50 things you don’t know about me

So here we are, dear reader. My very first blog post in this shiny new space.

I thought long and hard about what the topic should be. Something educational? Something deep and thought-provoking? And did I go down that route? NAY. I somehow settled on something a bit frivolous, flippant, and rather random (I’m literally picking these facts from the dusty corners of my mind while sipping on a rooibos chai.)

Okay, 50 things you probably didn’t know about me and probably don’t really need to know… – Let’s go!

1. My arms are double-jointed and can twist in ways that are, so I’m told, kind of freaky.
2. I loved going to gymnastics and ballet classes when I was a child…
3. But my balance is rubbish and meant I was always getting told off for it.
4. I once passed an examination in Choral Speaking, which has had zero practical applications in my life thus far.
5. I sometimes sing Disney songs in the shower – Bells of Notre Dame and I’ll Make a Man Out Of You feature most often, which must be a pretty hilarious sight to behold.
6. I once stole a book about woodland flora and fauna from school because I loved it so much (I feel I should add here that I was 7 years old and I felt terrible about it when I found the book again in my bedroom many years later.)
7. My favourite months are April, October, and December.
8. When I was born there were complications and I had stopped breathing, and it’s only because of some brilliant doctors that I am here to tell the tale. So every year on my birthday I end the day by thanking the ‘powers that be’ for allowing me to go on to live this crazy life of mine.
9. I’m often told that I give great hugs, which I put down to the fact that I’ve got the firmness level just right (no half-arsed ones around here, thank you very much!)
10. I was bullied at school for being tall, until the boys hit puberty and finally caught up.
11. I always felt a bit like Matilda when I was a child because once I’d read all the books in the children’s section of the library, I moved onto the adult fiction, much to the librarians bemusement.
12. The oldest book in my collection dates from 1714 and is a rare edition of One Thousand and One Nights.
13. I didn’t go to university but ironically my first job was working in one.
14. I’ve never been outside of Europe.
15. Linked to the above, I hate flying, largely because it’s extremely painful for me as I have narrow ear canals.
16. My favourite smell is woodsmoke.
17. I dream of running an old library that opens during the dark hours and offers cosy, comforting respite to fellow bibliophiles who would rather be surrounded by books and candlelight than a sweaty, noisy club of an evening.
18. I’m of Irish descent but still haven’t actually been to Ireland. My family came to England in the late-1800’s (see #39.)
19. I adore Downton Abbey and have watched the whole series three times to date.
20. I have a horribly frustrating trait of thinking that if I try something and am not instantly great at it then I must be rubbish at said thing, which has often led me to throwing in the towel out of annoyance at myself. Bit of a perfectionist, you could say. I really must work on that one…
21. But I’m great at planning and organising. Tell me we’re going on a trip somewhere new and I can come up with a whole itinerary within the hour.
22. Linked to those skills, I once did a wedding planning course, which was clearly before I came to the realisation that weddings are stressful affairs.
23. If I could time travel for a day it would be to one of my childhood Christmases spent with my grandparents who are sadly no longer with us.
24. And if I could do the same to witness an historical event, I’d time travel to Elizabethan London and watch Shakespeare perform on stage.
25. I can probably count the times I’ve been full-on drunk on one hand (two at a push) as I hate the way alcohol makes me feel, hence I rarely drink and only in small quantities.
26. But I’m not without my vices. I’m obsessed with fresh, delicious pastries (cinnamon buns, I’m looking at you in particular) and thus eat too much bread (and let’s not get into my tea habit.)
27. I have never used fake tan or purposefully tried to tan from the sun, instead choosing to embrace my natural gothic pallor (much to the amusement of many a Spanish person whilst I was on holiday there, ‘blinding them’ with my white legs, apparently.)
28. The traits I most value in a person are kindness, loyalty, and integrity.
29. I have astigmatism and wear contacts because I’m not a fan of how glasses feel on my nose, although I think they look cute.
30. I have a collection of antique keys. Who did they belong to? What did they open? Not a bloomin’ clue but I love to imagine.
31. I’m fiercely independent and really don’t like relying on anyone for anything.
32. It’s deeply contentious territory here in the UK but a scone, in my view, should have jam first and cream second (blimey, aren’t you learning such valuable information here!!)
33. I am incapable of seeing someone cry without crying too. It’s an empath thing.
34. My favourite Lord of the Rings character is Sam. Because Frodo wouldn’t have got far without Sam.
35. Despite coming from Birmingham, which has a very distinctive accent, I’m told I have never actually had the accent, which is a bit unexplainable to me but such is life.
36. I can fall asleep with the TV on but any other kind of noise means I won’t get a wink (hotel stays are always fun…)
37. I’ve dyed my hair every colour with the exception of blue and yellow.
38. I’m terrified of sharks and crocodiles but fortunately they aren’t exactly things to be concerned about here in ye olde England.
39. When I was 18 I told my grandad I was going to go about researching my family history, who responded by going upstairs and returning with all the paperwork dating back to the 1800s (okay, this one is more about him than me but he was my hero.)
40. I grew up reading the Harry Potter books and will always have a soft spot for what JK Rowling created.
41. I used to write a baking blog called ‘Much Ado About Muffins’.
42. One day I will have Indian Runner Ducks waddling around the garden, and perhaps some pygmy goats too.
43. One of the first books I remember reading was George’s Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl.
44. I shaved off my eyebrows when I was 17 (it seemed like a good idea at the time) and sadly they’ve never fully grown back.
45. My pet peeve is the phrase ‘pet peeve’.
46. I would love to learn to speak French as I think it’s an incredibly beautiful language.
47. My favourite paintings are ‘La belle dame sans merci’ by Frank Dicksee and ‘The lady of Shalott‘ by John William Waterhouse, both of which I’ve had the privilege of seeing in person.
48. My closest, longest lasting friendships have tended to be with men.
49. I’m hugely affected by my surroundings and can become rather irritable if things are messy or unclean.
50. I keep a gratitude journal and write at least one thing that I was grateful for every day.

Phew! We made it through this whistlestop tour of ‘random Amanda things’. It’s been nice to remember some things I’d lost in the crevices of my mind (and let’s be honest, you can now sleep better for knowing how I make a cream tea.)

Perhaps you’d like to share 50 things people may not know about you? Be sure to tag me if you do, I’d love to read your facts!

~ Amanda ~