The A-Z of Me Part Two

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So, we previously looked at The A-Z of Me Part One – lets take a look at what the rest of the alphabet says about me!

 

N is for National Trust

I’m a member of The National Trust and a passionate supporter of British heritage. I love visiting historic houses, especially if they have nice gardens. We try to visit somewhere once a month to really get the most of our membership.

O is for Organic Fruit and Veg

I grow my own vegetables organically – the picture above is last year’s strawberry patch (every flower will turn into a fruit). I grow everything from soft fruit to root vegetables and I always try something new – 2019 is the year I try cucamelons!

P is for Police Force

I used to work for British Transport Police in their HR team. I learnt so much and met some fantastic people. It also gave me a real appreciation of the police force, especially with regards their commitment to equality and diversity.

Q is for Quidditch

I am a self-professed Harry potter nerd – here’s a photo of me flying on a broomstick on the HP Warner Bros Studio Tour. I love everything about the books and will forever be Team Slytherin.

R is for Reading, obviously

I have always been a bookworm and love reading, talking about books, blogging about books, buying books, smelling books… above are some of my Virago Modern Classic Designer Collection which are my all time faves – fabulous stories and just so, so pretty!

S is for Silverstone

 

We go to Silverstone every year to watch the British Grand Prix (that’s Formula One car racing to the uninitiated). Obviously we support Lewis Hamilton but I also have a soft spot for Kimi Raikonnen and I think Max Verstappen is going to be a future champion – he’s so exciting to watch!

T is for Tortoises

Awwww! These are my pet torts Tabitha (the big one) and Voldetort (the baby). Contrary to what you see in the photo, they have a lifelong feud and will attack each other if we let them get too close. We keep them in separate pens where they silently plot their revenge from afar.

U is for Unemployable

Since giving up on my career in HR I’ve done bits and bobs but I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m basically unemployable by big companies. Self-employment is definitely the way forwards for me.

V is for Vintage

I love anything vintage and will happily dress up in 1940’s/50’s clothing. This is me and my best friend Juliet on our way to a burlesque night a few years ago. I also love vintage interiors and would much rather buy old furniture/ornaments than new stuff.

W is for West Midlands

I live in the West Midlands in Coventry, which is the City of Culture 2021. I am genuinely excited to see what Cov can pull out of the bag after years of under-funding and decline (the Special’s song Ghost Town was written about us for a reason!)

X is for X-Ray

 

This is me in my roller derby gear, a few months before I broke two bones in my leg and snapped my ankle bone off on either side of my foot. I’d love to say I did this performing an apex jump but in reality I just slipped. So now my leg has two metal plates, a big bolt through my ankle and a load of pins holding it all together.

Y is for Yoga

Since stopping roller derby I took up the safer option of yoga and absolutely love it! Just 20 minutes in the morning is enough to really make a difference and although I do it in fits and starts it never takes long to get back into it.

Z is for ZZZZZZ’s

Oh my gosh I love sleep! Nine hours if I can get it but I struggle to function on anything less than eight. Once asleep I’m dead to the world and can nod off anywhere – including once when I was in the middle of an assessment centre!

So, that’s the A-Z of me! Can any of you relate? Would you like to write one of these posts too? Let me know in the comments!

 

The A-Z of Me Part One

Hello Bookworms!

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I saw this great little post on Dave@espressococo‘s blog and thought that it would be really fun to try! I love a good getting to know you post, so let’s see what the letters A to M say about me!

A is for Antiques

I love antiques and I’ve been collecting them for a few years now. In particular, I like objects from the arts and crafts movement, like this copper jardiniere.

B is for Blogging

Well, obviously! I’ve been blogging for three years now and my little corner of the internet remains small but perfectly formed (well, as perfect as I can make it anyway).

C is for Comedy

 

I love seeing comedy live – I usually go to a few gigs per year. Favourite comedians include Sara Pascoe, Jon Richradson, Hannah Gadsby and Rachel Parris – I saw Jon last year for the third time and I’m hoping to see the others soon.

