An A-Z of Me - Z

 

 

Umm, Zoos? My grandparents lived near Chester Zoo when they were alive so we used to visit quite a bit when I was a child. I do rather like The Mermaid of Zennor folk tale as well...


And as far as the alphabet is concerned that, folks, is that! Any "Z'' things which sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - Y

Hmm, Y is even more difficult than X it seems, I can't think of anything - any questions anyone?


Anyone got any 'Y' things which sum them up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - X

Bit of a difficult one, X, the only thing I could think of was:

X-rays - In my 33 years, I've broken my left wrist, right wrist (thankfully not at the same time) and my right ankle so I've had rather a lot of them!


What 'X' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - W

 

Wedding - I married Andrew when I was 24, back in 2007. Amazingly, that means we're celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary next year and just like the cliché says, I have no idea where that time went.

Wills - We keep meaning to write them but just never got round to it. With a little one in tow now, it's something we probably should do!

Williams - My maiden name which I was happy to change when I married Andrew. He wouldn't have worried if I'd kept it but I much preferred his surname (which made my name alliterative) to my own!

Wales - My dad is from Wales and I have family who live there; although I was born in Scotland and brought up in England, I hope I can still say I'm part Welsh. I have read The Mabinogion and can pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch so I hope that qualifies me. :-)

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What 'W' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - V (#BEDM Day 3)

 

Vintage - Like a large proportion of bloggers, I have a fondness for anything old, retro or vintage. Not just the clothes and homeware but also things like seaside architecture, fairground rides and old vehicles (although that's probably more Andrew's thing than mine). I'd particularly like an old showman's caravan or shepherd's hut to tow behind his lorry at steam rallies but I think that'd take rather a lot of looking after! (also, the book in the picture is probably the oldest thing we own, it dates back to 1865)


Vaseline - I can pretty much guarantee that I will always have a pot of Vaseline somewhere in my handbag or nearby. It's about the only beauty product that I couldn't live without!


 

What 'V' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

(This post is day 3 of Rosalilium's Blog Every Day in May challenge - after sticking to the topics for the last couple of years, this year I'm going off piste!)

An A-Z of Me - U

  

Hmm, the letters are getting hard now. I can only think of one for U and that's…

 

University - it seems to have played a big part in my life really. I followed the usual path of GCSE's, A-Levels (the pre-2001 old style ones) and then a degree (at the University of Central Lancashire). Then 7 years after I graduated, in 2012 I started doing Masters degree via distance learning with Aberystwyth University (still ongoing, it's a slow process). On top of both of those, I’ve worked at a University (Bath) for coming up to 4 years now. I like education, I like knowledge and I like learning - that just about sums it up!

 

What 'U' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - T

Theatre - I love theatre. The plays, the musicals, the atmosphere and especially the buildings themselves, complete with all the old history and architecture you can shake a stick at. The earliest shows I remember seeing are The Important of Being Earnest and A Midsummer Night's Dream back in the late 1980s. When I was young I used to keep all my old ticket stubs as well plus a notebook detailing what I'd seen, when and where but now I have it all on a spreadsheet. If you include all the theatre shows, musicals, comedians and gigs I've been to, the total comes to 359 theatre visits (although with gigs, if you included everyone I’d seen at Glastonbury, it would be much higher). I'm sure there's a few I saw when I was really young that I can't remember as well. Last year we went to the theatre 41 times and it's been roughly the same amount for the last few years but almost of half of that comes from stuff we see at the Edinburgh Fringe in August. One more thing (that probably makes me seem really sad); because I was keeping track what dates I'd seen shows on, when I was at university I thought it might be interesting to see what days of the year I'd been to the theatre. So using my spreadsheet I can work out things like the months we go to the theatre most often (Jan, Feb, Aug and Oct) and the day of the year that's most popular for me to see a show (Feb 7th - 5 times). It's become a little pet project to try and see a show on as many different days of the year as possible. At the moment I've done 185 out of 365 days - about 50%.

