Things I like, for no particular reason.

I’m a writer of comic fiction which means that, in real life, I tend to be a miserable bugger who moans a lot and whose glass is half-empty at best. I’m going to use this site to try to redress the balance a bit, by posting things I actually like.

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Number 96: National Geographic Magazine

The only thing that makes visits to the dentist or optician interesting.

(Photos courtesy of http://ngscollectors.ning.com/ and http://www.redorbit.com/)

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Number 95: "Many Rivers To Cross" by Jimmy Cliff

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94: Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano

(Photo courtesy of http://large.plodit.com/)

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93: Steve Frykholm's Posters for Herman Miller

(Photos courtesy of http://www.icollector.com/Poster-Herman-Miller-Summer-Picnic_i10351582, http://www.postersplease.com/ and http://www.liveauctioneers.com/)

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92: Curried Yellow Pepper Soup

(Photo courtesy of http://www.womanandhome.com/, though this doesn't give my favourite recipe for the soup.)

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91: Perpetual Calendars

I have no idea why, but I can't stop collecting them - especially when they're combined with a clock like this one from Habitat, which lives in my kitchen. It's called the Flap clock, and nearly gives me a heart attack every time the date changes as it makes so much noise, so I've no idea why I love it so much.

(Photos courtesy of me, http://www.popwuping.com/, http://ourhumbleabowed.files.wordpress.com/, http://www.source-werbeartikel.com/ and http://moderndna.com/)

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90: Van Morrison

Yet again, I'm unable to choose one favourite song, so here's a selection of late-night Van the Man.

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89: Crawfish

Also known as Crayfish. If you're a vegetarian, look away now. My dad used to be a trawlerman and diver, and we kids would often find several of these rather monstrous-looking creatures in the bath, waiting (sadly for them) to become our dinner on the following day. The taste of crawfish meat is sublime  - and far, far nicer than lobster, though I can't comment on whether this also applies to the much smaller, langoustine-type creatures also often known as crayfish, as I've only ever tasted the big salt-water ones from West Wales.

(Photos courtesy of http://1.bp.blogspot.com/, http://www.dimensionsguide.com/crayfish-sizes/ and http://www.manufacturer.com/)

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88: "When Marnie Was There" by Joan G. Robinson

Another all-time favourite children's book. Little did I know when I read it as a child that I too would one day live in Norfolk, and develop a passion for Samphire.

(Photo courtesy of http://openlibrary.org/)

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87: Alaska

This one's a bit of a cheat, as I've never actually been to Alaska, except in my imagination - but I live in hope that I'll get there in reality one day. Preferably when Sarah Palin isn't there.

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86: "Paris, Texas".

Wim Wenders' wonderful 1984 film, winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

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85: Tabu, by Dana

The "forbidden" fragrance, or so it is claimed. It is a very sexy perfume, though - as advertising companies have been trying to show, with varying degrees of subtlety, ever since Tabu was created by Jean Carles in 1932. I love it, and have been wearing it for as long as I can remember.

(Photos courtesy of http://www.seanboltonphotography.com/, http://farm5.static.flickr.com/, http://www.adclassix.com/ and http://aafkebrouwer.files.wordpress.com/)

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84: Tony Hart

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83: Silver Birch Trees

I love everything about them: their shape, the colour of their leaves, but most of all their bark.

(Photo courtesy of http://www.colorwithin.net/, http://gallery.e2bn.org/asset66901-.html and http://www.natures-desktop.com/)

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82: Mobiles (Especially Alexander Calder's)

I love abstract mobiles anyway, but Calder's are in a league of their own, not least by virtue of their scale:

(Photos courtesy of http://www.artknowledgenews.com/, http://www.nga.gov/collection/calder/calder-ss8.shtm and http://www.art-and-play.com/)

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82: Aretha Franklin

Impossible to choose a favourite, but here are a few Aretha songs spanning just a small part of her long career:

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81: PostSecret

Truly compulsive. For those of you who've never heard of this community project, PostSecret posts postcards they've received from anonymous people which carry the description of a secret they've never told anyone. Some of them are funny, some tragic, and they're often surprisingly moving. Here are a few random examples:

(Photos courtesy of http://www.postsecret.com/) You can read more about PostSecret here: http://www.postsecret.com/