The Influencer

This is my 1000th post. 

I have a soundtrack song that skirts around the topic of this post. It is called #Addicted by my current favourite band Riverside, so listen along while you read (only if you want to of course). 

I want everybody to be like me. I want you all to listen to the same music as me, read the same books as me and base your fashion choices on my own. I want you all to have the same beliefs as me and basically use my ideas as a philosophy for your future choices. 

I want to influence you all. 

Okay, let me tell you one thing about the words I wrote above: they are complete and utter bollocks.

My own belief is that everybody should be as individual as they can be. People are unique in this world and that’s exactly what makes humanity so brilliant on the whole. You never know what you are going to get when you meet a new person.

Having said that, it is perfectly fine to get ideas from people to enhance your own life. I do this all the time. However, I am not a good role model at all. 

When it comes to fashion, I am totally inept. I have written about this before and if it wasn’t for Mrs PM I would wander around the streets of Manchester dressed like a sack of potatoes with legs, arms and a head. When I go shopping for clothes I am utterly clueless about what to buy. When Mrs PM and I first got together, one of the first things she did was to tell me (in no uncertain terms) what was wrong with my clothing choices. 

My musical taste, while it skirts around various genres, is a little bit niche. I like popular music like rock and pop of course but the music that I really love has been described to me as “an acquired taste”. I have also been described as a “musical dinosaur” and I didn’t like that one little bit (as you can probably tell since I mentioned it in the first place). 

The books I read are also very niche. I love anything really weird (the weirder the better), which means that I gravitate towards science fiction, horror and anything that is just – well – strange. The same goes for TV and movies. 

Why would anybody be influenced by that?

About a year before I retired, I started looking at potential hobbies to keep myself busy and one of the suggestions made me laugh out loud. That idea was: 

“Become an influencer”

What? At my age? Have you ever met me?

I have seen influencers in action in the flesh. I have seen people (mainly women) photographing themselves when they have bought new clothes, pouting in a way that would attract any fish with large lips. I have heard others (mainly men) bleating on about sports products and things to make them look like the latest Adonis and showing off their muscles in a way that makes them resemble a very poor man’s Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

The idea of being an Influencer is that you end up with an army of followers who hang on to your every word, your every image (no matter how bizarre) and all of your lifestyle choices, which includes things like the restaurants and bars that you got to, the meals you have every day and all of your amazing ideas, no matter how crazy they are. When you have this following, you reap the rewards with advertising and in extreme cases, companies giving you things to try in the hope that you will praise them allowing the company to get sales indirectly from you. 

I don’t want any of that. 

I would hate to see a Plastic Mancunian clone following me to a restaurant dressed exactly like me and telling me how influential I am. 

I am not influential at all. I use this blog to basically tell people what a weirdo I am, how incompetent I am and what an idiot I can be. And I welcome people laughing at my antics. 

But to follow me and try to be like me?

You have to be kidding. 

Equally I have no desire to obsessively base my lifestyle choices on a person I’ve only ever seen pictures of, who is really nothing but a gigantic show-off. For example I love rock music but I have never had the desire to pursue the hedonistic and debauched life style of some of my past favourite artists. 

You can rest assured that on the list of potential retirement hobbies that I have compiled, “become an influencer” is not on there at all. Mind you, I am a self-confessed weirdo so perhaps there are older people out there who may be tempted to listen to my advice, wear the same clothes that Mrs PM tries to get me to wear, read the same weird books and listen to the same weird music. However, I like to think that anybody who is my age is so set in their ways that the very thought of being influenced by me is as hilarious as the concept of Plastic Mancunian himself trying to become an influencer. 

Influencers just want fame and money for doing bugger all and I would never want to be one.

I say make your own choices. Don’t follow people – just be yourself. 

Life is too precious to live it vicariously. 

Bloggery Pokery

Welcome to a dull South Manchester where it is raining slightly and, for summer, quite a chilly day. Hopefully normal service will be resumed for the weekend.

This post answers questions about blogging and just out of interest, I checked the number of posts that I have made. By lucky chance I spotted that this is post number 999 so my next one will be 1000. I have a couple of ideas for post 1000 and I don’t want to mention this milestone there – so I will do it now (since we are talking about blogging)

Some of the bloggers I have read are far more prolific than I am; I tend to post once a week on average. I am now retired so in theory I could improve that post rate and perhaps I will try in the coming months. 

Before we dive into the questions (from Sunday Stealing as usual), I thought I would give you a little history. 

I started blogging in March 2008, so this means my blog is 17 years old. That makes me feel old because I was a mere child of 45 years old when I first started posting this drivel into cyberspace and inflicting it onto poor people who just happened to stumble on it. 

It was Mrs PM who encouraged me to start blogging because I was very tentative at first. There have been times over the years when I thought about giving up but I plodded on and now I am quite happy to continue. If nothing else, The Plastic Mancunian gives me an excuse to just write this garbage for people to read. 

The bad news for regular readers is that I fully intend to continue to blog for the foreseeable future but before I go on I would genuinely like to thank everyone who has stumbled on these pages of rubbish  and commented on the bizarre claptrap that comes from my brain. I will also continue with Sunday Stealing posts (because it is fun) but I will also try to post about the weirdness that pops into my head from time to time. 

Poor readers!

I may just give the blog an overhaul though for my 1000th post to make it look more modern and fresh. 

Watch this space!

Let’s dive in, shall we?

1. When are you at your blogging best – a.m. or p.m.?

I prefer to write in the morning when my brain is at its most fresh. However, I actually write posts at all times of the day, depending on what I have been doing. I am writing this particular post at 11:30 am so it will probably drift into the afternoon. 

2. How many blogs do you have? Please include the links in your answer.

I started a photo blog called The Plastic Mancunian’s Eye with the aim of regularly posting a photograph but I stopped way back in 2012. It still exists and the link is on the right. 

In the end I gave up with the blog because I found that I was posting photographs on this blog and I didn’t see the point of having two blogs. 

I did consider starting a blog dedicated to the music I love and I may still do that. Perhaps I’ll call it The Plastic Mancunian’s Ear. 

3. Do you prefer silence when you compose your posts and write your comments?

No. I listen to music. 

This is the lucky song that is currently accompanying this post.

I love listening to music when blogging because it helps me to relax more and, perhaps paradoxically, helps the creativity a bit. In fact, some of my posts have been inspired by listening to music, whether it be just a song title or the meaning of the song.

4. What's the grossest thing you've ever spilled on your keyboard?

In my former job, I once spilled an entire cup of tea on my keyboard and had to have it replaced, which didn’t please the IT department. At home, I am fortunate enough never to have done anything so clumsy. 

5. Ever posted while intoxicated?

Some people probably think that ALL of my posts are written while I am intoxicated. 

The truth is that absolutely none of them have been written under the influence of alcohol. Almost all my posts contain drivel and nonsense and I can only imagine what they would be like if I were intoxicated. I would almost certainly regret them and remove them later. 

Survivalism

Welcome to a cloudy but warm South Manchester. 

Yesterday I went to Old Trafford to watch day three of the fourth test match between England and India. It was a perfect day for cricket and a couple of records were broken by England’s Joe Root with the bat. 

