Monday 12 May 2008

Memetime II - Five Things About Me

Some time ago I was tagged with this meme by LucyFishWife of Life Happens Between Books, so here goes;

1. I was an unconscionably cruel child who used to pull the wings off kittens (well, have you ever seen a kitten with wings? Told you!)
2. I took several flying lessons in a Cessna 152 at 18 and did my own take-off first time. Sadly finances didn't permit me to continue, thus my flying 'career' was cut prematurely short!
3. Conversely I didn't learn to drive until I was 32! (though ironically I had a job with the Driving Standards Agency for a while in my 20's)
4. I dislike the colour green, considering it belongs on grass rather than people, and have resisted attempts by various well-meaning souls all my life exhorting me to adopt the 'leprechaun look' - ie 'Why don't you wear green? It would look lovely with your red hair', as much as I have resisted the fashion advice that redheads should confine themselves to clownish orange lipstick and bad blue eye shadow! Indeed I have found that despite the generally assumed 'handicap' of my colouring, I can carry most colours with relative élan - even red - which I love (and which co-incidentally my mother hates and always swore I couldn't possibly wear!). My favourite colour of all is Burgundy - unfailingly warm, flattering and classy - not to mention the colour of theatres, the finest wine and Kings!
5. Call me old-fashioned, but I'm appalled by this new trend for not installing doors on bedroom en-suite bathrooms, and wonder how romance can possibly survive this lack of the most basic personal privacy! On a similar topic I can't abide people who try and conduct shouted conversations at you through the keyholes of those bathrooms which do still possess doors, and regard it as the height of bad manners (unless of course there is only one bathroom in the house and they have genuine need of your hurrying up!). I'm sure a psychiatrist would get some mileage out of this, but for me a little bathroom etiquette is merely one aspect of the wider everyday respect for one another that we all be entitled to expect.

As this is quite a well-worn meme, which I expect most bloggers will have had before, I will desist from tagging anyone on this occasion. Unless of course you insist!

14 comments:

Lucy Fishwife said...

What did you do with all the wings? The kitten-feather industry demands to know.
Redheads look truly fantastic in pink and orange!

KAZ said...

For most of my life I've been a brunette - but a bit pale - so I finally gave up on most brunette colours and settled for the advisory redhead shades. Olive green, grey and chocolate are my favourites.

I can't stand those women who accompany you to the Ladies and carry on the conversation over the wall.

Anonymous said...

HA! I can't picture you being cruel to ANY furry being at all. Especially not when you have that other photo of you hugging a cat. :) As for the colors you wear - that is up to you entirely. Wear what makes YOU feel good. If someone else doesn't like it, they don't have to look, do they?! ;) But I bet you look good in all colors - I do believe though that there are just certain shades of different colors that seem to ignite a glow in the skin that other colors don't, and for each person it is different. I like burgundy also - quite a royal color!

Anonymous said...

Ah, glad you have fought off your cold and made it into work! I had NO idea you were a Cessna pilot - that's pretty remarkable... maybe one day again you could have another lesson, if funds are in the pot - I must say, even the idea of going out in a glider sounds thrilling.

Brother Tobias said...

I'm with you on the green thing. Not that fond either of the mustard or chestnutty woollies I was always bought, which made me feel like a drift of autumn leaves.

As for the loo thing; is that what they're doing now? That's an economy dressed up as virtue. They should try the intimacy of a small boat - I recall one guest who saved up for three days and then rowed like mad for the nearest hotel...

Steve said...

I love green. Always have done. Especially Lincoln Green... but I won't go on about my Robin Hood pretensions here. Totally agree with you on the toilet door thing. I need total privacy. I won't even use a urinal but will wait for a stall if I have to. And don't talk to me while I'm at work... I really hate that. We have a cleaner at work who'll happily stand outside a toilet stall and attempt conversations about football and his misspent youth while the poor stall user is trapped inside. Not good.

Rol said...

I'm with you on the whole bathroom privacy etiquette thing. The other half insists on conducting conversations with me through the bathroom door and it drives me up the wall!

Anonymous said...

Gosh, I thought you were cuddling that cat - not ripping off bits of its anatomy. I shall make sure I tie my hair well back before I venture here again!!

I don't wear green either. But then again I mostly only wear black and white. But yes, burgundy is a good colour - wine yes, and it is also the colour of the car which ran over my MIL's umbrella last time she visited. Of course I have only ever seen you in your pyjamas (and you looked wonderful).

I really really really really hate it when my children shout things at me when I am in the loo. I get so so so so so angry.

Didn't know about the bathrooms with no doors thing. Doesn't sound good at all. I like doors.

Seriously impressed re the flying.


Oooh I do love reading a good meme. All those secrets that I find out.

moi said...

When I die and go to heaven and Baby Jesus is working on my reassignment? I'm going to insist on coming back as a redhead. And then totally mess with the minds of the fashion world.

The Sagittarian said...

I've been a redhead, a brunette and a blonde. I am too mean to change my clothes to suit so have happily thumbed my snout at fashion and kept the same clothes regardless of hair colour. That way it will match with the grey that I am sure is next!!
Pilot? cool, our beloved All Black captain does flying as well. He's brunette.

The Poet Laura-eate said...

Thank you for all the lovely comments. Just recovering from a particularly bad dose of the dreaded lurgy, but I intend to catch up with you all soonest & also reply properly to your comments.

Anonymous said...

Awww hope you feel better soon.

h said...

32? Not even a tractor before then?

The Poet Laura-eate said...

LucyFishWife, I wove them into my halo! Thanks for the fashion support.

Kaz, you realise I may be forced to disown you if you descend to Magnolia! We'll discuss it over the Dyson airblade in the Ladies.

Teeni, your positivity does you credit - is your motivational DVD out yet? I think that's the difference between cold and warm colours (I have a C&G in interior design, so I guess I can just apply it to my exteriors as well!)

Alas my cold then turned into a choking cough for it's next trick Dan, hence still only operating at basic level. Are you hinting you want to be my flying companion next time - brave you - I think it'll be a while though until disposable income materialises to that degree again.

I dread to think how people manage on small boats Brother Tobias. Perhaps they wear lots of chestnut colours and pretend to be a pile of leaves. Or women, and animatedly slag off their fellow passenger's clothes-sense at the top of their voices.

Steve, even I might wear green for Robin Hood. And I do love those bucket-topped boots! Very useful if you can't find a stall-minus-conversation-starved-cleaner in time!

Rol, I suspected you to be a gentleman of civilised persuasion. I'm happy to be proved right.

Black and white is groovy RB! Indeed I love the monochromatic look and intend to specialise in it myself at some stage. Yes, I guess privacy sometimes goes out the window when you have kids, but I'm sure you're raising them to have immaculate manners compared to some of their contemporaries. Sorry about the kitten cruelty!

Moi - you're a gal after my own heart!

Sagittarian, you rebel heart, you!

No Troll, I've never driven a tractor, but I once had a hairy moment on horseback when I couldn't find the brakes and it started to run off with me! I haven't mounted a horse since!