Riya, the creator of WORLD OF MY THOUGHTS, really has nominated me for THE LIEBSTER AWARD, this time. Here is the proof:
https://worldofmythoughts2017.wordpress.com/2019/10/12/liebster-award2/
Award Rules:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you – THANK YOU RIYA!
2. Share 11 facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
4. Nominate 11 bloggers and make them happy!
5. Make up to 11 questions and ask to your nominees.
6. Notify your 11 nominees.
Questions From Riya
What really makes you angry?
I don’t often show my anger, so not many people would know the answer to that question. I find myself becoming more and more shocked at how spoilt some western people seem. Already with far far more than over half the world’s population…but it is never enough. People who want more and more, and don’t realize how many of our fellow human family live on $1 or $2 a day. I often wonder if they think about what they are saying when they complain.
I feel angry inside when I hear people say things that indicate they feel there is nothing wrong with the world the way it is. When they display a love for things and having more and more. More money, more possessions, bigger and better. When they show that all they think about is themselves. When they show they do not care about the poverty and deprivation in the world. When it’s clear that pollution, crime, warfare, disease have not yet touched them personally and so their whole attitude to life is “I’m alright Jack!” (The allegorical Jack, not my Jack.)
I am shocked by people who deny the atrocious criminal acts like the Holocaust, or they think it inconsequential that there is so much bloodguilt due to horrendous injustices like the Crusades, or the invasion of other lands in a mercenary spirit. I have such an aversion to racism, superiority of race, “class” systems and the mistreatment of members of our human family.
I feel anger inside, but it is very rare that anybody sees me express anger.
In the past I had less caution when it came to challenging those who made me very angry, because I saw them as callous and dangerous. I remember a heated exchange between me and a drug-dealer, who I realized had started to hang around some of the teeagers I was working with on voluntary projects. I don’t think I would do that now, there have been so many stabbings in London over the past few years. The climate has changed.
That chap by the way, after what I said to him…I found out later that whatever I said really did affect him. He got very drunk that night I was told later. And then the next day told his cousin about what I had said. I just happened to move to that area around a year a later, and he followed me around like a puppy. I was told that he had cleaned up his life. Two years later he asked me to marry him. But the point is, wouldn’t get angry and shout at a drug-dealer nowadays. Not that they don’t deserve it, but it could be very dangerous.
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I couldn’t do that. I need variety. I would go crazy having the same meal every day. But if I was forced to eat the same meal over and over, it would have to have green vegetables. I feel poorly if I don’t have plenty of green vegetables. So yes, I guess I would have to choose either a big salad or a dish or cooked vegetables…and I wouldn’t mind some rice, or bread on the side to stodge it all out a bit.
What is your biggest fear?
People I love doing something stupid, and I mean that in a moral sense. I mean them committing horrific crimes. Especially in the future, when the issue of rulership comes to a head.
When all mankind has to face the decision of who should rule, what if people I love choose human rulership? What if they tried to attack violently those who want our Creator to rule? Why would they feel that way when the results of human rulership are so obviously dreadful? Would people I love be swept up with the propaganda and actually go out and commit horrific acts of violence?
When people are blinded by propaganda they sometimes go out and do terrible things believing they are right or righteous. I fear someone I love going out and committing such atrocities and not being able to reason with them.
I fear those I love becoming so swept up with propaganda that they end up doing wicked things.
What has been your best moment this year?
Oh wow! So hard to pick. It’s a close call. Life has been a bit of a chequer board this year.
Going to the Doctor because I had been feeling so ill and being told to take a pregnancy test was a big moment. A very big moment. And it was wonderfully exciting. But later, pain came.
Being with Goldfinch in the summer was really special – I was living the dream, truly – and I felt pure happiness right up until I realized it was time to say goodbye and return to England. After intense happiness, pain came.
Receiving that phone-call from Jack was incredible. Meeting up with him for the first time in over four years was terrifying, but it turned out to be remarkable. I just hope this happiness does not result in pain.
