I am happiest in the sunshine as you can see in the “basking on a rock” picture. Living in Berlin for over a decade has given me an irrational fear of clouds. It wasn't always like this. I used to love clouds, loved to pick out galloping horses and elephant shapes in the sky, loved to watch a storm build (okay, I still do love that) but here there can be one tiny cloud looking all innocent and fluffy, but I know better and can't be fooled. I shout out a warning to anyone who will listen and point yonder, “do you see it there, that little white speck, there will be more of them soon, they are coming to get us, coming to suck out our will to live, to rain on our parade!” Mostly I am right, as when I look again the sky has morphed into an impenetrable sheet of dispiriting grey that can blot out the sun for weeks, sometimes months.

 

So I am a grumpy cloud bitch for most of the year, except those four days of summer, when Berliners go skipping across the hot urban asphalt in bright T-shirts and wearing stunned euphoric smiles on their faces.

Besides not liking clouds much (unless they bring much needed rain to drought ravaged places) there are other things on my list.

 

I don't like people who litter.

 

I don't eat any meat, fish or fowl. Eggs make me gag unless they are disguised in a cake.

 

I can't bear cruelty to animals, any cruelty to any living being.

 

I don't like bigots, religious zealots, LGBQT phobes, misogynists, racists,  other general violent members of the human race.

 

 

 

Things that I cannot do without:

 

Nature. Animals.

 

Empathy. Compassion.

 

Imagination.

 

Music.

 

Escape.

 

The means to think and question. Not necessarily in that order.

 

Words.

 

Books.

 

Curiosity.

 

Gardening. (the determined South African once tried to grow a mielie (maize) in a pot)

 

Creativity.

 

The possibility of improving.

 

Love and laughter and stuff like that.

 

A hot water bottle (or two)

 

I am more of a cat person than a dog person.

 

I swear a lot when I am angry. I used to be a sort of chain smoker but I gave it up some years ago. I remain a devoted chain tea drinker.