10th April, It took a few hours...

I apologise it took a lot of hours, but here we go, my answers.............

Choosing friends is hard, i know lots of people, but who do I class as true friends. Who can I ring or can take calls from at 3am and not question or be questioned as to why. This is a true friend, we may have more than 5 but I believe it will be below 10. Either way choosing these 5 has been hard, but I know it is "from the heart"

5 Friends -

1) NxxI Xlvxxxx - This person has been "with me" since we were about 6 years old, we went to the same school and often shared the same friends. For a while (12-15) we lost touch because of schools, however, and in a bizarre sliding doors happening, when I became friends with her then boyfriend, he said "meet my girlfriend" and guess what it was my friend and mentor!!
I am lucky we may not talk everyday and we may only see each other even less frequently. But we converse online all the time and she remains my friend, my mentor and in many cases my rock. That is a true friend.

2) Sxxox Wxxtx - I met this person when we were 15. He reintroduced me to Nxxx, we have been best friends ever since. I was his best man, he is my middle childs godfather. We speak nearly daily and share a lot between us. In business we have worked together and I have been his account manager. Our paths are woven together. Even his wife I introduced as my marketing "bird"!!!! The honest friendship goes between us. That is a true friend

3) Txxi Xuxxh - I have known Txxi since we worked together in 2000. We have been through a lot together, we have been ill, we have had ups and downs, but still I know most things in her life and she knows most in mine. I know her partner and children as well as she knows mine. I also realise that there is a lot of business and day to day stuff I could not do without her. I value her spin on things and I value being told to "be real" by her. As we talk almost hourly at the moment I know I can totally trust and rely on her. That is a true friend.

4) Ilxxx Txtxx - I have known Ilxxx since we were around 11. We went through barmitvah together and taught each other. As we grew up we lived at each others houses, shared girlfriends, cigarettes, drink and nights out. We were so inseperable our parents knew if we weren't at once house we were at the other. As we have reached adulthood work has meant we do not see each other as we should. However when we do it is as if no time has passed. I still view him as a brother and his family as mine. That is a true friend.

5) Jxxix Gxexx - I met this person through my circle of friends including choice 1 and 2. For many years he used to sleep outside my mother's flat if he couldn't get in at home. Even now she is known to check the lobby for him. I met my wife when we were 18, this person was there, when I was too shy to ask her out, he did it for me in his usual abrupt style. Always and to everyone he is known with his surname and first name, and no one actually knows his age. My middle child thinks he lives in Moo-Moo land and I am not going to shatter this illusion!!!
Jxxix Gxexx has told me when I am being stupid and told me to get on with things. His singer wife has an amazing voice and I am honoured to class her as well as him as my friend. One thing is sure though, and irresepective of the Marmite and Cheese sandwiches my wife makes him, I can rely on this person as I can be relied on by him. That is a true friend.

Picking 5 websites is also difficult. We don't need to buy and sell so that rules out eBay and we have chosen our songs so that negates downloading. So what are the 5 sites -

1) www.poeticexpressions.co.uk - A site full of poems, sometimes we all need a chance to step off the roundabout. I know that on the Island this is not an issue as such, but, the site is great and the poetry is wonderful.
2) www.dontsweat.com - Richard and Kris Carlsson now how to put things into perspective. Richards untimely death was a shock, but the ideaology lives on. In the latest book "an hour to live, an hour to love" an exploration takes place of what if. It is also a phenominal love story. It is this never ending hope from the site that will alsways be there on the Island.
3) www.firework-review.org.uk - For the sheer blowing things up. I own Ultimate Fireworks and looking at this site just shows me what we can do. I might not have fireworks with me on the Island but this is just fun!!
4) www.youtube.com - For the pure fun of what is available!!
5) www.bbc.co.uk - A site just to keep up with what is going on.......

Now the hard part, who are the 6 vists from..........

1) My immediate family because despite all else I will miss my wife and children so much.
2) Nxxx Axxxxx - She is a special friend, but seeing her for a sanity check is a necessity.
3) My Father - I know he is dead, but the Island is magical. I often fantasise about having a few hours extra with my Dad. I don't know what we would talk about, but maybe we would just sit on the beach, fish a little or fly a kite together. I thought I knew best when we didn't talk, in latter years I saw sense. I miss our time together and our laughs and jokes about alsorts. I would like to bring this to the Island
4) My Grandmother - She is also dead and died only weeks after my father. We spent a lot of time together and went to Israel a lot together. We shared a lot, although telling the guards in Jerusalem we had a bomb was somewhat silly and it was not surprising we got arrested!!! It is the togetherness we had I miss and I would love to rekindle this.
5) Philip Pullman - I know this may seem like a cliche choice - the author to my book - but the whole Darkness thing continues to dazzle me and continues to offer endless thoughts. I want a follow-up trilogy to the original one. I need to know if Lyra and Will survive and find a way "through" the original book breaks my heart, it is the how and what that I would love to discuss.
6) Santa Claus - Is he real or not? I believe!! I also believe there is a Santa for everyone, they might not be in the red suit but they are still "our Santa" and why shouldn't there be a real man living in secret at the North Pole, in a secret land of magic, elves, flying reindeer and beautiful scenes. For that I would love to see Santa and to thank him. I would love to see Santa just to resassure him that some people still care, still believe and still want.

And so I have now completed my answers, now it is everyone elses turn..............