We were in a stand where there were loads of Indian fans, including a very loud Bhangra band. The atmosphere was brilliant and we had a lot of fun. 

The match is still going on today (test matches last up to five days) and I will be watching some of it later from the comfort of my own armchair. 

Today’s Sunday Stealing questions look a bit trickier than usual. Let’s dive in and see if we can wrestle them to the ground, shall we?

1. You're on a trip taking a tour through the jungle. You have a backpack with some food, first aid supplies, a pocket knife, a flashlight and a couple bottles of water. Somehow, you get separated from your group. By night fall you haven't found your group and haven't heard them looking for you. How long do you think you would be able to survive on your own?

First of all, I wouldn’t take a trip in the jungle. I have a phobia of spiders and a lot of insects, particularly the ones that sting and bite. Also, I’m not overly keen on snakes and big creatures that can take a huge chunk out of my arm.

But let’s play along.

I’m sure that I would manage to survive for a short time and I would try to look for high ground or a water source. I’m an old git and I don’t think that would help my case either. That said, I am quite fit and I think I could manage to at least try to retrace my steps. That said, I’m no Bear Grylls so I think I might start to struggle when the food or water ran out. It also depends on temperature because I’m not very good in extreme heat. 

I probably wouldn't last too long if I am brutally honest.

2. Do you think it's okay to lie to spare someone's feelings? Why? 

Only if there is no way that you could be found out. I would rather tell somebody the truth than risk them finding out that I had deliberately lied to them, even if lying were an act of kindness. I hate it when people lie to me and, to me, trying to spare my feelings by lying is worse than just being open with me. 

3. If a talking doll were made to resemble you, what 3 phrases would it say?

“Hi there! Are you okay?” is my standard greeting to people so that would be one of them. 

“You’ve got to be joking!” is an expression that I use when I watching the news and something surprises me in a negative way (for example when most politicians open their lying mouths). 

“Do you fancy a brew?” is a phrase I use at home or when I used to work to find out if somebody wants a cup of tea or coffee. However, I also use this phrase when inviting somebody out for a pint at the pub so it serves a dual purpose. 

4. If the super power to be able to read minds at will was possible, do you think it would be... cool and helpful, intrusive and wrong, manipulative or maddening?

I think it would be incredible if I could read people’s minds and I would definitely use it when listening to politicians. However, even though I am a fairly nice, honest guy myself, I would hate to have my own mind read. Therefore I would have to concede that it would be intrusive, wrong, manipulative and maddening. 

If I discovered that I had the ability to actually read people’s minds and couldn't turn it off, then I would try to get a job where it did some good, like exposing the bullshit of politicians or perhaps in some law capacity to discover whether a suspect had actually done something terrible. 

5. Are drunk confessions things people can't bring themselves to say sober or just the crazy ramblings of an influenced and intoxicated mind?

That’s a very good question. I am quite a shy and sensitive person deep down and I rarely if ever expose anyone to my true feelings by confessing, even after a couple of beers. To be honest, when I have beer, I still like to have control of my feelings and it was only when I was a much younger person that I allowed that shield to slip under the influence of alcohol. For me, confessing something when drunk in my youth, was using alcohol to allow me to express my inner feelings by removing the barrier of shyness. 

For example, at the tender age of eighteen, I once confessed my feelings for a young lady and was rejected in the nicest way: “I like you as a friend, Dave. Nothing more!” 

That hurt and I realised that confessing with “Dutch courage” wasn’t a good idea. I stopped doing it for that reason. 

Mind you, I have had people confessing odd things to me when slightly drunk and I can see why some people think that drunken outpourings are just the crazy ramblings of a mind clouded by intoxication. Nevertheless, the phrase “in vino veritas” (“in wine there is truth”) is still relevant and no matter how crazy the nonsense pouring from somebody’s mouth is when they are drunk, there must be some truth in there. 

Dreaming in Black and White

Welcome to a rainy day in South Manchester. Rain has been pretty scarce in some parts of the UK this summer so some people will welcome the rain. Some British people are a little weird when it comes to weather. When we have a wetter than average summer, they will moan about the rain and crave hot sunny days. And when we get hotter than average summers (like the current one) they crave the rain. 

There’s just no pleasing some people. 

Personally, I would be quite happy for warm sunny days and rain showers during the night while I am asleep. I hope you are listening, Mother Nature.

Shall we dive in with some well-deserved silliness from Sunday Stealing? 

1. My bestie and I once ...

Before I answer this, I will just say that I hate the word “bestie”. It’s one of those newly invented words that are unnecessary. I understand that language evolves and that new words crop up, but why replace the two word phrase “best friend” with the cringeworthy word “bestie”? 

I don’t have and never have had a “bestie”. But I have had “best friends”. 

Okay – moan over.

My best friend and I once had a crazy brush with Scientology in Amsterdam.

At university, my best mate and I bought an Interrail ticket and set off for Europe. I will call him Wally to protect the guilty. Interrail tickets are basically used by people to travel across Europe by train and explore and this was my very first trip abroad. I was 19 years old. 

We were about to leave Amsterdam to travel to Munich in Germany and we had an afternoon to kill. As we were being tourists, a guy came up to us and asked if we would like to join in some research by answering a questionnaire. Always willing to help, the two of us walked into a building and joined a few others as we answered a set of multiple choice questions about our personalities. 

At the end, we were given a cup of coffee and asked to wait while another expert analysed our answers. 

I saw my person first, and she was a young woman with a sad looking face. 

“Hello,” she said with a forced smile. “How long are you staying here in Amsterdam?”

I told her we were leaving later in the evening and she said “I would advise you not to!”

Alarm bells began to ring. “Why?” I asked.

“You’re test shows that you are suicidal?” she replied, her face becoming serious. 

“WHAT???” I said. “I’m not suicidal.”

“Your answers reveal that you are very sad and depressed,” she said. “You may not believe it but you are. There is a darkness inside you that we need to help you with. And we can help you if you stay...”

I was a little naïve but I had enough nous to disagree with her bullshit. In the end, she tried to sell me a book by L.Ron Hubbard called “Dianetics” and I just got up and walked away. As I waited for Wally, I began a deep search within. Was I depressed? Was I suicidal? I knew the answer was no but I wondered how they could have drawn that conclusion from my answers, which in my opinion, if anything, told me the direct opposite.  

Just then, Wally came outside laughing. 

“Guess what?” he said. “I’m suicidal and if I don’t join their course then I’m in serious trouble. What a bunch of charlatans. ”

“Me too?” I laughed, realising that it was just a recruitment scam. I now realise that this is how Scientology works to draw you in. I had never heard of this cult masquerading as a religion at the time, but I have now, so much so that I watch all manner of TV programmes about it. I am fascinated with how they can get away with their stupid cult activities. I can see how they recruit followers, though. 

Thank goodness I’m not that gullible – even when I was a naïve teenager.

2. When I'm nervous ...

When I’m nervous, I try to distract myself by thinking of something else that is relaxing. I’ve used this technique when I had to give training courses for work. I hate public speaking and I have had to do it a number of times and I find distracting myself takes the edge off my fear. 

