Friday's Feast

Appetizer

What is your middle name? Would you change any of your names if you could? If so, what would you like to be called?

I used to have a middle name, but I officially ditched it. It doesn't appear on my passport or driver's licence (no, that's not a typo, it's how we spell it in the UK), I really dislike it, so I'm sorry, but I'm not revealing it. Apart from ditching the middle name, I wouldn't change my name in any other way, as I simply couldn't get used to being addressed by a different name.

Soup

If you were a fashion designer, which fabrics, colors, and styles would you probably use the most?

I'd never be a fashion designer. I'd sooner design computer systems and various techno-gadgets. I'm just not a girlie girl!

Salad

What is your least favorite chore, and why?

Housework. I have arthritis, so all that vacuuming, dusting, mopping, etc, hurts. And I can't afford a cleaning lady, or better still, a hunky cleaning man. Life is hard!

Main Course

What is something that really frightens you, and can you trace it back to an event in your life?

Dogs and aircraft. My own personal hell would be finding myself locked in a plane with a dozen Rottweilers. About 17 or 18 years ago, I escaped by a whisker from an evil Doberman that wanted me for lunch. I've been very nervous of dogs since. As for the aircraft thing, I can trace that fear back to a lot of things. I grew up in rural West Wales. Both the RAF and the USAF used the region for low flying exercises, and in those days, they had fewer height restrictions. The jets would suddenly scream overhead, with little warning, often no more than 150 feet above the ground, sometimes even lower. They would arrive with such speed, that often, the first thing I knew about their presence was when a dark shadow suddenly fell on me, followed by the eruption of a hideous noise.

Ever had a military jet 150 feet above your head? No matter how many times it occurred, it terrified me each time, when I was a kid. To make matters even worse, one of them ditched a few miles from my house, killing the pilot, and I saw not just his final descent, but his face, as he looked out, knowing he was doomed, unable to bale out in case his plane hit a residential area. Horrible. Not long after, a small civilian aircraft crashed a few fields away from my house. I saw it fly over, sputtering and smoking, and I heard it hit the ground and explode soon afterwards. About three people died. So I thank all aircraft to stay the hell away from me. If we were meant to fly, we'd have wings!

Dessert

Where are you sitting right now? Name 3 things you can see at this moment.

On my sofa, in my living room. I can see my laptop screen, my cat, Liberty, washing herself, and my other car, Leo, sleeping in his furry radiator bed.