 

 

Travel - One of my favourite activities is the journey to or from a destination, I love staring out of windows watching the world go by and it's fascinating how much you notice when you're not concentrating on anything else. I don't own a passport (although I do have an expired one), instead me and Andrew spend our time exploring what's in our own country. There's so much to see in Britain and Ireland (which (providing you're not flying there) you don't need a passport for) and I always find it really sad when people say they've seen so much of the rest of the world but never really seen any of their own country - I just feel as if they're missing out on so many wonderful things!

 

 

Tim Minchin - I think he's one incredibly talented guy, an expert wordsmith and if you've ever seen him perform live, the speed at which he plays the piano (and also sings, acts and chats to audience at the same time) is just incredible. Matilda the Musical has such a fabulous soundtrack and I do think he talks a lot of common sense, both in his songs and in real life.

 

 

Tap Dancing – My grandmother used to tap dance when she was a girl back in the 1920s and 1930s and it's something I always fancied doing when I was young. There wasn't really any classes nearby though so I never gave it a go. Somewhere in all my grandmother's paperwork she had a programme from a dance school concert that took place in 1930; she was second on the bill doing a short tap dance and would have been only 4 years old at the time. Not sure tap dancing is something my ankle could really stick now though!

 

What 'T' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - S

Swimming - If you asked me what my favourite sport was, this'd be it. I loved being in the water as a child and did years of swimming lessons, not because I couldn't swim but because I really enjoyed it. When I was a teenager I moved onto lifeguarding lessons and always meant to take my National Pool Lifeguard Qualification but never got round to it. Just going up and down doing lengths is enough for me, I find it really calming and like having the time to have my own thoughts. I do like swimming outside as well, especially in lidos like the Jubilee Pool in Penzance or Greenbank Lido in Street, Somerset - they have the fun of an outdoor pool combined with the architecture and history!


Seaside - I know millions of people would say it, but I do like the seaside. Not just the sand, sea and sunshine bit of it but also the history, heritage and architecture. There's something magical about places which have seen so much social history and change, all of it geared towards entertainment and pleasure.

Steam Rallies - This is our summer hobby (the winter one is Somerset's Carnival season) and we take Andrew's 1952 vintage lorry to lots of them around the South West. They're great fun with millions of pounds of history on display and an excellent way to learn about all things steam-related (and get covered in soot along the way).


Sewing - I did Textiles as a subject for my GCSE's and managed to somehow pass with a B despite not going anywhere near a sewing machine. I had this irrational fear that one I'd sewn something it couldn't be changed and anyway, how would I stop myself sewing through my finger? It's completely silly though so back in 2012 I bought myself a sewing machine and taught myself to use it. I haven't quite made a whole piece of clothing (although I did make two kitchen aprons) but even more importantly, I haven't injured myself yet.


Scrapbooking - One hobby I'd really love to get into but like so many things, I don't have the time for it. I have heaps of tickets, receipts and photos and one day, maybe I'll get round to sticking them in an album in a pretty order.


School - I was one of those annoying people who really liked school. I hated having days off (I think I only had 2 days off in 5 years) because I really didn't like the fact that I'd miss something. Very luckily (and I'm incredibly thankful for it), I didn't get bullied, despite working in the school library and doing my homework on time. My only saving grace was that I swore like a trooper (when appropriate of course); knew all about sex and relationships (that was years of reading my grannie's 'Chat' and 'Woman' magazines) and because I was seen as a "good" girl, I was involved in quite a lot of teacher-type stuff, ended up hearing which teacher was going out with which and therefore had all the school gossip to share.


Soundtracks - I own a lot of these. Mostly musicals and TV programmes but there's quite a few where I know each line of every single song.


Stargazer Lilies - My favourite flower. If you want to win my heart, buy me a bunch of these.


Steampunk - Another interest of mine and Andrew's, although we don't get into it as much as a lot of other people. Obviously anything combining steam power, history and amazing outfits was going to be a winner with us. We did go to the Frome Steampunk Extravaganza a couple of years ago but haven't been since they increased the ticket price. At the moment I just read the occasional steampunk-themed book and listen to Abney Park rather a lot instead.


