TAG-- Your it!! part 10-26

Here goes for the second lot of soul searching, deep, meaningful and insightful Questions and Answers...


Q.11 What is your earliest memory?

 About 3.30 this morning when the curse of the friday night insomnia struck AGAIN!!
Going back into my childhood, I have a very clear and distinct memory of being pushed in my pram. Yeah Yeah you may say, but I must have been about 18 months old. I asked my mum a couple days ago if this really happened and it wasnt just a dream or induced memory and she came back after a few days and she has a vauge memory of the incident too. As she was pushing me across what was the edge of the moors on the outskirts of Oldham  Lancs, we came too a small stream and a little bridge that was no more than a couple of planks. As we crossed I was sat up in my old silver cross pram and looking down saw a dead cat in the water. I can still see its face now, eyes open staring back up at me. I knew it was dead and I guess the shock of it has burned itself into my brain and never left me. I can also remember in great detail the house we lived in at the time, down to the furniture and the colour of the walls. I even remember that one night there was a thunder and lightning storm and I was in bed crying and my mum came and took me down-stairs and there was a circus on t.v. ....result!

Q.12 What is your guiltiest pleasure?

 Dangerous question to ask a man, obviously apart from dressing up in the wife's underwear when she's out at the shops I would have to say spending 2 hours in the bath with a nice bottle of Pinot Nior,candles soft music and the Screwfix catalogue.

Q13. What do you owe your parents?

 To my mum, everything. The choices she made at times of great hardship have motivated me to do the best for my family. She taught me responsibility, not just for today but for tomorrow. She showed me that you don't have to measure your worth by what you acquire and that things with true value can never be bought. But most of all she showed just what can be achieved with hard work and determination.
 To my Dad, a slap. But as he is now dead then its a bit hard. I hadn't seen him since I was 14 and only found out last year that he died over 10 years ago. It may sound like I hate him but to be honest I have no real feelings for him so in my opinion its his loss, he lost out on his daughter and son plus three beautiful grandchildren. He is best off where he is.

Q 14. To whom would you most like to say sorry and why?

  Easy, to my wife and children. Why? because I can feel myself metamorphasising into a grumpy old man and as hard as I fight it I don't always win.

Q15 What or who is the greatest love of your life?

 Easy again, it has to be my wife. She is smart, funny and loyal.


Q. 16  What does love feel like?

It can make you smile unexpectedly and it can make you cry just as easily.

Q.17  What was the best kiss of your life?

Hmm, now this could get me into all sorts of trouble!  How does the saying go "a gentleman never tells". But I can tell you it was better than Shrek and Fiona's!

Q.18 Which words or phrases do you most over use?

Sorry...., C'mon were going to be late....., Ah go on then just one more then....

Q.19 What is the worst job you have done?

Working for a local supermarket when I first left school, I would have to put in 55 hours a week and work in sweatshop conditions for £50.00 a week. If we had worked hard enough  we were allowed to take home the out of date meat on a Saturday. Oh happy day!


Q.20 If you could edit your past what would you change?

As Edith Piaf growled "No.....No regrets".  The things that have happened to me make me who I am today and I am pretty comfortable with myself at the moment. The only thing I  would of liked is to have the assured confidence that the decisions I did make were right.
 Oh and of course that time when the wife returned home from shopping 1/2 hour earlier than expected!

Q.21 What is the closest you have come to death?

I was in Jamaica at a dancehall "party" in a field out the back of some derelict shops. There was about 500 people and the biggest sound system you have ever seen. Ninjaman and Shinehead were doing live p.a's when at about 3am a convoy of 6 quarry pick up lorries rolled up and about 600 people gate crashed the venue. There were people being chopped with machete's and gunfights, gang fights with bottles and knives. Then when the police turned up it took a serious turn for the worse, them boys don't mess when it comes to a bit of police brutality! As the only 2 tourists in the place we were lucky not to be the first against the wall. We were given an armed police escort and the longest scariest lecture by the police on a two mile walk back to the resort we were staying at. It made the national news and the papers the next day.

Q.22 What do you consider your greatest achievement ?

I would like to think that my children will be my greatest achievement, they are so far and I hope that they continue to make me as proud  in the future. Its also my 15th wedding anniversary this year.

Q.23 When did you last cry and why?

The night before I had an operation on my knee last year. I had an overwhelming feeling that I wasn't going to wake up from the anaesthetic, I guess it was a bit of a panic attack. I wasn't scared of dying it was the thoughts of how my family would deal with my death.
 And before that it was while watching Astro Boy with the kids, I must have been coming down with a cold or something....sniff, cough cough sniff!

Q.24 How do you relax?

I love plants, I can spend hours in nurseries. Then when it comes to combinations and creating a planting scheme its as if I am creating a living painting. The process is both exhilarating and relaxing and when you get it just right with all the subtle nuances then for me there is nothing more fulfilling. Strangely this works best for me when its done for some-one else, I find it frustrating and limiting in my own garden, I guess the "mistakes" become all I see.
Oh and a nice smoky single malt.


Q.25 What single thing would most improve the quality of your life?

 Without doubt two fully functioning knees. Through years of football, running, squash and general abuse I now find myself struggling to overcome a severe injury. Two years ago I snapped three ligaments in my knee during a football match, this has led to a total reconstruction of ligaments damaged and three subsequent operations I now find myself unable to run, kick a ball with the kids and on bad days, climb a flight of stairs. Painful yes, frustrating even more so.

Q.26 What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

 Just get on with it!!

So all the online psychoanalysts will be wetting themselves about now just wishing they could have a proper crack at this nut!


Feel free to have a go at this one if you so wish, pick the ones you want.
I would like to tag......

Steve at Bloggertropolis
Veg at The Vegetable  Assassin
John at Going Gently