If You Could Live Anywhere In The World For A Year, Where Would It Be?
I would have loved to have stayed out in Adelaide for a year with Goldfinch. I was so happy there. I loved what I saw of Australia. But it was being with him that meant so much.
Things have changed of course, since the summer. It would be wonderful to spend a year travelling around either the whole of Africa, or South America, with Jack. I have a dream of travelling the whole world together with the man I love. Travelling as slowly as is possible, by boat and on foot. Truly immersing ourselves in the culture and cuisine everywhere we go.
How do you relieve stress?
I try to avoid stress. I keep my lifestyle simple and I live within my means. If I detect I am starting to feel a bit worked up, which can happen when the pace is crazy at work, I just take a few moments to remind myself that no matter how much work there is to do, I need to remain calm in order to listen to clients and respond effectively. We can’t afford to make mistakes.
If there is stress in my personal life, I remind myself that we all have challenges in our lives. Many of them are temporary. I try to cheer myself by thinking of all the beautiful, all the wonderful there is in life. It helps me feel I can endure anything until our Creator puts things right and undoes the damage.
If I need help to get control of my thoughts, I might speak to a close friend or family member. I pray as well. I find that helps enormously and it helps me keep my balance. Often solutions come to my mind on how to deal with stressful situations while I am praying.
Would You Rather Go To Space Or To The Bottom Of The Ocean?
Ocean for me. I have always loved swimming and since I was a very little girl I have wanted to research whales. Especially the blue whale.
It is a dream of mine to study our oceans and the life that dwells within them.
What’s your favorite season?
Summer – hands down, no competition. I love the summer time for the kind of life I lead during the summer!
What’s your favorite sports?
I have always loved sports. I love running around. I like to play in defence because I have no fear of tackling anyone and I don’t tire of energy…but I have very little skill, so I try to win the ball and then pass it to a team-mate who is more skillful.
Of all the sports I have enjoyed, I think my favourite was basketball. I started to play every Friday evening every Friday evening, with a group of friends. There would be anywhere between ten and thirty of us, mostly men, but a few girlies. I absolutely loved playing basketball before my head injuries. It was so much fun.
I wonder if I should remind Jack of the time he laughed when a friend of ours, Dwayne, knocked me flying and I landed on my behind. All the guys rushed over to make sure I was alright except Jack. Jack laughed! I was fuming with him. Well…if I do mention it, it will be in a nice way.
Ice cream or milkshakes?
I am not very good with dairy. So I have not had a milkshake for a long time. I would have to choose a dairy free ice-cream.
Recently, I was over at a friend’s home for dinner and she had bought me some dairy free ice-cream to have with the dessert she had made.
It was Alpro Almond Salted Caramel. I think it is made with almond milk. But there was a lot of caramel sauce and caramel chunks going on in the middle. Very nice.
New York or Paris?
Is this for a short visit, or to live long term?
In the past I would have said New York for a visit – seems like a very exciting place to visit. But Paris to live. (However, seeing all those protests has kind of put me off Paris.)
I would choose Paris to live partly because it is closer to England, where my family are, because their food and bread are amazing, and because I would love to polish up my French. Jack speaks fluent French. He lived there for a couple of years. I love the sense of culture that I have seen when I have been in France. I love the boulangeries and the patisseries and the countryside. But I don’t know Paris. I would like to explore Paris at a leisurely pace.
But yes, I have always wanted to visit New York for a short time. Did I tell you already that Jack is in New York for a week?
Eleven Questions For My Nominees
- DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?
- HAVE YOU EVER VISITED LONDON? IF YOU WERE GOING TO COME FOR THE FIRST TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE?
- IF THERE WAS A CRIME IN YOUR HOME, WHICH LITERARY OR TELEVISION DETECTIVE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SOLVE IT?
- WHAT KIND OF LUNCH DO YOU TAKE TO OR BUY AT WORK?
- DESCRIBE THE PERFECT FOOTWEAR FOR YOU?
- DO YOU GET NERVOUS AT PARTIES OR BIG SOCIAL EVENTS?
