Bickering with Paul, photographing Brighton and people, sea fishing (from the shore, for mackeral, yum), eating dinners cooked for me, bellydancing, singing really really loudly and badly, classic cars, holistic medicine, strolls on the Sussex Downs followed by tea and proper cake at the Badger's tearooms in Alfriston (also yum - hmmm, a theme develops that explains that wobbly tummy), learning stuff like 'how many bees does it make to make a teaspoonful of honey?' (the lifetime's work of 12 bees, in case you're wondering).Ambition: to learn to garden and grow organic fruit, herbs and veg. (So I can eat them. Obviously.)
Sharon Osborne (what's with all the poo?), Jonathan Ross (it's the lisp), the 1970s Germaine Greer (took no prisoners), Sean Bean as Sharp (dour Northern competence), as well as positive and good-hearted folk who are awake to the machinations of capitalism, big pharma and US imperialism. Or, on a less-up-my-own-arse day, anyone who's fun, kindly, interesting, and enjoys a swift half.Wish I'd met: John Peel, Tom Paine, Oscar Wilde, Buddha
Current top of my playlist is The Only Ones (Another Girl, Another Planet), also The Gutter Brothers (Everlasting Shining Peace of Mind), long-lost Brighton band The Pirahnas (Tom Hark/Kwela), Tom Waits (Martha - after the gin), The House of Love (Christine - Terry, what can I say - there was nothing you could do in the face of my lack of talent/sense of rhythm/dedication), Nilsson Schmilsson, Circulus, Vetiver, Badly Drawn Boy, Annie Lennox, Ramones, Gotan Project, Lemonjelly, Peggy Lee, the Zen Hussies, early Bowie (though not as early as Davy Jones & the King Bees or The Laughing Gnome), Hendrix, Morcheeba, Barry White, Liz Phair.
Sensitive adrenals, so definitely nothing scary (Jurassic Park counts as horror in my book), and I will weep at any scenes of gross schmalz and sentimentality (being hugely irritated at being so easily manipulated all the while). Recommended films include the Station Agent, Map of the Human Heart, Whalerider, Baghdad Cafe, Withnail, The Producers (the original version - don't get me started on pointless and inferior remakes), Wings of Desire (the Wim Wenders version, natch).
Ads for any product containing 'active fruit nanosomes', or ads for cold remedies which allow the user to get straight back to work without having even an hour or two snuggling under the duvet...for the ranting opportunities. Green Wing, Scrubs, Friends (classic case of slick US scriptwriting), early Frasier, This Life, QI (how else will I learn about the bees?), Never Mind the Buzzcocks, ... and anything like Faking It, where punters leave their comfort zone, face their demons, and triumph over adversity. So much less exhausting to watch than to do, don't you find?
Gormenghast Trilogy, Cold Comfort Farm, Terry Pratchett's 'Weird Sisters' (bit of a trade manual for me), Monty Don's the Complete Gardener, Heat magazine (yes, yes, I know Heat's not a book, and I really, really, really disapprove of it, but, hey, I'm being honest, here, and look, I did English at Sussex in the 80s so could reel off a list of obscure Literature if I wanted to impress you, ok?)
Josephine Butler who put her reputation and freedom on the line to help Victorian prostitutes, the long lost John Barwise for your ability to make friends everywhere even in the Spar queue and for handling cancer and me so well, Paul (for being a better man), Lisa Simpson (I do like a principled cartoon character), my dad cos I never knew you... and anyone who stands up to tyranny or cruelty anywhere in the world. Oh, and when I was 10 it was Donny Osmond. When I was 13 it was David Bowie. Bless.