Spoons - My grandmother (on my dad's side) used to collect teaspoons and whenever my dad would go abroad with work, he'd always bring her back one from wherever he went. She passed away in 1993, when I was 10 and because I'd always found her collection fascinating, I ended up inheriting them. For a few years afterwards I collected them myself and always meant to display them somewhere when I had my own house. I haven't bought any for about 15 years and the only problem now is that even though I have my own house, putting on them out on display will tarnish them all. As a hobby, it's really not a very practical one!


Scotland - I was born up there although sadly I don't have the accent as we left when I was 18 months old. My parents (despite not actually being Scottish) love the place though and we spent every summer holiday for the next 16+ years touring round the place in a motorcaravan, plus a fair few half terms and even a few trips up to Aviemore in December to go sledging in the Cairngorms. I used to get fed up of going to the same places each year but having that knowledge did stand me in good stead for taking Andrew on a two week epic road trip back in 2009.


Singing - The one thing I really can't do, or at least, no-one's ever told me I *can* do it. Andrew puts me to shame though as he has an excellent voice!


What 'S' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - R

Rent – I first saw this musical back in 1998 when I was 15 on an overnight GCSE Drama school trip. We saw Rent in the evening and then a matinee of Cats the next day. Can't say I was that impressed with the furry felines but Rent was just spectacular, one of those shows where you're so transfixed by what's on stage that you honestly have no idea there's anyone else sat around you. The majority of my classmates fell in love too and we all spent the next few years singing every song from the show and reciting lines at each other. I've seen the show 17 times since and even now, 17 years after I first saw it, I can still sing (albeit very badly) each and every line.

 

Rowena Cade – If I had to write a list of inspiring people, she'd be pretty near the top of it. The force behind the Minack Theatre in Cornwall, the very fact that she conceived such a magical and amazing place whilst building it well into her eighties makes her one cool lady. If you've ever been to Porthcurno, you know those 90 steps from the beach up the cliff to the theatre? Yup, she helped build them and even carried 15ft beams of wood and allsorts up and down that hill. The Minack definitely does have an amazing atmosphere and you should definitely try and see a show there at least once in your life.

Rocky Horror Show – Another fabulous musical. Also in my list of top 5 musicals to see, although of course you do have to dress up in something themed and shout all the taglines ("slut", "arsehole", "that'll be a first", etc. etc).

 

Railways – I've always liked journeys, anything where I can be nosy and watch the world go by is fine by me. I do like long train journeys though and had a dad who liked steam trains so it was a bonus that Andrew was a fan too. Andrew knows a lot about the history of railways in Somerset as well, our ill-fated Somerset and Dorset line was shut by Beeching in 1966 but the local town was immortalised in that classic Flanders and Swann poem 'Slow Train' written in 1963.

 

Recipes – I can follow a recipe pretty well (in fact following any sort of instructions are good for me) and I have a habit of collecting bits and pieces from magazines and books, more things than I'll ever have time to actually cook. I have a large box file with all my recipes sorted by type and I use that to meal plan and do our fortnightly shopping. Give me a bunch of random ingredients and ask me to make something though and I'd be completely lost.

Red – My favourite colour, with green being a close second.

 
 

Running – I did complete a beginners 5K running (more like jogging) course about 5 years ago and managed to do the circuit in a fairly okay 41 minutes - not amazing but not bad for my first time. I have a sort of love/hate relationship with running though - I love the idea of just being able to step out from your front door and go but I hate the reality actually doing it when it's too rainy, too dark, too cold, too sunny, not enough time, etc, etc. Me and Andrew have started the NHS Couch to 5K course in the past but have only managed to get as far as week 3 before the excuses start creeping in. We had started it again just before I broke my ankle but when I spoke to the physiotherapist, she said it'll be "a long time" before I do anything like that again. However the whole concept of finding an exercise you love because you'll stick to it for longer is completely true - I love swimming and could happily do that forever, apart from the fact that (unlike running) it costs money, also (unlike running) you have to go during set sessions and again (unlike running) our local pool is always really busy in the evenings and weekends, meaning that you have to take it in turns to swim one length. Of course, none of those reasons apply with going running. I reckon the solution to all this is just to move to a house that has a swimming pool!
 