- WHAT’S THE HOUSEHOLD CHORE THAT YOU DREAD THE MOST?
- DO YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY GRAB BAG? IF SO WHAT’S IN IT? IF NOT – WHY NOT?
- DO YOU HAVE ANY FAMOUS FRIENDS? OR HAVE YOU MET ANYONE FAMOUS?
- WHEN SOMEONE REVEALS YOU HAVE MADE A MISTAKE – IS YOUR FIRST IMPULSE TO DEFEND YOURSELF AND EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED, OR DO YOU QUICKLY ADMIT YOUR MISTAKE AND APOLOGISE?
- WHO CUTS YOUR HAIR? HOW OFTEN DO YOU HAVE IT CUT?
I began learning British Sign Language when I was sixteen and acted as an interpreter for friends and clients who were deaf for ten years.
I still hope to learn how to play the guitar properly and the piano. I found music lessons discouraging at school to be honest. I was given a tenor horn (not my choice) to learn to play. It was a nightmare to transport it on the school bus, so I gave up.
I intend to travel the whole earth, as slowly as possible. I hope that will be in a boat, that I have made. Only I don’t really want to do it alone. I would like the man I am in love with to have built the boat with me, and to be sailing with me. It makes me feel so excited to think of all the members of my human family that I have never met yet. I would love to meet them and for them to share their “corner” of the globe with me. Their cuisine, their music and dance, their culture, and the natural beauty of their home, the local wildlife. I am looking forward to the adventure of lifetime! I would like to live and work everywhere on the planet.
What is a serious blogger? Is it a blogger who really knows what they are doing? Someone who has been able to create a beautiful website and perhaps uses it professionally? Perhaps they produce helpful articles, substantiated with extensive references? Perhaps they also have links to other online resources, affiliate links or other recommendations? Perhaps they have mometirsed their blog or use it to promote their business? Is that a serious blogger?
Stuart, from Croydon, was the one who made me take the plunge. He and I used to be in touch a lot, mainly via e-mail. He was kind and said he looked forward to coming home from work and catching up with my long e-mails. (I have been writing letter and e-mails to family and friends since I was a child.)
I also thought it a bit odd to write something strangers would read. All my letters and e-mails have been to friends and family I know and love. So it was easy to know what to talk about, what they will be interested in, what they will find amusing or meaningful. How on earth do you know what to write to complete strangers?
So…to say the least I did not have very high expectations of blogging! But, a friend who used WordPress set up an account for me and picked some of the short stories I had and posted them all on the same day. Nothing happened. Hardly any feedback. But then I started participating in writing prompts and things got more interesting. It brought me into contact with some great bloggers.
Erm…my Nespresso machine?
Lots of ways. I like variety.
What kind of loyalty? Nobody is perfect. We all do and say things that are off the mark. So we all need loyal love, underserved kindness, graciousness form others. I would maintain loyal friendship and support to someone who might injure me or do something wrong. That might mean forgiving them or overlooking what they have done.
I have not bought any bottled water (I used to buy it for work) for a couple of years. I just use my reusable water bottle. I also have a reusable coffee cup (two actually) that I take around with me. I use canvass shopping bags (which so far have lasted me for several years) instead of plastic carrier bags.
When we were little girls we used to swim with a local club, at least three times a week after school (for several hours). We loved swimming. We were always in the pool until closing time, trying to pretend we didn’t hear the calls from the lifeguards and our parents that it was closing time. So when we climbed out of the pool, we didn’t have time to dry our hair properly because they wanted to lock the doors! We would run out into the cold hair with dripping hair and run as fast as we could to the car (sometimes we would run to the chip shop begging out parents to buy us a bag of chips to share in the car).
A few weeks ago, I had a message in my notifications a while ago from Riya, the creator of 
However, search though I might, I could not find any of her LIEBSTER AWARD posts that mentioned me being a nominee. So pragmatic as I am, rather than be annoying, I just thought I would pick the most recent LIEBSTER AWARD post on Riya’s site and use the questions from that. However, since I put this post together, Riya has actually published another LIEBSTER AWARD post and there I am listed as a nominee. So I am NOW working on that! However, this post was ready to roll, so after all the effort these posts take, I was hardly going to scrap it!
