seven things

I had a lovely surprise when I read Emma from Silverpebble's recent post, saying she deemed me worthy of a versatile blogger award. I'm very flattered but the only trouble is, I now need to divulge seven things about myself and this I found a wee bit of a challenge. So, rather late off the blocks, I'm afraid, here are seven pieces of complete nonsense that no other blogger knows about me and, quite possibly, would prefer not to know anyhow!!

• Seven is the age of MLF as you probably do know but what you don't know is that she delights in hearing how Mummy was cut open so she could enter the world - strange child! Even more hilarious to her is that her older brother was apparently born out of my bottom!! (Don't you just know these are going to be good?) At the very moment she was born, Cindi Lauper's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' was playing on the radio and I truly believe she is living up to that introduction.

• In my early office days, I spent four years working for a major bank in Jersey. I hated the work but loved the lifestyle before it finally became too claustrophobic. A friend of mine out there left before me for London and went to work for my husband. When I moved to the City she introduced us the following day and the rest is history.

• I left a boring office job the day before I got married and when I returned from honeymoon did a year diploma course at Leith's School of Food and Wine. I then did work experience with a variety of restaurants, including Bibendum and, my favourite, Chez Bruce. I am now technically a qualified chef, although most restaurant chefs would be horrified at the idea as they think of Leith's as being some sort of finishing school.

• I'm not known for my patience, although I do like to think I'm getting better with age! Many years ago, right at the start of my course, I was preparing to do a catering job and my Leith's 'three chocolate bavarois' wasn't going to plan [In short, it's a three-layer cold dessert set with gelatine which is done in lengthy stages (each layer has to be set before the next is started) and the white chocolate sets with a different quantity of gelatine to the milk and plain.] At that time, working with gelatine was proving difficult because the layers were not coming out with the same level of firmness and eventually I was so frustrated I threw it across the kitchen in a rage. My husband has NEVER let that go and whenever I get upset, he always accuses me of having a 'bavarois moment'!

• My favourite colour is red, and always has been, ever since I grew out of the pinks and purples of my little-girldom. When I was 12 or 13, I wanted the walls of my bedroom painted bright glossy fire engine red but we eventually compromised on red for the radiator, chest of drawers and shelves on the walls. They're still like that even now!

• I first tried my hand with knitting over 10 years ago with Debbie Bliss herself! A friend of mine knew her really well and her daughter modelled in some of Debbie's earlier books. However I was quite heavily pregnant at the time and once the bouncing boy was born, I was too busy to knit and the momentum was quickly gone.

• Before she retired, my mother was a Home Economy teacher and tried very hard to teach me to cook and sew as a young child. I was never very interested until the day I bought my first flat and quickly developed a love of the art of domesticity. Latterly, the jobs I have done (and most enjoyed of everything I've ever done) are cooking, sewing and, of course, my jewellery!

Well, I do hope you feel your day is now all the better for this knowledge and now I need to pass the award on. I know that some of you have already taken part and some are award/tag free, so hopefully this will be accepted by these lovely ladies -

Liz at Lululiz in Lalaland

Alex at Lola Nova

Jill at Third Age Musings

Tracy at Prosestitch

Helsie at Helsie's Happenings

Obviously if you have better things to do, or would just prefer not to, please don't feel duty bound. I'm not aware it's anything like those dreadful chain letters when everything takes a downhill turn should you dare to break it!

{photos taken at la planete des crocodiles, Civaux, France}

Are you looking at the rain too? I hope you have a happy day, whatever the weather may be.

x