Six Random Things

ChrisH has tagged me to write six random things about myself.

I believe I did this some time ago but as I never have any idea of time, I have no idea when. So I may be repeating myself.

Here goes:-

My middle name is Lucy. Can you imagine? LUCY. Really. It brings to mind a prissy little girl with short white socks and her thumb in her mouth. I was not, I hasten to add, one of those. However, one of my nieces is called Lucy and she is how I would have liked to have been when I was growing up: smart, self assured without being arrogant, clever, interested in other people and a good listener. So perhaps Lucy isn’t that bad after all…

I have a problem with low blood sugar. When I had that zero balancing session recently, I discovered that the practitioner also has this problem. We were able to exchange stories about how off balance, even paranoid it can make you feel and it was such a relief to realise that it wasn’t just me.

I have a thing about Johns. Or Jonathans. Well, I don’t, but there have been a lot in my life. My Dad was called John. My oldest brother is Jonathan. I first fell in love with someone called John. During that time I also became close to another John who sadly committed suicide. I had a fling with a bloke on holiday who was called John. I had a boss who was my closest buddy for many years. Called – John. There are probably more of them but this is written off the top of my head.And then - I married a Jonathan.

One of my dreams is to live in a slightly bigger house – with a spare bedroom for when people come to stay – and a garden. I could then go to the local rescue centre and bring home some dogs and cats and they’d have a garden to run around in. The dogs, of course. The cats would have comfy beds and cushions to sleep on. But a garden to hunt in.

I inherited my habit of people watching from my mother. It’s not very sociable but is very good for improving writing dialogue. Rumour has it that when my father first took her out for a meal, he was trying to talk to her and became aware she wasn’t listening. When he persisted, she said, “Shhh. I’m listening to them.” Curiously, they went on to get married and had a very happy life together.

I’m a late starter. I realised what I really wanted to do with my life when I was 40. I married when I was 41. I became overwhelmed with broodiness at the age of 42. This continued for a while. I first began getting published when I was in my early 40s. It’s taken until 50 to get regular journalism work. Fingers crossed that will apply to my fiction. It’s a frustrating, challenging job that sometimes has me weeping that I‘m no good, that I can’t find the right words, the right sentence, say what I mean – and a million other worries. But on a good day, I love it. I wouldn’t do anything else.

Anyone else who wants to take up this tag please do.