Mindfulness helps too. 

3. My hair ...

My hair is a sentient being that hates me. I have a bad hair day every day and I have to rectify that by taking a shower in an attempt to control it. My hair is short at the moment but it still tries to become a mess. When I was younger I had longer hair and I had to control it with hair spray. I used to take ages trying to beat it into submission.

In terms of colour, my hair used to be blond but has darkened with age, apart from the grey that has slowly been forming over the past fifteen years or so. Thankfully, I am not bald at all and my hair does make people think that I am younger than I actually am. 

I still hate it though. 

4. When I turn to the left, I see ...

When I turn to my left, I see that it is still raining. We have had a few days of warm sunny weather so I’m not too bothered. I also see our garden which is very nice. 

5. My favourite aunt ...

I don’t have a favourite aunt. My mum was an only child and my dad had two sisters so I only had two. One of them sadly passed away a couple of years ago and she was a lovely funny lady. Her sister and my other aunt is still with us and she is a lot quieter but she is a lovely lady. They both rank equally highly in my affections. 

6. I have a hard time understanding ...

I have a hard time understanding the way some people think, especially when they totally and absolutely believe in conspiracy theories. I’ve talked about this many times before. The evidence against their argument is overwhelming yet they throw all of that logic away and choose to embrace nonsense that has no proof whatsoever. A great example of this is Scientology (see above). 

7. You know I like you if ...

You know I like you if I continue having a conversation with you and I smile a lot. I like to think that I’m a nice guy anyway and there are very few people that I dislike. Most of the people I do dislike are famous arses (like Piers Morgan, Donald Trump, Nigel Farage etc.) but if I know you and I dislike you then I will simply avoid you. 

8. When I was 5 years old ...

I was at school, learning to read, learning my times tables and (according to people who knew me then) was a really cute kid with a mass of blond curls on top of my head. I only have vague memories of that time in my life and they are mostly about school and playing with various toys at home. I caught measles about that time and one thing I definitely recall about that was the horrific taste of the medicine I was prescribed. 

Spill It

Welcome to a very warm South Manchester where the temperature is a generous 32 °C (90 °F). We are having a heatwave in the UK at the moment, which is due to stay until Monday, when the temperatures will dip a little and some rain will appear. I’m going to a cricket match tomorrow and the weather will be perfect for that.

Until then, shall we answer some silly Sunday Stealing questions?  

1. If money wasn't an issue, would you move to a new home?

I wouldn’t move to a new area but I would be tempted to move to a bigger house. 

I live in quite a sought after area and house prices are quite expensive here. On my street there is a mixture of house styles from three bedroomed terraces to three bedroomed semi-detached houses but also there are some huge six bedroomed houses. I live in a fairly large three bedroomed mid-terrace house (dating from about 1900) and directly across the road is one of the big six bedroomed houses. 

I think if I were to move I would just go across the road to that one. I would do this because I like the street and I like the convenience of being able to get into the city easily as well as the local shops, restaurants and bars. 

2. Do you listen to different music when you're happy than when you're sad?

Kind of. When I am angry or animated I find mellow music quite soothing – something like this:

Songs like this are also good when I am on holiday. I love sitting on the balcony overlooking the sea and listening to mellow relaxing songs, especially when the sun is going down. Such songs also help if I am feeling a little sad.

If I am happy or getting ready to go out, I tend to listen more heavy material, like this:  

To be honest, though, heavier songs also help when I’m sad and angry because I just get lost in the music. 

3. What's your favourite way to unwind after a tough day?

Day’s aren’t so tough these days since I’ve retired. However, back when I was working, I had a kind of wind down routine when I got home after a tough day at the office. The first thing I would do was get changed and then make a piping hot cup of tea. And after that just switch off my brain and either watch something inane on the TV or just listen to some music. 

It used to be quite effective. 

4. What's the first book you remember from childhood?

I used to read a lot of Enid Blyton books when I was a kid but the one that sticks in my mind is “The Adventures of Mr Pink-Whistle”. 

5. What made you smile today?

Mrs PM and I usually have breakfast in the lounge and when we got in there we found our two cats sprawled out in our usual seats, fast asleep. Star(dust) was in my seat and I did my usual trick and gently lifted her so that I could sit down. Both of my cats hate being picked up but when they are sleepy it takes a while for them to realise what is happening. Star(dust) looked up at me with bleary eyes and then repositioned herself to lie next to my leg (one of her favourite places). 

Mrs PM did the same with Ziggy but he just stood there staring at me instead of lying down next to Mrs PM. He then looked down at Star and decided that he wanted to sit next to me as well. So he just plopped himself down half on top of Star and curled up. I had a mass of black cat next to me with legs and tails intertwined. 

And they both fell asleep immediately. 

That made both Mrs PM and I smile. 

Black Sabbath

 

This is the first of two posts about legendary music stars that come from Birmingham, a city that is a mere 8 to 10 miles from where I was born. The first post is about Black Sabbath. 

On Saturday 5th July 2025, Black Sabbath played their last ever gig. It was in Birmingham, their home city, at Villa Park, the stadium that is home to Aston Villa, the Premier League football team that the band all support. 

I wasn’t there because it was too far to go and too expensive. However, I saw the them perform courtesy of You Tube. I have seen Ozzy Osbourne live once before, and Black Sabbath, also once, when they were fronted by Ronnie James Dio. 

At the gig Ozzy Osborne performed a set of his solo material, before being joined by the other original members of the band, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward to perform as Black Sabbath. 

This was a poignant moment for me because basically I have grown up listening to Black Sabbath and they were one of the bands that shaped my musical taste in the 1970’s. All four original members of the band were born and brought up in and around an area of Birmingham called Aston, which is about 8 miles from where I was born and raised. The band members and I have a lot in common in that we were all working class people whose parents worked in factories that spewed smoke and were really noisy due to clanging metal machinery. Of course, Black Sabbath are much older than I am (closer to the age that my dad would have been) but they all had musical talent and decided that a musical career was a better potential life than being stuck in a dirty, noisy factory for the rest of their lives. 

Black Sabbath in the 1970's

Black Sabbath in 2025

In fact, the factory environment shaped the style of music that they would ultimately create and excel in. That style of music is reminiscent of the noise and clanging metal environment that they and my own father worked in. 

Thus “heavy metal” was born and Black Sabbath were the founders and pioneers of the genre. 

Some people have said that their music is dark, satanic and evil but really they just wrote songs that sounded like the musical equivalent of horror movies. Yes, there were some satanic and supernatural reference in their material but when you look at the subject matter of a lot of their songs they wrote, the meanings couldn’t be more different. 

They are one of the most misunderstood bands around. 

For example, “War Pigs” and “Children of the Grave” are anti-war protest songs and, of course, “Paranoid” is about mental health awareness. 

The first time I heard Black Sabbath, I was just getting into heavy metal and a friend lent me the double album “We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll”, which was a compilation album featuring all of the best songs from their first couple of albums. 

I loved it so much that I didn’t give it back to my mate for ages. I remember my old man yelling at me to turn the music down because, like most heavy metal, it sounds so much better when it is loud. He loved traditional rock and roll but he absolutely hated Black Sabbath. 

