Best room for a fireplace?
Ours big open fire is in the study, though we have small gas fires in all family rooms. I like it best in the study so I can curl up in front of a crackling fire with a book and a dog or six.
Now winter is setting in I wouldn’t mind one in my bedroom…
Can you knit or crochet?
I crochet’d a lovely big blanket for me and Rus when I move. It is HUGE! Cost me a small fortune in wool but it is beautiful.
Which are better black or green olives?
I don’t like olives.
Four years ago I took my mum to London for her Christmas gift. On our to-do list was visiting the Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park. Then the snow started to fall so we cancelled our hotel and headed down for just a day. We tried to get to the statue but it was like trekking through wastelands. Freezing cold, snow filled, waste land.
The next trip down we were too busy to get near Hyde Park.
The third trip down we were far too hot. We go into Hyde Park and collapsed under a tree with ice cream.
This trip down for my interview was the last trip we will have in a long time if not ever – I’m not bothered about doing London when I return. So we made it our mission to get to the statue.
It looked a bit like we wouldn’t make it, my mum has a bad foot and it started playing up. But we hobbled on and arrived at the beautiful statue with plenty of time to spare.
We admired the design and then found a bench to feed ducks from.
It was probably the most peaceful trip to London anyone has ever had. No pushing and shoving, no sweating, no stressing. It was lovely and a great way to say good bye to the city.
Ever have plastic surgery?
God no!
I would feel so dreadfully selfish every time I saw a homeless person.
Like, hey! I could have turned your life around but instead I bought a new chin!
No.
Plus, vanity is a sin and I already spend too much time on my hair.
On Wednesday I packed up all my proof, forms, certificates and photos and headed to London for my appointment at the US embassy.
Getting the appointment was a bit of a struggle. I hit an odd time at the embassy, they were swapping from a snail mail process to an online one and then their government malfunctioned and closed down for a few weeks [to probably play GTAV]. This also coincided with the Royal Mail going private and all the joyous postage problems that have followed.
I was expecting my appointment letter to come around the beginning of October. When I hadn’t heard anything I called and was told an appointment had been issued and I would receive notice of it within the week. Two weeks later I had nothing so I called again and was told this time that there was no case attached to my file number. A panic attack inducing statement.
Much googling later I found and online query form and sent a simple email explaining when my medical had been, when my paperwork was submitted and asking when I was likely to hear something.
They responded within a few days to tell me that I was scheduled for the 7th at 0800 and that this had been sent in writing.
Finally!
The letter never turned up and still hasn’t. So I packed everything I could think I would need and set off to London with my mum in tow.
The interview was a lot less formal than I expected. I kind of got the impression that everything was set before I had got there and that this was just formalities. Of course I could be wrong, people probably do get rejected at this point, I’m just good at being oblivious so seriousness. Seriously, ask my boss!
I was in the embassy for two hours and ten minutes, plus queueing outside for 30 minutes. I was being “interviewed” for about 2o minutes, at the very most, which was split in half. The first half checked my certificates and took a payment, the second half asked the questions and gave me the approval.
Now to begin to set dates, pack my stuff up and start saying my farewells!
I’ve missed a few. More on that later…
Are you patient?
No.
I don’t think anyone in my generation is, and it’s only getting worse. We want everything yesterday and then we want it upgrading. We use phones to hear back from people straight away, we use the internet to confirm a fact instantly, we buy things on credit that we can’t afford and don’t need, we want to fall in love at first sight but then don’t want to spend anytime nurturing that love or tending to it when it is flailing, we watch the film instead of reading the book, we read spoilers for the film online, we download the next episode of the series, we chose fast food over delicious meals and we still aren’t happy.
Not all of the above examples are relevant to myself, I always read the book first, but I just wanted to emphasise that patience isn’t trendy, and anyone who answers yes to this is either over 40 or a liar.
DJ or band, at a wedding?
I’m having neither. I will be dancing to the sounds of the Las Vegas streets.
Ever won a contest?
No, I’m not competitive enough with other people. I strive to make myself better, to fix the bad habits I have, but if I was in a competition and close to winning I would probably bow out and come second as it would undoubtable make the other person’s day more than it would mine.
Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?
Can’t everyone?
Can you swim well?
I can do back stroke pretty well.
I cannot tread water, whatever the hell that means.
I could probably maybe save my life, I like to think adrenalin would kick in and I’d be rescued by a boat before cramp set in.
I mainly avoid large bodies of water just in case.
Sugar or snickerdoodles?
If I didn’t have American friends I wouldn’t know what this means. I prefer sugar cookies, but maybe thats just because I had a bad sample of a snickerdoodle.
Flop! 