Crazy behind something? I am a little behind with my ironing at the moment. There is a great stack of laundry waiting to be pressed. But I love ironing, so that is alright.
A million dollars is more than one person should ever possess. I have never earnt more than £10,000 a year. (If you know nothing about me, that’s because since I was sixteen years of age I have spent most of my time doing voluntary work for charities.) So in my mind, I have a top limit as to how much money it is appropriate for one person to possess. Beyond a point, it becomes disgusting. I do not agree with people having that much. I think it is grossly absurd for the economy to allow that to happen. We should work for what we need and a little extra to be able to share hospitality with others. Then give the rest away. Greedily hoarding is nonsensical.
I wiped out almost all of my savings on my trip to Australia in the summer, so it would be nice to replenish my savings, so that I wasn’t having to eek everything out so much. I was always told you should have three months rent in the bank. I don’t want to actually buy a house (I understand that people might want a sense of security, but what’s the point of investing in this system?) and I don’t want a car, I like walking because it keeps my legs looking lovely and if I need to go far, London’s public transport system is great. I have more clothes and shoes than I can fit comfortably in my wardrobe. Charity shops have kept me well-supplied.
So I reckon if I take the three months rent, another £1000 so I can go to Australia again without scrimping and saving…well that’s all less than £3000. So anything more than that, I need to share out. I would make sure people I love and know have what they need, three months rent etc.
Then with the rest of the money, I would give it to the kind of charities I love working with. Charities that use both donations and their assets very carefully and do things that actually make sense. There are lots of “causes” out there, many of which I don’t think are particularly effective. But charities that don’t just throw relief at people in need, but go into areas and provide useful training and facilities, education and empowerment. Make that money have longer lasting effects. That way the money could actually touch and make a difference to the lives of many, actually many millions of people.
Wow…that would be quite a task indeed. This is suddenly feeling like not so much the Liebster Award but the Liebster Inquisition. It’s always a pleasure to open your blog Riya and happily read some of the posts I have previously missed. But I am not going to link and comment on twenty of them! Ay karumba!
Currently I will still say Adelaide. Although there have been some recent developments in my life that may seem to make that sound strange. I would like to see Goldfinch and make sure he really is ok with everything going on for me here in London. I care about him so much. He has been so sweet about everything. He says he is happy for me and that makes him happy. But still…it’s hard to stop worrying when I am so far away. He will never have any problem finding someone to like him. He is gorgeous. But I always fear – there are a lot of selfish people out there. I want a wonderful caring, kind hearted woman for him…her being beautiful and rich might be a welcome thing in his eyes.
I don’t really hate anything about myself. There are things I am not especially happy with, but I am content with the entire package. I would never go so far as to use the word “hate”. Rather a dramatic word isn’t it. But of course, there are parts of me (my love-handles for instance) that I am not particularly fond of. I am always a “work-in-progress”. But I am happy with me!
I am guessing that this “something” I am potentially about to do is not a simple affair, like having a cup of tea. It would have to be pretty significant for me to contemplate whether I am doing it for my own pleasure or because society is pressuring me into doing it.
I guess it would have to be that night I went to the park. Waking up in an ambulance…just proves what a regrettable decision I made the night before in not wanting to go home because I was so in anguish about the situation between me and my ex-flatmate.
I think a total of fourteen different countries. Which did I like the most? Hmm.
I will say this first…we have all been born in the middle of a warzone – all of us. Our Creator has an enemy who is on a “rule-or-ruin” mission. The scale of ruination can be very distressing at times. People are being stripped of all dignity and treated cruelly. Animals and our environment are being devastated. Disease, war, crime ravage individuals, families, communities. The issue of rulership is being decided. There is already a huge amount of testimonial record of how independence from our Creator affects mankind and the rest of creation on Planet Earth. The end is in sight! Very soon…this earth will come under the rule of our loving Creator! Life will be better than you and I have ever been allowed to imagine.
