This one sent shivers down my spine last night:

Five Questions, Five Answers

Prior to his wonderful visit to New York, Mr Atrocity extended an invitation to offer ourselves up for five questions of his choosing. These are my well reasoned and immaculately thought out responses to his chosen integrations. If you’d like to join in, rules are below.

1 - What is the single best piece of non-fiction you've read?
Difficult one…I’ve read so much that has had a great effect on me…

I suppose that ‘Big Sky Mind: Buddhism and the Beat Generation’ would be a highlight. I read it when I was 19. I’d been really into the beat writers for such a long time and it was fantastic to have all the thoughts, writings and letters about such a spiritual subject all together. Mind you, William S Burroughs’ contempt at it all was the best bit!

I must mention George Orwell’s ‘Homage to Catalonia’, Tony Benn’s diaries, Marx/Engels Communist Manifesto, James St James’ ‘Disco Bloodbath: A Fabulous But True Tale of Murder in Clubland’ and all of Christopher Penczak’s magic books.

2 - Tell me about a favourite smell or scent.

The smell of fires and fireworks mixed with cinder toffee and aniseed. Bonfire night!

Plus I have a wide range of perfumes and scents for daily use. My favourites are Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s Malice for particularly dominant moments, Ralph Lauren’s Romance for girly moments and all my Egyptian oils (Nefertiti, Musk, Pharaoh, etc) for any time or place.

3 - Eggs: fried, poached, scrambled, soft-boiled or omlette? Why?

Gosh, depends on the mood. I do like eating eggs made in anyway/shape/form when feeling the need for a comforting nursery tea.

Fried in thick white bread, lots of butter and brown sauce. Cut in squares not in poncey triangles (I remember thinking my boyf was really posh when I saw him do that for the first time. My first thought was “this will never work” but I’m over it now…just)

Poached on wholemeal toast with brown sauce and plenty of salt and pepper. Always two slices with an egg on each.

Scrambled – the eggs must be broken into a jug first and a little bit of milk and salt and pepper added. Whisk and then add to a warm pan with a small piece of butter. The milk stops the eggs from burning and sticking to the pan.

Soft-boiled. Actually just rekindled my love for soft boiled eggs due to receiving a Peter Rabbit egg cup.

Omelette – I can’t really get my head around making omelettes but I do like a mushroom omelette with chips from a caff.

4 - Who would you have paint or photograph your portrait? Living or dead artists are fine; we have a time-travel device.

Cecil Beaton. I especially adore his pictures of Nancy Cunard and Miss Nancy Beaton as a Shooting Star. I can only dream of being so beautifully photographed.


5 - When is your favourite time of the year?

Autumn - I love looking out of a window or taking a walk and watching leaves turn from luscious green to wonderful russet and auburn. Long autumn evenings when the sky goes dark pink, warm but with a chill in the air. Lovely.

For anyone who wishes to be asked questions by me, here are the rules:

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” And please, feel free to comment on my fabulousness, or whatever.
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Your Score: Katharine Hepburn

You scored 9% grit, 42% wit, 38% flair, and 16% class!

You are the fabulously quirky and independent woman of character. You go your own way, follow your own drummer, take your own lead. You stand head and shoulders next to your partner, but you are perfectly willing and able to stand alone. Others might be more classically beautiful or conventionally woman-like, but you possess a more fundamental common sense and off-kilter charm, making interesting men fall at your feet. You can pick them up or leave them there as you see fit. You share the screen with the likes of Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant, thinking men who like strong women.

Find out what kind of classic leading man you'd make by taking the
Classic Leading Man Test.

Link: The Classic Dames Test written by gidgetgoes on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

There's a black dog on my shoulder.

Normal service will resume once I've battled it and reduced it to a cute, emo puppy.

Children Write To God

Very funny indeed, have a read through them all. The best ones are on later pages.

Sacred

I went to see Ron Athey & Dominic Johnson: Incorruptible Flesh (Perpetual Wound) last night. Chelsea Theatre was a time consuming travel away from work (3 tubes and 1 bus) but the performance was more than worth that time: shamanistic, ritual, death, rebirth, relationships, sex, violence, blood, cleansing, death valley, water. Blood dripped onto the stage and took my breath away. Rather than being scared I'm happy, exhilarated and excited. Mismatched, beautiful tattooed bodies filling me with light and reconfirming my belief in life. The dark side can shine as brightly as the light.

"I am a jelly doughnut"

Due to family having to reschedule flights I am now having a long weekend in Berlin in October - huzzah!