User Profile

I would like to introduce myself. I am known as Danie, the Rainbow Chazer, and I will be trying to provide regular input to these pages around a full time job, housework and as small a social life as my husband will let me get away with. I'm married to Felice, we're child-free by choice and cat free by accident.

In the course of the past almost-40 years I have been, and may yet be again, a speed skater, charity fundraiser, hospital radio broadcaster, conservationist, competitive swimmer and tap dancer. I have a full time job but around that, I work out, walk, write letters, articles and this blog (in a mixture of English and German with a fair sprinkling of good honest Anglo Saxon!), swap Friendship Books, labelbags and slams, answer my e-mails, pray for those in need of it, run a penpal list, drink too much, watch motorsport, listen to music, sleep and eat (occasionally) and tidy the house only when my parents are due to visit, when I see something many legged, large and ugly or when I’ve lost something vitally important!

Musicwise, I have an eclectic ear, being a devoted fan of blues, rock, jazz, synthesizer, 80s, classical and worship music. I follow the Law of Jones (Paul Jones, that is) and will go to enormous lengths to worship at the feet of this master of blues harmonica. I perform the ancient ritual of 'attending a concert' as often as finances allow. Apart from seeing Paul Jones in The Manfreds and The Blues Band three or four times a year, I also follow Steve Winwood and Traffic, the French synthesizer wizard Jean-Michel Jarre, Bill Wyman’s band the Rhythm Kings, Colin Blunstone (with or without Rod Argent), Gary Brooker, Mike Sanchez, Erasure, the Pet Shop Boys, the Proclaimers and various Christian rock groups including Newsboys, delirious?, Tree 63, Petra and the Elms. Summer is rarely complete without a weekend of drink, music, sunburn, and often prayer, at my favorite music festival.

I am a complete chocoholic, a lover of fine wine and whisk(e)y, good books, especially science fiction by Arthur C Clarke, (RIP, God of our age), biographies, unusual holidays, motorsport and all winter sports especially ice sports. As an honorary Geordie, I support Newcastle United Football Club. I expand my knowledge by watching documentaries and natural history programs, and then audition for quiz shows to demonstrate this new learning.

I have the right to wear academic dress at any gathering where such is called for, being a graduate of one of the many universities in this country. I also hold assorted qualifications in secretarial skills, proofreading, copy-editing and several languages, so I'm never short of a word or two or the means with which to say them.

I collect all sorts of things for charity and my own personal use, such as stamps, postcards, stationery, phonecards, polar bear items, Christmas decorations, pens, socks and other assorted junk!

Dislikes include spiders, fireworks, bad driving, rudeness, impossible deadlines, sloppy personal hygiene, interruptions, ringing unanswered phones, badly behaved or poorly controlled/understood children, bad grammar and diction, cruelty to animals, reality TV, soap operas, vote 'em off/talent shows like Big Brother, Idol etc, modern journalism (sensationalism), Twitterpated folks (a blog is a form of short form writing, not a glorified text message service!) and the almost-universal idea that family-centric life is the only sort that matters together with the insistence there's something wrong with you if you don't have a child. I like spending time with certain (family and friends') youngsters, but I also like to hand them back to their parents!

My temper and opinions are spikier than my hair and my muscles much stronger than my willpower. I am a pink-tinged liberal Christian, supporting gay rights/marriage and integration within reason. I'll read your letters/e-mails/blog first and judge you when I get round to it (with my powers of organistaion, that's almost never).

As previously mentioned, I edit a penpal list, Jonesy's Pal Chazers pal and swap listing (founded 1995). My guess is if you would like a pal in a particular country, with a particular interest or a swapper of something unusual, I can find you that person. I also maintain an ever growing database of addresses which enable my penpals and me to return full Friendship Books, decos, bags, lyrix and slams. I hold a comprehensive list of addresses from the African country of Ghana, which seems to have a large number of students and young adults looking for Western contacts, and another list of prison inmates worldwide, as many of my church sisters and brothers are led to contact them to provide encouragement and support.

I operate a second blog for my involvement with the idhbic community, under my character name of vieille_knight. This blog also contains examples of my short stories and character writing. Please ask for more details.

Where are you in the world?:

I'm trying to get all my Livejournal friends' locations plotted on a map - please add your location starting with this form. Username: (Then get your friends to!)

I intend to use this blog to share with you some of the gossip, jokes and thoughts that come my way through varied channels. I meet and speak to a wide variety of people and overhear or read many amazing things in the course of an average working day and you will either say 'I know someone like that!', 'I didn't know that!' or laugh accordingly. Feedback on the content is always welcome, so feel free to air your opinions. I might even learn something...

For further information on any of the above, e-mail me at JonesysPalChazers@yahoo.co.uk. I look forward to hearing from you.

Apart from a few random jottings, much of this blog is friends-only. Please comment telling me where you saw the link so that I know a bit about you before I add you. Thanks.

Felice and I have been married for:

Who's reading you today? Show me the readers of: as a or script by marnanel

I have visited the following places:


visited 12 states (5.33%)
Create your own visited map of The World or Like this? try: Fridge Poetry


visited 7 states (14%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or try another Douwe Osinga project


I have penpals and contacts in the following countries:



create your own visited country map or check our Venice travel guide


I would LIKE penpals, e-pals or swappers in the following places:



create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide


My best friend's baby, Frank, is the most important baby to me. He sat on my lap at 3 weeks old and HOWLED at me...




I don't want children myself, why should I when I can help Sylvia and her husband Paul with Frank?



Good stationery websites:

http://www.ejea.fr/ (French language site) and http://www.stationeryfunshop.com/ (English version of the same) for all that cute stationery you just can't find elsewhere (Sanrio, Miffy, Diddl, Nici, Pucca, Disney, Spiderman, Dora, Betty Boop...)

http://www.cdp-ghana.com/ for more information on a little-known children's charity.

Recovering Stammerers Do It With Eloquence! http://www.mcguireprogramme.com/

http://arties.com/ best deli in Manhattan, if not the world.

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=7. See, my mate and fellow LJer rebelfilms isn't the only one to like Woodbury Common, trouble is my version is in NY and involves spending lots of money on cut-price designer gear! Hers is in East Devon and looks a bit more like this: http://flickr.com/photos/58766506@N00/2661033975 (image uploaded to flickr on July 12, 2008 by Dave JG at http://flickr.com/photos/davejglaves/)

Friends (53):

Mutual Friends (51):