 

What 'R' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - Q

I'll admit, this is a very poor picture for Q.

I couldn't find anything around the house as an example of 'quiet' and the last of the Christmas quiz papers were recycled the other week!

 

 

 

Quietness - I think I'm quite good at being quiet, I can easily do a load of housework or stuff on the laptop and not need any music or chatter in the background. I can also happily sit in silence and not need to say anything to fill the gap. I don’t mind it but I'm well aware it probably seems a bit offhand sometimes.

 

 

Quizzes - I do like a good quiz; I make them up for Christmas day with our families and between me, Andrew and my dad, we're a pretty good pub quiz team. Our wine rack at home is about three quarters full of things we've won, despite the fact I don't like wine and Andrew very rarely drinks it!

 

 

What 'Q' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - P

PCOS - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome for those who don't know (which I assume you all do, you're all intelligent people). I have it and it's part of the reason we've had IVF, having PCOS and not actually ovulating an egg makes it pretty hard to fall pregnant naturally. I've got a selection of delightful symptoms and although it can be crappy (still getting spots at the age of 32 isn't great), that's life and you just have to make the best of it.


Piercings - I have nothing, not even my ears. People think I'm weird when they realise I don't even have them done but my mum just never took me to get them pierced and then when I was older I was used to it and couldn't really be bothered. Andrew complained when he met me though, it meant one whole avenue of potential birthday and Christmas presents had disappeared!


Passports - Technically both me and Andrew don't have one. At least, we have ones which expired in 2009 and just never renewed them. They're expensive nowadays, aren't they? We're happy holidaying in the UK and Ireland for the moment and if there ever comes a time where we have enough money to go abroad, then we'll probably also have enough money to afford a new passport each.


Pilton - aka. Glastonbury Festival to everyone else outside Somerset and Pilton to us locals. If you've ever been, you know those stewards you see everywhere? Well, that's us - Carnival club members, local school PTA's, local football clubs and lots of other local clubs and associations. The radio headquarters are manned by a Carnival club, litter picking is done by a Carnival club and even the fire doors backstage of the Pyramid Stage are manned by a Carnival club. There's lots of us who work in Pilton village as well and that's what I do with the club I'm a member of (you can see an example of my day working there by clicking here). We do three 8 hour shifts each and in return get a ticket to the festival plus the club gets a large cheque to put towards building their float. I've been every year since I joined my club in 2004 and I love it. However, part of the reason I love it is that I can be watching the bands onstage and still be home in 30-45 minutes, home to a fresh bed, fully working toilet and proper food. I don't think I'd love it half as much if I had to camp onsite!


 

What 'P' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - O

Organ Donor - Last year, as part of National Transplant Week, I signed up to be an organ donor. I can't donate blood at the moment but I can put my name on the organ register and if the situation ever arises, hopefully I might be able to help someone after my death.


Organisation - I think I'm quite an organised person; I have a fairly good memory and combining that with my love of lists, everything seems to tick along quite nicely. I think that all goes along with why I feel most at home working in a library and using cataloguing systems; I very much subscribe to the whole 'a place for everything and everything in it's place' motto.


Organist - One of our friends owns an 1896 Gavioli fairground organ. When he takes it to various steam rallies and events it quite often falls to me, Andrew or his mum and dad to play it all day long (as we did on a photo an hour day last July). What do you reckon then, can I claim 'organist' as one of my O's?


 

What 'O' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - N

 

 

Names - When I was a child, I found my parents list of possible names for me before I was born. Heather was a contender (which is kind of okay) but the really bad one on there (which was clearly my father's choice as he's Welsh) was Myfanwy. Not that it's a terrible name or anything but just imagine trying to spell it as a young child (and that's without even delving into the Little Britain connection!).


Nuts - I can't stand them. I'm not allergic and I can just about do tiny chopped up ones (Toblerone is okay), just weird instead.