D is for DIY

I love DIY and I’m currently refurbishing a house with my partner. I’ve learnt loads of new skills and so far I’m still enjoying the process, even though it’s gone on for a lot longer than expected.

E is for Eating

Who doesn’t love eating? I really enjoy cooking my own food and have been known to whip up some tasty treats, such a lemon meringue pie from scratch (including the lemon curd) and I always do a big Sunday roast for me and the non-hubs.

F is for Feminism

I’m a feminist and proud! I listen to lots of feminist podcasts, like The Guilty Feminist, Standard Issue and even good old Woman’s Hour on Radio 4 (which is way more radical than you’d think!) I became interested in the movement after reading Caitlin Moran’s How to be a Girl, which is an incredible book that everyone should read.

G is for Gardening

If there’s one thing that gives me almost as much pleasure as reading it’s gardening. It all started when I met my boyfriend (who is a plant scientist) and he basically roped me into helping him sort his garden out after having the kitchen extended. I got completely hooked, to the point where I now grow most of my own veg on my own allotment. It’s hard work but so, so enjoyable.

H is for Human Resources

I have an MA in Human Resource Management, as well as a degree in Business and membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development. Despite all this, I gave up my career because…well… I hated it! If you have a HR team in your workplace, please be nice to them. It can be a pretty thankless job dealing with people’s problems day in and day out.

I is for Injury

My leg is mostly made of metal having broken it in four separate places. Some of the pins in my ankle stick out a bit and you can feel the plates in my leg (weirdly it’s made my leg thinner, so now my calves are different sizes). I also have a pretty cool scar!

J is for Jaguar

We have an old Jaguar car that we take out a few times a year to shows and events (or just to show off if we’re going to a wedding lol). I don’t really get it but the non-hubs loves it and our house is full of his Jaguar tat memorabilia.

K is for Knitting

I love making things and knitting is one of those hobbies that I intermittently try my hand at. I’m still at beginner level but I’ve made so pretty nice things, including a lace knit scarf and an old-fashioned tea cozy for a friend. My long term goal is to knit an advent calendar – I’m thinking 25 individual mini-stockings that I can string up like bunting and fill with chocolates/sweets/tiny presents.

L is for Library

I’m a library volunteer for one of my local libraries (since the council completely cut all funding) which is really, really fun. I recently mentioned online that I’m on the lookout for donations of books (used or new) to help replenish out stock, or possibly be sold in our used giftshop and people have been so kind – it’s really restored my faith in humanity!

M is for Music

I love music, especially weird indie-pop, 80’s and 90’s stuff, rock, metal, death metal… and Kate Bush. I collect vinyl records too and I’m always mooching about in charity shops and record fairs.

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So, that’s the first part of the A-Z of me! Do we have any hobbies or interests in common? Let me know in the comments and stay tuned for part two – coming soon!

 

Twenty Questions

Hello everyone!

I thought that as there’s now quite a few people following my blog, I would post something that would help you to get to know me better sooooooo I’ve devised a questionnaire! Please feel free to answer the questions yourself and pingback to this post, it would be lovely to know more about you 🙂

Twenty Questions

1. How long have you been a reader?
Ever since I can remember. My Mum read to me pretty much from the day I was born so I think my love of books comes from her.

2. Where do you like to read?
I’ll read anywhere but I have a hammock in my garden which is great in the summer. I also have a big leather chair that used to belong to my Grandma which is super comfy and lovely to curl up in.

3. Do you prefer paper books or ereaders?
I have to say that I love my kindle but I do think there’s something special about real paper books. I collect Virago modern classics which are just beautiful and look fantastic on my bookshelves.

4. Where is the literary place that you’ve ever been?
Either Hay-on-Wye or Oxford. Both are fabulous places to visit, I would happily live in either.

