1. If you were a colour what colour would that be?
Two colours . . blue wide as the sky and yellow because it's the colour of 'straylya and cheerful and bright . . just like me hehe! Actually they're very soothing colours in combination and my whole house interior is decorated in blue, yellow and white . .very sunny!
2. Why do you blog?
Deep down, I think we all rather like talking about ourselves or our feelings or our lives. For me it started more as a journal for my children (God knows why because they know everything about me including my PIN) but as a complete n00b, I didn't really understand the blog community, how to make a blog private etc. Then I browsed a bit, met a few people, comments started and before you know, I'm actually providing some entertainment and a forum for discussion. Plus I have a shit load of time on my hands now that my kids are grown, particularly in the evenings and telly's boring so . . why not! Blog on I say! Now, it's actually a kind of psychological lifeline I feel very connected to many people who visit. I have a few commenters who email and I'm really getting to know and enjoy the people who pop in here. Look out because one day I may knock on your door, bottle of Chardy in hand and ask you to show me around your neighbourhood!
3. Why do live where you live?
I live in Australia because we emigrated from England when I was 11 years old We were 10 pound POMs and I had little choice. I live in Sydney because that's just where we ended up. I live in Castle Hill because . . .it's what I know, close to my family and friends.
I live in this particular street because I was widowed at 30 with two small children and my parents suggested I build on their five acre block so that they could help with the kids, moral support and all that. Although my mother made it perfectly clear she was not going to be a 'carer', she enjoyed her golf and travelling too much but having them 'next door' so to speak would be handy. So after much family consultation, I decided it would be a pretty good idea. Nice place to raise kids, moral support, safe, loads of space.
After a couple of years, she was killed and so my poor inconsolable Dad and I lived together until 2004 when he also died. Now my brother and his family, or what's left of it (niece and nephew are interstate and overseas) live next door and we're waiting for a developer to rock up with a suitcase full of contracts and gold. Damn this economic downturn. In the meantime, I live about 50kms from the CBD in the heartland of the suburbs on a little five acre enclave with tall trees and beautiful birds. Two kids, two horses and a dog! It's not a bad life apart from the maintenance!
4. What would be your dream holiday?
I don't mind roughing it a bit so I have a world trip planned. No tours, no buses . .just a backpack and a few well chosen hostels and hotels. First . . Paris. I've never been there and I'll take the kids. They can then wonder where they like and I'll hit UK and Ireland, then across the US . . .visit some blogpals, maybe a quick respite in Maui or Chile before heading home. I could spend my retirement travelling if it wasn't for lack of funds.
5. What is your cultural backgroud?
I'm a caucasian English by birth, English father, Welsh mother - Naturalised Australian. I believe that if you emigrate to a country you should adopt it, warts and all so now I'm Dinky Die Aussie and have lived here for 39 years!
I'm going to carry the can on this one because I love learning more about you and the slice of life blogs so if you would like five interview questions . .let me know in the comments. They'll all be different and questions that I genuinely have about you . . are you up for it? C'mon now. Nobody escapes the Spanish inquisition . . .
38 comments:
Go for it, I'll answer them here, so you can read them, and it'll be like I was on Parkinson...not literally, that'd be uncomfortable for the poor bugger...
ok, send them on. I'll play.
world traveller...think that would be pretty amazing! thanks for being so personal in your answers.
Sure you know everything about me except my PIN and nobody, nobody gets that!
This was a great meme, and I loved learning more about you. I understand about living where you grew up, close to family and what you know--'cause that's where I live too!
Well, I have thought that England is not a place where people emigrate from. I have thought people immigrate there.
Wonderful and honest insight, Bains!
As for playing - you know me, cagey old bat in public places, so I'll pass - besides, you know lots about me anyway! :-)
I'm looking forward to the day when you knock on my door.
I prefer a 'Savaging' Blanc to Chardy any day though! ;-)
btw You wouldn't WANT to know any more about me!!!
good stuff, baino...
if hfx is on your agenda, lemme know, and i'll put a candle in the window ;)
Knock on my door any day of the week :D
Great meme Baino - I'm up for it!
@ Ropi - Recently the British are leaving in droves - this island is becoming very overcrowded due to the people who are immigrating here LOL
Good for you Miley .. here goes:
Why is anonymity so important to you?
What are your favourite pastimes?
What makes you smile each day?
What object could you never part with and why?
Why haven't you asked Blue Eye Shadow Girl out on a date?
Brian, I wear my heart on my sleeve. Only my most private and personal thoughts aren't shared here.
What is your favourite pastime/s?
What about the world around you saddens you?
What about the world around you delights you?
How important is the environment to you?
If you had a million dollars, what would you spend it on?
Grannymar, I'm sure there are some secrets that I don't have a handle on and are you sure you won't share your PIN?
