Forty things and six things - and loads of visitors!

I'm afraid this blog has been a little neglected lately - but I do have a good excuse.  You see, we are on the summer guest merry-go-round...  Until last Thursday, my guest room was occupied by Paul; and from last Saturday till this afternoon, my oldest friend Andrea was moved in.  And on Saturday, Nick's gran arrives.  We may as well install a reception desk and a revolving door!! So all I've been doing is being a tourist in my own town - which is tremendous fun but doesn't leave much time for cooking or blogging!  So in a short break from food, here are a couple of memes that took my fancy this week. 

The first is a meme I saw on one of my favourite blogs, Charlotte's Web.  It was originally forty things, but 3 of the original forty didn't make much sense so Charlotte dropped them.  I have taken the liberty of adding three new ones.  As it's a long meme, I'm not tagging anyone, but if you want to complete it consider yourself tagged and let me know so I can link to you.

1. My uncle once: cut the tips off two of his fingers with a rotary saw.

2. Never in my life: have I driven through Paris in a sports car with the warm wind in my hair. But I still hope to.

3. When I was five: I was still not pleased that my parents had decided against my name of choice (Katinka) for my younger sibling.  I probably should point out that he’s a boy.

4. High school was: intent on teaching me to embroider and play tennis.  Let’s say they did not find fertile ground.

5. I will never forget: the way I felt when the boy I’d secretly loved for four years wrote to me to say he loved me too.

6. Once I met:  the wife of Nobel Prize winner FW De Klerk.  She asked me in what standard I was in at school, while I was in fact already a practising lawyer.  I have yet to be given a better compliment…

7. There’s this girl I know: who was at school with me but had disappeared off the radar.  This year she got in touch with me via my blog - from where she lives now in Papua New Guinea.    

8. Once, at a bar: I kissed K purely to get back at his brother M, who was watching us and had just broken up with me.  M just rolled his eyes, but K fell in love with me and wrote me reams of bad poetry.  Boy, did that not turn out the way I planned!!

9. By noon, I’m usually: daydreaming about going home.

10. Last night: I went to see Kylie live in concert London.  She really is as adorable as the media would have you believe, and her live show is astonishing.

11. If only I had: studied journalism at university.

12. Next time I go to church: will probably be for a wedding.

13. What worries me most: is growing old and losing the people I love the most.

14. When I turn my head left I see:  a bed full of clean laundry to be folded and put away.  Aaaargh.

15. When I turn my head right I see: a huge London plane tree silhouetted against the dusk sky.

16. You know I’m lying when: I don’t look in your eyes.

17. What I miss most about the Eighties is: being at university.  And Wham!, of course.

18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be: one of the Macbeth witches.  They get all the good lines, and hang out all day cooking with their girlfriends.

19. By this time next year: I want to be fitter and thinner.  Hope springs eternal.

20. A better name for me would be:  Her Royal Highness?  Actually, I don't think I'd change my name.

21. I have a hard time understanding: intolerance.

22. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: take Literature instead of Science.

23. You know I like you if: I tell you jokes all night. 

24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: My mom, who passed away in 2003.

25. Take my advice, never: throw up in your own car.

26. My ideal breakfast is: served on a deck overlooking the sea at Plettenberg Bay.

27. A song I love but do not have is: Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley.

28. If you visit my hometown, I suggest you: go for a walk on Sardinia Bay Beach.  And have the peanut butter milkshakes at the Sacramento rstaurant!

29. Why won’t people: treat each other with respect?

30. If you spend a night at my house: be prepared to stay up late talking with a bottle of something alcoholic, and to be smooched by our neighbour's cat Troy who thinks he lives here too!

31. I’d stop my wedding for: Johnny Depp. 

32. The world could do without: cancer.

33. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: any part of Robert Mugabe.

34. My favourite blonde(s) is/are: my drop-dead gorgeous nephew in South Africa.

35. Paper clips are more useful than: paper planes.

36. If I do anything well it’s: write.

37. I can’t help but:  sing along to songs I know.  It drives Nick insane!

38. I usually cry: during the second movement of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto.

39. My advice to my child/nephew/niece: would be not to be afraid of taking risks.

40.  And by the way:  please remember to read and vote for my Can You Twist short story!  Pretty please?

[Check out Souperior's answers to this meme]

Also, Sue from E-Luckypacket also tagged me for a 6 quirky things meme.  As I'm not one to turn down a good meme, and while I'm in a meme-y mood, I thought I'd deal with that one too, so here goes:

1.  I have to have my photos (and everything else!) in chronological order.  If somebody messes up the order of my prints, I get irrationally annoyed...

