Let’s start this year’s nonsense with some silly questions from Sunday Stealing.
1. What would you rather be doing right now?
I’m quite happy writing this post to be honest, but if I had a choice, I would rather be checking into a hotel in a different country with a plan to explore. Typically for me, January and February are the worst months of the year because here in the UK it is usually dark, cold and miserable. However, since I’ve retired, I can tolerate this time of year because I don’t have the added frustration and bleakness of doing a job that irritated me. Moreover, this year we are off to Malaysia at the end of January for two weeks, visiting Kuala Lumpur and Penang before calling into Hong Kong for a few days on the way back. I am looking forward to it because Malaysia is a country I have yet to visit and also I just love Hong Kong. It will be like visiting an old friend.
2. What is always on your grocery list?
The single most important thing on the list is cat food for my two bosses.
After that the other items are usually salad, vegetables, fruit, bread, eggs, milk, cheese and other things that we need to replenish on a weekly basis. A lot of people like to do their grocery shopping online but I prefer to go to the actual supermarket because I spot things as I wander around the aisles. The last time we did our grocery shopping online was when both Mrs PM and I had Covid and they messed it up big time. In fact every time I have tried it, they screw something up by forgetting something or “substituting” something you asked for with something that you didn’t.
I am not a huge fan of going to the supermarket at all but since I am retired and Mrs PM still works, it is one of my many new tasks as her Personal Assistant. And I always get it right.
3. Have you ever used a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
I have never used a fire extinguisher.
4. How many times did you text yesterday?
I don’t send texts anymore. I use WhatsApp these days. I think I sent a few messages to friends and family wishing them a Happy New Year.
5. Would you prefer a slow-paced, relaxing vacation or one filled with new sights and experiences?
I would prefer a mixture of the two. An example of this is our holiday to Malaysia. We are going to explore the bustling city that is Kuala Lumpur for three or four days and then fly to Penang for a relaxing few days by the beach before setting off to Hong Kong where we will once again explore parts of the city we haven’t been to before (there aren’t many such places to be fair but we will have fun searching for them).
It’s that time of the year, dear reader, where I try to sum up the year that is about to be filed in the annals of history while thinking ahead to the new year. 2025 marks the end of my first full year of retirement and it was special for that reason. I spent the year enjoying not working. Gone are the days when I had to deal with constant deadlines and office politics.
It is very relaxing and I am much happier for it.
On the other hand, I promised myself that I would try to keep my mind and body active and I think I have managed to achieve that with a routine that has given me some purpose. That said, I am still thinking about what to do in 2026 and also still learning about what is out there for an old git like me.
The best way to summarise the year is to be guided by a set of questions that hopefully cover what happened in 2025.
Here goes.
1. What did you do in 2025 that you’d never done before?
I gained a daughter-in-law.
My eldest son got married earlier this month in a small ceremony in Manchester with just close family members attending. They are going to have a big celebratory party in 2026 but for the purposes of the wedding they wanted to keep it small and special.
I also joined Lancashire Cricket Club so that I use my free time in the summer relaxing while watching a peaceful cricket match. I managed to see Lancashire play and also attended a couple of England games, including a very lively and very exciting test match against India.
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Yes I did, largely. The routine I set up last year helped me battle against procrastination. Over the day or so I will be looking at extending the routine to perhaps bring in a few more resolutions. One that I particularly want to do is to expand my reading a little by making time to read non-fiction books about subjects that interest me, in particular science subjects.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I know that my new daughter-in-law’s sister gave birth to a son but I’m not 100% sure that is was in 2025 or not.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, sadly.
Mrs PM’s step mother sadly passed away in November at the age of 76. It was a real shock to us because we went for a meal with her a few days before it happened. I will miss her.
5. What countries did you visit?
We had a great year for travel in 2025.
In February we visited the Spanish island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It was my first visit there.
In May, we took Mrs PM’s mother to Valletta in Malta.
In June, we visited Nice, which is one of our favourite cities in France and on one day we took the train to what is another country, Monaco.
Finally, we took a cruise with some close friends of ours and visited Greece and Turkey. I was particularly pleased to have visited Athens for the first time.
Here are a few holiday snaps.