Leah, it's the sort of thing I enjoy on other people's blogs as well. The 'slice of life' kind of stuff. Yep, I've never really been tempted to live anywhere else although the area has changed a lot so who knows. The next move could be inner city or even another city. I quite like Melbourne.
Ropi from Hungary maybe, there's a big influx of Eastern Europeans into England and Ireland as well but by far and away, our largest immigrant base comes from England and Ireland.
Fair enough AV . . we'll leave well enough alone!
Steph so am I frankly. Hopefully in the next couple of years. Sav Blanc it is! Or maybe a nice bubbly Pinot Noir!
Wuffa I have Peggy's Cove to look at every day and it certainly looks lovely. I always wanted to visit Nova Scotia - Captain Cook mapped the St Lawrence River so there's some common ground there!
Miladysa, highly lilkely so be careful what you wish for! I'd love a stroll in your Dell!
#1 - 2 reasons, firstly the blog has ended up being a lot more honest than I thought, and 2ndly, Miles McClagan is super cool pen name...
#2. Cooking, and hammock reclination
#3. Any fragmented memory of primary school. It was all gravy up til I was 9ine...
#4 - My IPOD and my autograph book. My autograph book has been signed by Bono and my late cousin, so it's irreplacable. My IPOD plays me Lily Allen and I couldn't live without it...
#5. Complexity. She's at work, I walk past - whens the right time? If I saw her out I would, but she could be just a muse, if that makes sense!
Hey congrats Queen Bee.
I made a stand for us on kj's blog.
Love Renee xoxox
I like that one, and I think it will appear on my blog... when I get back into blogging ways .....
I hope that your blog friends over in the US of A are included in your travel plans ??
The door is always open...
what? you're not coming next month? what? when? oh, well then, i'll freeze dinner and wait until you're ready. then i'll show you around and about, and keep you up talking into the night about love and life and maybe even lust (not with me, just talking about it..)
oh queen baino, have you seen renee's expose? get ready to laugh on the floor. you two are so you-know-what cool.
xo
Castle Hill...isn't that the e where a battle was held once? Something to do with the rum rebellion? It was in a TV mini series I loved, "Against The Wind". Had Jon English in it. It's a lovely area.
"...the e where..." DUH!!
" the place where..."
This was a very nice meme. So glad you shared. It was nice to flesh out your character.
Very cool Miley and your anonymity remains intact! - notice I refrained from any jokes about paragraphs!
Yep Renee saw the fracas!
Moon of course especially the East Coast, the West Coast and the landlocked middle bit. You look a bit evil in that avatar mate!
As is mine sweet Meg . .literally, I don't even have a door key!
Sorry kj, timing is the only thing I can't commit to, depends entirely on selling the property which could be a couple of years . .could be next month who knows with this crazy economic climate! And yes I saw Renee's effort. Very good. There's actually a song in the same vein on You Tube, I'll try to dig it out. Actually I may have posted it a long time ago.
Bang on River. The Castle Hill Rebellion. Silly Irish thinking they could run the colony. I'll post about it one of these days. Well done! I dont know a thing about Perth except for Freemantle and Kings park. Had a nice cuppa and toasted sandwich there many moons ago!
Ronda I'm a very fleshy character to flesh out. Thanks to Ribbon for dobbing me in!
Thanks for sharing all that X I am crossing my fingers you get to Paris some day - I know how much you'd love to go.
Diabolicaly laughing at the video, and now I can see why no one wants to mow the lawn and why it takes the whole day. 5 acres is a lot of land here, they would probably put about 25 houses on it here because the lot sizes are so small nowadays.
Okay I will bite with the meme, and try it. I am not sure when I will get to it, but it should be soon.
God bless.
Hi Baino! I don't think you know me, although you did comment on my blog many moons ago and I've been reading yours ever since! :) I liked this post and would love some questions to do one of my own... however, it's unerstandable if you don't have personalised questions for someone you don't really know, so if it would be easier I can just answer the questions that you got! I don't mind. :)
You just had to click to the 2 "here"s to see the videos on my blog.
Yeh Conor . . I don't care if I do get slapped by a gypsy . .just four days . .maybe a week . .ah we'll see!
Well done Mrsupole, not many Americans 'get' the Monty Python humour frankly. So here's your questions. Post them on your blog and link back . . Take Brian's questions, I like them and they have scope for interpretation.
Hi Hails, welcome aboard you little lurker. Yeh, I know you from K8's. Same to you have a bash at Brian's questions.
Sorry Ropi, I'll go back. I read you very early and my eyes are blurry and often miss links if something doesn't slap me in the face I miss it!
As I've said before, I think you're really lucky to have such a large house and so much acreage. In the UK most people have a fraction of that. As for questions, I think you probably know 90% of me by now - except the pin numbers and those really embarrassing, top-secret thoughts....
