Do you know what grinds my gears?

Stupid and inconsiderate drivers I’m talking about the school Mum that parks across a road so that she can drop Tarquin off or the Mum that just goes round the roundabout indicates to come off the island when in fact she’s indicating to pull over abruptly to let Little Theodore out of the car,

I’m talking about the people that park on roundabouts blocking the exit so that we can’t get off the roundabout our selves, then there’s the driver that doesn’t know the speed limit or doesn’t drive it i.e. doing 30 in a 60 mile an hour zone then when it comes down to 30 mile an hour speed limit they accelerate to 40 miles an hour or just slow driving generally.

As you can see these are just a few of the drivers I encounter on my daily commute from Home to my office. It’s worse in tourist season that I live in a town where we get a lot of tourists and the roads then get even worse to the point that I don’t go out during summer apart from to work unless I absolutely have to because the traffic is so bad there’s no parking it’s a nightmare.

So poor Mrs Bob gets to hear firsthand about all of this as I come through the door from Work so unfortunately bad traffic bad driving is that is the thing I complain about the most I guess.

I’ll answer these two questions separately…

My favourite sport to watch is baseball, I’ve been a San Diego Padres fan for probably thirty years, it’s a fantastic sport to watch and while I do jump out of my seat and yell at the occasional bad call etc, I find it very relaxing to watch. The only occasion it could get tense, is when Mrs Bob’s team, the Colorado Rockies play the Padres. Then all bets are off and one of us gets bragging rights.

My favourite sport to play is archery, while some of you might say it’s not a sport, I respectfully disagree. I can’t play many sports due my health issues, archery which is an Olympic sport is one i can, and I’m actually very good at apparently.

If I won the lottery (large amount) I’d purchase an old military base and then I’d get homeless veterans to help renovate the housing blocks, in exchange for wages and a subsidised place to live once completed. This way those of us that served our country and desperately need looking after, could have a safe place to sleep at night and an address to be able to open a bank account, and hopefully then they’d be able to apply for jobs etc.

The biggest issue faced on the streets, apart from the obvious ones due to sleeping rough, which as I know isn’t nice, and can be very dangerous, is you have no address, which means you can’t register for things like a bank account, doctors, employment agencies etc.

Once this phase was completed I’d then open it up to children who’re in the same position, this way I could at least try to use my money to help my fellow man.

I’d have to say there are probably two books that I want to read….

• Guru Granth Sahib. This is the Sikh holy book
• The Tripitaka. (Three baskets) Buddhist teachings

These two books would complete my reading of various religious texts. I started as most do with the bible in Sunday school and being brought up in a Christian household, from then in high school I studied that alongside Islam, and Judaism. So I read (English versions) the Quran and the Tanakh. In later life I read the Tibeten book of the dead, Bhagavad Gita, The Book of Mormon, and many books on various beliefs including a vast Collection on paganism and witchcraft.

I’ve a copy of the Tripitaka on my kindle, which I need to get round to reading, the Guru Granth Sahib however has proved elusive so far, but I’d love to add it to my collection.

The reason I’ve read these books was just to see the differences between the major belief structures or as I found out, what they have in common. This way I feel I’m better prepared to be more understanding of different beliefs and customs.

The thing I enjoy most is to grab the book from the top of my ever growing reading pile, get comfy and dive right back into it.

There are so many attractions near my hometown in the South Hams. There’s Totnes castle, Buckfast Abbey, the Dartmoor Otter sanctuary, and so many more.

There’s one Ive still not done yet.

The South Devon Railway.

It uses the former Great Western Railway branch line, built in 1872.  You can enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the River Dart valley as you journey between Buckfastleigh and Totnes on their charming steam trains. It’s on my to do list, maybe I’ll get round to it in 2026 and finally tick it off the list after 14 years.

In no particular order, here we go…

• Playing chess, it helps me relax
• Reading graphic novels, I’m a massive geek
• Writing poetry, it’s a form of therapy for PTSD
• Photography, wildlife is my favourite
• Playing video games, GTAV (invite only lobby)

My dream job would be either a photographer or a social media manager because both roles align closely with my interests and skills. In my spare time, I enjoy taking photos and creating content for social media, which has helped me develop a strong creative eye and an understanding of what engages an audience. Photography allows me to express creativity through visuals, while social media management combines creativity with strategy, such as planning posts, analyzing engagement, and building an online presence. Since these are skills I already practice regularly and feel confident in, pursuing one of these careers would be both enjoyable and rewarding for me.

If I could un-invent one thing from history, it would be the nuclear weapon—not because the science itself is evil, but because its existence permanently tethered human survival to a single point of failure. Nuclear weapons didn’t just change how wars are fought; they changed how civilization lives, under the constant shadow that one miscalculation, accident, or unstable leader could end everything. No invention before or since has given humanity the power to erase itself so completely, so quickly, and so irreversibly.

There are two ways i can reduce the clutter (if you can call it that) in my life…

One. I could reduce my comic book collection from its current state of around 6-700 books, this would raise cash that I’d probably use on more graphic novels. I have however started to get books on kindle unless they’re very collectible, or not on kindle. This helps reduce the numbers and keeps Mrs Bob happy.

Two. I could reduce the number of lenses I have in the house. I have around 4-5 i use regularly and around 6 vintage lenses that I occasionally use for fun or certain effects. Some are very old, 1970 (older than me) but I keep them for sentimental value on shelves etc.

So thats how I’d reduce my clutter. How about you?