Playa Blanca, Lanzarote
Sunset in Playa Blanca
Boats in Valletta, Malta
A Fountain in Valletta
A Dream Theater tribute band in Nice
A nice car in Monaco
Sunset in Greece
Mrs PM, PM and two cruise buddies
6. What would you like to have in 2026 that you lacked in 2025?
For this question last year, I asked for a better summer than usual. I think somebody divine must have read it because we were granted with a really good summer with several heat waves and much less rain. Of course, in typical fashion, the lack of rain meant that some parts of the UK were told to be very careful with their water usage. However, we are in Manchester so there was enough rain to keep the water supplies at the appropriate level.
For 2026? I am still waiting for that elusive lottery win.
7. What dates from 2024 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
December 13th is a great date because that’s when I gained a daughter-in-law and officially became a father-in-law.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Making an average of 10,000 steps per day in 2025.
I can say this is done because even if I don't walk tomorrow that target is in the bag. That's an average of 5 miles per day and about 1825 miles walked in the year. Maybe I will aim for 2000 miles in total in 2026 - but we shall see.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I’m still trying to draw myself away from politics in an attempt to be more positive but it is difficult to do so with the trends that are happening worldwide. When I watch You Tube for example, I find that the “algorithm” is offering me political opinions that I really shouldn’t take any notice of. It is difficult and I really need to have more self-control and not end up following these trails of pain that lead me into territory where I start getting really angry.
It's a battle that I will no doubt continue to fight in 2026.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had a couple of colds but nothing more than that.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
The holidays were a great purchase, particularly the Aegean cruise. I also bought a little desk tidy unit that fits snugly next to my desk and makes it much less cluttered. Actually, Mrs PM bought that for me, so not sure whether that counts.
Oh, and I bought a new smart watch.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
As usual, I award Plastic Mancunian Knighthoods to those heroes who dedicate their lives to helping others without wanting the plaudits that many more famous people crave.
I salute you all - you know who you are.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Well that is a really easy question to answer.
Donald Trump continues to turn America into a dangerous place to be and in his second term he is breaking more rules than he did before and making a much bigger mess than he did during his first term. He is a typical malignant narcissist who has created around himself an alternate world where truth doesn’t exist unless it favours him and his views.
Likewise we have Nigel Farage in the UK who is slowly but surely trying to create a divisive narrative in the UK with Trumpian values that echo what Trump is doing in the US. Sadly, he is gaining in popularity and that is very dangerous for the UK.
And of course we have other dangerous lunatics in the world, like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un.
This is why I am trying to shield myself from politics because my anger is rising as I type.
Let’s pause while I walk away and take some very deep breaths.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Definitely holidays this year – as is also the case in other years.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I was excited about my holidays but also I saw some amazing and varied gigs this year.
Rock gigs I went to were: Zakk Sabbath (an all star tribute to Black Sabbath including Zakk Wilde, Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist), The Wildhearts, The Black Spiders, two tribute festivals and a tribute gig in Manchester, Nine Inch Nails, Ugly Kid Joe, The Eureka Machines, Ricky Warwick, The Stranglers and The Offspring.
Pop gigs I went to were: Absolute Bowie (a David Bowie tribute band), Massive Attack, Bjorn Again, Heaven 17, Squeeze and Madness.
16. What song will always remind you of 2025?
I discovered a couple of new bands, the most prominent being an Italian progressive rock band called Kingcrow. I loved their album Hopium (which was released in 2024) and here is a great song from that album:
I am a huge fan of Riverside and the genius behind that band, Mariusz Duda has a side project called Lunatic Soul that released a new album this year. Here is a beautiful song from that album called The Prophecy:
Other great albums released this year that I loved are:
Dream Theater – Parasomnia
The Wildhearts – The Satanic Rites of the Wildhearts
Steven Wilson – The Overview
Nine Inch Nails – Tron: Ares (soundtrack)
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?
I am happier definitely because it is my first full year of retirement.
I am about the same in terms of weight – just slightly overweight with a BMI of just over 26.
I am probably about the same financially too – maybe slightly poorer.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I’m quite happy with what I did last year but maybe I could have been a little more adventurous.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
I am desperately trying to avoid getting drawn into the world of politics because it makes me angry. I tried to step back and ignore it in 2025 and discovered that you can’t really do that unless you ignore the news. I can’t do that and certain “leaders” made me rant when I am trying to become more laid back. At least these days, I try not to talk about politics with other people – and that is helping a little.