Over the intervening years, as I have become the old git I am now, I have followed the band through all of its changes, including Ozzy Osbourne being sacked and replaced by Ronnie James Dio. In fact for just one album, another of my other musical heroes joined as lead singer. That was Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan. Apparently he got drunk with Tony Iommi and agreed to join. 

Their last concert was an event that lasted all day and featured many other legendary performers and bands including Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Halestorm, Pantera, Tool, Slayer, Guns N’ Roses and Metallica with a host of other famous people including Jason Momoa who hosted the event. No wonder it was so expensive. 

I suppose every band has to finish and it is best to finish on a high. They are all old men and Ozzy in particular has been open about the health problems that he has to contend with. Nevertheless, I will still listen to their music as it helped shape my taste over the decades. 

To finish off I will present my favourite five songs by the band. The order of the songs may not please other Black Sabbath fans but I truly don’t care. All of the following have a special meaning for me personally and I love them. That said, it took me a while to create the list and there are loads of other favourites that could have made the top five. 

 5. Neon Knights (from Heaven and Hell - 1980)

This is a controversial choice perhaps because it features Ronnie James Dio instead of Ozzy Osbourne. The song is from the first album the band released after Ozzy was sacked. I love it because I think that Ronnie is one of the greatest rock singers ever. For me it was perfect to  blend in Ronnie’s style with  that of  Black Sabbath (Ronnie's style as in Rainbow and his own band called Dio) and it marks one of the peaks of my metal mania at the start of the 1980’s. It is just a brilliant song.  

4. Never Say Die (from Never Say Die - 1978)

The album “Never Say Die” was Ozzy’s last one before he was sacked. Of course he reappeared in the band later but we will ignore that for now. This is the first Black Sabbath album I actually paid money for. The album itself is disappointing in retrospect but the title track truly stands out. Again, this may be controversial with some Black Sabbath fans but I stand by my choice. 

3. Spiral Architect (from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath – 1973)

Other Black Sabbath fans may just roll their eyes when they hear this. I just think it’s beautiful song and quite different to what non-Black Sabbath fans may expect of the band (but see later). I love the lyrics:

Of all the things I value most in life

I see my memories

And feel their warmth

And know that they are good

You know that I should

The song includes strings too, which for me adds to the appeal of the song and is just the icing on the cake. It is a pleasing progression from their normal output.

2. Symptom of the Universe (from Sabotage – 1975)

Okay – this is what Black Sabbath are all about. This is a really good heavy metal song with the grinding guitar and deep thumping bass line, accompanied by brilliant drums and Ozzy’s amazing and unique voice. This is a true air guitar song and as a kid I found myself pretending to be a blend of Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne as I jumped around my room listening to this tune. 

1. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath – 1973)

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is a perfect metal masterpiece and certainly in my top ten heavy metal songs of all time. It has everything you would expect from Black Sabbath – a pounding grinding heavy beat that makes you want to headbang even if you don’t want to. Every time I hear it I lose myself in the music and shut out everything else. I love absolutely everything about it. 

And finally …

For those of you who think that Black Sabbath are just a loud obnoxious heavy metal band, just take a listen to these two songs that completely belie that stereotype. I’ve played this to friends and asked them to guess the band – nobody got it right and nobody could believe who it was. They are both beautiful.

Laguna Sunrise (from Black Sabbath Volume 4 – 1972)

Fluff (from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath – 1973)

We Are All F.A.B.

Welcome to a rainy Saturday in South Manchester. We’ve had good weather recently so it is a bit of a surprise to see the rain falling today. I managed to complete my morning walk before the first drops came thankfully. 

This week's Sunday Stealing  involves the word “FAB” In the UK we use it as an abbreviation for “fabulous”, for example the Beatles were the “Fab Four”, as George Harrison is pointing out in this solo hit from the 1980’s:

Although "FAB" was big in the 1960’s, it is used even today (probably by people who were born in the 1960’s like me). However, there is one use of it that causes confusion for some people and that is the use of F.A.B. in the 1960’s show Thunderbirds. When I was a kid watching the International Rescue saving the world with their magnificent Thunderbirds, I was confused when the Tracey brothers would acknowledge an order with “F.A.B”. 

“What does “F.A.B” stand for?” my seven year old self would ask. 

Well here (apparently) is the answer:

Okay, now that’s cleared up, let’s get F.A.B.

F. Film: What movie or tv show are you watching?

I usually have four TV shows on the go at any one time. Two of them are shared with Mrs and two are of my own choosing. Here are my current ones:

Gangs of London

This is a shared one with Mrs PM. It is a Sky show that is in its third season and is all about the rivalries between gangs in the city of London (as the title suggests). It is very gritty, violent and brutal and we both love it. The first two seasons were really good but the third is the best so far in my opinion. 

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

This is the other shared one with Mrs PM and is a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy set thousands of years in the past. We are currently watching season one and so far it is proving to be very enjoyable. We both love Tolkien’s Middle Earth saga.

Andor

I’m not the biggest fan of Star Wars and although the movies are very successful, I’ve only really enjoyed a couple of them. The same goes for the series too but I have enjoyed The Mandalorian. I thought I would give Andor a try and series one was very impressive. I’m currently enjoying season two.

Stargate Atlantis

As soon as I retired, I decided to watch a series that had eluded me for years and that series is Stargate SG-1. Since September last year, I have been watching the show most weekdays as I enjoy my breakfast after a walk and I have to say, I loved it. Sadly, I have watched all ten seasons so I decided to move onto the spin-off Stargate Atlantis. And I have to say I think Stargate Atlantis is even more enjoyable. I’m currently on season three and the Wraith are wonderful adversaries.  

Movies

The last movie I watched was “Joker: Folie à Deux”. Compared to the original and wonderful “Joker” it was dreadful. I don’t blame Lady Ga Ga (as some may suggest). In my opinion, the blame lies with whoever decided to write such a terrible story and then make it partially a musical. 

I’m looking forward to seeing the new "Fantastic Four" movie when it is released in a couple of weeks, although Mrs PM and I want to find time to see "28 Years Later" in the next week. 

A. Audio: What are you listening to?

I listen to music all the time but I’d like to mention a new band that I have discovered this year. They are an Italian progressive rock band called Kingcrow and their 2024 album “Hopium” is absolutely amazing. Here is a song from it called “Night Drive”, a moody and atmospheric song that slowly builds up to an incredible crescendo: 

B. Book: What are you reading?

I have just started “Mr Mercedes” by Stephen King, one of the few books by him that I haven’t read yet. Apparently it is the first in a trilogy and so far it is proving to be an intriguing thriller (as opposed to his usual horror and supernatural style). If I like it, I will read the other two books too. 

The Queue

There’s a myth that British people like to queue. 

I am sure that there are some of my fellow countrymen who like to stand in a line of people waiting to fulfil a mundane task or perhaps even wish to be rewarded after patiently waiting for the people in front of them. 

But let me tell you one thing: I am British and I bloody well hate queuing. 

