1. I met Matthew in on a blind date. A friend set up forty people on blind dates as part of an art project. I had to meet Matthew in a Japanese supermarket in Soho, London. I was instructed to hold a lemon. We were the only couple out of the forty who hit it off.
2. When I was a kid my mum was keen to give my sister and I as many experiences and opportunities as possible. We spent our holidays at religious communes and Greenham Common (an anti-nuclear woman-only peace camp), and went to Buddhist, Hindu, Quaker, Christian Scientist, Catholic, Anglican, Plymouth Brethren, Synagogue and Islamic religious services. My favourite times were singing Simon and Garfunkel with the women and military police at Greenham Common, and going to Hindhu festivals (best sweets and comics!).
3. Matthew insisted that Noah's middle name should be "Harpo" after his favourite Marx brother. I love it now. Noah does too. He called me "Mummy John Harpo" the other day.
4. The strangest day of my life was Princess Diana's funeral. I was in the procession that followed her coffin through the streets of London (she was patron of the gallery I worked at). I will never forget the silence, followed by the wailing, on such a hot and dusty day. So many people. Battenburg cake and police escorts. People asking for our autographs. All the cameras. Princes. Being filmed at a funeral. Very, very strange.
5. My dad died when he was just 33 of a rare heart/lung disease. His illness led to us leaving Canada when I was four years old to live in England. It feels right to be raising my family back in the city that he first emigrated to in the 1960's.
6. Two years ago, Matthew and I won first prize at the Lambeth Country Fair (which is in inner city London - imagine lots of local youth trying to get Shire horses stoned), in the Fruit and Vegetable animal category, for our Olympic Monkeys:
7. I know lots of stories about my ancestors. My great, great, great, great grandfather was an eminent physician, instrumental in the development of codeine. He caught syphilis and had to move from Edinburgh, Scotland, to London, England, to avoid a scandal. In Canada, my great, great grandmother was made an 'Honorary Indian' by Chief Carry a Kettle when she was eight years old and was allowed to witness a young man's coming of age ceremony.
8. I am extremely proud of my gorgeous, sparky family. Here is a photo of Matthew and my sisters, Kate and Mipsie, in my Grandparent's garden on our wedding day.
I tag: Emily Elizabeth at Lovely and Amazing; Michelle at Big Blueberry Eyes; Jo at Sheena Time; and Noelle at Jaden's Journal.
1 comment:
Thanks so much for the tag! I did this one a few weeks ago, but I'll see if I can come up with 8 more interesting facts and get to this next week :)
How neat that you guys met on a blind date that was part of someone's school project - and out of 40 couples only you 2 hit it off!
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