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Because I’m anal retentive and can’t leave any out.
What’s your hidden talent?
I can tap dance. Shuffleballchange.
Describe the town where you grew up.
No. Done that already. Here’s an extract (actually, it’s the wholetract):
I have been thinking about the place I grew up, Runcorn. Most of the people on the council estates were Liverpool overspill so we all had Scouse accents despite living in Woollybackland. We moved to Runcorn in 1972. We had been there a couple of weeks and Mum had only met one neighbour, Ruth next door at number 12. She had not met Lila on the other side at number 10, or any of the neighbours across the way.
Early one morning there was a knock at the door. Mum found a strange woman standing there, holding a plate containing one rasher of bacon. There was no introduction or polite small talk, just straight to the heart of the matter.
Strange Woman: Hiya. Have you got a sausage I can have to go with me bacon for me breakfast?
Mum: Errrrr…
Mum dug out a sausage and the strange woman went on her way. Chatting to Ruth later on, Mum told her about this odd incident. ‘Oh, that’s nothing,’ Ruth laughed. ‘She got the bacon from Lila and came to me for the egg.’
The strange woman and her family later moved into a big house in a posher part of town; I wonder how they were able to afford it?
What’s the longest you’ve been without sleep?
All night, every time I’ve flown to and from South Africa and the UK. I can’t sleep on planes because I’m always waiting for the crash. My favourite hymn? ‘Nearer, My God, To Thee.’
When is it better to be sorry than safe?
When answering stupid writing prompts so I don’t get kicked out of the WordPress club.
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If you could bring one fictional character to life for a day, who would you choose?
Ender Wiggin, so I could show him that someone loves him.
(
Name a book that changed your life.
The Bible. Sorry to go all predictable on you.
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The Laughing Housewife 
Please tell me, Tilly: who is Ender Wiggin?
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I wrote about him back in November. Were you not paying attention? 🙂
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Oh, my secret talent is Clogging. We could work up an act and panhandle for change. 🙄
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Like it!
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What cute answers to exasperating questions! lol.
I especially liked your story about the strange woman! Sounds like something from a fairy tale book.
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Weird, I know.
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My Phil’s a Southport man. Runcorn’s just a hop, skip and a jump…
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The best holiday I ever had was a weekend in Pontins, Southport. Tell him thanks 🙂
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lol! That came out so wrong! 😀
I meant, thanks for the town of Southport 🙂
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Come … I have sausages and eggs and a nice comfy bed after the long stay-awake flight.
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Yummy! Have you got a nice apron to protect you from sausage & egg splatters?
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I loved reading this Tilly
Yep…the Bible changed my life too, and taught me to read at the age of 26. What school failed to do in 11 years, Jesus did in 3 months.
Love and hugs. xx 🙂
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That’s amazing 🙂
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I think the strange woman is material for a (longer) short story. Definitely. Also can you REALLY tapdance??? If so, I’m in AWE
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I really can. And guess what? That strange woman taught me.
I’m not great because it’s been years, but I have certificates and medals and the best-pointed fingers of my dancing school. 🙂
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Still find it hard to believe someone gets paid for writing those prompts. 🙂
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I have to admit, I’m having fun with them; though perhaps not the fun the prompter envisaged.
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Ender Wiggin – is it a being from another star system? Or is it one of the new strains of carrot I keep seeing on the racks of vegetable seeds?
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Close; He’s human, but works in space.
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Great answers! So, who is Ender Wiggin? You have got us all curious now so ya gotta explain!
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Okaaaay…actually, it’s not that hard for me to share: ‘Ender’s Game’ is my desert island book; I read it at least once a year and I am always encouraging people to try it.
You can read my whole post about it here: https://thelaughinghousewife.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/on-tender-books/
but here’s an extract of the post:
Ender’s Game is the story of a child trained to save the world; but also the story of a child who has to survive the world. When my boys came up against bullies, I gave it to them to read. I must confess, however, that putting your enemy’s nose through his skull is not a path I hope they take: it is the philosophical angle I hope they will consider.
Above all, though, it is the story of negotiating childhood. In space.
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We need to write our own prompts.
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A good idea. Umm…I’m off to find a prompt for my prompts.
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You do really amazing things with the prompts, Tilly, just shows what talent you have. (So not just in tap dancing).
I really like the stranger story and I had some friends from Runcorn, though I sadly lost contact with them (all my moving about). Small world!!
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That reminds me of the joke about two men travelling on the shuttle from Mars to Venus. They start chatting and the first man mentions he comes from Earth. ‘Oh!’ says the second man. ‘Do you know…?’
My first instinct on reading your comment was to ask for your friends’ names, because if they come from Runcorn I must know them; it’s only been 29 years since I lived there amongst a couple of hundred thousand people. 🙂
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Funny, funny because my first instinct was to say do you know Anne and Joe Green? But then I thought you may well say, that she was the daughter of the stranger or just no!!
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I wish I could say I knew them; that would have been brilliant. Sadly, not. 🙂
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