- 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.
- 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.
- When my brother was born I asked if he could go back and be swapped for a girl.
- 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.
- I love Brussel sprouts. Yum. A whole cabbage you can eat in one go!
- My hair is the longest it has ever been right now.
- I don’t like raisins, sultanas or currants at all but I love grapes.
- I don’t really like Indian food. Although I love all the spices individually.
- All the surgery I’ve ever had has been on my mouth or my teeth.
- My feet used to be a 7½ but now they’re a 6. How did that happen? Did shoes suddenly get bigger?
- One of my favourite games as a child was playing libraries.
Questions asked...
Which activities can make you lose track of time?
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?
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!
I'm properly copping out here with nominating...feel free to join in if it takes your fancy!
What a lovely read. "The inside of your eyelids": my husband always says that (groan). And... another Smiths and Milly Molly Mandy lover here :-)
ReplyDeleteYay!!!
ReplyDeleteI salute your musical taste, and am rather jealous of your Blur meet. Marc and I walked down the aisle to the You & Me Song, by The Wannadies. This was in 1996, before many people had their own wedding play list. It was considered very cool/deeply offensive depending on age of attendee. I watched Johnny Marr at Camp Bestival. He was AMAZING!!!
Thanks for joining in.
Leanne xx
Wow, so many interesting bits and pieces of information, I feel I get to know you better and better. It seems that we have a similar career path, only I started of being a microbiologist. I used to like Kay Scarpetta but not so much now. I prefer silence over music, always have, and I am really quite hopeless at naming even the music that I like :) Have a lovely evening. xx
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed reading all these interesting pieces of information about you. I'm very amused with random thing number 2. I've never heard of that one before!
ReplyDelete..Have a great weekend! x
Ooh yes to Laura Ingalls Wilder, although I do wonder if the fictional Laura was closer to the Laura she wanted to be rather than the Laura she knew herself to be.
ReplyDeleteMy sister and I used to play libraries. You're the first person I've come across who says the same though I feel sure it wasn't so uncommon.
Well done on your award :)
This is so fascinating! My sisters and I used to play libraries as children, but it was all about stamping the books. That was where the pleasure was. I used to love the Wannadies, what happened to them I wonder? And yes, the Scarpetta books - they were excellent up until book 10, when she left the coroner's office and set up on her own, and then they all went a bit mental, which is such a shame as they were properly good crime fiction. x
ReplyDelete