2.  Until I was about 30, I didn't eat fresh tomatoes but I loved tomato sauce and sunblush tomatoes.  Now I also like fresh tomatoes - the riper the better.

3.  Until I was about 6, I loved guavas.  Now I dislike their taste, their texture, their smell - everything.  Go figure!

4.  I hate people opening a new bottle/packet/box of anything if the old one is still half full. 

5.  I owned a pair of pink tracksuit bottoms that I wore to study for every exam from matric (the final year of high school) until I finished my Masters degree.  I threw them out immediately after I found out I had graduated.

6.  When I eat, I always save my favourite bits for last - usually the pork crackling or the crispy chicken skin!

I have to nominate 6 other people, so I will go for: Jan (her answers here), Kevin, Angela (her answers here), I-Ling, Ash and Bordeaux.  Let me know when you have posted so I can link your post to mine.

As for me - I'm off to put fresh sheets on the guest room bed ;-)

Comments

[Gil]

I love your answer to No.33! eeeuww.....

[Carolyn]

Hi Jeanne,

Just read you latest newsletter - came through OK thank goodness.

Appears life is busy busy busy for you at present - I just adore having visitors come to stay - such a shame that the Antibedes are so very far away hey - Visitors who have come to stay with us have been from Singapore and of course UK and just cannot believe the size and the beauty of t his Country - we are constantly asked by rellies in UK, do we have our photographs 'touched up' because NO sky could possibly be as blue as what the photographs show - YES - our skies are a wonderful blue - Gods colour. It is mid winter here in South Australia - you would never know it - cold mornings - beautiful sunny days - cold nights - but I can cope with that. Been cooking lots of 'slow cooker'meals recently - they bubble away slowly during the day and usually by 6 - 7 pm we sit down to Osso Buco or Lamb SHanks with Red wine yum - or a bolonaise to which I just add pasta - whoever invented Slow Cookers - thank you!
OK time to go
Regards
Carolyn
South Australia

[nina]

I don't live abroad, but had the same scenario two weeks ago. The quest room was permanently booked and although it is exciting, it can be quite tiring. I enjoyed your meme...maybe over the weekend I'll find some time.....

[bee]

you need have to study journalism. just go ahead and become a journalist. weblogs are a form of journalism, anyway. it was great reading about you.

[bee]

i meant "you don't need to have studied journalism".

[Darius T. Williams]

Breakfast overlooking the pier! YES, a million times YES.

Sounds like a wonderful idea.

[courtney]

I have to go over and vote. So much to do and times flies. Your #2 reminds me of a fantasy I once got to experince. Except it was a motocylcle and around the Periphreque. Scared the crap out of me me and in the end I was shakey, hair looking like I was electrocuted when I took off the helmet. Not fun.

[Mel]

This is fun to read, also wanna play. Have never done any taggy/meme kind of thing but after a year and half on the computer, I am ready.
xxx

[Kevin]

Thanks for the tag.

[Charlotte]

Wah! Number 25? That's good advice ... I'll try to remember.

[Dragon]

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley is one of my favourite songs as well. :)

[Angela]

Hey, Jeanne! Thanks for the tag, which I've finally gotten around to doing. Link here: http://www.aspoonfulofsugar.net/blog/2008/08/lunch_at_the_brasserie_bordeau_1.html

[About toaster ovens.]

Hi jeanne,
Your answer is too good.Thanks for the tag.You are given a beautiful idea.
Thanks once again.

[Bordeaux]

I'll try to get to this 'meme' but being very bad at the moment at making time for blog. Bad me. And-and-and, I love the two pictures up here. And what you're wearing. Love it! And you got to see Kylie? I'm jealous!

[Bête de Jour]

Hi. I've done your meme too. What's more, I enjoyed doing it. So thanks. Have a nice day!

[Ruth]

Hi - great reading ! Thanks. Instead of tracksuit pants, my daughter had a pencil bag - when she finished her degree she gave it to me. I used it until I qualified It has our student numbers written in it. By the way, it's not too late to study journalism.