Questions and Answers | About Me | Random

AJ’s Answers to June’s Jaunty Random Questions

From ice cream cones and castles to family, nostalgia, and tropical fish!

I took this photo of the delicious ice cream I had on Southwold Pier in July 2025; it’s branded with the place name

It’s that time of the month again — Lynn L. Alexander has more questions, so I’ve tried to come up with some answers!

1. What is your favourite ice cream cone?

I quite like a small tub of ice cream, which you might consider a coneless cone. But if we’re limiting this to cones, then I’ll pick one that somebody else bought for me. 😉

I know — you still want more. (If the other questions are this challenging, this is going to be one for the record books!)

I looked up the types of cones available and found sugar, waffle, cake, pretzel, chocolate-dipped, wafer, cookie, and gluten-free. There are probably others, but that’s plenty for today!

I might only have one or two ice cream cones each year, usually during a trip to the seaside. I often pick something plain, simple, and cheap. From images I found online, that looks closest to a cake cone — although the ones I have are often taller.

Last year, at Southwold, I pushed the boat out and got something a bit more upmarket. Google’s image search tells me I picked a waffle cone. At the time, I doubt that I referred to the type. I would have just pointed and said, “One of those, please!”

2. Do you always finish everything you start?

I must admit that I don’t always fin…

[a few hours pass]

…ish what I start.

But there are some occasions when I come back later, often a lot later, and suddenly spend the final ten minutes required to complete something I’ve already poured 100 hours into.

Okay, I’m exaggerating a bit. But you get the idea.

(My mind’s autism/ADHD combination has a way of making me unreliably organised.)

3. Could you eat the same three meals for a week?

Finding enough things I like to eat can be troublesome, so anything that takes away that choice has some appeal.

I would worry about the lack of variety being bad for my health. And I do eventually get bored with the same food.

At first: “I love this!”

Later: “This is okay.”

Eventually: “I hate this!”

After a long break: “Why did I stop eating this? I love it!”

4. How often do you get together with family?

I live with my two sons, but there aren’t many older family members left.

My mum and dad died years ago, I lost my aunt in 2024, and I don’t get along with my eldest sister. (She’s lived abroad for over 20 years.)

Once a month, I see my other sister who lives locally. Although we drifted apart at various times since leaving home, we never fell out. In recent years, we have become closer again.

I used to see my late wife’s parents weekly when my children were younger, but it’s now only once a month.

It’s no longer a nice place to visit, as the small sofa is often littered with my father-in-law’s dirty socks, pillow, or worse. He also has dementia and insists his memory is fine, seconds after asking the same question for the 20th time.

My mother-in-law used to be the main one I chatted with, but she struggles to hear nowadays and sometimes stares at me blankly when I speak.

Still, some visits are better, especially when I manage to get them both talking about the past.

5. Do you wear shoes or slippers when in the house?

As a child, I walked around the house wearing socks, which is probably why they would wear out so quickly.

As an adult, until a few years ago, I would wear my trainers all over the house. I hated the idea of slippers — they made me feel old and somehow vulnerable. I used to like the idea that I could rush out of the house at a moment’s notice.

I’ve always been very careful about wiping my feet and cleaning my footwear, being the one who ends up cleaning up any mess.

Living with young adults who are not always quite so careful prompted me to rethink, and I made a new house rule a few years ago: Nowadays, I wear slippers for hygiene.

6. If you had to wear one colour for a week, what would it be?

Well, this isn’t a fair question. For tops, I would pick bright colours like red or orange. For bottoms, I would pick blue or grey jeans.

Blue isn’t my favourite T-shirt colour, but I can’t imagine myself in red jeans, so I’ll have to pick blue.

7. Would you rather live in a castle for a week or an RV?

When people talk about castles, I always picture a ruin, where the remains of the rooms are barely recognisable.

But if I can convince myself that a castle can be like a fancy house, with indoor plumbing, then I would pick one over an RV.

Even though I live in a small house, I would prefer to have plenty of room.

8. What stands out about you?

And just what is this trying to imply? 🤣

My stomach used to stand out a bit, but I have lost over 20 pounds in the last 12 months. Okay, so I’ve slipped a little lately and gained a pound or two. But surely we can blame that on the birthday cake I ate recently?

I know what you’re thinking: It sounds like you touched a nerve, and I’ve misunderstood the question…

Where is that delete key when I need it?

9. What is/was your favourite candy?

Growing up in the ’70s, there weren't many sweets that I didn’t eat!

Cola cubes, pear drops, chocolate chewing nuts, black jacks, fruit salads, lollipops, fruit pastilles, opal fruits, refreshers, Fox’s glacier fruits…

I could go on. And that’s before we look at anything involving chocolate or crisps!

If any of those things were to go near my teeth today, I’d need another filling within the hour! 😆

(That’s two questions in a row that I might have avoided answering!)

10. What is your favourite sea animal?

I’ll go with any brightly coloured tropical fish.

I could also have picked dolphins, which have some amazing abilities, or seahorses, which have always fascinated me.

© 2026 AJ. All rights reserved.

If you’d like to answer these questions by Lynn L. Alexander, you can find the details here:

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