20. How will you spend New Year's Eve?
We are having a small New Year’s party at a mate's house in Sale.
21. Did you fall in love in 2025?
I was already in love in 2025.
22. What was your favourite TV program?
I am currently enjoying the second season of Peacemaker and am watching Parks and Recreation for the first time which is fun. I will be watching the final series of Stranger Things next year.
I really enjoyed Daredevil Reborn and Dexter: Resurrection.
I think I will name the last two as joint winners.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don’t hate anyone but there are certain people who really really push me to the limit. I mention them all the time so I won’t give them any more airspace this year.
24. What was the best book you read?
I enjoyed Mr Mercedes by Stephen King which I read for the first time. I will also be watching the series in 2026.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I would say, Kingcrow as mentioned above. But I also discovered a band called Volbeat who have been around for years and I hadn’t heard of them until I saw a tribute band for them.
26. What did you want and get?
I wanted to have a few holidays in my first year of retirement – and I got exactly that.
27. What did you want and not get?
That elusive lottery win that I am still waiting for.
28. What was your favourite film of this year?
I would say Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. It was a great way to end a great series of films.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
At my time of life, birthdays have virtually no importance. This year I was 63 years old and I was travelling back from a cruise on the Aegean Sea.
30. What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
As I said, it was my first full year of retirement and I know that I made exactly the right decision.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2025?
My fashion sense was and remains non-existent. Perhaps the only thing I bought this year that makes any difference is a new three piece suit for my son’s wedding.
32. What kept you sane?
Mrs PM of course.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I don’t really “fancy” celebrities (for many reasons) but I recently saw Kate Beckinsale and Gillian Anderson and they both looked lovely, so I will share the honour between those two ladies.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Where to start without ranting …
See my answer to 13 above.
35. Who did you miss?
I will miss Mrs PM’s step mother. We got on really well and it is such a shame to have lost her.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
Nobody leaps to mind.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2025.
My retirement routine works and I plan to tweak it in 2026.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
With question 13 in mind …
The righteous rise with burning eyes
Of hatred and ill-will
Madmen fed on fear and lies
To beat, and burn, and kill
They say there are strangers who threaten us
Our immigrants and infidels
They say there is strangeness too dangerous
In our theatres and bookstore shelves
Those who know what's best for us
Must rise and save us from ourselves
Quick to judge, quick to anger
Slow to understand
Ignorance and prejudice
And fear, walk hand in hand
And finally...
I wish everyone who stumbles across this blog post a very happy and fruitful 2026. May all your wishes come true – unless your name is Nigel Farage or Donald Trump.
Welcome to a sunny but chilly South Manchester with six days to go until Christmas Day.
We have a busy Christmas planned this year. We’re visiting friends in Chester tomorrow, then travelling to Blackpool on Tuesday, returning on Christmas Eve, spending the day at our house with my two sons, my new daughter-in-law and my mother-in-law before returning to Blackpool on Boxing Day. I return from Blackpool the day afterwards and am going to a gig in Manchester entitled “Christmas in Valhalla” featuring five heavy metal tribute bands.
After that I can relax until New Year’s Eve.
There is just time to answer some silly questions from Sunday Stealing (with the word “favourite” modified throughout to reflect the correct English spelling rather than the favoured American spelling).
1. Describe your favourite cake.
My favourite cake is Black Forest Gateau but I only have it in restaurants these days if it is available. We don’t have it at home because Mrs PM is allergic to eggs and if she eats it, it makes her feel queasy. We discovered this about four years ago, when she brought a huge one for Christmas during the pandemic. We were locked down and she decided not to have any more, which left me trying to scoff it before the “use by” date expired. I absolutely loved the cake but it was tough eating so much of it.
I dread to think how many pounds I added to my body weight.
2. Think of the best party you've ever attended. Were you a host or a guest?
I’ve been to a lot of parties and all of them have been fun so it is difficult to recall which one was the best. I was almost certainly a guest because I find hosting a party quite stressful, which means that I don’t enjoy them as much.
