Over at Rocks in my Dryer, Shannon has posted her "5 question" meme, which I thought would be fun to answer here. So, here are my questions and answers, some of which were a little tricky to answer (especially with the kids arguing in the background!) but here goes:

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Um, I'd hate to have to eat only one food forever! That would be so boring, not to mention unhealthy! But if I have to choose, it would be "Lift": it's a Tunisian dish made with meat, lots of spinach, garlic, tomatoes and chickpeas. Can I still have some French bread to go with that..?

What's the most nerve-racking "close call" you've ever had?

This would probably have to be an incident which happened some years ago when my little man was still a toddler. We'd just moved into a new flat after some troubles, and were both exhausted. Since I didn't have a cot or proper bed for my little man to sleep in, I tucked him up in my double bed and went to watch some TV in the lounge. I was so so tired that I fell asleep right there.

When I woke up a few hours later, I went to check on my son. But he wasn't there. I called his name over and over, and when he didn't answer I began to panic: it was a new place for both of us, and I was worried that he'd done himself a mischief. Then I noticed the front door was slightly ajar. I ran out onto the landing and started screaming for him, running around the block like a madwoman thinking someone had kidnapped my son. Eventually, I went back inside to call the police when I noticed a lump in the bed covers. Upon checking it out, I realised my little man was just huddled beneath, and he'd been there all along! I felt like such a fool!

Name five features your ultimate dream house would have.

The dream house we'd build when we win the lottery? Oh yes, I've already thought this one through! We'd have:

1. A bedroom for each member of our family, plus two guest rooms, each with their own en-suite bathroom.
2. A huge library with a domed glass roof and shelves ceiling to floor.
3. A basement "cinema"
4. A wonderful huge garden including a labyrinth and secret "wild" area.
5. Staff to cook, clean and do the gardening

Perhaps too much to hope for, but I can dream...

Who has been the most influential non-relative in your life?

It's hard to define just one, so I'll have to make three: my English teacher at school, who I will always remember fondly; my tutor at college, who taught me to think for myself academically, and my good friend "C", who despite being my senior has taught me much about life and loyalty. If I could pick the most influential family member, it would have to be Dad!

What one non-physical feature would you most like to change about yourself?

Sometimes it would nice to be more selfish! I'm often told that I'm too apologetic, and always put others before myself, no matter what my feelings may be.

If you want to answer this meme yourself, head on over to Shannon's post and leave your link in her comments. Thanks for reading my answers!