyond my control.  But there is no way I would eat a human.

These are all boy questions.  We need more mirth in this.

5] If you and I were going to order a take-away on Friday night – what would you choose?

At the moment, my choice would be Thai food mainly because Goldfinch likes it and also because there is an amazing Thai restaurant that does take-away food just at the end of my road.

But I am not fussy, so long as there is a vegetarian option available I am ready to try any food – I am trying to choose healthier options though – to reduce my general wobbliness.

6] Can you swim?  Where have you swam (other than the local swimming pool)?

I can swim!  Oh yes I can swim!  I have taught friends from India and Pakistan to swim.  It has been quite special to see their excitement when they go from complete beginner to being able to swim up and down the length of the pool on their own.  To see their mirthful reaction to being able to swim was very rewarding!

My sisters and I were competitive swimmers for years.  I love swimming.  Being in a pool feels wonderful to me…peace, calm, happy place…and then as I swim up and down for an hour or two I feel adrenaline and power rushing through my limbs.

I have swam in Hampstead Ponds and in the sea when we went on holiday to Cornwall.  I have also swam in the Mediterranean on holidays to France, Spain and Turkey but the whole Jaws issues has kind of ruined it for me.   We also went scuba diving in Turkey…which was amazing!

7] If you were asked to film a new horror movie, what would the plot be?

Well…it would not be a horror movie for a start.  I could do a musical or a period drama – last time I went to see a musical, the guys I was with looked quite disturbed, more than if they had been watching a freak show.  They actually asked us if the characters were going to stop singing.

I nearly fainted when I came home one day and found one of my flatmates had been making Red Velvet Cake – it did look rather like a horror scene.

Oh and then there was the time when my Dadda was sawing a wooden door and he nicked his finger tip – blood spurted out all over the hallway.

8] Do you like creepy-crawlies (insects, worms, bugs etc)?

What is not to love about them? 

I wish I made more time to learn more about them.  Everything I read about insects is pretty phenomenal.

9] Where is the strangest place you’ve ever found yourself?

My mum gave us a tour of the endoscopy unit at the hospital where she worked.  It was really odd seeing all the different shaped bed frames for patients to be positioned in whilst cameras were being inserted in various locations.

We were interrogated at Detroit airport after a misunderstanding a few years ago – that was scary!  We were not exactly given a warm welcome.

We went on a tour of Cape Coast Castle in Ghana and we were down in the dungeons where countless thousands of men and women would have been kept in depraved conditions before being shipped to the Americas.

Being within the innards of an enormous printing press (producing 100,000 newspapers per hour) with the engineers was quite cool.  I have been inside a few times and felt quite awed by it.

10] Where,or when, are you most at peace?

Well…every night when I slip into bed and fall asleep I am at peace – but I guess being unconscious does not qualify as peace.

I feel at peace when I am swimming (but after watching Jaws as a teenager, that has to be in a swimming pool).

When I was in Snowdonia last week I saw so many stunning views that made my heart leap – you know that feeling? – it a mix of peace and wonder and gratitude for being alive and being able to enjoy life.

11] What is the creepiest book you have ever read?

Well, I have had to read a pretty horrid training book about fungal infections recently which we often have to advise on at work.  Quite regularly patients walk in and start trying to take their shoes and socks off and show us their symptoms.  Often my first thought is – why did you let it get this bad?

For your sakes, I won’t include any pictures with this reply.

Or…hold on…I bet I can find something that won’t make you feel ill after you have eaten your lunch.

The photos in the training book I had to read were horrid – worse than the imagination of any creepy book writer.

12] What fictional monster movie would you change the ending to?

I have not seen any monster movies other than Pixar movies…Monsters Inc – I don’t thing I would change this really.  I think Pixar are super – my cinema viewing would be non-existent if it were not for Pixar.

13] Do you believe in life after death?

I have read the scriptures from Genesis through to Revelation many times and it seems very clear that death was not a part of the original purpose for humans.  It is a consequence of what Adam and Eve chose.

Did the Creator abandon His original purpose?  His own word guarantees He will undo all the damage including death.

If any of my friends or workmates ask me what happens after death, I ask them first what they believe.  I don’t want to be belligerent and knock someone else’s treasured beliefs they may have clung to for years, especially at times of bereavement.

But when I was younger and asked these questions, I was only satisfied with an authoritative answer that made sense from start to finish.  I only found that when I read the scriptures for myself.  I have lost many close friends and family members and the longing I feel to see them again is echoed in one of my favourite passages:

If a man dies, can he live again?…

…You will call, and I will answer you.

You will long for the work of your hands.

I have been with several people when they took their last breath.  It was strange but a relief to see their pain end…and they were fast asleep, no longer distressed.

I totally appreciate why death is likened to sleep throughout the scriptures.  And I draw tremendous comfort and confidence from both the promises for the future and the accounts of people being woken up from that sleep and being alive again.

