Clouds drifting by

Day 8: Iced coffee.

Especially a mocha. OMG, they're so good. Mmm...

Day 8: Tracing my family tree.

It's puzzling, confusing, frustratng, and addictive. The sense of achievement when you finally find a relative's birthdate or figure out another maiden name is immense.

I find myself getting very fond of my relatives and talking to them through the computer. It also extra nice that I've managed to copy a number of relatives' pictures. When my mum's parents moved back from Germany* the container which had all their photos in was dropped into the sea, so we don't have many pictures from before the early 60s.

*My Grandad worked as a civilian in the RAF after the war and he was posted to Germany. His wife and kids went with him. My mum said it was amazing. They had an indoor toilet at home.

6 What is the worst perk you've ever received because of your job?

I really can't think of anything. When I worked for the DWP (Dept. of Work and Pensions), we didn't have perks but the line managers would do fun things for special occasions - like selection boxes for Christmas or Easter Eggs for Easter. That would have sucked if you didn't like chocolate.

5 Have you ever fallen down stairs?

Urgh, yes! In the last place I lived, there was a set of really steep stairs with a short spiral at the bottom. The spiral bit was sided by a wall.

I slipped at the top, skidded down the stairs on my side (so my right thigh hit every step), then crashed into the wall at the bottom. I could hear my mum panicking in her bedroom - she was disabled and couldn't get downstairs - so I shouted I was okay, then hobbled off to the sofa where I managed to avoid fainting.

The bruise on my right thigh was amazing in size and colour.

4 If you won the lottery would you still buy a ticket every week? What do you think of people who win a second time?

If I won a fortune on the lottery then, no, I probably wouldn't bother buyng more tickets. It doesn't bother me that people win and keep on playing though.

3 If you could put a custard pie in the face of anyone in the world (with no retaliation) who would you choose to do that to?

Probably Trump. I should think most people would choose him. By the time he's finished being custard pied, it'd be too late for him to run again for President and he could bugger off back to New York.

2 If you could talk to any one type of animal and they could talk back to you what animal would you choose?

Cats, of course. <3

The banner and meme come from corvidology!

It's simple: Let's brighten up February by posting about Stuff We Love!


Day 1: Daisy!

Though she's definitely not stuff, I love her. She's a demanding little diva, who thinks nothing of stropping her claws on my wheels in order to get me to go to the armchair and give her some love and attention.

I may sometimes refer to her as my moneypit kitty, but I'm glad she's here, even if my bank account objects.

29 When you were a child what did you fantasise about doing when you grew up?

Being an actress.

27 If you were the ruler of the universe what laws would you make?

It's not that I'd make new laws precisely, but I'd improve the sentencing on what laws we have. There'd be none of this slap on the wrist for life destroying crimes, including cruelty to animals. The victim's emotional distress would be a major factor in dictating the length of the sentence.

I'd also have more prisons so stupid kids who do something moronic without actually hurting someone could get a brief taste of prison life in a separate prison without being thrown into a system that would destroy them. Rehab would be a major factor in helping those who could actually be helped.

I'd also give financial support to people who are trying to make a living through the arts. People on minimum wage would be given subsidies so they're not struggling. Homeless people would be provided with safe shelter with the aim of getting them into a place of their own.

My aim would be to have a society where no one, including stray animals, is homeless or hungry, and where everyone is valued as being important in some way.