It's like a flu virus at school, everyone seems to have it and despite my best efforts to avoid these things I have succumbed. But only because it was nice Lettuce, who has the world's finest armadillo collection. I don't think these are at unusual, but unless I go back into my troubled childhood, (let's not) I am really a very boring person indeed. So. Here are six 'weird' things about me.
1) As ascertained in the post above, nine times out of ten I would rather go for a long walk in the woods then attend any social occasion. Especially parties or dinners. The woods are more - civilised. And interesting.
2) I regularly bake cakes but rarely eat them. Andy has one most weeks to fill up with, and he always brings me the first slice, so that I can test the crumb and texture for quality control. But I am not a cake person, unless it is coffee and walnut. Or lemon drizzle. Or a meringue. Or a Chelsea bun. Or a slice of Battenburg with a cup of tea. Or best of all, a Frency Fancy or five.
3) I am an excellent napper and can fall asleep within minutes, wherever I am. I usually retire every afternoon and have a kip, but my internal alarm clock naturally wakes me up after about 10 minutes. I even used to do this when I was at college (at my desk) and when I worked (in the canteen, or in the staffroom).
4) I sleep with the radio on, very very quietly so that only I can hear it. Radio 5 Live, or the 'Today' news programme on Radio 4 if it's morning and I can't sleep.
5) Despite having a 'interesting' childhood and rough adolescence, I have somehow acquired what my foster parents would have called a 'plummy' accent. (Mind you, they thought that when I first went to live with them, when it was broad Devonian!) I am a verbal chameleon, and often lapse into various accents. Depending on the circumstances I can drop my h'aitches in Cockney, drawl like a West country bumpkin, split your eardrum with a Portsmouth estate cackle, and even argue in Mancunian, which I picked up from Andy. I can only do this with accents I have lived with though, and it is just a feature of my conversation - I don't 'do' performances. Funnily enough, I never picked up Geordie, despite living in Newcastle for three years. I think they are born with a special twist in their vocal cords. But usually I just sound a bit posh. Especially if I'm confronting stroppy gamekeepers.
6) I like to work in my studio with an audio book on. This is not weird. But I do sometimes wonder why I nearly always end up listening to murder mysteries, preferably some gritty thing about a serial killer, when I am painting sweet children's illustrations.
In the spirit of these things, I tag Rosa, Laundry Fairy, Cotswold Gent, Connie Joanna and Small Town Rambling. No pressure or obligation chaps...should you participate, I believe the idea is to tag 6 other people and inform them of this fact.
1) As ascertained in the post above, nine times out of ten I would rather go for a long walk in the woods then attend any social occasion. Especially parties or dinners. The woods are more - civilised. And interesting.
2) I regularly bake cakes but rarely eat them. Andy has one most weeks to fill up with, and he always brings me the first slice, so that I can test the crumb and texture for quality control. But I am not a cake person, unless it is coffee and walnut. Or lemon drizzle. Or a meringue. Or a Chelsea bun. Or a slice of Battenburg with a cup of tea. Or best of all, a Frency Fancy or five.
3) I am an excellent napper and can fall asleep within minutes, wherever I am. I usually retire every afternoon and have a kip, but my internal alarm clock naturally wakes me up after about 10 minutes. I even used to do this when I was at college (at my desk) and when I worked (in the canteen, or in the staffroom).
4) I sleep with the radio on, very very quietly so that only I can hear it. Radio 5 Live, or the 'Today' news programme on Radio 4 if it's morning and I can't sleep.
5) Despite having a 'interesting' childhood and rough adolescence, I have somehow acquired what my foster parents would have called a 'plummy' accent. (Mind you, they thought that when I first went to live with them, when it was broad Devonian!) I am a verbal chameleon, and often lapse into various accents. Depending on the circumstances I can drop my h'aitches in Cockney, drawl like a West country bumpkin, split your eardrum with a Portsmouth estate cackle, and even argue in Mancunian, which I picked up from Andy. I can only do this with accents I have lived with though, and it is just a feature of my conversation - I don't 'do' performances. Funnily enough, I never picked up Geordie, despite living in Newcastle for three years. I think they are born with a special twist in their vocal cords. But usually I just sound a bit posh. Especially if I'm confronting stroppy gamekeepers.
6) I like to work in my studio with an audio book on. This is not weird. But I do sometimes wonder why I nearly always end up listening to murder mysteries, preferably some gritty thing about a serial killer, when I am painting sweet children's illustrations.
In the spirit of these things, I tag Rosa, Laundry Fairy, Cotswold Gent, Connie Joanna and Small Town Rambling. No pressure or obligation chaps...should you participate, I believe the idea is to tag 6 other people and inform them of this fact.
