Four things about me

Hello, lovelies (oh, and hello to the newbies - thanks for joining us on this crazy planet!). Well, today we didn’t have any disasters happen, unlike yesterday. I really appreciate all your supportive comments and it was comforting to know that a lot of you have similar horror stories.

On a brighter note, I have been the thrilled recipient of some blog love this week (more on that next time). To start with, a few days ago, the delightful Amanda at Homely One kindly tagged me in her post Four Things. Amanda has been blogging for just over a year and writes engagingly about her loves for her little daughter, Grace, cooking, crafting and decorating. Do stop by her blog and say hello if you have a chance. So, here goes! Here are some titbits about me.

Four things that are usually in my handbag

1. My trusty blue floral Envirosax fold-up shopping bag (fabulous when running errands or stopping by at the supermarket for a quick top-up shop, especially when I have heaps to carry as well as hold the pixies’ hands)

2. My favourite MAC matte lipstick, Eden Rocks, a brilliant all-rounder which fits in with my busy life and never lets me down

3. My small navy and white Studio Antic spiral-bound notebook for jotting down web addresses, blog ideas and names of books I’d like to buy (usually used on the rare occasion when I’m sitting down, relaxing at the hairdresser’s and reading magazines)

4. My Ego SunSense Toddler Milk 30+ roll-on sunscreen (I’m always prepared, like a good Girl Guide, to ensure the pixies don’t get sunburnt)

Four things that are in my bedroom

1. My little collection of pottery colonial cottages (made in Hobart by Pauline Shugg of Moonpenny Pottery – they are mainly based on houses found in Hobart. I love the sense of connection they provide to our colonial history.)

2. A pile of my treasured books (most of my books are stacked “somewhere in the shed” according to Mr PB. Sigh. These are more recent purchases reflecting my love of all things French, interior design, etiquette and cross-stitch.)

3. My delicate paper replicas of the graceful old shops in the Prinzipalmarkt in Münster, Germany which I posted about here (I made them back in 1989 and they have travelled around the world with me ever since. They’re now a bit worse for wear but still precious to me.)

4. My treasured button collection which belonged to my grandmother (I played with these endlessly as a child, sorting them into shapes and colours and making patterns with them. The pixies love playing with ‘Nanny’s buttons’. I’ll do a post on them one day.)

Four things that I would like to have done but never did

1. Sat down with my grandmother (my Dad’s mum) long before she died and chatted to her about her childhood and our family history (I am fascinated about tracing our family trees and so much knowledge and memories died with her.)

2. Done the same with my grandfather (my Mum’s dad) as he was very interested in researching our family history. I could have introduced him to the wonders of the internet as a research tool and helped him work past the dead ends he had found.

3. Climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower in 1989 (I only managed to get to the second level as the lift wasn’t working properly)

Isn't this a spectacular view over Paris from the Eiffel Tower?

4. Met my grandfather (my Dad’s father) who died of an accident long before I was born (He had seen and experienced so much – looking for work to support his young family during the Great Depression, serving with the Royal Australian Air Force in New Guinea during the Second World War and coxing an Australian rowing team at the 1948 London Olympics.)

Four things that you don’t know about me

1. I am a navy blue girl, through and through. It took me many years before I wore any black at all. Now I wear them both but my heart will always remain navy.

2. I wear contact lenses. The best invention ever. Especially when I’m surrounded by little people who delight in pulling off my glasses on the rare occasions I wear them (and which are now both scratched and damaged owing to the actions of a certain nameless daughter. Hmm.) Yes, contact lenses were definitely designed by a parent.

3. I adore eating Niederegger Schwarzbrot marzipan from Lübeck in Germany. I can make it last for days, savouring every sweet mouthful. For years, I only received it when my host parents sent it to me for my birthday and Christmas. Now I can get in Hobart which makes me a very happy camper. 

Sehr lecker (very delicious!)

4. I was one of the last people allowed to walk to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in July 1989 before it was closed for restoration work and to stabilise its tilt - it reopened to the public in December 2001. It was the most curious sensation to walk up a spiral staircase with a tilt – I alternated between leaning inwards to grab the central column and outwards to grab the wall. Oh, and there was the most cursory of metal guardrails at the top!

So there you have it! Is anyone else a marzipan lover? Or a contact lens wearer? Do you have any treasured mementoes from your travels? Or conversations you wish you’d had with someone? Do share – it’s fun to learn more about what makes us all tick, don’t you think?

I’d like to tag the following four fabulous bloggers to play along if they’d like:

• Felicity at Gifts of Serendipity

• Melissa at Miss Sew & So

• Sarah at Oesch & Doots

• Tina at Rubies’ Place

Do visit these lovely ladies and their delightful blogs if you have a chance. You’ll enjoy yourself!