draliman on life

It’s my regular Share Your World time here, with questions posed by Cee from Cee’s Photography blog. Head over and check out all her lovely pictures!

On a vacation what you would require in any place that you sleep?
Not a bed, is the first thing I wouldn’t require, which is not what the question asked.

That was an odd sentence.

I’ve got a choice of two things here. First, I’ll say my phone. I know this is a common answer to a lot of “what would you require” questions, but my phone gives me a timepiece, alarm, “book”, music, video, light, communications etc etc.

As an alternate answer, a bit of peace and quiet! I love regular sounds, like wind, or rain. I find it especially relaxing on the rare occasions I sleep on a boat, with the throbbing noise of the engines and the rocking, but I can’t sleep if there are sudden noises from outside, like sudden shouts, sirens or cars revving.

Music or silence while working?
Music is the thing for me! I don’t generally listen to music at work, though, because then people have trouble catching my attention. I listen to my iPod or phone before people start to arrive. I could listen with just one earphone in, but I find that really annoying, getting music in just one ear.

The alternative isn’t silence, though. There’s the usual office noises, plus the radio in the background.

If you were to move and your home came fully furnished with everything you ever wanted, list at least three things from your old house you wish to retain.
That depends a bit on what “fully furnished” actually means. I’ll take it to mean “actual furniture”, in which case first of all I’ll need my “entertainment corner”.

Matthew MacFadyen, as featured in Entertainment Corner

Second, I have some mementos from my dear Granny, who passed away 15 years ago – the candlesticks you can see in the picture below, and the gong. When we were little and visiting her in Scotland, often before dinner my brother or I would bang the gong to say “dinner time!”

From Granny’s house, now on my mantelpiece

The gong-banger (I’m sure there’s a proper name for that) is actually from a larger gong, which is why it’s not hanging on the side.

My third item? I guess my photos, as they are memories which can’t be replaced. I haven’t gotten around to scanning them all to the cloud yet.

What’s your least favourite mode of transportation?
I think that would have to be air travel. It’s not the travel itself, though that can be a bit of a chore. It’s all the security and hassle at the airport. It was bad enough the last time I travelled by air, but it’s awful now. I’m hoping never to have to travel by air again. Although if I ever have enough money to travel to New Zealand to visit the Hobbits, I’ll have to. I’d be willing to put myself through all that to see the Hobbits!

See you again next week for more Sharing of My World!

Hello, it’s that time of the week when it’s all about me in Cee’s Share Your World challenge. Pop over to her photography blog and check out her cool pictures!

What is your most vivid memory of the kitchen in your childhood?
Hmm, kitchen, kitchen… Is that the one with the “cooker” in? Where the “food magic” happens?

Just kidding. I cook! Well, microwave. I remember standing on something and helping mum wash the dishes (at least I thought I was helping). I was 5 years old and we’d just moved to a new house. I was too old to go to nursery and I had to wait a couple of months for the new school year to start, so I had time on my tiny hands!

As a child, who was your favourite relative?
That would be my granny up in Scotland, who sadly passed away about 15 years ago.

Every summer, we went up to Scotland to spend a couple of weeks with her, and every Christmas she came down to spend a couple of weeks with us. Granny’s arrival was when Christmas really started. She was a very kind-hearted person and she’s sorely missed.

Here she is in the middle, with my Mum and Uncle, taken at Cape Wrath (Northern Scotland) in 1954.

What did you or did not like about the first apartment you ever rented?
We’ll pass over the room in student residences I had in my first year at university (it was a boring, standard student-issue room – bed, desk, chair) and go straight to the house I rented in Guildford with three other students in the second year. That was way more fun!

Our landlord was Iranian and as dodgy as they come. He didn’t even pay tax. He was the “agent” for the landlord, who was supposedly in Iran. Yeah, right. He used to go round to buy houses for “the landlord’s” portfolio with suitcases full of cash.

He’d come round to check the house, complain about the kitchen floor, then race around with a dustpan and brush demonstrating how to clean while we all stood and watched, trying desperately not to laugh. It was hilarious to watch!

Another time one of the lads had dropped tomato ketchup on the carpet and this guy came round. I had to stand on the stain and as the guy walked around the room, I just rotated on the spot to keep my foot on the ketchup.

We didn’t half have some fun that year. Ah, halcyon days!

What kind of TV commercial would you like to make? Describe it.
I’d prefer to make a comedy spoof TV advert. It would have loads of that “but wait, there’s more, order in the next 10 minutes and…” in it. I don’t really have any interest in adverts. I record most stuff that I watch on commercial TV and fast forward through the ads. I refuse to spend an hour of my life watching something that’s only 40 minutes long.

It’s time to Share my World again. This is a weekly challenge hosted by Cee over at her photography blog – go check out her wonderful photos. Thanks for posing the questions, Cee!

What is your favourite time of day?
This is a tricky one. I’m a morning person in terms of getting things done, so I start work quite early. I really enjoy the evenings though, especially in the winter when I can snuggle up in the living room with the fake fire on.

Action shot of my fake fire.

The middle of the day is rubbish. I’ve started to get tired from my early start, but it’s ages until the evening.

What’s your favourite charitable cause and why?
Probably Macmillan Cancer Support. They help cancer sufferers, send round nurses, give advice and so on.

How do you like to spend a rainy day?
Watching TV, playing on my PS4. Colour me boring :-(.

When writing by hand do you prefer to use a pencil or pen?
I don’t prefer writing by hand at all. My handwriting has gone seriously downhill over the years, whether a result of age, laziness or lack of use I don’t know. I prefer pens to pencils because they “slip” across the page more easily, if you see what I mean. Pencil would probably improve my handwriting though, as “easily slipping” across the page is part of the problem, I fear.

Here’s an example I’ve scanned in. It appears to be a rapid “brain-to-page” poem-type thing I must have had some ideas about a while ago. If you can make any of it out, it appears to be about some cute little birds, then some lines I haven’t worked out yet (the dotted lines), then they all die! Presumably because they didn’t get up early, didn’t catch any worms and starved to death.

Does anyone know what this says?

That’s all for this week!