It’s midweek and it’s time to answer some questions for Wednesday’s Hodgepodge link-up.

1. What’s a winter memory you treasure (can be from any winter in your lifetime)? 

I think my favourite winter memory was when my eldest kids were smaller and  saw snow for the first time. They must have been around 3 and 1 1/5 years old we had a very heavy snowfall. I’m not sure who was more excited me or them. We had so much fun playing in the snow and building snowmen. They are now 25 and 27 years old and still love the snow.

2. Tell us about the last time or a recent time you were caught up in red tape. Does it send your frustration level off the charts or is it something you’ve come to expect when dealing with any sort of bureaucracy?

The only thing that comes to mind and I’m not sure if this would count as red tape is when I couldn’t be on two waiting lists at the same time. It’s hard to explain but I couldn’t access one service while I was under another service. One waiting list was short and the treatment would be over months before the treatment with the other service would begin.

It was frustrating as I would have to go through the whole process again to even get back on a waiting list for treatment. I do think it’s what I’ve come to expect especially with the immense pressure on services nowadays. Sometimes, some of the rules just don’t seem to make logical sense to me.

3. Do you eat/like fish? Do you cook fish at home? What’s your favourite fish dish? Ever been ice fishing? 

I love fish dishes but it’s not something I regularly eat or cook at home as nobody else in the family enjoys it.

My favourite fish dish is fish pie, I love the mixture of salmon, pollock and smoked haddock. The creamy sauce and mashed potato topping finish it off perfectly. It’s really quick and easy to make too which is a bonus.

I have never been ice fishing but it does sound like lots of fun.

4. Did you watch any of the US President’s Inauguration coverage on Monday, Jan 20? On a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being not at all and 10 being very very), how interested are you in politics in general? Do you follow/keep up with/ get involved with local politics? 

I didn’t watch any live coverage but did see the highlights on the evening news. Even though I’m in the UK the inauguration has still been a huge news story here.

I would say on a scale of 1-10 my interest in politics is about a 7. There are so many areas of politics that I don’t understand but I do try to educate myself on the important aspects of it. I try to keep up with politics nationally and internationally but I would say I don’t take too much notice of local politics.

5. What’s the cosiest thing you own and what makes it so? 

It’s a loungewear jumper that I bought in the January sales about 10 years ago. It might be old but it’s so comfy, soft and cosy. I use it all year round as it’s perfect for throwing on over clothes or pyjamas when I need an extra bit of cosiness.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The kids both have tests at school this week. Daisy has mid-year assessments and Jake has spelling tests. I’m really proud of the way they have been revising without much reminding from me. It got me thinking about how much I enjoyed revising for my exams when I was a teenager. I think I would like to look for some free online courses for myself to improve my own skills. One of my goals for this year was to look for more learning opportunities.