3. When you choose a greeting card, do you pay more attention to the words or the pictures?
I usually choose a card that has a funny picture because I much prefer them to boring cards. The last one I bought was for my son’s wedding and etiquette demands that such cards are boring and, in my opinion, a little stuffy. That was a one off and I paid more attention to the words. For birthday cards I always choose a card with a funny image – even for Mrs PM – because such cards are more fun.
I don't send Chrsitmas cards anymore.
4. What's your favourite holiday?
Okay – I am assuming that this is what American’s mean by “holiday” rather than the British version.
In the UK a “holiday” means a trip somewhere, i.e. the equivalent of an American “vacation”. Correct me if I am wrong but an American “holiday” is something like Christmas or Thanksgiving. In the UK we don’t have Thanksgiving but we definitely have Christmas and that, dear reader, is my favourite. The reason stems from the recent days when I used to work because I always chose to have two weeks off to join in the festivities and forget about the daily grind for a fortnight. Now I am retired, I still love Christmas because everyone is happy, there are lots of get-togethers and we see people we haven’t seen for a while.
5. Who is your favourite character on your favourite TV show?
It’s difficult to choose my favourite TV show so I will list a couple that I am watching at the moment.
The first is an American sitcom called “Parks and Recreation”. I had heard that it is really funny, so Mrs PM and I decided to watch it during her lunch breaks (she is still working and works from home). We are currently up to series 3. My favourite character is probably Ron Swanson, the boss.
I’m also watching season 2 of The Peacemaker and, of course, the best character is Peacemaker himself. Be aware that the clip below contains bad language.
Finally, I’m watching a Scottish sitcom called Still Game from the early 2000s that I hadn’t seen before until a friend of mine pointed it out. The two old men who are the main characters are both brilliant. Here’s a clip but again beware, there is some fruity language in it (if you can understand the accents, that is).
And finally …
I would like to wish everyone who stumbles upon this a post a Merry Christmas. I hope you have a great and relaxing time snuggled up against the fire. Of course, if you are Australian, you can pop out and enjoy the summer sun – and please take pity on me and don’t mention the cricket.
Welcome to a cold but sunny South Manchester day. We are fast approaching the shortest day of the year, which will occur in nine days’ time. The sun will rise at 08:23 in the morning and will set at 15:51, which means that we will only get 7 hours and 28 minutes of daylight. The good news is that the days start to get longer after that we have Christmas and New Year to look forward to.
You’ve got to look at the positives of every situation, right?
That is of course my own personal opinion and, sometimes, that of Mrs PM too who often implores me to “Stop being weird!” I have met a lot of people who are a lot weirder than I am but I think that adjective does just about sum me up.
2. What's the best way to get on your good side?
Buy me a beer or a coffee and have a chat to me.
The fact that I will accept the beer tells you that I am willing to try to get to know you or perhaps forgive you for a misdemeanour. If I don’t like you, I will still try to be nice to you on the surface because I do regard myself as a nice guy. Nevertheless I will try to avoid you and I probably wouldn’t accept the beer or coffee, making an excuse to avoid it.
3. What person do you feel most comfortable with?
I feel comfortable with a lot of people but the person I feel most comfortable with is, unsurprisingly, Mrs PM. She is the person from planet Earth that knows me best – hence, as I said above, she will say “Stop being weird”.
4. Do you handle criticism well?
Yes, if it is deserved, constructive and if I can learn from it. Sometimes it is good to be honest and if I am being an arse I would rather be told about it.
5. Are you the type to tell someone, if asked, that their pants DO make them look fat?
Absolutely not. Mrs PM sometimes asks for my opinion about clothes she wants to buy and I hate it when she does because she says things like “Be honest with me”. I would never say that something makes people look fat, even if it really did. I would choose to be more subtle or more delicate by saying “No – but I prefer the one you tried on before. That really suits you.” Or pehaps I would just look puzzled for a second or two and then shake my head without saying anything else.
I recently heard that one of my musical heroes has finally decided to hang up his microphone and officially retire. That man is David Coverdale, the man behind the rock band Whitesnake. I’ve been listening to his music for most of my life and whenever I hear some of his songs, it takes me back to earlier chapters of my life.
I have seen him live at least ten times and he is one of those frontmen who is entertaining and fascinating to watch.