New York - The first foreign holiday I did on my own, I flew there back in September 2002. I was 19 and the tickets were cheap. I loved it. When I was there, I said to myself the next time I come, I want to bring a husband or family and at the moment I'm badgering Andrew to go on holiday there for our 10th wedding anniversary in 2017.


 

What 'N' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - M

Marriage - I married Andrew in April 2007 on a beautiful sunny day in the church in our local high street. We ended up spending only around £3500 and planned the whole day how we wanted it ourselves. That meant things like no order of service leaflets, no seating plan, a buffet instead of a sit-down meal, no first dance on our own and my wedding dress came from the Oxfam Bridal Boutique - something I'd wanted to do ever since I read about it in a magazine when I was 11. It's true what they say after you get married about the time flying - I really don't know how we can be celebrating our 8th anniversary next year!


Memory - Andrew reckons I have an excellent memory; I didn't think my memory was anything out of the ordinary when I was a kid but since growing older, I do seem to be able to remember lots of useless stuff. Pity having a good memory hasn't got me anywhere in life!


Meal-planning - I am that sad person who plans the dinners several weeks in advance. You can read all about how I do it here if you fancy.


Masters degree - I've been studying for an MSc in Information and Library Studies with Aberystwyth University since September 2012 although I've technically only been enrolled on the course for just over a year as I put my studies on hold earlier this year when we were having IVF treatment. I love the content of the course but even though it's distance learning, trying to fit it in around working full time and running a home is hard.


Maps - I love maps and have a small collection of old ordnance survey maps on my bookshelves. When I was a child and we used to go out for family day trips, my dad would chuck me one of those large AA maps and tell me to work out where we were going based on the signposts, road names and towns we drove through. We also went on hundreds of family holidays around the UK and I would spend every journey looking at a map and staring out of the windows at everything. Consequently I can quite happily sit and read a map a bit like a book, dipping in and out of each area; I'm quite good at giving directions to people and can really easily translate what I've read on a map a few hours ago to where I'm driving right now without needing to stop and check. 


Midwifery - My Great Aunt was a nurse during WW2 and ended up being a midwife shortly afterwards carrying on delivering babies until she retired, I think in the early 1980's. She delivered both my mum and my uncle in the 1950's and when she died in 1993 we found her midwifery notebooks detailing every single birth she'd ever attended. I find it fascinating that one of my relatives was a midwife at exactly the same time as Jennifer Worth; although my great aunt worked in and around the Runcorn/Widnes/Liverpool area and not London. I think somewhere far away, in another life, midwifery might have been a career I'd have liked to follow.


Matilda - I absolutely loved the book when I was younger and then when the musical hit the stage, I really wanted to go and see it (especially with top man Tim Minchin doing the music). I didn't get to see it at Stratford but I went two years ago for my 30th birthday and saw it in London. It's such a spectacular show and the talent and energy from the young cast is unbelievable. I'm going to see it for the second time this Saturday evening for my 32nd birthday and on my list of favourite musicals, Matilda ties for the top spot with Rent.


Musicals - As well as Matilda and Rent (which I've seen an slightly embarrassing total of 17 times), I've also seen 27 other musicals. I saw a lot when I was at university as I could get really cheap tickets with my student card and if I enjoyed a particular show, more often than not, I'd go and see it again. My other faves include Blood Brothers, Godspell, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, My One and Only, Starlight Express (but only the original West End production, not the tour), Sunset Boulevard and The Rocky Horror Show.


Mayonnaise - I like putting mayo on chips. Andrew says I'm weird.


 

What 'M' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - L

Libraries - It's safe to say I love libraries; I remember being a little kid and playing at running my own library with my own books so it was only natural that I ended up working in one at school and then again after university. Although I don't work in one at the moment, I'd love to become a proper chartered librarian and hopefully when I've finished my postgrad degree I'll be able to make a start on getting back into library work.


Learning - I love learning, I love knowing things, I love researching and finding out things and I was one of "those" children who adored school. I think it's in my nature that if I don't know something, I want to find it out and that was part of the fun working in a library - you were also discovering something!