Hi Baino,hope you had a nice weekend.Cool,to know a bit more about yourself.Please do put your PIN people,lol!
Have a great day :)
Me!
I see, from Hungary it seemed like that.
Nick I do complain about the size and the maintenance but it was a delightful place to raise children and I do love it here. I'll miss the space when I finally do have to move. We've been rezoned into 22 700square metre blocks.
Hey Candie. Yeh I wish some rich man would share his PIN with me!
Annie here goes:
What's the best thing about belonging to a large family?
Do you consider yourself Irish American or American and why?
What would be your dream job?
If you had the chance, what in your past would you do differently?
Go for it possum!
great post....I'd love it if you ended up at the door - but tell you what if you make it all the way here, I'm good for the wine! love to share the 'hood' with folks from my cyberhood!
ah, a world tour....hope you can make it happen! I'd like to do that, but unless I start buying lottery tickets and have a win, little chance that can happen, but one never knows.....there could be some one out there in need of a traveling companion and personal photographer - ha ha
keep a watch on that pin of yours!
typing up mine now for tomorrow...check it!
dearest adorable queen baino (dripping with both humor and affection), i didn't know your mother was killed. you are really amazing. i mean that.
your life sounds solid and good. your kids love you. you will sell that land--just a matter of time--and you will find yourself in paris. i think you will see new england with ms. kj as well.
i'm up for five questions from you. shoot!
xoxox
ps you inspired and incited quite a post on my end of blogworld. i'm still laughing my f----ass off.
I would love to buy your 5 acres, but I am looking for something a tad closer to Vancouver.
If you have five questions for me, I am up for the challenge, although I can't promise to tell the whole truth.
usually it is 4 years here but this is a special case
Mouse, at the moment it's a glimmer. Hopefully by 2010 or 2011 a reality. Just need to nail the debt and begin to SAVE!
kj I certainly hope so or you lot are going to get sick of me banging on about Paris! Ha! I'm not sure about solid but certainly grounded. I'm a little topsy turvey at the moment but aren't we all. And you're just a bunch of naughty children for fuck's sakes!
Right . . .curly ones for you!
How can you be sure of the genuineness of those who comment on our/your blogs?
What are your five best diet tips?
If money was no obstacle, what would be on your Agenda?
What are two of your worst faults?
What are two of your greatest virtues?
Name just one thing you'd take with you if your home was burning!
Ok pootle off now . .go on. . .shoo . .
OH DBM and there are so many nice bugs here. . why only a week ago I killed a 4cm bull ant on my kitchen wall? Tempting?
OK here you go and if you're anything like Moon, you'll tell the truth and tell all!
Of all the things in all the world Why bugs?
How do you remain connected with friends and family when you're so scattered?
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
What is your greatest source of irritation?
What is your greatest source of joy?
There, now off you pop!
Ta Ropi. Responded via email.
Why bugs? Well, sort of by accident. Becoming a biologist was the obvious route for me to take, given my propensity for nature and science. The insect part was mainly due to the fact that they are small, easy to keep in large numbers and make for very good research animals. The fact that they are not cute and cuddly means that you don't have people threatening to blow up your lab every week. Turns out that they are the most fascinating of creatures and quite endearing once you get to know them.
Staying connected with friends and family. Well, I don't have many friends, so that is not hard - email and Facebook. As for family, I try to avoid too much contact. Well, you would, wouldn't you if you had my family - just look at Moon! Just kidding! Mum is still in the dark ages of the telephone, but Moon, my sister and I have just discovered Skype - excellent, except for the fact I have to make sure I have clothes on, my hair doesn't look awful and my office is somewhat tidy. As for my elder brother, even Mum finds it hard to stay connected with him!
Next five years? Still in Canada, but in a house with acreage and Mr. DBM in self sufficient heaven, vegetable plot, orchard, chickens......if only house prices would drop quite a lot more.....
Irritation? What doesn't irritate me!?! On a day to day basis, I am constantly irritated by the fact that my house is never quite clean. It almost gets there, but can never quite manage it. There are always sticky patches on the oven or drips down the kitchen cabinets and fur balls rolling around on the hardwood floors. Anyone know a good cleaner?
Joy? Well, that would have to be my cats. No matter how crappy I feel, they will always put a smile on my face.
There you go. Now don't you be squashing too many bugs over there......
Aww thanks DBM! Nice. I have the same problem with drippy bits. I don't clean my oven, when it gets really dirty, I'll just buy another one! White cupboards are helpful in spotting slop! Skypes wonderful. I'd be lost without it. Although family are all here now, I even use it to talk to my best friend cos it's FREEEEEE! Cheers :)
Beautiful Baino...
thank you so very much for indulging in this interview.
I must apologise for taking so long to get here. It's school holidays and I've been doing a lot of playing outside of home.
You are a star!
Big love to you
best wishes Ribbon :-)
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