About Me Me Me Me

There seems to have been a lot of tagging going on lately. I have been tagged by Lisa Rene from Little Bits for 5 facts about myself, and I was tagged by Katie from Apple and Spice for a longer meme. I decided to ditch the 5 favourite toys (because I was struck dumb by the tyranny of choice) at the end of this meme in favour of Ricki’s 5 things about memory which took my fancy because memory fascinates me too.

Finally I received a award from Holler for having an Excellent blog which is not a tag but rates a mention for her kind words. I intend to return to this at a later date when I would like to write about some excellent blogs that have inspired me but for now I’d just like to thank Holler.

Five Facts about Me
- As a child, I had a duck called Lisa
- I sang Brahms requiem with a choir in London
- I was a volunteer tour guide at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh (sort of pictured in the distance)
- My siblings and I created a shopping centre in our cubbyhut when I was little
- Our car is 20 years old this year and is called Snowflake after a pegacorn

What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was living in London and working at beeb.com website at BBC Television Centre. This website was the precursor to the bbc.co.uk website and had been established the previous year. I was told that every staff member was temporary or seconded so if it didn’t work then the BBC wouldn’t lose money. The office buzzed with excitement at the new venture and it was a great time to be there. I loved the encouragement to surf the web and share ideas with staff. Wonder if this attitude persists at bbc.com.uk!

What was I doing 1 year ago?
We went to Thailand last February for the wedding of my brother Andy to Erica. Seems 10 years ago. It was a fantastic holiday. The wedding on the beach was very romantic and Phucket was gorgeous. We visited a temple, rode an elephant, and snorkeled at the Phi Phi Islands (pictured - and that is not me in the photo!). Felt much more adventurous than my average holiday. Andy and Erica organized us a wonderful hotel with a pool where I could swim laps in the morning and drink cocktails in the evening.

Five snacks I enjoy:
- Seasonal fruit – a few weeks ago it was cherries, at the moment it is grapes, and soon it will be apples
- Chocolate chip cookies – or anything with chocolate
- Corn on the cob
- Vitawheat biscuits with promite and cheese
- Leftovers on toast – particularly risotto, dahl or mashed potato

Five things I would do if I were a millionaire:
- Buy a Scottish island
- Run a retreat for writers, artists, cookery classes, and family and friends
- Set up a publishing company
- Own a pet giraffe
- Donate donate donate

Five bad habits:
- Scribbling recipes from books in bookshops without buying the books
- Falling asleep on the couch when watching dvds with E
- Not reading recipes properly when I am cooking
- Buying more cookbooks than my bookshelves can handle
- Blogging late at night

Five things I like doing:
- Sitting in our garden with E and Zinc
- Swimming laps at the local pool
- Riding my bike
- Going to a movie alone in the middle of the day
- Sharing food at picnics

Five things I wish to never wear again:
- White veil – my first holy communion – probably looked ok when I was 8 years old but I don’t think I need to revisit
- Stretch denim jeans – it was forgiveable in the 1980s because I was too young to know better but never again over these hips!
- High waisted trousers – I do not have the figure or the height for this kind of fashion
- White dress with puffy sleeves and a hooped skirt – blushing debutante with romantic visions!
- Paisley bowtie – trying to be different at university balls

Five things about memory:
-In high school I memorised epic Australian poem The Man From Snowy River by Banjo Patterson and recited it to the class in return for a box of Roses chocolates. It just shows that I will do anything for chocolate.
- In my student days, my friend Kathleen and I loved going to see Rob Clarkson perform. While walking down the street at night during a holiday to Perth (Western Australia) we were able to remember and sing all the lyrics to the six songs from his EP called Beautiful Girls and Beautiful Boys.
- A friend of mine once visited me in a share house and when introduced to my housemate he said 'I don't believe we have met'. She replied, 'That's what you said last time we met'. The odd thing is that he still takes great delight in remembering a story of how he forgot. Isn't it odd what we remember and what we forget?
-I memorised the lyrics of lots of great folk and revolutionary songs when I was in the Victorian Trade Union Choir many years ago. One of my favourite songs was Bread and Roses. I don’t remember them any more.
- I remember meeting E – at an interview for a share house in Edinburgh. I mention this because last week I heard that couples who remember meeting are more likely to stay together. But who does this research and does it really mean anything?

I will not tag anyone but will welcome hearing from anyone who feels inspired to take up the baton of any or all of the three tags I have incorporated in my answers.