Lorries - This wasn't something that was a huge part of my life before I met Andrew but I've had to learn a lot about old lorries over the last 10 years. Andrew spent his life before me restoring a 1952 Scammell lorry which used to work on the fairgrounds in the 1960's and we take it to various steam rallies during the summer. At the moment it lives at his mum and dad's house but pretty soon it's going to have a new (undercover) home on the side of our house.


Lemon drizzle cake - My favourite type of cake, although it has to be proper gooey and drizzly.


Lists - I am definitely a lists type of person. I have lists for everything and if in doubt, there's nothing a good list can't solve. My two biggest lists are both spreadsheets - one containing all the file names of all the carnival photographs on my other website (there's 29,698 entries) and the other one containing a list of all the theatre and comedy shows I've seen (345 at the last count - yup, I am that sad).


Lipstick - I never used to wear lipstick, I would always imagine people would be looking at me thinking 'ooh, that doesn't suit her'. This year though, I've tried to wear brighter colours and not worry about it. It still feels a bit weird but the more I do it, the more normal it'll feel.


Louisa - My first name begins with L and my surname now (after marrying Andrew) also begins with L.
I like to think I've got a very sing-songy name!


 

What 'L' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - K

First of all, just a quick note to say today I'm also guest posting over at the lovely Jane's blog (Is That You Darling) talking all about the books of my childhood (one of which involves the Labyrinth and a picture of Jareth...). We'd both love it if you popped on over and took a look-see! :-)


And so on to the next letter, K...

Knitting - I've been meaning to learn to knit for years but just never got round to it so breaking my ankle and having 8 weeks off work gave me the perfect opportunity to teach myself. So far I've knitted some dodgy-sounding 'crutch decorations', a little rose, a scarf, a beanie hat for Andrew and when I can get out to a shop to browse all the wool, I'd like to make some little Christmas advent bunting (a bit like this on Ravelry) to hang across the fireplace and fill with sweets.


Kneehigh Theatre Company - I imagine you're all bored of me mentioning them by now so all I'll say is that Kneehigh are my absolute favourite theatrical company. If you'd like to read all about why, you can click here and pop on over to what I thought of their last show.


 

What 'K' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!


 

An A-Z of Me - J

Jukeboxes - It's probably more of a hobby of Andrew's rather than mine but we both do like jukeboxes. It all started back in the 1950's when his dad ended up supplying them to local youth clubs; by the time everyone was fed up with them in the 1970's Andrew's dad just simply had them all back. Consequently Andrew grew up tinkering with a load of them, taking them apart and looking at the wiring and engineering plus listening to all the cool 1950's and 1960's tunes.
We currently have the one in the (not very good) picture above in our dining room (it's a 'Ami E 120' 1953 Jukebox if you're interested) but I think we might be exchanging it for a slightly better one at some point as well as adding another one into a different corner of our house. In addition to the actual machines themselves, you also have to store the records so we also have two boxes of 45's stashed in a cupboard!


Jeans - Another one of those things you hate as a child and then end up liking when you grow up; I didn't even own a pair of jeans until I was 17 and it was only really when I went to university that I ended up living in them (jeans and a t-shirt or slouchy jumper, that was the dress code). It's kind of gone full circle again now though as I hardly ever wear them nowadays; most of them time you can find me in black tights and a dress!


 

What 'J' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - I

Infertility - This is probably the biggest 'I' thing that sums up my life. There's no other way of putting it: technically, medically, and all the other '-allys', we are classed as an infertile couple. It's a strange word; years ago it used to have such a stigma attached to it and was talked about in hushed tones. Personally I don't feel any shame in saying it and I'm more than happy to talk about our experiences and answer questions from anyone!


IVF and ICSI - Which brings me neatly to the next 'I'; IVF is definitely not something I would have ever imagined would be part of our lives but there it is, you can't plan what happens, all you can do is make the best of the hand you've been given. As well as being it's own type of treatment, IVF is also used as the umbrella term for a number of other different assisted reproduction techniques and the one we've had is called ICSI (which stands for the catchy name of Intra-cytoplasmic Sperm Injection) - it's the one you always see on TV, where the wriggly is actually injected into the egg. It's an amazing science and fascinating to learn about, just such a shame that our two goes at it haven't worked.


