Ok, I have been tagged by Jo from Little Ffarm Dairy to answer a few questions. So here goes:

What Was I Doing 10 Years Ago?

10 years ago I would have been a 15 year old in Year 10 at school, studying towards my GCSEs. I was living in a 1960s bubble (bedroom decoration, clothes, music, etc) and was totally overenthusiastic about The Beatles and John Lennon.

I think Britain was still revelling in the whole Cool Britannia phase, and I was very much into the whole music scene - going to concerts, gigs, singing a bit in my sister’s boyfriend’s band, discovering house parties and boys. I was besotted with three Upper Sixth boys called Jack, Brad and Tom, and dreamed of a living a life as an artist, writer or musician. I was on the verge of landing my first paid job working at Our Price in Bedford (alas, no longer there) as one of the company’s youngest employees (I had to work on a Child certificate, meaning I could only work 7 hour days until I was 16. My uniform caused problems at the train station as I was always stopped going through the barrier with a Child Ticket).

My To Do List for Today/Diary of What I Actually Did

Well, today was a bit of a lazy Sunday, so I haven’t really been doing that much. Rich got up early to let the hens out. So despite my best efforts, I lazed and got up late, pulled on some mud-encrusted clothes and clambered all over the compost heap. I’m deconstructing it at the moment, and finding it quite an educational experience, as far as compost goes. The ‘heap’ is teaming with life and I’m feeling a bit guilty about disturbing it all, but doing my best to relocate all the millipedes, centipedes, woodlouse, earthworms and tiger worms. Today I have learnt that moss does NOT decompose in the compost heap, too much grass turns to black mush, and egg shells don’t really break down effectively. Plus sticks and twigs in the compost heap are a complete pain in the arse. Seriously thinking about getting one of those Wiggly Wigglers Can O’ Worms as we’re fast running out of space.

However, back to the original question. I was hailed on from a great height and retreated indoors for a bit of lunch (cheese and pickle sandwich followed by rice pudding and jam…ultimate comfort food when you’re soggy and cold). I then spent an hour or so in the warmth and comfort of our messy conservatory, complete with cat-draped sofa, leafing through Country Living and Home Farmer magazines. I spent a lot of time gazing outside and planning.

For the rest of today I expect I will get some of my heirloom variety sweet peas sown, finally get in the shower after I’ve dealt with all the muck (rest assured, I shower, wash hair and clean my teeth obsessively every day), wash my hair and put my face on before I face the world. I might even pop down to the allotment to grab some rhubarb. I’m making a roast dinner (vegetarian, even Rich likes my veggie roasts) tonight. En route to the allotment I may stop in at Nannie’s, as my mum and aunt will be there having afternoon tea with her. I have some eggs from my hens to drop off to her aswell. Inbetween dinner I need to get some of my freelance writing work done too.

Snacks I Enjoy:

Nothing beats a good old cheese and pickle doorstep wedge-sized sandwich. Tyrells Salt & Vinegar crisps are divine too. In summer, they go really well with freshly-pressed apple juice and aforementioned cheese sandwich. OK, so this is turning into a lunch rather than a snack! Oh, and Indian Koftas - a bit like onion bhajis. My cousin’s boyfriend’s family hails from India and he has been educating her on the finer points of Indian cuisine. Koftas are GORGEOUS.

Things I Would Do If I Were A Billionaire:

• Buy up lots of countryside to protect it from property developers
• Buy myself a lovely Smallholding by the sea
• Start a large family finally and have a lovely low-key but riotus wedding
• Go on holiday for the first time in 6 years and have someone to look after my animals 24/7!
• Pay off all my family’s debts (mortgages etc), invest in their dream business ventures such as the art gallery, plant nursery, farm and tea shop.
• Invest in getting my grandmother the best possible care and rehabilitation to get her as independent as she once was
• Give local charities regular donations and the means to expand - Bedfordshire Wildlife Rescue, Wood Green Animal Shelter, HULA Animal Rescue, The Wildlife Trust to name but a few
• Set up my own ethical and sustainable business, with offices all over the world investing in local communities
• Set up a charity for assisting small local business start up and general advice
• Buy up a really old delapidated country pile and restore it and its grounds to their former glory, a la Heligan

Three of My Bad Habits

My punctuality is appalling if it’s not absolutely imperative that I arrive on time.

I am frustratingly impatient at times, although luckily Rich has had a positive influence on me

I worry far too much about things that haven’t happened yet.

Five Places I Have Lived:

I’ve only ever lived in one town. Rich thinks it must drive me potty. I’ve lived here, in this house that I grew up in, as well as a 6 month stint renting another house when Rich and I first lived together. I would like to move away to the coast eventually I think - Devon or Cornwall - but it would be a wrench leaving my family. Hopefully we can all go together one day.

Five Jobs I Have Had:

Customer Service Assistant at Our Price, Garden Centre Cafe Assistant, Researcher, Copywriter and Database Administrator for a company dealing with DFID (Department for International Development) Contracts, Temporary Stock Room Assistant (filler post uni, the lack of sunlight was soul destroying), Freelance Writer. I’ve also worked as an extra on the Batman Begins movie. Awesome experience.

Five People Who Write Interesting Blogs That I’d Like to Tag:

(and a few more…)

• Richard and Kate at Not A Proper Farmer
• Kat at Shoestring Garden
• Celia at Purple Podded Peas
• Soilman from Soilman’s Allotment Blog
• Hamster at Eating the Seasons
• Paul and Melanie from Growing Our Own
• Rebecca at Sallygardens Smallholding

To those that I’ve tagged - don’t worry if you’ve not got the time or inclination to have a go at this meme!

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 13th, 2008 at 3:43 pm and is filed under random. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.