I really must pay more attention... seven sevens

So oblivious to the outside world am I that I failed to notice that John Bright's Body has tagged me... but now that I have...

7 things to do before I die...

1. visit as many countries as years I have been alive (I need country number 42 by 13 November - I'm on 40)
2. learn to speak Latin American Spanish
3. get elected to the House of Lords (or its replacement, preferably)
4. feed a penguin in its natural environment
5. watch the turtles hatch and crawl down to the sea
6. bungy jump and appreciate the experience properly
7. make my peace with God (I'm Catholic, and guilty...)

7 things I cannot do

1. whistle
2. swim
3. maintain a diet and exercise regime
4. keep up with my housework
5. say no to my cats
6. enjoy ironing
7. run for either Parliament (Westminster or European) - can I have my human rights back?

7 things that attract me to London

1. the presence of my family and friends
2. the multicultural community
3. the National Liberal Club
4. the range of cultural opportunities available (I only wish that I had more time to enjoy them...)
5. riding on the top deck of a bus on a sunny day (or any other day for that matter!)
6. feeding the ducks in St James's Park
7. the number of airports I can escape through

7 things I often say

1. "I don't work for a living, I'm a civil servant..."
2. "professionally, I drink blood and eat babies..."
3. "call me old-fashioned but..."
4. "Valladares, I'll spell that for you..."
5. "Victoria, do you mind not standing in front of my computer screen?..."
6. "and now for the dead boy/live goat round" - if you're in Haringey, you might get this...
7. "Good... er... morning, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs Westminster..."

7 books that I love

1. 2004 Wisden (featuring Sussex's only County Championship victory)
2. anything by Terry Pratchett
3. any Lonely Planet guide
4. "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" - Douglas Adams
5. "Gulag" - Anne Applebaum
6. "A Short History of Nearly Everything" - Bill Bryson
7. "The Prince" - Machiavelli

7 movies I could watch over and over again

1. "The Prisoner of Zenda"
2. "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"
3. "Field of Dreams" (alright, I admit, crying at the end of this one is a bit weird...)
4. "The Pelican Brief" - I'm a sucker for Julia Roberts (so sue me...)
5. "Mr Smith Goes to Washington"
6. "Sleeper"
7. an unknown winner of a Golden Rose at Montreux about the history of Norwegian broadcasting (I saw it once, have no idea what it was called, have never forgotten it - the funniest thing I ever saw)

7 people I want to join in too

1. Kim Valladares- my cousin
2. Nick Stanton - something to take his mind off running Southwark Council
3. Brian Orrell - cyberman, Regional Candidates Chair and all-round culture vulture
4. Simon Hughes
5. Chris Huhne
6. Menzies Campbell (we might learn a lot more about each of them if they took part in this...)
7. Sandra Gidley - I think that she's funny (in a good way!)