He first crossed my radar back in the 1970’s when Whitesnake were a new band who played a kind of blues rock that I really enjoyed. Around that time I also learned that he had been in the band Deep Purple, replacing Ian Gillan as vocalist . Those were very big shoes to fill.
After his stint with Deep Purple, he formed Whitesnake and gradually the band become more popular in the UK with a few top 20 hits. It wasn’t, however, until the mid-1980’s when he changed the band’s style and they took off massively in America.
David Coverdale became a huge rock star and Whitesnake became massively famous.
I’ve been fortunate enough to see him in both eras of the band, from those early bluesier days or Whitesnake to the later more American hard rock phase. I’ve seen some amazing musicians play live in the band including, legendary drummers Cozy Powell and Ian Paice, incredible guitarist Steve Vai and of course John Lord, former Deep Purple keyboard player.
When it comes to his music, I have to say that I prefer Whitesnake’s earlier style of music before they became a huge band. Nevertheless, the later albums were still really good too.
I thought I would offer my list of favourite ten songs featuring David Coverdale, including his days with Deep Purple and his one-off project with Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.
10. Don’t Leave Me This Way – Coverdale/Page (from Coverdale/Page – 1993)
The album Coverdale/Page wasn’t really that well received and I think that view is unfair. The album is really good and has some really strong songs. Jimmy Page is a fantastic guitar player and I think David Coverdale’s voice complemented the guitar really well. My favourite song from the album is a really amazing piece of heavy blues.
9. Ain’t Gonna Cry No More – Whitesnake (from Ready an’ Willing – 1980)
I still consider the classic line up of Whitesnake to be the that from the first four albums with Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody on guitars and Jon Lord on keyboards. This is a lovely song from that era that starts off slowly and melodically before evolving into a heavier song.
8. Till the Day I Die – Whitesnake (from Come an’ Get It – 1981)
In some ways. This song is very similar to the last one. Again it follows the formula of starting off slowly and melodically, evolving into a slightly heavier affair. I love listening to Jon Lord’s keyboards towards the end of the song.
7. Still of the Night – Whitesnake (from 1987 – 1987)
In 1987, Whitesnake completely changed their style from being the blues rock band I had grown up with to a more hard rock hair metal band. When I first heard the only thing that told me the band was Whitesnake were David Coverdale’s unique vocals. The entire band had been replaced apart from him and that made me sad. I guess he felt that the band had to evolve but it was a shame in my opinion. That said, I think Still of the Night is a brilliant song and there are elements of the previous style throughout the song.
6. Crying in the Rain – Whitesnake (from Saints & Sinners – 1982)
David Coverdale felt the need to rerecord a new version of this song for the album 1987, turning it from a bluesy rock song into a hard rock version. And I don’t know why he did this. The original version is a masterpiece and in my opinion didn’t need to evolve to satisfy a more American market. He also did a similar thing with Fool For Your Loving and again the new version lost something. This version of Crying in the Rain is vastly superior.
5. Slow an’ Easy – Whitesnake (from Slide It In 1983)
The first time I saw Whitesnake was in 1984 while at university in Liverpool and it featured John Sykes on guitar, Jon Lord on keyboard and Cozy Powell on drums. It was an amazing gig and I loved watching the band perform this song live.
Blindman highlights just what a great voice David Coverdale has. I think it is a beautiful song and perhaps should have been released as a single. I don’t know what the criteria is for such decisions but I imagine that the band and/or producers thought that the world didn’t need a beautiful blues song to help it along. That’s such a shame.
Like a blind man I can feel the heat of the sun
But like a blind man I don’t know where it’s coming from
3. Take Me With You – Whitesnake (from Trouble – 1978)
Take Me With You is a great rock song and is the first song on the first album. While the studio version is a great song in its own right, the live version from the live album “Live … In the Heart of the City” is even better.
2. Burn – Deep Purple (from Burn – 1973)
Ian Gillan is a great vocalist but he left Deep Purple when the band was at its peak with the famous “Mark II” lineup. The arrival of David Coverdale on vocals and Glenn Hughes on bass/backing vocals marked the start of the “Mark III” lineup and as I said earlier, David Coverdale had big shoes to fill. The album Burn is a great album and the title track is just magnificent. With Ritche Blackmore on guitar, this version of Deep Purple wrote some great songs, but none greater than Burn.