And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore – Rev 21:4
I live in London – like many young Londoners I have had to move a number of times. In the nine years I have lived in London, I have lived in six different properties.
Candles scare me. In the town I grew up in there were a lot of deadly house fires due to accidents with candles or cigarette stubs that had not been extinguished properly. The houses on the council estate I grew up on would burn up like cardboard. Whole families have been lost in some of the fires that occurred. Very upsetting. Whenever anyone gives me candles as a gift, I give them away to someone else, normally a charity shop.
Today is my one day of rest in this busy fortnight where I am working thirteen out of fourteen days 😦 and yet somehow I have managed to promise I will run errands for my landlady and make hummus and crudites for her. I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time chopping up carrots, peppers, celery and cucumber. Well, I have promised, so I will keep my word.
It was a rather random choice as a result of brainstorming with a friend. I think my blog-name may have caused confusion because the first dozen bloggers who followed my site were foodie bloggers. But I do like caramel very much.
We had a bit of a laugh brain storming over different names, but he suggested Caramel, because sometimes he has used that as a pet name for me. Actually he tends to call me Caramel Betty. He always said he could never understand how Jack could have been so careless with someone so sweet and who is such a softie.
Be patient.
Enjoy the party!
Years ago I had to walk home from high school (which was about four miles from our home) when we had a snow storm and the school buses could not run because of the roads. (That’s what happens in England when it snows – we are a bit pathetic!)
Mum told her to wait in our house until Dad came home from work and then he would make sure she reached home safely and in the meantime my mum telephoned her mum. Then Mum made us some delicious veggie soup and hot toast lathered with melting butter. I always remember how it felt to have that meal after we had been so bitterly cold.
I have found Teresa extremely encouraging and a source of great practical advice. To me she is an exemplary blogger. The quality of Teresa’s own writing is superb, but also for the huge contribution she has made to other bloggers – I think she is top of the list of super-bloggers for me.
Joyful
Besides Goldfinch?
I try not to get too attached to possessions.
The human element. I am a people person. I love the other people who are blogging. The wonderful personalities and the different points of view, pastimes, passions reflected by the many bloggers out there.
There are a lot of posts on my site that I have really enjoyed putting together. Some of them I like to look back at and I really enjoy reading about the members of family or friends or special experiences I have had.
Lots of people say they like my voice but have difficulty placing my accent. There is a little of the Liverpool accent (and sometimes I use expressions that seem to be only used in Liverpool) and a little of the broader Lancashire accent and a twang of Australian (my mum’s family are Australian) but I speak in a very clear English style. The tone of my voice is fairly soft and rhythmic. Many tell me to speak up because they cannot hear me when I speak at my natural volume. Some of my friends say they could listen to my voice droning all day because it calms them down. That has really helped when I have had to deal with aggressive patients while working in healthcare. I seem to calm them down just by speaking even if I am just talking about the weather, they seem distracted by my voice.
I love ironing (almost as much as karaoke!)
Candles scare me. In the town I grew up in there were a lot of deadly house fires due to accidents with candles or cigarette stubs that had not been extinguished properly. The houses on the council estate I grew up on would burn up like cardboard. Whole families have been lost in some of the fires that occurred. Very upsetting. Whenever anyone gives me candles as a gift, I give them away to someone else, normally a charity shop.
It was interesting to see the questions from 
Take a look at the fabulous Liebster Award post from 
The thing about most famous people is, I only see a glimpse of them, often a carefully coordinated glimpse that is controlled by their media agent. They have very little interest to me. I did not have a television for over ten years, so I am not very up to date with who is famous anymore, there seem to be a lot of “celebrities” whom I have never heard of or seen before.
I only strive to be like the people I know well, mainly my parents and some of my wonderful friends who have spent years or even decades working as volunteers. I have a few famous friends. I strive to imitate wonderful qualities like kindness and compassion in any of my friends whether they are famous or not. Fame is a very fickle thing indeed.
