Welcome to a cloudy but dry south Manchester on day 117 since the Clown we have in charge of the country eased Covid-19 restrictions. I have now had my third Covid-19 vaccination because, being over 50, I am considered to be “vulnerable”. I’m not complaining and I still struggle to see why some people haven’t even had one injection yet.

I have had three and I have not grown a second head, there are no nanobots in my bloodstream recording my whereabouts to send to Bill Gates, I have not become magnetic and I am still, as far as I can tell, 100% human; my DNA has not been modified in any way.

Shall we dive into some silliness from Sunday Stealing? 

Name your favourite …

Place:

There are lots of Favourite places I can name and it would be difficult to pick one out – so I am going to name a few off the top of my head as they occur to me:

• Hong Kong

• Manchester

• Marbella, Spain

• Santorini, Greece

• New York City

• London

• Nice, France

• Japan (the whole country)

• Sydney, Australia

• Sorrento, Italy

Colour:

I like a lot of colours but I would say that teal is my favourite.

Smell:

Here are a few:

• Bacon

• The smell of the English countryside on a summer’s day

• Coffee being brewed

• Baking bread

• The smell of the ocean

Magazine:

I don’t really read magazines these days but the most recent one I bought (a few years ago now) was Classic Rock:

Texture:

I don’t really have a favourite texture if I’m honest. Something nice and soft to the touch I guess and let you use your imagination.

Thing to do when bored:   

When I’m bored, I will listen to music, watch TV, read or write inane ramblings on my laptop. I have so much rubbish written down. Depending on the weather I like going for a walk too.

Precious stone:

I don’t have a favourite precious stone. I’ll say jet – because it is a nice black colour - and I have goth tendencies.

Animal:

I Love dogs and cats. I would love a dog but, alas, it is too tough on them at the moment as I haven’t the time to give them the care and companionship they need. Since we now have two young black cats, the likelihood of me ever getting a dog is very slim.  

Time in history:

I’m a little intrigued by the time when we were ruled by a psychotic nutcase called Henry Viii. I would love to be a fly on the wall in his court.

Font:

I use a few fonts. I am writing this in Word using Calibri, but I also use Arial, Times New Roman and, sometimes, Segoe UI. 

Sound:

I am a little weird when it comes to sounds. I love to hear the wind blowing and I love thunderstorms. I also love the sound of waves crashing on the shore and the dawn chorus when I go for a walk at 6 o’clock in the morning as the sun is about to rise.

Fruit:

I love apples, plums, nectarines, peaches and bananas. Actually there are lots of other fruits I like but those are the most common ones I eat.

Vegetable:

I like most vegetables to be honest, especially carrots, potatoes, peas, corn and broccoli. The only one I avoid is dark green veiny cabbage.

Store/shop:

I don’t really like shopping at all but if I have to choose one, it would be a shop that sells gadgets and electronic devices, such as phones, laptops, games consoles, TV’s etc. No particular shop leaps to mind.

Quote(s):

Here are some good ones.

Billy Connolly: “The desire to be a politician should bar you for life from ever being one.”

Steve Martin: “Writer's block is a fancy term made up by whiners so they can have an excuse to drink alcohol.”

Dave Barry: “Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals like Hydrogen and Oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer.”

Historical figure:

I am going to say Henry VIII again. The man was mad – but very interesting.

Letter:

Favourite letter? That’s an odd favourite to ask. I will say D because my name is Dave and that is the initial letter.

Memory:

I would say that it is probably exploring Hong Kong with Mrs PM when we first got together there.

Dessert:

Black Forest Gateau.

Candy:

Candy is an America word – we call them sweets across the pond. I don’t eat that much “candy” to be honest so I will just say Extra Dark Lindor.

Restaurant:

There are far too many restaurants that I like both here in Manchester and abroad. I will pick on close to home – the Yang Sing Chinese restaurant in Manchester and its younger sibling The Little Yang Sing.

Language:

I can speak a little German, more French and I am getting there with Spanish. I will say that French sounds the best because you can insult anybody in French and it still sounds beautiful.

Thing to learn about:

Everything and anything. I am always keen to learn something new. If you can learn something new everyday your life will improve.

Thing about yourself:

I look young for my age – I am 59 years old but can pass for a man at least 15 years younger (unless I grow a beard). 

I am fairly intelligent (you need to be to work with computers all day).

I am also quite funny – or at least I can be.

Please don’t ask what I dislike about myself – I will be here all week.