Gently, gently

So, as expected my little blog lay fully neglected during the madness of the book festival, but now that the dust has settled, and I have some time on my hands, I return with only one issue. What to blog about? I will write a post about my highlights of the book festival but I needed something to ease me in. At which point, my good friend Lauren came to my rescue. Lauren blogs at To The Railway, and was tagged in something called The Leibster award (no, I didn't know what this was either). She had noticed my radio silence and in her words "I like it when you blog, okay!" She didn't tag me in her post, so I'm not going to tag others and write new questions, but she did suggest that I might like to answer her questions anyway. This seemed like a good way to get back into it AND it's a bit like one of those "Get To Know Me" posts that I always meant to write...

So here goes!

1. What did you want to be when you grew up? I went through a whole list of things that I wanted to be but the earliest one I can think of is an artist. I never showed much skill, and didn't really think about having to do The Art but I really, really wanted to live in a tumbledown cottage, and wear a blue smock and beret, and have one of those messy boards with dried paint splodges on. Aged 8, this is what Being An Artist meant, apparently.

2. If you could visit one fictional universe where would it be and why? Potterverse. Next! Obviously it would need to be before the Battle of Hogwarts so that I could meet Snape, make him forget about Lily and his life as a double agent and we could run off together before Nagini got her fangs anywhere near him.

3. What was the last book you read and did you enjoy it? The Falling Sky by Pippa Goldschmidt. I did! It's wonderfully written, set in Edinburgh and I love novels with scientific themes (I'm sure if someone tried to teach me the astronomy in this book, I would totally shut off but when science is presented through fiction, I find it much easier to follow).

4. Which three people would you invite to a tea party? They can be alive, dead, fictional, real, or anyone really. Moominmama because I'm sure she'd bring some great cake. J.K. Rowling because I have some questions. And Meryl, obvs.

This is why.

5. What’s your most listened to song on itunes? Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John by Belle & Sebastian feat. Norah Jones for some reason.  
Disclaimer: this isn't a totally fair reflection I don't think, as I quite rarely listen to music through iTunes on my computer.

6. If you could have any animal as a pet what would it be and why? Sloth.


7. What is your favourite play? Have you seen it performed or just read it? Noises Off by Michael Frayn. I saw it in London when I was about 14 and just thought it was marvellous; so clever, and so so funny. I was really sad that I couldn't see it when it was in Aberdeen earlier this year.

8. Where is the strangest place you’ve ever had to answer a phone call? Honestly don't think I've ever had to answer the phone anywhere particularly peculiar...

9. What’s your favourite children’s book? Well this is impossible. You could ask me this question every day for a year, and I'm sure I could give you a different answer every day but I think for today I'll pick Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. I love the many illustrated versions of this book, from Tenniel's classic, to Helen Oxenbury's recent gift editions, not forgetting that Tove Jansson also illustrated a version.

10. Where would you most like to travel to if money were not an issue? Finland. What?! I want to go to Moomin World.


Now, that wasn't so bad was it! More very soon...