IN WHICH I’M FRIVOLOUS AND SOMEWHAT SECRETIVE…

They call it the Silly Season. Not without reason! There are, as usual, all sorts of memes and lists and taggy things whizzing through the bloosphere. Most are harmless, if childish, fun. Some are downright stupid. And most are declined by me.

I find them badly-worded, rather like the questionnaires that are foisted on you in the High Street when your shopping basket handles are threatening mutiny and some twit wants to know : do you think Leon di Caprio was a good choice to play Napoleon? Or Errol Flyn?

Currently, there are, apparently, people who are interested in what other people have done.

Well, OK, it’s a slow day at the coalface, so here we go. Just “yes” or “no.” No further explanation or qualification!

I nicked this from Vivien; you can read her responses here.

One hundred things I may (or may not) have done
1. Started your own blog – yes
2. Slept under the stars – yes
3. Played in a band –  yes
4. Visited Hawaii –   no
5. Watched a meteor shower    yes
6. Given more than you can afford to charity –  yes
7. Been to Disneyland –      no
8. Climbed a mountain –     yes

9. Held a praying mantis –        yes
10. Sung a solo                          yes
11. Bungee jumped                     no
12. Visited Paris –                yes
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea          yes
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch        yes
15. Adopted a child –                   no
16. Had food poisoning –           yes
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty –     no
18. Grown your own vegetables –         yes
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France           yes
20. Slept on an overnight train –       yes
21. Had a pillow fight –            yes
22. Hitch hiked –               yes
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill –    yes
24. Built a snow fort –     no
25. Held a lamb –         yes
26. Gone skinny dipping        yes
27. Run a Marathon          no
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice –    no
29. Seen a total eclipse            yes
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset – yes
31. Hit a home run –                                                                        no
32. Been on a cruise –                                                                      no
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person –                                              no
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors –                        yes
35. Seen an Amish community –                                                no
36. Taught yourself a new language – yes
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied –     yes
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person –                            yes
39. Gone rock climbing –      no
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David –                                                                yes
41. Sung karoke                                                                                 NO
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt –                                          no
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant –                       no
44. Visited Africa –                                                                             no
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight –                                        yes
46. Been transported in an ambulance- no
47. Had your portrait painted – yes
48. Gone deep sea fishing –                                                              no
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person –                                       no
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris –                     no
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling –                                         yes
52. Kissed in the rain –                                                                             yes
53. Played in the mud –                                                                           yes
54. Gone to a drive-in theater –                                                                  yes
55. Been in a movie –                                                                                        yes
56. Visited the Great Wall of China                                                no
57. Started a business –                                                                                   YES
58. Taken a martial arts class –                                                        no
59. Visited Russia –                                                                               no
60. Served at a soup kitchen –                                                          no
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies –                                                              no
62. Gone whale watching –                                                                  no
63. Got flowers for no reason –                                                            yes
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma –                                                 yes
65. Gone sky diving –                                                                             no
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp –                                      no
67. Bounced a check –                                                                           no
68. Flown in a helicopter –                                                                   no
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy –                                                yes
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial –                                                  no
71. Eaten Caviar –                                                                                           yes
72. Pieced a quilt-                                                                                         yes
73. Stood in Times Square –                                                               no
74. Toured the Everglades –                                                               no
75. Been fired from a job –                                                                   no
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London –                      no
77. Broken a bone –                                                                                           yes
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle –                                                         yes
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person –                                          no
80. Published a book –                                                                               yes
81. Visited the Vatican –                                                                       no
82. Bought a brand new car –                                                              no
83. Walked in Jerusalem –                                                                     no
84. Had your picture in the newspaper –                                     yes
85. Read the entire Bible –                                                                    no
86. Visited the White House –                                                             no
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating –                                        yes
88. Had chickenpox –                                                                                   yes
89. Saved someone’s life –                                                                                 yes
90. Sat on a jury! –                                                                                 no
91. Met someone famous –                                                                       yes
92. Joined a book club –                                                                            yes
93. Lost a loved one –                                                                                 Yes
94. Had a baby – no
95. Seen the Alamo in person –                                                        no
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake –                                                    no
97. Been involved in a lawsuit –                                          – no
98. Owned a cell phone –                                                                           yes
99. Been stung by a bee –                                                                                 yes
100. Read an entire book in one day – yes

As I said, some badly-worded; well, just look at #1! If you are really curious, you can ask. I may (or may not!) elaborate.

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A friend in Auckland was sporting one of these stickers on her car and I HAD to have one, too! Not available in stores, Inger has just bought one at a Solstice Fayre for me and it arrived yesterday. I shall stick it, very prominently,  on my car window. (And hope to god the nut following is not very short-sighted!)

And, no, I don’t have movie-star-dark windows; I photographed it on the piano!

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Jellyfish or not, that ocean looks inviting…see you next year, Eringla.

No, I will not swim if there are stinger warnings /beach closures posted. Sure, life’s a lottery and there may be stingers even if the beach is not closed. But when the life guards have done a sweep and found the little wretches …it aint worth the pain!

But before I go, you’re going to be my Guinea Pigs. I’ve been monkeying with my scanner (read: learning how better to use the damn’ thing!) and thought I’d show you one of the Possum Brigade that regularly turned up on the front verandah for handouts. Wildlife Rangers try to discourage people from feeding the natives (it makes them dependant, then, when the handouts stop, the natives find it difficult to adjust.) But, as I’ve said before, possums tend to make their own rules and we never over-fed them.