Iceland - As well as Edinburgh, if there was one place in the world I'd like to live, it would be in Iceland. I love the geography and history of the place and then when I visited for the first time (back in 2002), I fell in love with the people, lifestyle and atmosphere. I forced Andrew into going there for our honeymoon back in 2007 and luckily, he did enjoy it as well.


Ice Skating - I'd love to be able to ice skate; funnily enough Andrew actually can, for some unknown reason back in the early 90s his school took all the kids for ice skating lessons at Bristol's ice rink and he's even got certificates for his amazing skating prowess. I'm one of those people who go round the edge with their hand never more than 6 inches from the handrail - and unfortunately I don't think it's something I'll be able to improve on in the next few years now!

 

What 'I' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - H

Hot Chocolate - Ahh, my favourite drink. I've never been able to get used to the taste of coffee and I agree, you can't beat a good cup of cha but if there was a decent hot chocolate on offer, I'd take that, no questions asked.


Home - I really don't want to come across as old-fashioned or anything but I do actually like taking care of my own house. There's a certain sense of pride in having an organised (as well as lived-in) lovely home and I'd be the first to agree with the line that feminism isn't necessarily all about getting women out of the kitchen (for want of a better analogy), but instead is all about giving women the choice to do what they want.


Hairstyles - I'm incredibly bad at styling my hair; my default mode is the surfer girl look (aka the proverbial dragged-though-a-hedge-backwards look) and my morning routine when it comes to hair is: wash, dry naturally, brush. If I'm going somewhere smart, I might straighten it but anything more fancy just doesn't work. I've been told by hairdressers that my hair is quite thin which probably explains why it won't hold a curl or stay in any sort of intricate design.
And when it comes to getting my hair cut, I go about 2-3 times a year mainly when it gets too long or I've got some event I need to look good for. I just can't be bothered spending a fortune getting it done all the time!


Heirlooms - We seem to have a lot of inherited stuff in our house; a handmade rocking horse from the 1940s and a table skittles set from 1930s for example. Neither of us like throwing things away if they've still got a use so we seem to have amassed rather a large amount of stuff - the only thing is, we like collecting things ourselves and unfortunately our house isn't a bottomless pit!


Holidays - We don't own passports so all our holidays are in the UK or Ireland. When I was a kid, the top two places on my 'list of places to visit around the world' were Iceland and New York and I'd done them both by the age of 19 so for the moment, I'm not really that fussed about foreign holidays. I know there's still a whole heap of places in the UK that I still haven't visited so that's what we'll be doing for the next few years.
 

 

What 'H' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!

An A-Z of Me - G

 

Gardening - I'm what would be called a 'lazy gardener'; I like plants that take care of themselves and don't need too much looking after and I like growing veg like potatoes which again, don't take too much effort. It's funny really, before we owned a house, I wouldn't have said I was that bothered about having our own little patch of greenery but when you end up with one that's over 100ft long (in our first house) you suddenly become obsessed with Gardener's World and the Chelsea Flower Show!


Girliness - I really don't think I'm a girly girl at all. I was probably a bit of a tomboy as a child; I remember climbing trees and making mud pies and even owning (and loving) a toy multi-story car park complete with cars and a lift (ahh, good old 1980s toys).
I don't follow many beauty blogs, wouldn't know where to begin teaching someone how to do their make-up, only just started wearing bright lipstick this year, can't really be bothered styling my hair and the only reason I wear dresses is the majority of the time I'm too lazy to colour co-ordinate a top and a skirt!


Geography - This was the class at school that was a close runner-up (to English Literature and Drama) for the prize of being my favourite subject. My dad really liked it and most of our holidays incorporated some kind of geography lesson along the way. I seriously considered studying it at university but was put off by having to learn about soil and rock types when I was more interested in the human side of the subject. Obviously I know now that I could have just studied that bit on it's own!

 

What 'G' things sum you up?

For the rest of the alphabet click here!