To me, the only thing that will undo the damage that Adam and Eve’s decision caused and end the pain caused by disease, old age and death, is to wake up those who have died, to restore life to them. The comparison of death to sleep shows how easy it is for the Creator to do this.

I think it is very healthy for every normal human to ask themselves this question at some stage.  I pondered it a lot as a teenager.  Some said heaven or hell, others said a human might be born again as a different form of life, others said there is nothing, nada, zip and there is no hope after you lose your life.  I would not want to be ignorant of someone else’s treasured beliefs…but for myself, I was only satisfied when I read everything I could find on this subject for myself, and asked all my questions and saw proper answers.

I know that some people do not believe in a Creator, I have no desire to mock someone else’s sincere belief, but so far there is no human endeavour that has been able to conquer death.  Yet, throughout the scriptures it is clear that is exactly what is at hand. No more of the consequences including death that have been inherited from Adam.

14] Which 3 questions will you be deleting to add your own in?

If I had my way, I would probably change more than three (sorry Rory – but as someone who does not have any interest in horror movies and stays a million miles away from the occult – I think I have done well to provide answers to these questions at all)!

Definitely 6, 8 and 16 will be going – as they are questions I would never dream of asking anyone in real life.  I am going to cheat and take 5 out as well.  The horror movie stuff is going to have to stay I suppose, although they are not my cup-of-tea.  I am going to attempt make these questions less about horror and ghosts.

15] What is your song? Or for the kids- what’s your jam?

Oh so many…my music tastes are diverse.  I have already published a post with some of my all time favourites:

• Anexpatshome Has Renominated Me For Another Liebster – I Am Not Sure If This Is Allowed! (But It Is Fun)

At the moment I have had one song whirling around my head for weeks…love the song, but it’s driving me nuts!  I don’t know how to get rid of it…I am a worker and so many of the lines it make me laugh…and I sing it in the shower at the top of my voice, which I worry my landlady is going to complain about one day.

16] Have you been to a castle, palace, stately home or National Trust property recently?  Where did you go

Goldfinch took me to Baddesley Clinton and we had a perfect afternoon together with an amazing picnic and hours of walking and talking and love.

17] Which type of movie monster is your favorite?

Well, I quite liked Monsters Inc…that was quite fun.

But one of my favourite movies of all time would have to be Finding Nemo.  There is a scary bit at one point, with Bruce the Shark – I mean the first time I saw it…I was rather nervous that Marlin was going to be sushi.

I far far preferred Finding Nemo to Jaws and it almost helped me get over my fear of swimming in the ocean.

18] What’s your biggest fear?

Well, I don’t exactly live in fear of being eaten by a shark…but it does dictate where I swim.

A lot of things have happened to me (a few boxes I would never have wanted to be ticked have been ticked) and I am not as frightened as I used to be when I was younger.  It is incredible what a human can go through and yet survive.

I see daily the physical struggle faced by those whose health and mobility is deteriorating. While working in healthcare, I have often been moved to tears by seeing someone who has been dynamic and energetic for decades become dependent on others for everything.  One of my fears is losing control of my innards.  I have always thought that when I help anyone in that situation, I want to do so with the greatest dignity and respect possible – I would hate to be in that situation, completely dependant on healthcare providers for physical help, but to find they had no sensitivity or kindness.  I hate to say it, but I have seen wonderful health workers and awful health workers who do not really care.

A worry that effects me now is fear that I will never make it back to my home, my career (where I was based before the crime that I have referred to in some of my posts)…I miss that satisfying purposeful life.

I also fear that there are people who I love and respect that believe the rumours my ex-flatmate spread.  I am fearful that there is no way to undo that damage and for as long as I live, people I think the world of will think I did things that I would never dream of doing.  It’s not possible to find everyone who has heard a lie about you and completely vindicate and exonerate yourself.  I guess you have to accept that those false words have had their effect.  You have to just carry on as the person you know you are and trust that people who are genuine will get to know the real you and value who you really are.

19] If you found yourself in a horror movie, would you be one of the first to die or the survivor?

This is one of the reasons why I don’t watch horror movies – people dying – I prefer to stick with Pixar productions.

If I made the mistake of wandering onto the set of a horror movie, I would immediately raise the alert and admit I was lost, even if I had to tell a bunch of movie people I was just looking for the toilets.

I would get out of there as quickly as possible – which I think would make me qualify as a survivor.

20] The three bloggers you are nominating are?

   Christine Bolton, Poetry For Healing   –   https://poetryforhealing.com/

   amydwestphal   –    https://amy-westphal.com/

   Michael   –  https://summerstommy.com/

Well – I am here wishing you all a very lovely and mirthful Friday.  Whatever you are up to..enjoy.  I am going to see my Goldfinch this weekend, so I will be full of mirth.

via Mirth — Word of the Day Challenge