Scorcher

Welcome to South Manchester on a scorching Saturday afternoon. The temperature is a very pleasant 28 degrees Celsius and the sun is shining in a cloudless blue sky. I shall be popping outside later to read in the garden and relax before popping around to the neighbours for dinner and then watching the European Champions League final which features Manchester City and Inter Milan. 

Should be a good day.

I’ll start off with some silly questions from Sunday Stealing.

1. Have you tried anything new this year?

I’ve made a serious attempt at starting a novel, although this is quite tricky as I don’t write as much as I should (because of work and other distractions). I have the plot in my head and I am constantly fine tuning it. I think it works. It won’t see the light of day for a while yet though because I am my own worst critic. I probably need to retire before attacking it with gusto. 

2. What would you do if you didn’t have Wifi for a week?

I would probably write the novel because I wouldn’t be able to do my day job. I have a virtual server on my work laptop so in theory I could actually do some work; it would mean that I wouldn’t be doing my job properly. 

As far as social media and the internet are concerned, I could easily live without that for a week. In fact, perhaps I should do just that sometimes. The amount of time people waste on social media is a lot – and that is sad – but I am as guilty as everybody else (before anybody calls me a hypocrite – which, of course, I am). 

3. Do you like summer, why or why not?

I adore the summer. It is my favourite season. We get rain but it is warm and sunny usually (like today). We don’t get snow, ice and darkness. We are approaching the longest day of the year and I love going to bed as the sun is setting – I wish it was like this all year round. Sadly, I do wake up early though (sometimes as early as 4am) because the sun rises at that time. 

4. What’s one restaurant that you like in your city? What food do they sell?

I like a lot of restaurants in Manchester. One of my favourites is the Yang Sing (and it’s sister restaurant The Little Yang Sing). They sell Chinese food and it is wonderful.

5. Do you prefer digital book or real paper book?

I prefer a digital book these days because it is much easier to take a Kindle on holiday loaded with numerous novels, rather than wasting luggage space with paperback books. I know that people prefer the look, feel and smell of a real book, but sadly their days are numbered. Being able to instantly download a novel is brilliant and that is the future. 

6. What’s one thing that you are interested to buy, but it’s a bit expensive, so you haven’t bought yet?

A smart watch. I have a cheap one but the good ones cost hundreds of pounds and at the moment I simply cannot justify its use. It would be a waste of money. The problem is I love gadgets and the urge to have a new one is clouding my judgement when it comes to smartwatches. Maybe I will get one – but not yet. 

7. What tea brands do you like?

I buy Yorkshire Tea which is what foreigners would call English Breakfast tea but quite strong. Sometimes I have Typhoo or PG Tips too. 

I have had “English Breakfast tea” in many countries but they just don’t do it correctly. The only place I have had it that is as good as the UK is Australia. 

I am not a fan of “fancy” teas like Earl Grey. Once you have tasted the delights of a good strong cuppa, all other teas simply cannot live up to the taste.

8. What’s one food that you can binge eat a lot?

Cheese. I love cheese so much that I try to limit my consumption of it. 

9. Write one random thing that happened to you this month.

I don’t know whether it is random or not but I have decided on the exact date that I will retire. I will spill the beans closer to the time as I don’t want the date in the public domain yet.

10. How many long-term penpals do you have right now? (people who pen pal with you for more than 3 years)

I don’t have any pen-pals. I had a couple when I was a kid but it’s not something I continued into adulthood.

11. If you were to own a small food trailer, what food would you want to sell?

It would have to be something I could cook easily. It would probably be an English breakfast, burgers or pasta – or possibly all three. 

12. What’s one handmade gift that you received and really liked ?

My youngest sister makes lanterns and she has sent a couple to me over the years. She is far more artistic than I am.

13. What’s your ideal Saturday like?

If I am home …

Wake up without  the alarm and go for a five mile walk. Come home, shower and have a full English breakfast. Potter around for the rest of the morning doing my daily duties and then keep an eye on the football scores. Go out in the evening with friends or just with Mrs PM and then return home to watch Match of the Day before going back to bed. 

A simple day but very pleasant.

If I am away – then basically be a tourist for the day. 

14. What things do you like to buy on Etsy?

I have never bought anything on Etsy and. Looking at the web site, I probably would never buy anything on Etsy.

15. What kind Asian food do you like?

The only Asian food that I dislike is Thai food. That said, I have found some Thai food that I can tolerate but generally I avoid it. All of the other Asian food I have tried is amazing. If I had to make a choice it would be Chinese or Indian.