It’s not so bad if there are only one or two people in front of me but if the queue has more than ten people you will see this particular Englishman, externally at least, roll his eyes in frustration. Internally I will be cursing, chastising myself for not getting to the queue earlier and generally my mood will plummet. If you are in the queue with me the only sign that you will see of inner self-loathing will be sighs of frustration and trying to look ahead to see how quickly the queue is actually moving. 

If you could read my mind you would be appalled at the language of my inner voice. You would hear me mentally yelling at the people in front of me to hurry up while at the same time cursing the person who is dealing with the queue for not processing people quickly enough. 

Those weird people who actually enjoy queuing say that it gives them the opportunity to chat to people in the queue. Have you ever heard strangers in a queue talking to each other? They aren’t talking about how much they love queuing. They are talking about how much they hate queuing. It’s a walking paradox or more accurately a queuing paradox.

People also say that “Patience is a virtue” and I am a very patient person – unless I am in a queue when all traces of patience are expelled from my brain.

I have numerous examples of being involved in a long queue and things that piss me off about standing in line. Here’s just one – a simple one:

I’ve just returned from Nice and while queuing at airport security, there was a person in front of me asking questions about what he should put in the tray to go through the sensors. 

“Do I have to take my coat off? What about my belt? I’ve got a laptop in my bag, does that have to come out of the bag too? What about my keys? What about my phone? Do I have to take my shoes off? What about my watch and my glasses? And my wallet? And the coins in my back pocket? Oh – and I have some liquids. What’s the upper limit?”

Now these are all reasonable questions because every airport is different and the technology for scanning you and your hand luggage varies. Nevertheless, the queue-hater in me comes out screaming. My inner voice shrieks:

“CAN’T YOU READ? There are signs EVERYWHERE answering all of these questions FOR YOU!” 

This only happens in my head of course, otherwise I would probably be arrested because there are signs warning you about being aggressive or just a very grumpy person in a queue. Outside I appear to be the calmest person in the world but inside I am a ranting monster and a raving lunatic. This is what queuing does to me.

If it were up to me, queues would be abolished. Practically speaking of course that is impossible because queues exist for a reason and they exist worldwide. 

I have no answers. Queues are sadly a part of life and are inevitable. 

However, there is one British stereotype about queuing that I embrace whole-heartedly. And that is when I see somebody trying to jump into the queue. British people HATE queue jumpers and the usual so-called polite and reserved Englishman will act immediately if he thinks somebody is committing the cardinal sin of queue jumping. 

Here’s an example of a subtle technique used that Englishmen would react to instantly. This is highlighted by Larry David, an American, but the principle is the same:

Such behaviour in England is wholly unacceptable and can cause outrage. 

For example, we had a couple of minor celebrities called Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby who, at the time of the Queen’s death, were generally quite well-liked and respected (not by me but that’s a different story).  They had a TV magazine show called “This Morning” that was very popular. 

It all threatened to fall apart for them when they committed the cardinal queuing sin. The queue in question was to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state and the length of the queue was enormous. Famous people mingled with your everyday Brit just to pay their respects and queued for more than twelve hours. 

Imagine that: QUEUING FOR 12 HOURS! 

However, Schofield and Willoughby used their “job” as an excuse to jump the queue and many people caught them on camera doing just that. There was complete outrage throughout the country. Many avid viewers of their show threatened to boycott the pair of them and for a time it looked like they were going to lose their jobs. 

They were forced to apologise:

Queuing is bad enough but having to queue while driving takes it to a new and higher level. And queue jumpers in this situation are treated as if they are beneath contempt. 

Picture the scene. You are driving on a three lane motorway and two of the lanes are blocked or closed a couple of miles ahead. This means that everybody in the two closed lanes has to merge into the one open lane. There is usually ample notice so the right thing to do is to gradually edge over to merge. People in the open lane acknowledge this and are quite happy to let people merge in gradually. However, there are some people (and let’s call them by their true name – arseholes) who decide that they are going to avoid the queues to merge and just rush down to the blockage itself and merge there thus avoiding most of the queue. This is a crime that should be punishable by law in the eyes of most people and as soon as people in the queue recognise what is happening, they all band together to stop the arsehole from merging. 

Similarly this can happen if people try to avoid queuing for a turnoff by waiting until the last minute to join those who have been queuing for ages. At this point road rage can definitely enter the equation and you can see some of the reactions if you look up queue jumping cars in Britain, where people post dashcam footage to name and shame the drivers. 

Queue jumping seems to be more rife abroad. I was in Crete many years ago and queuing to get on a boat when all of a sudden a bunch of Germans tried to push in at the front as if there were no such thing as queue etiquette. They were quickly dispatched to the back of the queue by a rather angry English lady at the front. 

This is what queuing does to people.

Next time you are in a queue try thinking about being in the queue with me. You will see a calm person queuing in an orderly fashion, occasionally rolling his eyes or sighing. If you try talking to me I will say something like “I wish this queue would hurry along.” But know that my inner hulk is raging. Thankfully nobody will ever see that inner hulk nor will you hear me reciting the lyrics in the following song. I hate queuing but I will never be a queue jumper:

Incomplete Thoughts

Welcome to a sunny and warm South Manchester, where the sun is shining from a blue sky with a few white clouds dotted around. Today my younger sister is visiting from Harrogate so I just have time to squeeze in a few silly questions from Sunday Stealing.  

Actually, as the title of this post suggests it’s more to do with completing some thoughts. Let’s dive in shall we. 

1. I wish someone would ...

I wish someone would grant me a thousand wishes. I wouldn’t abuse them I promise. 

Perhaps my first wish would be to force all politicians to actually tell the truth when they are so pompously and blatantly lying to our faces. This would make a good future blog post actually so watch this space. 

2. When I order Chinese food ...

When I order Chinese food I always suggest sharing the dishes that we order so that we can enjoy a variety of food. 

This is the only cuisine I do with this actually because my normal approach is this:

However, I love Chinese food (especially in China itself) so I am happy to sample the delights of other people’s dishes and allow them to sample mine. It’s hypocritical I know but then I’m not perfect by any means. 

3. I know it's not everyone's favourite activity, but I actually enjoy ...

I know it's not everyone's favourite activity, but I actually enjoy watching cricket. 

Since I retired, I have joined Lancashire Cricket Club which means that I can pop up to Old Trafford to watch cricket matches. I had a chat with a friend on WhatsApp about this and the conversation went like this: 

MATE: So how’s retirement?

PM: It’s great – I’ve got a few cricket matches booked.

MATE: Jeez!! Cricket???? If you’re that bored why don’t you come back to work?

PM: HA HA! I’d rather watch paint dry in a dark cellar than come back to work.

MATE: Watching paint dry is more interesting than watching cricket!!

I understand that a lot of people don’t like cricket but there is nothing more relaxing than watching a nice game of cricket on a sunny day with the occasional beer. I enjoy it and I will be renewing my membership next season too. 

5. A major pet peeve of mine is ...

A major pet peeve of mine is listening to people who bullshit about how good they are. 

You know the kind of people (we’ve all met them). Whatever you tell them you’ve been doing or have achieved, they have done the same thing better than you or they have made a bigger mess of it than you. 

It’s like a competition with them. I knew a bloke like this many years ago who used to tell tall stories and exaggerate to the point where he was unbelievable. 

