Ononotanothermeme

Ever eager to oblige by friends, I’ve nonetheless struggled with the prospect of producing yet another set of random facts for the current meme – but since I’ve now been tagged twice, I feel kind of constrained to do so. I guess last time it was “Five Things” and before that “Weird things”…so this is technically new, but I still haven’t got a clue what to tell you that you’ll not know already.

Here, at least, are the rule of the game
1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3.At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

I plan to break the “tagalong” one instantly, since this is going round in so many circles that I’m sure most of you have already played. If not, please feel free….I’ll even post an invitation if you tell me that you’d like one. You see, - endlessly obliging, that's me ;-)

1. Though I was born and grew up Anglican, I spent 4 years as a Roman Catholic when I first married LongsufferingClockmaker – not the happiest period in my faith story ever…I’d come from a very engaged, multi cultural 7 day a week congregation whose worship style was bells, smells and Palestrina and the shock of finding myself part of a parish that thought mainly in terms of Sunday Mass attendance almost finished me off…

2. I grew up by the sea and really struggle with the land-locked nature of Gloucestershire sometimes – specially on a stormy day.

3. I’m utterly and completely hopeless at connecting names and faces (possibly connected with long term short sightendess), though I can remember potted biographies and stray random facts about those I meet for years afterwards. Tell me, what became of your cousin who emigrated to New Zealand?

4. I once lost a contact lens on the shingle of Weymouth Beach – and after 6 hours found it (couldn’t see to drive home safely without).

5. Though I’m not a pioneer by nature in any way, I somehow find myself being sent through doors that have only just been opened more than I’d ever expect – 1st girl to be Head Chorister at my Senior School, 2nd year of women undergraduates at my College (there – you see – someone else had opened the door), 1st woman priest on the staff of St M’s, 1st woman ever to sing the Exultet there in 900 years….Nothing stunning, just a bit bizarre given my general reluctance to take the initiative in life generally.

6. I’m one of those peculiar synaesthetic people who sees some musical keys in colour…A Major is yellow; G Minor green; F Major red…(this means that though I don’t have reliable perfect pitch I can often work out what key a piece is in by the dominant colour that comes up in my mind).

7. An only child of 2 only children, who ran out of grandparents before I was 10, it took me years to adjust to the concept that a room could be full with just “family”.

8. I taught myself to read when I was 5 because my parents weren’t keeping up with my need for the next chapter of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”….and then refused to read at school because they weren’t real books with chapters! As a result, I was put in the non readers group for nearly a year, while whooshing through the rest of the Narnia books and on over the horizon in the privacy of my home.

Now, don't you all feel better for knowing that? No? Ah well...it's a grumpy day in Privet Drive, so I might not be too fussed. Sorry. Normal service will resume as soon as possible.