1. – Don’t Break My Heart Again (from Come an’ Get It – 1981)
The album “Come an’ Get It” holds a special place in my heart. It was released in April 1981 and that was a pivotal year for me. It is the year that I did my A-levels, my final year at school, the year I started going to the pub with my mates and the year that I started university. It is also the year that my dad died.
This particular song takes me back through all of those memories, both euphoric and miserable and I like to look back in a positive way, despite everything that happened. I used to play the album on Saturday night before I caught the bus with my old mate Simon and the song would play in my head. It’s definitely a nostalgia trip and I am sure that other Whitesnake fans would disagree with me. I don’t care. It brings back bittersweet memories for me.
And finally …
I hope you have a fantastic and long retirement Mr Coverdale. You’ve earned it.
Welcome to South Manchester on a very rainy early December Saturday. I was at yet another gig last night – the penultimate one of 2025 – and I saw Madness, a pop band from the 1980’s who, after all this time, are still performing. It was a real blast from the past.
I think Madness are only well known in the UK and haven’t really drifted towards the States (I may be wrong here), probably because they are a slightly eccentric band (as the name suggests). They are known as “The Nutty Boys” because all of their songs are light-hearted and their videos are funny.
Here is a taste.
I missed the FIFA World Cup draw because of the gig but in a way I am very glad I did. Apparently it was a total farce and the president of FIFA even presented the Orange Goblin with the inaugural FIFA “Peace Prize” presumably to satisfy his huge ego after the Nobel committee quite rightly decided that there is no way on God’s Earth that Donald Trump could receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Watching America from afar at the moment is like watching a soap opera with the Orange Blimp at the centre of it all. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so scary.
Anyway, sorry for that political mini-rant; let’s answer some daft questions from Sunday Stealing.
1. What was the scariest thing in the world to you when you were a kid? Does it still scare you now?
I was terrified of anything that was related to Satan, including and especially vampires. My dad allowed me to watch “Dracula” the Hammer horror version with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. I was twelve years old. You may think he was cruel but he did this to teach me a lesson because I constantly pestered him about it. The film scared me shitless and I hardly slept for a couple of nights.
I think the root of my fear was the fact that at that time I was in the middle of a sixteen year indoctrination into the Roman Catholic church. I went to a Roman Catholic junior school until the age of ten and all the teachings were (and still are) in my head. To me, the vampire mythos was terrifying and vampires were demons from the bowels of hell itself.
It wasn’t just vampires. I watched another Hammer horror film as a slightly older kid called “The Devil Rides Out” based on a novel by Dennis Wheatley and that too was terrifying because it featured Satan himself.
Worse, I watched “The Omen” and that movie had further elements about the Catholic church and the Antichrist himself. The final straw was The Exorcist, which I saw at the age of 18 and is still the scariest movie I have ever seen, because it deals with demonic possession and all that entails.
These days, I have a more rational and scientific mind. I haven’t been a regular churchgoer since the age of 16 and I question everything now, particularly the roles of God and Satan in my life. I don’t want to start a post on religion because it can be a very divisive subject to debate but the bottom line is that my logical and scientific mind makes me question everything.
What I do know is that vampires do not exist and I seriously doubt if the demons and other hellish entities do either. I now embrace horror fiction and I have loved rewatching those old movies with a clearer and less indoctrinated brain.
That said – I have only seen The Exorcist that one time. It scared me so much that I am actually wary about watching it again. I guess some of that fear still exists.
2. Imagine your 12-year-old daughter (or granddaughter) is hosting a sleepover at your home. A sudden storm knocks out cellphone service, wifi and cable. How would you keep these suddenly unplugged pre-teens entertained?
When my kids were that age, we used to play board games such as Monopoly. At one point I had three different versions of it; a Manchester one, a Star Wars one and a Simpson’s one. It was good fun.
These days there are so many board games that I can barely keep up with them. I think such things could keep a twelve year old entertained for a few hours.
3. What piece of movie or TV memorabilia would you love to own?
Way back in 1989, I went to the United States for the first time and on that trip, I visited Universal Studios in Los Angeles which I thoroughly enjoyed. Two things stuck with me from that trip.