One day there were four us on a site trip to Amsterdam and one of my mates said that he had been camping in the Lake District and had an encounter with a fox during the night. Mr Bullshit said: 

“That’s nothing. I was camping in Yosemite and on that trip, I had to hide from a bear. And as I hid, I heard screams. I went outside after ten minutes and found an unconscious bloke. I dragged him into my tent to keep him warm but when I woke up he was dead. I spent most of the night with a corpse.”

We didn’t believe him at all because this was a typical tall tale. The Lake District in the UK became Yosemite in the US, the fox became a bear and he threw in a corpse for good measure as a sort of icing on the cake. The more we scrutinised his story the more huge holes we found.

Later, that same evening, we saw a pinball machine in a bar. 

“I don’t want to play pinball,” he insisted. 

“Why not?” we asked. 

“Because I’m just too good – I’ll beat you all. I’ve won loads of money off  people because I’m so good.”

By this stage we were totally sick of his bullshit. We challenged him to play and eventually he gave in. One of our number had only played pinball once or twice and I was pretty poor too. We played three times each and each time Mr Bullshit finished last. Even the guy who had only played once or twice beat him easily. 

I have a few other tall tales he told but maybe I’ll save that for a separate post. 

6. I remember when my grandfather ...

I remember when my grandfather told me about his wartime experience. 

My dad’s dad was involved in World War II and was captured in Europe. My grandmother was told that he was missing in action and assumed the worst. When the war was over, he came back and turned up on the front door. Apparently he said “Hi love, I’m back.” 

My grandmother promptly fainted, so I was told. 

7. I am not fazed at all by ...

I am not fazed at all by the things people say about me. 

To be honest, I used to care a lot when I was younger but these days I have a thick skin and when somebody criticises me I just ignore it. I think it’s probably due to having worked with one or two over-critical managers over the years and in the end I used to ignore them completely. 

The vast majority of people I’ve had as managers have been amazing and some are still good mates. Nevertheless you get the odd one who doesn’t have a good word for anybody. 

It’s the “I’m better than you so I will say what I like and you will do it.” attitude that used to really annoy me. 

As my career progressed I stopped listening to such people and their opinions and started to fight back or just call them out or, best of all, just ignore them.

8. Long car rides ... 

Long car rides bore me to tears. 

In the UK most car rides are reasonably short. The longest one I have been on was from Manchester to Cornwall and that took hours and was tedious. But that is short compared to some in other countries. In Australia for example we drove from Brisbane to Sydney over several days, stopping off at various places. However, one day, we basically set off in the morning and arrived late at night and I was so bored even though I was in a different country. It’s the same in America. I love to travel but I hate getting there. 

9. I don't understand the fuss over ...

I don’t understand the fuss over the royal family. 

Some people in the UK get really upset when you criticise the royal family. They are human beings just like the rest of us and they are therefore subject to the same flaws that we all have. 

I don’t hate them; I just don’t get it and I certainly don't care what happens to them. . 

10. When I'm home alone ...

When I’m home alone, like I am now, I always find something to entertain the introvert inside of me. 

As I said, my sister is arriving later today and that is when I will unleash the extrovert. For now though, the introvert is in charge and when Mrs PM gets home later, he will pop back into his little room in my mind. 

I love the introvert.

The Motto Grotto

Welcome to a dreary and rainy South Manchester. I’ve been busy over the last week going to a gig, evenings out with friends and family and watching cricket so I am quite happy to have a boring Saturday to reset a little. 

And what better way to spice up things with a silly post answering silly questions from Sunday Stealing. 

1. What's your life's motto?

I don’t have one, but by the time I have finished this question I will have created one. I did spot some amusing ones when I looked on the internet for inspiration so I’ll share those with you first:

Don’t give up on your dreams – keep sleeping.

Arrive late. Get there as soon as you want to. 

Be happy. It drives people crazy. 

Age doesn’t matter – unless you are cheese.

Don’t be superstitious. But you can be a little stitious if you like.

Life’s too short to be normal so just stay weird.

Actually, I like that last one, mainly because I am a weirdo myself. I think life mottos are supposed to be uplifting and positive and, generally, I don’t go for these positive affirmations because they make me cringe. Here are some examples:

There is no one better to be than myself.

Today I choose to be confident.

I’m good enough, strong enough, brave enough, capable enough and smart enough.

The world is a great place because I am in it.

I can understand why people love them and why they work, but personally I find them a little condescending and irritating. See what I mean? I’m a weirdo. 

Anyway, I’ve had enough time to come up with my own life motto. Here it is:

Ignore people who don’t want to be your friend. It’s their loss not yours.

Actually, that makes me cringe inwardly too. Here’s another:

Laughter is your best friend. The world is a weird place and there is also something to laugh at, even when times are hard. 

2. Where were you living 13 years ago?

I was living in the same house as I do now. We moved in way back in May 2002. I remember the year because it was the year after the 9/11 attacks (see later). 

3. Is anyone jealous of you?

I seriously doubt it, though I think there are a few of my ex-work colleagues who are envious of the fact that I have retired. When I see them, I usually ask how they are and, invariably, they say “Well work is a little crap at the moment”

To which I reply: “What is this “work” of which you speak?”

They usually reply with an expletive filled sentence. I need to stop making fun of them. 

4. Where were you when you heard about the 9/11 terror attacks?

I was at work and it was in the afternoon UK time. 

I received a text message from a friend who rarely sends text messages, saying “An aeroplane has just hit the World Trade Center”. I mentioned it to my colleagues and we started chatting about it thinking that it was a tragic accident. However, another colleague shouted across “Another plane has hit the other tower”. 

We were shocked and we heard that management had the news on TV upstairs in the office boardroom, so I popped upstairs to see what was happening. We all stood there in shock at the terrible images as we watched events unfold on the BBC. 

I decided to leave work early and drove home to watch the coverage on BBC news only to discover the full extent of the horror. Mrs PM arrived home later and she too was shocked, especially when the two towers collapsed. 

It kind of hit home to me because two years earlier, Mrs PM and I had been to New York for New Year with a couple of friends. We stayed in Tribeca and could see the twin towers from our hotel bedroom. I remember walking down from the hotel to the Financial District and we actually had breakfast in a diner that was very close to the World Trade Center. We were going to go to the top of one of the towers but my fear of heights got the better of me and we didn’t bother. 

I love New York and the whole thing was very upsetting. I thought about all of the commuters we saw in the morning on their way to work and the police and firemen that we saw doing their jobs in the city. 

I remember The Square Diner, a little place in Tribeca where we had breakfast every other day we there, with the free refills of “cwoffee” (I love the New York accent). I remember being in Times Square to witness New Year 1999 in the freezing cold temperatures and then heading to an Irish bar nearby where we stayed until 2am. I remember seeing so many yellow taxi cabs in the wee small hours of the morning as we made our way back to the hotel. 

My heart was with New York and the people of America that day. And it still saddens me when I think about it, especially answering this question.

5. Do you consider yourself kind?

I am quite a kind person I think. I will always try to help friends and family and also people I don’t know if I can. Why wouldn’t you?

