Clouds drifting by

17. If you were given $1M, with the stipulation that you must spend it on yourself within one year, how would you spend it?
I'd buy a bungalow and have it fitted out exactly how I wanted with everything adapted for me to use with the flick of a switch. It'd also have wider doorways so I could have Neater arm supports that'd enable me to lift my arms.

18. What do you daydream about?
Usually whatever story I'm working on. Sometimes, I daydream about being able-bodied.

19. What was the first song you ever memorized?
The Eton Boating Song, I think. I was playing it on the piano.

7. Have you ever called in sick to work when you weren't actually ill but didn't want to give the real reason?
Yep. Before I received an official diagnosis, I was struggling with my walking and keeping my balance. The last winter I worked, the pavement was covered in ice. I didn't get far before I turned tail, went home, and rang in sick with a migraine.

8. Have you ever talked to yourself out loud in public?
Not that I recall.

9. Are you a worrier? What's something you're worried about right now. Can you do something constructive about the situation?
I used to worry about everything. Now, I'm far more of a fatalist.

10. Would you sign up to be a colonist on another planet if it meant you would never be able to return to earth?
Nooooooooooo. That's regardless of a return journey or not. Have you seen sci-fi films? The colonies are the first to go.

11. Do you like having your picture taken? Why or why not?
Not really. I'm better than I was but I don't like the way I look.

12. Do you experiment with your hairstyle often, or do you have a classic style you stick with?
Classic? Style? What are these words you use?

28. Do you write in cursive?
Yep. It's more difficult than it was, thanks to the muscular dystrophy, but I still do.

29. If you could witness any event of the past, present, or future, what would it be?
Anything? Wow... Okay:

The first powered flight by man.

The first powered flight was Henri Giffard's steam-powered airship in 1852. On Sept. 24, 1852, Giffard traveled almost 17 miles (27 kilometers) from Paris to Trappes moving at about 6 miles per hour (10 kilometers/hour). His airship could be steered only in calm weather, though. In wind, it could fly only in slow circles.

I'd also want to see the Wright Brothers' first flights in 1903, but that first powered flight by airship? Can you imagine?

30. Do you have a favorite painting? (Post a picture?) Possibly:



But I have a weakness for most of the Impressionists.

31. Do you swear a lot?
Not as much as I used to.

I'm really not keeping up with this! Oh, well.

24. If you won a huge lottery, with more money than you could use, what charitable organization or civic donation would you fund?
Hillside Animal Sanctuary. Their patron is Martin Shaw and they focus on helping farm animals, but they seem to help any animal in need. They also run undercover investigations to expose cruelty in the farming industry and the sanctuary is home to over 2,500 animals. I first heard about them from a campaign to raise the funds to save Benjy the bull from the slaughterhouse in Ireland. Hillside offered him a forever home but he needed to get there first. Boris had been intended to be a stud bull only it turned out he didn't like girl cows.

If you ever want to make my day, please give them a bale of hay for £4.

25. What three fictional characters (from film, TV, or books) do you most strongly identify with?
Barbara Buncle from Miss Buncle's book (D E Stevenson). She's shy and withdrawn at first and is frequently overlooked and ignored.

Mary Bennet from Pride & Prejudice (Jane Austen). While I'm not sanctimonious and I hope I'm nowhere near as tone-deaf as Mary, I identify with her feeling of being completely alone and out of step with everyone around her.

Abigail Wendover from Black Sheep (Georgette Heyer). She has far more charm than I could hope for, but she has a bad habit of sacrificing her wants for her sister and niece.

5. Would you rather be the main character in a fantasy story, a sci-fi story, or a horror story?

A fantasy!

3. What hobby or activity would you do more if the internet and TV went down for a month?

Reading books. I think I'd get through a few.

27. Do you have a favorite mixed drink or cocktail?

Tia Maria and diet coke with ice. Mmm hmmm.

22. Do you have a living will or other documentation of an end-of-life care plan?

No. I should organise one.

20. Do you think morality and ethics are absolute or situational?

Situational, for the most part.

15. How many cups of water did you drink yesterday?
Water with juice? 1,000ml, plus a can of coke, and a coffee.

Wow, I don't drink enough.

16. When you were graduating from school, what did you think your life would look like at your age now? Does it match?


I didn't think about my future at all.