I have never dyed my hair.
My mum once left us with Dad one afternoon so she could go to a hair appointment. She came home with an unusual shade of red and a perm. We were all a bit shocked to be honest. Mum now has beautiful long golden white hair. It’s not white, and there is no hint of grey or silver and it’s not blonde, it’s almost platinum blonde I guess. Anyway whatever it is, her hair is in gorgeous condition. She normally wears it up when she goes out. But around the house she might have it down and it is very beautiful.
But I remember when we used to visit my Grandparents during December, they always had quite a large tree in the corner of the front siting room, near some French doors that led through to the larger living room at the rear of their house. I was quite taken by the Cinderella carriage lights they always had in gold, blue, green and pink. They were kind of pretty.
Well, for years I have worked during the holidays because I have been working in healthcare and that requires staff 24-7-12-365! My oldest sister is a nurse. My brother is a Doctor. Mumma was a nurse and always worked on the bank holidays. She could get either double or triple pay on bank holidays. Dad was a window-cleaner, and so it made sense for him to take time off during the winter holidays when the weather was rotten.
There were a lot of older ones we knew who might be alone over the holidays, so Dad would often take us to visit some of those he knew would be alone. At the time, I don’t think we understood how much it meant to some of them to have my Dad turn up with his young crew who invaded their home for a couple of hours before he took us elsewhere. We thought it was great because we were fed cake and pie and chocolates everywhere we went. So we were well up for it. We chatted away to our hosts who apparently would have spent the holidays on their own. Dad couldn’t bear to think of older ones without any family being all alone. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement – I think. I don’t know if it was odd. But I do know we were a very popular little crew.
On days when we were all together we would visit my grandparents. They would give us a parcel each with one “big” present and a host of other things like a new year diary, embroidered handkerchiefs, a jumper, gloves, sweeties etc. Other days we would meet up with lots of other friends and their families and go for a walk, sometimes there were about a hundred of us. Either in the Lake District or North Wales. Or a couple of times we went somewhere like Chester Zoo. Then we would split up into smaller parties and go to someone’s house for food and games.
There are a lot more heart attacks, mental health break downs, suicides during December and January, so of course that is one of the reasons why working in healthcare, this time of year is dreaded. I have often worked long hours and come home completely wiped out.
This year I will be off from December 24th right through to the following Monday. I am so so thrilled to have almost a whole week off. I think it might be the first time for over fifteen years. I will be in Wales, but will be seeing all of my direct family and a lot of the in-laws.
I have only heard of Black Friday within the last couple of years. But so far I have not had chance to make the most of the sales. I think we have just had Black Friday – I worked for fifteen hours that day and was not involved with any shopping – except that I did pick up some vegan fish-style burgers. But they were not in any kind of sale. I just really wanted to try them because I am curious as to what they might taste like. I have not had fish since before I was six years old, and the only fish I actually remember is fish-fingers.
The post office staff are so lovely. They all know my name and where I work now and where I used to work. I have noticed they always look a bit fed up with some of the customers who take out their frustration about the long queues and not being able to obtain the service they had queued for. So when I appear, their little faces light up. I always try to cheer them up with a little friendly chat and a joke (I don’t know many jokes). It seems like a nice little token towards someone who has spent the morning having customers shout and grumble at them.
There was a man at a railway station I went through who was randomly giving out beautiful roses to people passing. One rose each. I thought he was selling them at first, but he said to me, he just wanted to do something kind. People do look very stressed at this time of year. Maybe he wanted to try to brighten someone’s day?
Have I paid it forward? Well, I have not been giving out roses to strangers outside railway stations myself no.
Before my head injuries I hated hats – the only hats I was willing to wear were hard-hats on construction sites. But now I have twelve wide-brimmed hats, a couple of bucket hats and eight woolly hats. I feel a lot more confident when I wear a hat.
I love my food processor. I love making my own hummus, pesto, coleslaw and how much easier it is to make parts of other dishes – for example a biscuit base for cheesecake. It’s really hard to imagine not having a food processor now.