6. Can you change your car's oil?

Absolutely not. I can do half the job, which is add oil to the car. But changing the oil means crawling under the car and, I’ve heard, it can be tricky. I’d rather a qualified person at the garage do that. 

7. What's the last thing you heard about your first love?

I have made no effort to find out anything about my first real girlfriend. I was just an eighteen year old kid, getting ready to go to university and she was sixteen. We both lived in Walsall and my parents really liked her, especially my mum who thought that I would end up marrying her. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be and although we were together for a year, the prospect of leaving Walsall made me think deeply about our relationship. We had an argument and in the heat of the moment I ended the relationship, much to my mum’s disappointment. The last time I saw her was about three years later when I had returned from Liverpool for the summer. I bumped into her in a pub in Walsall and we exchanged pleasantries for a couple of minutes. I haven’t seen her since, nor have I tried to find out anything about her. 

8. Have you ever been burned by love?

Oh yes. At university I really liked a girl, who I will call X, and she ripped out my heart. The worst thing about it was that she did so in front of her best friend who kind of helped her to deliver the terrible news that she didn’t want to go out with me at all. I was devastated. 

Then about two years later, I was in a pub in Manchester and I saw a woman who I recognised from somewhere. She was with her boyfriend and, fuelled by a little alcohol, I plucked up the courage to ask her if we had ever met. She told me that she didn’t recognise me at all but then asked a little bit about me in case we perhaps had met before and forgotten. We both discovered that we were both at Liverpool University at the same time as was her boyfriend and we had a good conversation and reminisced about the time. Eventually she said:

“It’s a shame I didn’t know you at university. You’re a nice lad and I think we would have been good mates.”

And at that moment, I suddenly recognised her. And I was filled with horror. It was X’s best friend, the one who had laughed when X tore my heart out and threw it to her hellhounds as a chew toy:

At that point, I made an excuse to leave and we shook hands and I somehow managed to smile as those feelings of rejection resurfaced. 

That was almost four decades ago. Wow – that makes me feel so old. 

9. What was the last thing you paid for with cash?

I went to a horse race meeting at Haydock Park a couple of weeks ago and I paid for my seven bets with cash. I’m not a gambler really but it is fun. I ended up losing just £10, so it wasn’t that bad a day. It could have been worse. 

10. Do you hug your friends?

Yes, generally I do, both male and female. I usually leave it to the other person to choose, especially if they are female. 

Odd Ones

 

Generally I don’t like power ballads. To be honest, I don’t know what constitutes a power ballad because different people define them differently. According to a definition I found: 

A power ballad is a slow rock song with a strong, emotional vocal delivery and typically a grandiose production.

Since the 1980’s almost all rock bands I love have produced at least one of these songs. I recently went to an open air tribute band festival where there was a Def Leppard tribute who apologised to the audience for playing two power ballads. I must admit that I used that time to have a comfort break because as much as I love the band, I am not a fan of their power ballads. It’s the same story with other bands too. 

Power ballads are very popular and sometimes the most popular songs by certain bands fall into that category. People who don’t generally like heavy metal or hard rock find power ballads by such bands acceptable because the songs drift more towards their taste. 

A good example of this is a female member of my extended family, who shall remain nameless and hates my music with a passion. She is an elderly lady in her mid 70’s, and she loves boy bands and her favourite artist is Barry Manilow. She claims to be a “Fanilow” and has dragged her poor husband to see him on a couple of occasions. When we visit her, she always makes a point of putting on music by Take That to wind me up (because I despise them). Last Christmas we were in a car with her and just to completely irritate me, she put on “Stay” by East 17 which made me feel like opening the door and taking my chances with the leaping out of the car travelling at 50mph – anything to rid my brain of that dreadful song. 

I think you get the idea – there is no intersection whatsoever in our musical taste. 

Or at least I didn’t think so. A couple of years ago, she declared that she likes a song by “one of those awful bands that you like, Dave”.

I laughed and told her that was impossible, but then she put it on. It was “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith. 

Now I love Aerosmith and have seen them live about three times – but I am not a fan of this power ballad at all and suffice it to say, I returned the wind up by telling her that they did a lot of songs like that. She allowed me to play “Dude Looks Like a Lady” which definitely is not a power ballad. I laughed as she ordered me to turn it off. 

Nevertheless, there are some power ballads that I like. My musical taste is actually pretty eclectic and my motto is that if a song appeals to me in any way I will listen to it whatever genre it is. This is the basis of the now ever-increasing overlap between my taste in music and Mrs PM’s that has created a massive Spotify play list. 

We always thought that our two tastes were mutually exclusive but the Covid pandemic proved both of us wrong. This is why I am going to see one of Mrs PM’s favourite bands, called Massive Attack and the brand new Coop Live indoor arena in Manchester this Thursday evening. It is the biggest indoor arena in the UK and it only opened last year. I haven’t been yet and I can’t believe that my first gig will be one of Mrs PM’s favourite artists.

Here is a song that I like by the band (in case you haven’t heard of them). It’s an ambient electronic song, which is a genre I quite like, and it’s called “Teardrop”:

Now to the point of this post. As I said above, there are a few power ballads that I like so I thought I would share them with you. I generally find power ballads are too mushy, especially those by the likes of Bon Jovi who love to sing about love and give me the urge to find a vomit bag. None of the ones below are about love, but they are beautiful songs. 

I hope you like these odd ones.

The first is a beautiful song called “The Answer Lies Within” by Dream Theater which is about finding courage within yourself and learning from your setbacks to make you stronger.

Next is Devin Townsend singing “Spirits Will Collide” which has the same subject matter as the previous one. 

Next is Riverside with the great title “Lost (Why Should I Be Frightened By a Hat?)” which talks about moving forward having reflected on one’s past. 

Next is Queensrÿche with “Silent Lucidity”, which at first listen seems to be an uplifting song about supporting somebody who has problems but is really a song about controlling people’s dreams. 

Finally, a beautiful song by Steven Wilson called “Deform to Form a Star”. I have no idea what it is about but I do know that it isn’t about love.

I think this goes to prove that I will give some bands a chance (apart from Take That or Barry Manilow of course). 

10 Things

Welcome to South Manchester on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Yesterday I went to my first cricket match of the season so I thought I would find a little time today to write a blog post from Sunday Stealing having just been to the cinema to watch the latest Mission Impossible film. 

It’s been a busy May with a lot of things going on and June looks like it is going to be the same. It involves cricket, gigs and a trip to the South of France, which I will undoubtedly talk more about in the coming weeks. 

For now, however, let’s dive in with silly questions. 

1. What bill do you hate paying the most?

Every single one of them. Tell me: who actually enjoys paying bills? There are a lot of bills, especially household ones and largely they are automatically paid, which means that I don’t see them arrive nor do I see the money depart. However, the ones that appear out of the blue are quite annoying, for example anything to do with the car, balance payments for holidays, surprise household bills. 

We seem to be having a bit of bad luck at the moment in terms of surprise household bills. The toaster has just decided to shuffle off this mortal coil, the catch on the glove compartment of my car has failed and various other things are going wrong. It’s not much in the grand scheme of things and Mrs PM and I do prepare for such issues. Nevertheless they are still annoying. 

