Seven things about me

So, how is your weekend going?  It was a real red letter day for me, despite Hobart's steady, ceaseless rain. I had the most unexpected and absolute thrill of being passed the Kreativ Blogger Award by the delightful Ashleigh at Mm is for me. I am so flattered that Ash thought of my little blog. She was one of my first bloggy friends and is the very talented creator of beautiful personalised children's clothing and wall stickers which use phonics. Sam has some of her gorgeous little slippers - I highly recommend her.

This is the first time I have ever participated in a meme but here goes! Here are seven things that you may not know about me.

1. I spent 1989 living in (the then) West Germany as a Rotary Exchange Student. It was a thrilling year to be in Europe as the Soviet Empire started to crumble. I was in both East and West Berlin twice in the months leading up to the opening up of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989. I stayed up all night watching the television as history unfolded in front of me, scarcely believing what I was seeing. Extraordinary.

That magical night at the Berlin Wall

2. I am a water girl. Of the 'drink two litres a day' variety. Strictly no coffee. It makes me feel very ill. The same goes for anything mocha flavoured or coffee liqueur chocolates. No tea either, unless it's peppermint or rosehip. And that's very rarely.

3. I am a stickler for good grammar. A pedant, actually. I've read Lynne Truss's 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' cover to cover. Twice. And made mental notes. Don't torment me with typos. Especially on menus. Oh, and don't get me started on greengrocers' apostrophes! 

4. I still use the Bambi sewing basket my godmother gave me for my 10th birthday. You can tell I'm a child of the 1970s! I think I'll give it to India when she's a little older and buy myself a grownup version.

5. We have an old family story which may be apocryphal - I'm not sure. Apparently one of my forebears owned a substantial amount of real estate in the Melbourne CBD in the 1850s. He then raced off to the goldfields around Ballarat to make his fortune, effectively abandoning his claim to the land. I'm not sure whether he found gold but our family is no longer sitting on a goldmine of land in Melbourne!

6. I have several convict ancestors. Announcing that fact used to be a most embarrassing thing in Australia in the not too distant past. Now people almost hope they had such an interesting heritage! My forebear, Maria Briant, was transported for seven years from England to Van Diemen's Land in 1832 for 'feloniously stealing from her father's dwelling house at Minchinhampton two counterpanes, a shawl and apron, a cap and a pair of stockings, his property'. At least she wasn't a murderer, I suppose!

7. I used to go dragonboat racing in Sydney with the DSA Club. Have you ever heard of that sport? Gee, it's a challenging one. It is an adrenalin-pumping water sport with origins stemming back over 2000 years to the rivers of China. Teams consist of 20 paddlers plus a sweep and a drummer who work together to propel the boat forward for race distances of 200 m, 500 m and 1000 m. The feeling of driving a two tonne boat to the finish line at speeds of over 18 kmh is awesome!

There's me, up the back with the blonde hair and the paddle raised

So, there you go - now you know a little more about me!

Tonight I'm passing on the meme to:

1. My friend Ann at My Villa Life, a delightful insight into life as an expat, journalist mother of two young boys in Auckland and what inspires her. Her crisp writing and amusing insights are a joy to read.

2. The lovely A-M at The House that A-M Built who has provided sweet encouragement to me. She writes beautifully about her life as a mum and wife and indulges in 'realestalking' (her word!).

3. The talented Janette at My Sweet Prints, a mum and graphic designer who creates adorable prints like the Bed Time Bus Roll I wrote about here.

4. The inspirational Corrie at Retro Mummy, a fabulously talented mum to three young children (including twins) with another on the way. Somehow she manages to raise her family, run a fabric shop, teach craft at Notebook Magazine's The Craft Room and blog. She's also managed to find the time to pass on some helpful blogging tips to me.

5. The delightful Sonia at Sunday's Child, a Hobart mum who makes adorable children's clothes and accessories. The pixies all wear her divine creations. She provided me with so much encouragement when I started blogging - thanks, Son!

So, eek! It's late. Time for bed!

Jane