I used to love bubble gum. When I was at primary school, it was so popular. We used to trade different bubble gum flavours. We used to blow huge bubbles with it. It was fun!
And I do find it odd when people are chewing gum during a professional or important event. I have seen a bride and groom chewing gum all the way through their wedding service.
After I was the victim of a crime, I had some pretty bad injuries to recover from physically and emotionally. Several people helped me realize there was no rush to get better. Healing takes time. They said to me:
Dress up! I can be casual at home, on my own, any time I want to. I wear casual clothes when I am cleaning or gardening. Going out is always a chance to dress up.
We were caring for Abigail, a wonderful woman who was almost one hundred years of age and had been affected by Alzheimer’s disease for the previous ten years. She was a very special lady. The whole care team were absolutely devoted to her, but especially the most experienced of our carers (Penny – who everyone called “Matron”) I must write about both Abigail and Penny.
In October 2012 Abigail started to deteriorate rapidly. The number of patients had doubled in the past few weeks and I was having to train new carers to use equipment they had never seen before. We needed everyone to do extra hours to help with the round the clock support needed. I was with Abigail when she took her last breath.
Penny, our most experienced carer had come down with a cold just after Abigail’s death, so she had not been involved with Catrina’s care. We were all concentrating on Catrina so much, none of us had stopped to think about how many days of work Penny had missed. Penny had been sending us text messages to encourage us, because she knew we were in a very demanding situation and that emotions were wrought.
Aaaaaaaah! Those were some of the most demanding and heart-breaking months of my working life. I did feel I was stretched almost to breaking point. Just after we lost Penny, Jack moved into the flat I was living in and started to play strange games with me. Maybe if I had not been so exhausted emotionally I would have been able to cope better with Jack.
I won trophies as a child. I don’t have them with me. Swimming galas and maths contests mainly.
If it’s an ordinary day, my hand-bag because it is full of really useful things that would help you to survive an “ordinary” in London. Everything from purse, keys, phone, umbrella, lip gloss, perfume atomiser, hair clip, nail file, pocket tissues..
I prefer a paper book in my hands rather than an electronic device, but there is no point being parochial about this. Or would you rather we were still reading from clay tablets or perhaps scrolls made of animal hides or papyrus?
For centuries people used scrolls…and then some clever chap had a brain wave and the codex was born. We are still using the codex two thousand years later!
But then boom – came the printing press and the modern world has never been the same. Information was able to spread faster than ever before!
The developments in printing presses are astonishing! I have toured a Man Roland Lithoman printing press several times and observed it in action, printing over one hundred thousand full colour magazines per hour! I have lots of friends who work in printing, and I have been able to tour various printing operations.
But the cost of paper and the concern for the environment has effected the printing industry. In addition…boom – came the internet!
I know all the ins and outs of Twickenham Rugby Stadium like the back of my hand, having worked at various functions over the years
I have been a vegetarian since I was six years of age
If I am restricted to five…well I was showing Goldfinch a commercial advert for Warburton’s Giant Crumpets the other day…it has the Muppets doing a musical extravaganza. So so funny. Can you imagine having dinner with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Animal?!!! That would be the experience of a life-time! I can imagine the conversation being extremely memorable! Although I really would not want to sit next to Animal.
Hmm…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 am finding it hard with my current schedule to go regularly though. The habit I would like to make a regular feature of my life is to go swimming at least once a week.
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!!!
Our first cat Tamara, was abandoned by our next door neighbours when they moved house. She was a tiny tabby cat. My parents took her in.
modation I am in now has a TV. I watched a BBC series called “Death In Paradise” – a detective show set in the Carribean. I quite liked the feel of it. When I had time I watched a few episodes of “Masterchef” and “The Great British Bake-Off”.
” when we were children. I was too young to follow it really, but I have fond memories of John Thaw. I quite like that they have a series about the young Morse as he 
ink some of the documentaries the BBC have broadcast are simply incredible – 
Caramel 