I guess the answer to this question is that I hate paying surprise bills the most. 

2. Which restaurant would you recommend for a romantic dinner?

I know quite a few restaurants but we always tend to go to a little place called No. 4,  which is tucked away in a little cobbled side street. It’s quite intimate and the food is very good. We usually go there on birthdays or if we just fancy a treat. 

3. Who was your first grade teacher?

In the UK school years have changed since I was a kid. The equivalent of first grade is called “Year 2” here but back when I was at school it was called something else. Anyway, I believe first grade is for kids aged 6 to 7 and I think my teacher was called Mrs McConville who, at the time, was considered a little fierce. 

I went to a Catholic infants and junior school that was associated with and stood next door to a Catholic church. I was quite a bright kid and I have vague memories of being ahead of almost all kids in my class, which meant that she actually quite liked me. 

In later years I wasn’t the best behaved child but back at the age of 6 or 7 I was a model pupil. Mrs McConville quite liked that and I have fond memories of her. I may have had a different opinion had she been fierce with me though. 

4. What should you be doing right now?

I am doing exactly what I should be doing - writing this post. I have completed a few chores today and been to the cinema so I intend to finish this just in time for dinner followed by a relaxing Sunday evening. 

5. What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I had thoughts about being an astronaut and that’s the only thing I recall wanting to do. Of course, reality kicked in and I realised that being an astronaut was too difficult and too scary. From that moment on I had no idea what I wanted to be and ended up relying on my academic strengths to guide me. 

6. How did you choose the shirt you're wearing right now?

I am wearing a T-shirt and I chose it on a clothing store web site because I liked the colour. 

7. Gas prices! What's your first thought?

In the UK, “gas” is known as petrol so I assume that you are talking about that rather than the gas that is used on a gas cooker or a gas fire. To be honest, when I first went to America, I found it funny that they referred to “gas stations” and filling up at such a place was a little strange. In the UK we call them “petrol stations”. 

Petrol prices in the UK are exorbitant and I have always hated them. There is a term called “rip-off Britain” covering how things can be overpriced here compared to the rest of the world and petrol or “gas” is one of the biggest offenders. When I was working in Oman, I was shocked at how cheap petrol was over there. Here is a comparison of the average prices per country (converting to US dollars and using UK gallons as on 1st June 2025). 

In Oman you pay $2.82.

In the USA you pay $4.21.

In Australia you pay $4.69.

In the UK you pay (wait for it) $8.13.

There are more expensive countries (but not many). For example:

In Italy you pay $8.83.

In Switzerland you pay $9.41. 

The most expensive is Hong Kong which is a whopping $15.63. 

The cheapest is Libya, which is $0.12.

So my first thoughts are “overpriced” and “Bloody rip off!”

8. Do you have a teddy bear?

No. I haven’t had a teddy bear since I was about three years old. To be honest, I would be worried about myself if at the age of 62 I was still taking a teddy bear to bed or in fact still owned one. 

9. Do you own the last book you read, or did you get it from the library?

Funnily enough, I am thinking of rejoining the Manchester Library because it offers many other services outside the simple lending of books. I own a Kindle because I read a lot and travel a lot and  books are heavy in luggage. I own all of the books that I read these days but they are stored on a Kindle which means that I can store a huge number that Mrs PM can’t force me to get rid of.

10. Did you more recently send a text or write a Post It?

I don’t really send text messages anymore nor do I use Post It’s. I think the last time I used a Post It was when I was a couple of years ago with work. These days I use WhatsApp an awful lot, and I guess that counts as texting. 

8 Things

Welcome to a sunny Friday afternoon in South Manchester where we are in a bit of a dry spell, after a wonderful April and May with little rain and wall to wall sunshine (with one or two exceptions where it was cloudy). 

I’ve been away for a while to Malta, with Mrs PM and her mum, as it is her 80th birthday in a week or so. We stayed in Valletta, which is the capital, and did a lot of sight-seeing and exploration. It was my second trip the Malta, the first being a few years ago where we stayed in the north of the island in the town of Mellieħa. 

It’s a lovely place with a rich and varied history and well worth a visit. 

Let’s dive into some silly questions from Sunday Stealing which this week tries to expose a few things about me. 

1. What habit do you wish you could break?

There are several that I would like to break, chief amongst them being procrastination, which I am slowly managing to do, now that I have more time on my hands. There are still moments during this war that I choose to give in but I am getting there – slowly.

My other major habit that I want to rid myself of is caring to much about the news. I used to rant mercilessly and now I try not to do it. But whenever I see the news I find that I am starting to fume about it. All I want to know is what is going on in the world but almost every day there is something going on that is either related to the Israel war, or the Ukraine war or a consequence of the malignant narcissism of the Orange Goblin that is currently running amok in the United States. 

I won’t bore you with my views on that (I think you can guess), which is a step in the right direction I suppose. 

2. Where is your favourite vacation spot?

I have a couple of places. 

In Asia, it is Hong Kong and we are planning to go there again next year on the way back from Malaysia. 

In Europe, I love the coast of Andalusia, especially Marbella. We haven’t visited that lovely coastal town for a while so hopefully we will try next year. Also, I love the city of Nice in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. It is a great city in its won right but it is also a centre for exploring other wonderful places like Cannes, Antibes and Monaco. In fact we are going there again next month for a week. 

In other places, I love New York, Toronto and San Francisco and, of course, Japan which is the weirdest yet most exciting place I have been to. 

3. How many years of formal education have you completed?

I started school aged 5 back in 1967 at a Catholic infants school and then progressed to the junior school until 1974, when I enrolled at a grammar school in Walsall, where I remained until I was 18 years old. After I left, I went to Liverpool University for three years, leaving in 1984. I guess that means that I had 17 years of formal education. 

4. Have you ever had a job that required you be certified or licensed?

No, but my job did require a degree in IT. Of course as part of my job it was possible to become certified in various products in order to advance your career. 

5. Do you enjoy camping?

I’ve only ever camped in the back garden once as a child and I didn’t particularly enjoy it. I have never been since, nor am I tempted to.

6. Tell us about a time you got away with something.

I once accidentally sent an internal email describing a problem on a customer’s system to the customer himself with the final line “Under no circumstances should we tell the customer about this until we have figured out a way to fix the problem.”

When I realised what I had done, I quickly reworded that final line to be “We should tell the customer about this problem as soon as possible and inform them about the work around to avoid the issue.”

The customer read just the second email (which had the same title as the first one) and then replied to me saying “Thanks for being so honest with us.”

That was a really near miss. 

7. Where have you lived the longest, and what do/did you like best about it?

My current house in South Manchester is the pace where I have lived the longest. This month marks the 23rd anniversary of moving in. The location is ideally placed with a fast route into the centre of the city and it is also close enough to the Cheshire countryside, which begins about 20 minutes away in a car. I am also about five miles from Manchester Airport, which is very convenient for travel. 

8. When you were a kid, were more of your playmates boys or girls?

I had friends from both sexes but they were mostly boys I think, as I liked to play football and other sports. Over my years in Walsall, like most kids there, we tended to flit between groups of mates, both male and female.