11 questions and their answers

My friend over at the beautiful Almond Valley sent me 11 rather summery questions. I've done this before (with different questions) and it was a lot of fun fun, so a big Thank you to Susanna for remembering my blog, and let's move on to the questions.


1. The most beautiful thing you've seen/experienced today?
I saw many beautiful things today, but I'm going to go with this one:

2. Your favourite ice-cream flavour this summer?
You want me to write an essay, do you? ;) Ah, as if I could choose only one… If you've been reading this blog, you have some idea of how much I love chocolate, so, naturally, I love just about any chocolate ice-cream. My current favourite, though, is “mudcake” - a dark chocolate ice-cream with chocolate sauce, chocolate shavings and brownie bits. However, I'm also extremely fond of ice-cream and caramel combination. Another current favourite is Creme Brule, which includes plenty of caramel (caramel sauce and toffee bits). It's very sweet, but, oh, so delicious! (The picture below is of my favourite... okay, one of them... flavour from last summer: an ice-cream cone with chocolate and caramel! Unfrotunately, I haven't been able to find them anywhere this summer. But then, that gives me an opportunity to try other flavours!)

3. Do you have a pet?
I kind of have two. One of them is big and hairy, the other small, noisy and very energetic. I must feed them regularly, clean up after them and play with them for they want plenty of attention. That's the answer I give my daughter when she asks why we don't have a pet. She and her father keep me busy, I don't need any more creatures to take care of.


4. Which country would you want to visit?
There's something interesting/worth seeing in just about anywhere. That makes me terrible at choosing holiday destinations – I have no favourites, no particular “must see” places. On the other hand, just about any place is fine with me, because I'm convinced it's going to be interesting.


5. Your healthiest treat?
Can I write about ice-cream again? ;) I absolutely love berries and fruits, so for me they count as a treat, and they're pretty healthy. That's one of the reasons I love summer: strawberries, cherries, nectarines… But other than those… dark chocolate, obviously! ;) Or these little treats I sometimes make.


6. When's the last time you sent someone a hand-written letter?
I'm afraid it's been so long I can't even remember! I used to write a lot of letters (and I mean a lot), but things have changed... I just don't have the time any more, and emails are so convenient. I am aware that it is not the same thing, though.


7. What makes you smile when you think about the summer holiday?
A thought of warm, sunny days (not that we've seen many of those this summer!) when there is plenty of time and little to do. Just sitting on the jetty, maybe reading, watching the lake and the sky and the birds and dreaming away.


8. Summer place or a holiday abroad?
Well, a holiday abroad is always an adventure and I love seeing new places. Then again, my family's summer place is very dear to me. On an island – by a lake and near a forest – it is a very quiet place, and the one constant place in my life. Before I met my DH I used to spend time alone there. No phones, no TV, no other people for a couple of weeks. A hermit's paradise!


9. Have you grown any new flowers this summer?
I'm afraid I don't grow any flowers, ever. I'm not much of a gardener. Our little yard has simply adopted a style best characterised as “Bohemian wilderness”… if I were to grow something, it would likely be some herbs or, I don't know, carrots? No, an apple tree!


10. Have you ever written poetry?
Do pathetic adolescent ramblings count? :P Hmm. I used to have a habit of sometimes writing a diary entry in a form that looks like poetry (short lines etc.) but that was just how certain thoughts/feelings/moods appeared to me rather than any conscious effort to write poetry. It was fun though. One of the stories I once wrote required me to experiment with poetry (since one of the main characters is a poet), and that was a tough challenge.


11. If you could thank the universe for one thing today, what would that be?
I'd just give thanks for another lovely day.