Thirty Things

In celebration of Kerrie's 30th birthday and her generous HipKnits competition, here are my 30 things about me (I don't know if I'm too late, but never mind!):

1. I fell headfirst into an empty bath when I was a baby and split my lip open, then a couple of years later my face was bitten by a family dog.


2. I can't hold anything non-edible in my teeth for more than a few seconds without gagging, which I think is to do with a traumatic event in a previous life.


3. For my first term of being a student I ate only chocolate cake and vitamin tablets.


4. I was "encouraged" to join in and climb up open stairs to the top of the Beam Engine display on a school trip to Blists Hill in Shropshire - and have been terrified by vertigo ever since.


5. I adore food and used to joke that I should marry a chef - and quite by accident ended up doing just that.


6. A junior school headteacher once announced to the rest of my class that my handwriting was "first class rubbish" - which not surprisingly led to me having low self-confidence.


7. My favourite fragrances are pale in colour - vanilla, lemon, white musk; I also love the smell of freshly-mown grass, tomato plants, motorbikes and leather.


8. I knew the name I wanted for my daughter many years before I became a mum - but I have no idea where I got the name from.


9. I love Abba songs but they all remind me of my parents' divorce.


10. I am allergic to nickel, so I had to have a platinum wedding ring - ahh, shame...!


11. I never did the long cross-country runs at secondary school; they were scheduled every summer term but each year I was convalescing at home after surgery to have my ingrowing big toe nail removed.


12. I love to be tucked up cosy in bed at night and listen to the sound of rain falling on the roof.


13. I share my birthday with Princess Anne.


14. I talk to my house - usually when I go out and come back in, or if DH is away for a night. It's usually just in my head, as I'm looking around the place, but sometimes verbally, quietly, if I'm the last one out. Y'know just stuff like "Be safe, take care of us" etc. Well people talk to their cars, so why not my house?


15. I could never have married anyone who didn't get along well with my brother.


16. I said I'd never have a Xmas baby as their birthday gets "swallowed up" by Xmas - then my first daughter was born in mid December.


17. I used to hate the colour pink - now half of my clothing is various shades of pink.


18. I own only one pair of shoes, but numberous boots and mules; I have wide feet and find it incredibly hard to find comfortable non-granny shoes.


19. Bright red lipstick looks positively scary on me.


20. My first and best ever job was as a computer wargames programmer - but I've never been into playing computer games myself.


21. I was the princess in our primary school play of "George and the Dragon" and remember it to this day.


22. I have a bridge over six front upper teeth as two of my second teeth that were supposed to be there were completely missing.


23. I have big hair and so was known as Crystal Tipps at school.


24. I detest being outside in windy rainy weather. An umbrella is useless, the wind swirls my hair round into my face so I can't see a thing, than a couple of days later I get a cold. Yeuch!


25. I have bitten my nails ever since my parents split up when I was 10 years old. It never helped the situation but I still can't stop!


26. I can't get into bed without checking for spiders and wasps in there first. I don't check under the bed (too much yarn there!) but I have to lift up the duvet and pillows.


27. I couldn't be bothered to cook when I lived by myself so I would just empty a tin each of baked beans, sweetcorn, and tuna into a pan and warm it through; that would be 2 days meals. Now I love everything in the TV chef's cookbooks!


28. I got my DH into drinking Jack Daniels and coke - now he drinks it far more often than I do.


29. I smoked on and off for many years, but I now haven't had a cigarette since 31st January 2006.


30. I will be 40 this year and don't know whether to love it or loathe it! Does life really start at 40?