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Welcome to a rainy South Manchester. I’ve been away for the past couple of weekends. First we stayed at a lodge in Cheshire near to Delamere Forest with some friends from Chester and for the past two weekends we have travelled to and from Menorca, an island off the east coast of Spain.

It was nice to get away and especially nice to go back to Spain (my second trip of the year). We stayed in Ciutadella on the west coast of the island, which is the former capital and a traditional small Spanish city with an old town and lots of lovely old buildings. Best of all, Menorca is a quiet island and the number of British tourists was small, which allowed us to immerse ourselves in Spanish culture and also practice my poor Spanish. I’m quite pleased that I actually managed to crack two jokes in Spanish on the spur of the moment and make two people laugh. I think (hope) they were laughing at my joke but it is possible they were laughing at my poor Spanish. 

I like to think they weren’t. 

Let’s answer some silly questions from Sunday Stealing.

1. Have you ever been stung or bitten by an animal?

I’ve never been stung by an animal but I have been bitten more times than I can recall. I am usually a target for gnats, which are tiny biting insects in the UK and I find myself constantly trying to avoid bigger biting insects abroad. This sadly means that I have to wear mosquito repellent in such places and, not to put to fine a point on it, the stuff bloody well stinks. Mosquitos tend to appear at dusk and in the past, that has been the time I have been going out to eat and have fun, something that doesn’t appeal when you stink of mozzy repellent. No wonder mozzies are repelled by it. 

In the past I have been bitten by dogs, which is very unpleasant, but only once or twice. 

And of course, cats have bitten me. Anyone who has read this blog a few years ago will have heard tales of my psycho cat, called Liquorice, a mad cat that we took from our friends who were moving abroad. She was lovely but she had a fiery temper and attacked everybody. She used to sit on my knee and I dare not touch her in case she suddenly turned on me. 

2. Do you have a favourite bird? Do you feed the birds at your house or park?

I don’t really have a favourite bird. Parrots are fun and peacocks are nice but they’re not really something I think about. 

3. What is the last thing you said to somebody before replying to this email?

“Do you want a cup of tea?” 

4. How do you get yourself ready to sleep at night?

I usually just read my book until I start to doze off. 

5. When was the last time you wrote a proper letter?

Define a “proper letter”. 

The last letter I wrote was to a solicitor about my sister’s flat that we are currently selling. 

The last letter I wrote to a friend was about seven years ago. I had lost touch with an old university friend and after trying to search for him on social media I couldn’t find him – hardly surprising because he has a very common name. The last time I had seen him was about twelve years earlier and we were trying to organise a university reunion (our first for five years). I had his previous home address and his phone number but the number was no longer valid. So I wrote to his address with my contact details. It turns out that he had moved house but the new occupants had his new address and forwarded my letter to him. And we had our reunion – we have had one every year since. Our next one is in October in Budapest, Hungary.

6. What is the worst injury you have ever sustained?

I’ve never really been injured. When I was at school, I was often battered and bruised after playing rugby – a great game to watch but a dreadful game to play in. I had a hockey ball smashed at my shin from point blank range as a kid too and that stopped me from playing sports for about two weeks – it really bloody hurt. 

As an adult, I have twisted my ankle playing football and running.

Thankfully, I have never broken any bones. Please don’t let that happen to me now I’ve said this. 

7. If you could choose your career based strictly on what you think would be fun instead of your qualifications/salary/etc., what would it be?

I would be a travel writer. This would combine my love of travel with my inept but enjoyable attempts at writing. 

8. You can live on another planet, which one and why?

It would have to be one that Star Trek classed as a class M planet because otherwise I would probably not be able to survive. If I were Superman I would probably choose Saturn or one of its moons because the night sky would be incredible.

9. What is your favourite flavour of ice cream?

I don’t eat ice cream much – though I did have some in Menorca. The favourite one I have had recently is Häagen-Dazs Cookie and Cream. We’re going to Nice in France in summer and in the old town there is an ice cream shop that sells the best ice cream ever (well it is close to Italy). I will definitely try a few of them there. 

10. What do you think of tattoos? Do you have any?

I don’t have any tattoos because when my sagging skin sags more, the tattoos will sag with it. Also I don’t fancy sitting there for hours while they are applied to my skin. 

I am happy for people to have them but not so much on the face or all over their body. I have a friend who is gradually adding really elaborate tattoos to his back, chest, arms and legs and his latest one is very artistic (as are the rest). Not for me though. 

11. Are you very active or do you prefer to just relax in your free time?

I like to balance being active and relaxing. On our recent holiday, we had breakfast and then spent the entire morning until early afternoon exploring or going for a long walk. After lunch we would continue for a short while and then spend a couple of hours relaxing. 

12. If you could bring back one TV show that was cancelled, which one would you bring back?

Probably Babylon 5 – but there are rumours that it is returning in one form or another. 

13. Do you prefer to watch movies in the theatre or in the comfort of your own home?

It depends on the film. If it is a huge blockbuster then I love going to the cinema to watch it because you feel like you are immersed in the story completely. Otherwise I am happy to watch them at home. 

14. If you opened a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?

Given that I hate cooking, the chances of me opening a restaurant are almost non-existent. However, if I were expected to cook it would just be simple food like a Sunday lunch. If I were allowed to hire a chef I would go for Chinese or Indian. 

15. What do you think is a common thing that is shared between countries despite language barriers?

Football. Most nations on the planet love it, even America (where it is much less popular and is known by the word “soccer”). The World Cup is a major event which occurs every four years. This summer it is the turn of the European Nations cup which is in Germany. It starts in June and I will watch as many matches as I can for four weeks. 

COME ON ENGLAND!!!