One To Ten

Welcome to a sunny south Manchester in the wonderful country of England. Spring is here; my morning walk was very pleasant and at the end of my four mile trek through a couple of suburbs of this great city, I was quite warm and a little sweaty. Sorry about sharing that with you but the good news is that I had a shower on my return, followed by an omelette and a large cup of tea. 

I am as fresh as the proverbial daisy.

Shall we answer some silly questions from Sunday Stealing? 

1. One song that describes my life.

There are several that could describe my life but I will try to focus on today rather than the past. 

I’ll choose a happy little tune from my two Scottish brothers, The Proclaimers. NOTE - they aren’t really my brothers but I do look like them:

2. Two things I wish I had more of in my life

Travel; and lots of money in order to pay for the travel.

3. Three ways I relax

I listen to music and I write, which is exactly what I am doing as I type. I also like to watch a decent TV show.

4. Four of my best accomplishments

• Academically speaking, I have 10 ‘O’-Levels, 4 ‘A’-Levels and an Honours degree in Computational and Statistical Science. I’m very proud of that.
• I have two wonderful sons.
• I have travelled to 37 countries in the world and next month Morocco will make it 38.
• Even though it scared me half to death, the fact that I climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge is something that I can say that I have accomplished. A word of advice; if you suffer from vertigo and/or a fear of heights (not sure whether they are the same thing), do not even contemplate doing this. Where I found the courage I will never know. It will never ever happen again (and neither will anything like it).

5. Five things I am looking forward too

• I’m looking forward to retirement in a year or two.
• A little closer to now, I am looking forward to a trip to Morocco in April, as I said above.
• In May I am travelling to Amsterdam with a couple of my old university mates for our first reunion in two years. There will be four sixty year old blokes wandering around the city, with me being the tour guide because I have been to the city so many times through work I know it like the back of my hand. It’s a wonderful city if you get the chance to visit.
• Mrs PM and I are spending a week in Dubrovnik in Croatia in July. 
• We are also travelling to Sicily in September for a week. I’ve put in a request to make sure that should Mount Etna decide to erupt, that it chooses a date after that.

6. Six things I am grateful for

• I am grateful that I although I am sixty years old, I still look young for my age.
• I am grateful for Mrs PM who keeps me sane and on a steady road, despite my weirdness.
• I am grateful that I am winding down my career and that as such I have divorced myself from the office politics and shenanigans that go on in and around the workplace. I no longer care, though I remain committed to my job as any decent professional should. As my career draws to a close, I actually feel totally relaxed at work and I can choose when I finally decide to retire.
• I am grateful that I am still quite healthy and able to do things like travel abroad and walk at least four miles a day.
• I’m grateful for friends and family who stuck by me over the years.
• I’m grateful for the life I have generally. I am sure it could have been worse or much better – but it’s been good so far and shows signs of improvement (age aside). 

7. Seven facts about me

The door to my life is actually ajar as far as this blog is concerned. I did want to remain anonymous when I started but people have discovered who I am. I don’t mind too much. Here are a few facts that I have shared in the past.

• My real name is David – and I prefer to be called Dave. When people call me David, I think “what have I done wrong?”
• My house is Edwardian, meaning that it was built in 1903, making it 120 years old. 
• I am 5ft 11 inches tall, making me average height. In fact everything about me is average and I find it very easy to find clothes that fit. 
• Mrs PM and I have been together for 25 years this year. Before that I was married for 10 years but it didn’t work out – we were just incompatible and it took a while for us both to work this out.
• I am a total geek and am absolutely fine immersing myself in things like Star Trek, Dr Who, Marvel, DC, Lord of the Rings and most science fiction/fantasy tales. I gladly admit it and if, you are laughing, I say unto you: “Embrace your inner geek – because we are ALL geeks (just scared to admit it).”
• I love progressive rock, heavy metal and other unfashionable music styles and have been to so many gigs that I have lost count. That said, my taste in music is eclectic because I am equally at home with some pop music, electronic music (particularly from the early 1980’s) as well as ambient electronica and classical music. 
• I have met two fellow bloggers who have commented on this blog. So watch out for me on my travels because you never know.

8. Eight things I can see from where I am sitting

• My Spotify Playlist on my laptop (currently playing this):

• A porcelain South African Rugby Union player that I was bought as a gift in Johannesburg my one of the guys on the course I was giving there. I’ve kept, despite the fact that it was meant as a reminder that South Africa had beaten England in the Rugby Union World Cup Final earlier that year.
  
  
  
• A Matryoshka doll (or nested dolls) that I bought in Moscow twenty or so years ago as a souvenir. We would have all the inner dolls out on display but sadly the cats tend to beat them up. 
  
  
  
• A talking John Barnes figurine that I was given on St Patrick’s night several years ago. I got it free with my second pint of Guinness. Quite apt, really as yesterday it was St Patrick’s day when a lot of Guinness is consumed in the UK. Sadly the battery has gone so he no longer talks.

• My new Samsung S22 Ultra phone (acquired in January). It is amazing and as well as taking the photos above, I have used it to take the best pictures of the moon that I have ever attempted.

• A large scratch post that the cats love to use to sharpen their claws. 
• Star(dust), the smaller of my two black cats, who is using the scratch post as climbing apparatus as I type.
• A piping hot cup of tea.

9. Nine words I would use to describe myself

• Weird
• Caring
• Immature
• Amusing
• Clever
• Silly
• Opinionated
• Geeky
• Friendly

10. Ten little things that make me happy

• Sitting watching TV with either Ziggy or Star(dust) curled up next to me on the sofa.
• Listening to music.
• Watching football.
• Having a beer or a meal with friends.
• Strolling along a south European beach as the sun is rising or setting.
• Strolling through the English countryside on a sunny summer day.
• Exploring a foreign city.
• Cheese on toast.
• A good gig.
• Saturdays.