Friday Five and I'm still alive

A dearth of postings this week on account of me being sick and having almost total lack of energy and enthusiasm. Which is a shame, cos it meant no write-up of Annie's party, or Ian's 50th do in Nottingham (which was a cracker). Can't even bring meself to document them retrospectively at the moment. Maybe later.

And there it was: Friday again. I guess if you wait long enough, it's inevitable, but somehow the wait never seems that long. I did the book meme thing last Friday, so here I am a week behind again. No, a week behind, not a weak behind. God.

1. Describe where you grew up:
A three-bed semi-detached council house in an average suburban street, except that it was a "close" rather than a street. A T-shaped dead end with two circles at the ends of the T's crossbar. Which gave rise to the expression "I'm going to play in the circle," meaning we would play marbles in the inspection covers, or hopscotch, or football, or cricket, or any of the other 50 or so street games I can't remember now. I lived there from ages 0 to 18. I had a 10-minute walk to primary school, a 5-minute bus ride to junior school, and a 35-40 minute walk home from big school (which catered for 11-18s). We had a stream at the bottom of our garden which ran through a wood further down. We used to wade in it, dam it up and generally mess about in the wood, until they dug it up to build houses when I was about 15. There were acres of fields at the back of my house too - as far as the eye could see. They've all been built on now too, but that didn't happen until after I left home.

2. Do you wear any jewelery?
A gold chain, permanently. I have a gold ring too that we bought in Rhodes, but I don't wear it all the time.

3. What do you have too much of?
Stuff that I'm "going to sell on eBay" one of these days.

4. Who is a fool?
Anyone who answers this question, probably!

5. What's your nickname?
Digger. On account of my initials being JCB.