The first were props from the 1960’s TV show Land of the Giants, one in particular being an giant telephone. The second was KITT, the car from Knight Rider, which was parked on a little island on it’s own. I crossed the bridge to have my photo taken with it and it started talking to me, opening with:
“Are you just going to stand there putting your dirty fingerprints all over my bodywork or are you going to have a chat?”
So from that trip, I would have both the phone and KITT.
And of course, I am a huge fan of Dr Who and from that show, perhaps a replica TARDIS and a Dalek.
All of this is straight out of the Big Bang Theory and I know that I haven’t enough room for any of them really. Besides, Mrs PM would never allow it.
4. You are gifted with the services of a personal assistant for four hours. What would you ask your assistant to do?
I have a few things on my “To Do” list that I need to do but haven’t got around to doing yet (because of a melange of laziness and procrastination). I think there is about four hours work there – and if there isn’t I would ask Mrs PM to fill up the remaining time from her “To Do” list.
5. If literary characters were real, which one would you like to interview, and what would you ask?
I would probably interview the “Time Traveller” from “The Time Machine” by H. G. Wells. In that book he travels forward in time from 1895 to the year 802,701. The first thing I would ask him would be “Can I have a go?” followed closely by “Why didn’t you travel into the past instead?”
Welcome to South Manchester on a cold and wet November morning. On days like this I think of Guns ‘n’ Roses song November Rain because that’s what it looks like outside. The rain is cold, the sky is overcast and it looks dark despite the fact that it is midday.
We are descending inexorably towards winter like a runaway train, which means long cold nights, dull overcast days and lots of rain and stormy weather.
I hate winter, I really do.
Nevertheless, there are good things on the horizon. Christmas is just around the corner and I get to escape the inhospitable weather in late January because we are off to Malaysia and Hong Kong. It is all booked and paid for and we are off for jabs next week.
Last night I was at yet another gig, this time I was with Mrs PM and we saw Heaven 17, a pop band from the early 1980’s who were big in the UK (not sure about the rest of the world). It was a real blast from the past and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Here is an example of their work.
Let’s dive in and answer some silly questions from Sunday Stealing.
1. Has anyone ever told you "I love you" but you didn't say it back?
I have no idea. I hear people say “that’s why we love you” sometimes, usually when we are making fun of each other and it is nothing more than platonic tomfoolery.
It’s a rare thing to hear somebody say “I love you” while staring deeply into your eyes. On those occasions I have actually said it back because they have been romantic situations.
2. Do you consider yourself organized?
I am fairly organised but I can be totally disorganised. I usually know where everything is even in the chaotic parts of my house. I have several storage boxes in my loft clearly labelled to state what is inside (for example “University stuff”) and I have an “in tray” of sorts on my desk that looks disorganised but really is in a sort of chaotic order. Every so often I sort through it and put things in the places they belong. I know exactly where all of my important documents are and, for example, when I am going on a trip, I usually make sure that everything I need is ready at least a couple of days before the trip.
3. Where do you look first when you go clothes shopping?
I tend to do my cloths shopping online these days and I usually dive in every couple of months to do this with a clear list of what I need to get. There is an exception though. My eldest son is getting married in December and I bought a new three piece suit specifically for that, which meant a trip to the shops. It was relatively easy but I realised when I was trying the thing on why I hate cloths shopping so much.
4. Do you often reflect on your past in terms of eras or milestones ("it's been 10 years since X happened")?
I do this all the time. For example, we had a university reunion in Liverpool a couple of weeks ago and all of us were saying “It’s 41 years since we left university” and “I’ve known you for 45 years – how scary is that?”
It’s been 41 years since I started work and I retired exactly 40 years later to the actual day. You can probably work out with simple maths that I have been retired a year now.
I will probably continue remembering my past life in terms of milestones. I think it’s the way my mind works.
5. Were you more recently ill or injured (flu vs. twisted ankle)?
I was more recently ill – but not that ill. I had a cold a couple of weeks ago, the first one of winter. It was irritating but it didn’t stop me from doing anything. I’ve noticed a couple of people coughing recently so I imagine that another will appear in the winter months.
