100 things (51 - 60)

51. I am naturally quite lazy and a huge procrastinator, but I do occasionally have bouts of energy which overwhelm me with the desire to achieve something and make a tangible difference, like sealing the bath, reorganising the kitchen cupboards or painting the house. The Boy Wonder is naturally even lazier than me, and his surges of activity are much rarer and far more likely to involve something guitar-based which will make a tangible difference to his life, but will barely impact on me. Sometimes our moments of motivational energy coincide and we are hugely productive for a day or so, and sometimes, if I have enough warning, I can sweep the Boy Wonder away in a wave of enthusiasm which he is powerless to intercept. There are also the times when I am raring to go and the Boy Wonder really isn't and will not be turned. This is generally fine, as my enthusiasm is not dependent on his, and such is my desire to complete the job that I am often happy to do it unaided and will actually encourage him to sit still and relax, such as after our wedding when we packed two cars to the rafters with stuff from the marquee and camper van after a long day of clearing up. I happily unloaded them by myself and found homes for everything while the Boy Wonder and our delightful best man chilled and enjoyed some well-earned rest. However, we also have the worst option, whereby I am engaged in a task or tasks and keen to get going and the Boy Wonder not only doesn't want to help, but also doesn't want me to do anything - he calls this me being 'busy and mean' and whilst it exasperates me slightly, I admire his commitment to laziness and his evangelical approach to chilling out. 52. Despite my inherent untidiness, I do like order in some things - our CDs have been alphabetised since I did it during a protracted procrastination session whilst 'trying' to write my dissertation. My books are not alphabetised because the shelving arrangements would not allow it, but there is an order to their placement which is esoteric but fundamental to my ability to find anything. 53. The Boy Wonder likes red and black sweets, I like green and yellow and we both like orange. I consider this another sign that we were lucky to find each other so we could leave no bag of sweets uneaten. 54. My dream house would have a big garden with a stream running through it and at least ten trees. The house would have a big attic, a cellar, a suitable room for guitars and a library with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling bookcases and a step ladder. A big kitchen would be a must as the Boy Wonder wants a fridge with an ice maker built in and the living room has to have room for huge sofas where the Boy Wonder and I could lie together when we've eaten too much and need to stretch out. 55. I really wish I could draw, but despite several spirited attempts to learn the art of art, I am completely hopeless, to the point where I am physically incapable of rendering anything vaguely recognisable. 56. I was slightly disconcerted to hear on the radio last week that my Sunday morning favourite, Countryfile, is moving from it's perfectly placed slot on Sunday at 11am to the Antiques Roadshow zone on a Sunday afternoon/evening at 6.30pm. I only hope that something suitably soothing is placed into the morning slot as the tales of simple country folk were the perfect accompaniment to a nice glass of orange juice and a morning relaxing in bed. 57. Despite what people think, living with a musician is not all romantic serenades and meaningful moments where he gazes into my eyes and sings about how much he loves me. Mostly it involves listening to the Boy Wonder's rendition of the theme tune to Steptoe and Son which he plays for his own entertainment whilst I am doing things. Sometimes I get to listen to him practising scales and arpeggios or replaying a tricky part of something he's working on over and over again. On the rare occasions that he does requests though, it's pretty sweet. 58. I can't watch nature documentaries as I get too involved and cry when things go wrong - I know that nature is cruel and that the circle of life has its casualties but I cannot pick sides between a female polar bear on the verge of starvation out hunting with her new cub or the family of seals with their tiny fuzzy pups hiding beneath the ice hoping that a massive paw won't come crashing down and spray the ice with blood. 59. There is something in me which would like to try stand up, but apart from being scared I am also not really sure what purpose it would serve. I know from TV that it can break down barriers and makes you confident in the rest of your life, but that's the main thing I'm scared of, so I'm not sure if it would count. 60. I would love to know more about Greek mythology - I love all the bits about gods begetting offspring from their toe-nails and armpits and people turning into other things to trick other people and then all getting their comeuppance at the end except for those who don't and die tragically for no reason other than to be avenged. Unfortunately I find it hard to absorb information like this, so I have lots of half remembered stuff from childhood and asides from the Greek tragedy I studied at university stored in my brain and serving no useful purpose.