What is your favorite animal?
Old cat
But still lithe
Handsome
His tuxedo is shabby
But he makes me feel happy
Big snuggles
And his purr
Is to die for.
Any type of cat
Tag: bloganuary
Cycling
What are your favorite sports to watch and play?
I love cycling, it’s been a while since I did any, but I still love it on TV. The tour de France, the tour of Britain, the Vuelta, I try and catch all of them when I can.
I think Mark Cavendish was a brilliant sprinter. He won more stages than any other cyclist in the history of the tour. I think it was 35 over 15 years. He’s from the isle of Man and represented it well.
I like the female tours aswell but they aren’t as well publicised and I’m not sure who the best racers are.
I remember riding down hills and trying to keep up with my hubby who was very fast. He even came third in a big race once against tricyclists. He was the real cyclist, but I’m glad he got me into the sport.
Christine
Write about your first name: its meaning, significance, etymology, etc.
From ancestry.com
Variations Christina, Khristine,
Christie
From ancestry.com
“The name Christine has its origins in the English language and carries the meaning Follower of Christ. It is a feminine name derived from the masculine name Christian, which itself originates from the Greek word christianos. The name gained popularity during the Middle Ages and has since remained widely used in various cultures around the world.”
And yet when I looked up WordPress free image library to find something to illustrate this only four pictures appear. This was the prettiest one, but really not relevant!
I suppose the name has always had some influence on me, even though I don’t really call myself Christian I follow a lot of Christianity’s rules. I believe in compassion, care, equality, freedom, respect, charity. I think the world needs to try and work towards all these things.
Maybe being called Christine is like nominative determinism, the name pushes you into certain paths? I don’t know but I think it influenced me.
Driving to Plymouth
Think back on your most memorable road trip.
In the 1980’s we went to visit a friend from college for the first time. It was a journey we would make every couple of years until he moved up to the North of England.
We lived in the Midlands and I’d learnt to drive about 6 months before. I was driving a Morris Marina.
We took the M6 then M5 motorways until it ran out and changed to an A road. We stopped off for breakfast at a service station because the journey was about 240 miles. I hadn’t been on a motorway very often and as we came out of the service station I ended up on the North bound slip road! I did something illegal. I reversed back down the road and then took the South road!
Luckily the route was very simple, we got to Plymouth, and the house we were visiting was a few hundred yards away from the motorway junction. I remember we took bicycles on the roof of the car so the rest of the week was spent cycling to beaches and visiting various interesting places. The trip back was uneventful!
This was pre satnav and we used maps to navigate. To be honest I still use an A to Z if I want to find somewhere. But my driving is restricted to short journeys these days.
An AI filter business
Come up with a crazy business idea.
I’m getting irritated about seeing silly AI spoofs coming up on my social media feed. Most of them are about aliens or apocalyptic situations. Or non scientific ideas wrapped up in fakery to mislead people so my idea ™ (©) for a business would be an app to block them. Just press the button for a small charge and all fake AI and CGI would be removed from your feed, I think it might be an award winning idea.
A striped tee shirt
Describe an item you were incredibly attached to as a youth. What became of it?
I miss that tee shirt
It was orange and white
I felt like a pirate
Fun to play in.
I was only a child
Wore it forever
But it wore through
Holes in the cotton
But wouldn’t let it go!
Eventually grew out of it
My mom used it to dust!
A hundred?
What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?
Old, not a word I dread, as long as my mind and body continue to work. I want to keep going. I don’t think there is anything after life, I seriously doubt it, so I want to be me for as long as I can.
Health is the problem. Co-morbidities are flung at me at a rapid rate. One thing or another to take tablets for, carefully balanced to keep me going. Unless the pharmacy can’t get my pills, they are out of stock, suppliers let them down. Almost every month there is a problem where I’m left owed something.
After all that I would like to leave a legacy of my art. I hope my paintings won’t get thrown out, maybe I can keep going for seberal more years. I will try.
Moving about
What are your biggest challenges?
My biggest challenge seems to be movement inside and outside the house.
Inside I’m unsteady, I use my stick because my feet get muddled sometimes. They twist round each other and trip me up. Going up and down stairs is fun, especially when the cats decide to sleep on the stairs it’s a good job they have white patches so I can see them in the dark.
Outside is a challenge too. Just getting down the steps, hanging on to handrails, then walk a few steps to get to the car. But I get nervous driving, in the past I had hubby with me. Now? I get lifts with people if I can if I’m going any distance. I imagine myself stuck with a flat tyre, or out of petrol, or lost, or too tired to carry on. What happens if the person I’m going to see is out? I think I drove less that 500 miles last year. Memory is of driving all over the country, no longer. My challenge is to get better? I wish.
Chatsworth
Name an attraction or town close to home that you still haven’t got around to visiting.
From Google
“Chatsworth, home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire is set in the heart of the Peak District in Derbyshire, on the banks of the river Derwent. Explore the historic house for fascinating stories and one of Europe’s most significant art collections.”
I’ve seen it on TV lots of times but it’s always been just a bit too far to drive, or something else has come up and I never went. Maybe it’s time I did go before it’s too late? Before I get too totally doddery.
I found the picture on WordPress gallery of photos, one of only two. So I hope it is a real image of it.
I know there is meant to be a massive fountain there? I might try and find out its opening times.
Nuclear weapons
If you could un-invent something, what would it be?
Yes, I know that there are weapons that have as much power as nuclear bombs but they are big and heavy and more difficult to lob at your enemies. I think we should un-invent nuclear weapons.
I would still keep power stations if they were built with safety features that stop incidents like three mile island, chernobyl and fukushima. Mainly because of the horrific damage nuclear material can cause. It’s tasteless and does not smell and you can’t feel it, but it burns and causes cell damage and death.
Sometimes radioactive isotopes are used in medical techniques such as imaging areas affected by tumors or other illnesses. I would keep these substances. I’m glad that the elements were discovered by scientists such as Marie and Pierre Curie, but turning it into bombs was, I believe, a terrible mistake. I realise they ended the second world war but the worry is that mutually assured destruction is still a serious possibility.
Mallaband-Brown 