Liebster

Well here I am finally getting around to answering Leanne's Leibster questions

Random things

1. I used to be the music editor of the university newspaper. This meant I got free CDs and gig tickets and to hang out with “the stars” on the pretense of interviewing them. Weirdest – Courtney Love. Nicest – Pulp or the Wannadies (remember them?). Most delicious – Blur (bizarrely). Yes it was of an era really wasn’t it.
2. My grandma used to make us sit down on three different seats if we had to go back in the house when we’d forgotten something.
3. When my brother was born I asked if he could go back and be swapped for a girl.
4. As a child I had very short hair. My Mum’s hair is very curly and she said she had no idea how to ‘do’ hair so kept it short. I was only mistaken for a boy once.
5. I love Brussel sprouts. Yum. A whole cabbage you can eat in one go!
6. My hair is the longest it has ever been right now.
7. I don’t like raisins, sultanas or currants at all but I love grapes.
8. I don’t really like Indian food. Although I love all the spices individually.
9. All the surgery I’ve ever had has been on my mouth or my teeth.
10. My feet used to be a 7½ but now they’re a 6. How did that happen? Did shoes suddenly get bigger?
11. One of my favourite games as a child was playing libraries.

Questions asked...
Which activities can make you lose track of time?

It takes a lot to distract me from my tummy which is very good at telling me the time. A really good book. And since having children, sleeping.

Who is the funniest person you know?

My friend L is the funniest person I know. Her tales of her office and turn of phrase are legendary. She really can spin a hilarious yarn.

What small act of kindness were you shown that you will never forget?

I’ve been very lucky that people have been kind to me a lot. Most recently I was working on a paper and a work colleague brought me a HUGE coffee back from town after her meeting. It was most appreciated.

What can you do today that couldn't do last year?

Crochet!! If you can call my meagre efforts that. But last year I didn’t have a single clue. Even with the power of books and the internet. Now I have loops in yarn and everything!

Who is your favourite literary heroine?

Ooh this is a difficult one. It took me a while to think about this. The one I keep coming back to is Laura Ingalls Wilder. Although she’s a real person I’m talking about the fictionalised version she wrote about in her books. Little House on the Prairie Laura as I like to call her. If you’d asked me 15 years ago I may have said Kay Scarpetta (I loved those books – why oh why did it all go so wrong?). 28 years ago the twins from Sweet Valley High (it’s fine to go ahead and judge me!!). As a child I loved Milly Molly Mandy. I bought a collection of those stories for BigR and she loves me to read them to her almost as much I love reading them!

Name three things that have made you smile this week.

My daughters.

Steve Coogan.

Attempting my first granny square.

What is your favourite sound?

I could say my children laughing (very good – before it descends into screaming over one thing or another) or silence (also very good after a shouty day) or birdsong but I really love music.

If you could be someone else for a day, who would it be and why?

I don’t know if I really want to be anyone else. I quite like being me. Is that a bit of a cop out? If I could swap places with someone it would be Beyonce to see what really happened in that lift (and how much coiffing that hair takes!) or Nigel Slater to see what’s really in his fridge.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A marine biologist. Not one who was interested in dolphins, whales or other marine mammals. Oh no I couldn’t run with the crowd me, I quite fancied working on crustaceans…I thought it was niche enough to get a job. I was wrong. There are few jobs in marine biology even if you don’t want one of the 'obvious' jobs. After my A-levels I changed my focus and ended up in biomedical science and now education research.

What do you see when you close your eyes?

As my Dad would say the inside of my eyelids. Yes what a comedian. I see Colours. I love it when you close your eyes to the sun on a really bright day.

Who was your favourite band or singer when you were sixteen?

The Smiths. I loved The Smiths. I still love The Smiths. Although I enjoy Morrissey’s post Smiths music it was always, always Johnny Marr for me. Those guitar riffs. My parents recently found my Johnny Marr t-shirt in their loft so it now resides safely Mum washed and folded in my wardrobe.

The questions I'm asking...
What is your favourite thing to do on a rainy day?

Skirts or jeans?

Best advice someone has ever given you?

Where would you most like to go in the world?

What super-power would you most like to have and why?

What are you reading at the moment?

What's your favourite place in the world?

What's your pet grammar peeve?

What's your favourite recipe?

What was the last new thing you learnt?

If you were an animal, what would you be?

I'm properly copping out here with nominating...feel free to join in if it takes your fancy!