Monday 30 June 2008

A meme

Thanks for this Spiral Skies and Karen. I've not been able to focus on blogging for days but I can just about manage a meme

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Same job, same town, same man. I'm not a big one for change, although daughter is a wonderful addition. This week ten years ago my feet were covered in blisters and I was half way along the Coast to Coast walk. Feet covered in blisters again today, this time from overexcited barefoot dancing at party on Saturday night

Five things on your to-do list for today:
Pamper feet and wear comfy shoes
Watch lots of Blake's 7 episodes back to back (this is one of the days when I love my job)
Print out latest three chapters of the novel and see if they make sense
Make Victorian outfit for daughter in time for school trip to museum
Ring swimming pool and rant about, I mean discuss, their proposed timetable changes


What are three of your bad habits?
Arguing for the sake of it (usually after drinking too much coffee - watch out Mr Swimming Pool man I've just had a large cappuccino)
Leaving clothes, books, dirty crockery lying round all over the place and then nagging my daughter about the state of her bedroom
Never being able to say no to free alcohol (or even the stuff you have to pay for)

What would you do if you were a billionaire?
Buy a ginormous house with lots of separate 'wings' and acres of land. My little family would have one wing and I'd invite my friends and their families to move into the others. There would be a big party room in the middle. I'd write all morning and grow chickens and herd cabbages in the afternoon, and go horse-riding with hubby and daughter and any one else who wanted to join us of an evening. It would be like a commune but without actually having to live with other people, which I've always thought was a bit of a drawback.

What are some snacks you enjoy?
Salt and Pepper cashews
Green and Black's Butterscotch choc (Spiral snap!)
Olives of all shapes and sizes

What were the last five books you read?
Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler - Just started it but I've loved all of her other books so am expecting to enjoy it
Talking to the Dead by Helen Dunmore - can't quite make up my mind about this one, looking forward to discussing it at book club
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood - amazing, one of those 'I might as well give up writing now' books
Watch Me Disappear by Jill Dawson - excellent writing but I preferred her Trick of the Light
Tracy Beaker trilogy - moving, funny, brilliantly written, wish Jacqueline Wilson had been writing when I was a kid.

What are five jobs you have had?
Sausage packer
Education officer in a cemetery
Gardener/Decorator/Child minder/General Handyperson in Tuscany
Librarian
TV Researcher

Five places that you have lived?
Tuscany (it seemed then and still does now, like a garden of Eden - stuff just grew and grew, unlike here where apart from the spuds everything has to be mollycoddled from seed to harvest (sorry to sound grumpy but the allotment is looking a bit sad this year))
York (gorgeous, I'd happily live there again)
Manchester (as a penniless student, the best way to do it I reckon)
Harrow (my missed opportunity to live in London!)
Redcar (where they filmed Atonement)

That's me! Anyone else not done this? Go on, you know you want to :o)

7 comments:

CL Taylor said...

"Sausage Packer" - call me childish but that made me laugh!

I've had Oryx and Crake on my TBR pile for as long as I can remember and I still haven't read it. You've just spurred me on! (the reason I haven't read it is because it's a massive hardback I bought from a charity shop and won't fit in my bag therefore is not an ideal choice for reading on the train. But I love Margaret Atwood I do so must sort it out!)

Oh..and Blake 7. I LOVED that as a kid. I was addicted to it. Whatever your job is I want it! ;o)

Karen said...

Sausage packing - the mind boggles!

I like the sound of the commune where you don't have to live with other people!! I'd also love to live in Tuscany - it sounds idyllic - but I don't envy you your 'to do' list for today. Sounds like you might need some alcohol by this evening :o)

Jen said...

Good choice of choc there!

I love the idea of growing chickens and herding cabbages - all sounds very Roald Dahl!

Liberal Neil said...

You get paid to watch Blake's 7!

I definitely went wrong somewhere!

Jumbly Girl said...

Calistro - yes 'sausage packer' is always a good one to drop into conversation. Hope you enjoy Oryx and Crake - I'm rubbish at readng hardbacks too for the same reason

Karen - Thanks - todo list completed without need of alcohol (I cheated a bit on Duaghters Victorian outfit - adapted something from her dressing up box)

Spiral - Hmm a Roald Dahl style commume - that could get very wierd - but fun and we could live on giant peaches and chocolate!

Neil - well if you will insist on trying to change the world :@)

Leigh Forbes said...

Just one question, Jumbly. Were you drunk when you wrote this post? I'm fine with that. I'm with you on the alcohol, if not the olives.

Jumbly Girl said...

Leigh - Drunk!?! It was 10 o'clock in the morning! I have a strict order of drinking - it goes Tea, Coffee -Tea - Tea- Tea - Wine, and by that time in the moring I generally have only just had my coffee. Sorry my dear but these were the ramblings of a sober woman.