5. If you wrote a book what would it be about?
I had an idea about writing a novel set in the future where the Government had run out of cash and decided to start sending UK citizens to a space station so they didn’t have to fund their benefits etc. I’m not sure it would be any good!

6. Would you rather watch TV or read?
Read, definitely. I hardly ever watch TV.

7. What is the most challenging book that you’ve ever read?
Maybe Crime and Punishment? The copy I had was written in the smallest font ever. And that book is loooong.

8. Which book has taken you the longest to read?
Crime and Punishment, the Master and Marguerita or some of the Wheel of Time novels by Robert Jordan are really long.

9. If you could be any character in a book who would you be and why?
Lily Potter, so I could ditch James and live happily ever after with Snape. I’d have to hope someone else could get rid of Voldemort.

10. Are there any free ebooks that you would recommend?
Yes, the Debt and the Doormat by Laura Barnard. Its not the type of book I would usually read but I really enjoyed it. I think it’s still available for free on Amazon. 

11. What book would you take to a desert island?
A survival guide! But if there was plentiful water, food etc. I would take an omnibus edition of all of the Dark Tower books by Stephen King. They’ve been on my TBR list for years and I’ve never got round to finishing the series, even though I have really enjoyed what I’ve read so far.

12. Have you ever not finished a book?
The Stand by Stephen King. I got about a quarter of the way in and found it so scary that I couldn’t continue. I will read it all one day (maybe).

13. Have you ever been really disappointed by the way that a book ends?
About half of all Stephen King’s books have rubbish endings but I think Under the Dome was probably the worst. I got completely confused by Minority Report by Philip K Dick so I just didn’t understand the ending – I think I’ll have to re-read that too. And finally, when Snape died in Harry Potter I was furious. If she could save a bloody hippogriff JK Rowling could certainly have saved him.

14. If you could kill any character in a book who would it be and why?
I tend to think that all characters (even the annoying ones) add something to a story… except for Anastacia in Fifty Shades of Grey. I would like to have replaced her with a character who genuinely was submissive in the bedroom but who knew what she was doing and actively wanted that kind of relationship.

15. Have you ever read a book and wanted to go to the location it described?
Obviously I would love to go to Hogwarts but in terms of real places I think Eat, Pray, Love made Italy sound amazing – I would love to follow up on the pizza and ice cream recommendations! Also, Pretty Good Number One by Matthew Amster Burton was such a fantastic account of Japanese food and culture that really captured my imagination (there’s a full review on my blog). 

16. What is the biggest life lesson that you’ve learnt from a book?
How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran taught me so much about feminism and completely opened my eyes to the everyday sexism that exists in the world around us. It taught me that it’s ok to speak up, it’s ok if men don’t think of you as sexy, it’s ok to be yourself. I think that book should be given to all teenagers (boys and girls) as an antidote to western media influences.

17. Has a book ever changed your life?
Yes, Confessions of a Sociopath by M E Thomas taught me so much about myself that it completely changed the way that I viewed the world (I have a review of this book on my blog too). 

18. Has a book ever made you cry?
Yes, Harry Potter (all the deaths) and Me before You by Jojo Moyes was pretty upsetting too.

19. Have you ever re-read a book and changed your mind about it?
I read the Hobbit when I was about 8 and absolutely hated it – in hindsight I think I was just too young to appreciate it. When I read it again as an adult I loved it! I also found the start of the Dark Tower books very slow – I couldn’t see what all the fuss was about until I got into book two.

20. Which film adaptations of books have you enjoyed?
The later Harry Potter films (the actors, especially Emma Watson, are immensely annoying in the first few). I know it’s not quite a book but I really liked Sin City. There are a couple of Studio Ghibli films that have been adapted from books which are on my wishlist to read/watch, I’m sure they’re brilliant as always. Apart from that, I tend to get very annoyed by film adaptations. I’m one of those awful people who sit in the cinema complaining that it’s not supposed to be like that!