November 2025 Five Questions

Another of those fun "five question" things:

Who says smolnet has no engagement farming?

Q1. Do/Did you do anything special for Samhain/Halloween/Dia de los Muertos?

No. I don't think Britain should be importing American customs. The last quarter of every calendar year sprouts these ridiculous frenzies of Halloween with "trick or treating", Thanksgiving, "Black Friday", Christmas music in October, etc, etc. There are still skeletons hanging in my local cafe and it's mid November.

We could also do with getting rid of Guy Fawkes night, now that Catholics are the largest Christian denomination.

Bah humbug!

2. Did a grandparent or great-grandparent serve in any of the World Wars of the 20th Century?

Yes - my paternal grandfather fought in WWI for the UK, then tried to fight *against* the UK in Ireland, but supposedly was rebuffed by the IRA. My other grandfather would have been in his 30s by WW2 but I suspect he somehow avoided serving. My stepfather's father was called up in WW2 but I think the war was over before he would have to have left the country.

My great-grandfather on my mother's side was, however, old enough to serve in WW1, but he was in the merchant navy. Records show that he didn't show up to embark on a ship that would later be sunk and its crew held captive by the enemy, so he dodged a bullet, or rather, torpedo, there.

Another great-grandfather served in the Boer war, and this is much better attested, as there is a note to that effect in the 1901 census explaining why his wife was living alone. He had an extremely unusual and ill-advised name shared only by his uncle, and I just did a quick search of that name and the uncle seems to have died in the Crimean War in 1855.

3. What are you a "natural" at doing?

Probably programming computers.

4. What has been your best work of art?

A hand-drawn picture of John Nejedlik, a classmate at school, when I must have been about 9. I have basically no skill for visual arts, but somehow this very well-executed pen and paper portrait emerged from my hand. I can't explain it. I have never before or since produced a drawing or painting that is even realistic, let alone good. Just a weird fluke.

5. What's something that amazes you?

How biological life works, particularly the generation of working living creatures from DNA.