Friday 2 October 2009

I Blame The Parents

This meme was passed on by JJ. I have to list five of my obsessions, so here goes. They are in chronological order and, to my surprise, I can trace them all back to my parents.

1. Reading. My mother taught me to read when I was three years old. Her teaching method may have been slightly unorthodox - I remember a lot of bribery involving ice lollies - but it worked, and I don't think a day has gone past since then without me reading something, if only street signs and packaging. But mostly it's been books.

2. Writing. I began to write at school, with lots of supervised practice and encouragement at home, and have been doing it ever since. Learning to type was a bonus (thanks, Mum - again!) because I can write three times as fast with a keyboard as I can with a pen.

3. Cooking. My father is a keen cook, I often wanted to help, and he was usually willing to let me have a go. I remember the excitement of preparing a whole family meal by myself for the first time, I think I was 12 or 13. I love cooking, especially for other people, although I will also cook proper meals for myself when I'm alone (a habit I got into when I lived on my own). I'd write a cookbook if there weren't so many already.

4. Keeping fit. As a child, my mother taught me to swim, my father taught me to play tennis, and they both infected me with the walking bug. I hated PE at school, but started doing yoga seriously when I was 16 or 17, then swam regularly in my early 20s until I developed an allergy to chlorine. I played tennis (badly) and badminton (well) until I slipped a disc in my back and was banned from racquet sports. You might think all these mishaps would have put me off, but no: the doctor advised me to take up weight training which, to my surprise, I loved, and have done regularly for the last 20 years. I am by no means super-fit, and there are times when my exercise programme has had to be shelved for a while - the last year of my PhD; while I was suffering from huge fibroids and then recovering from the consequent hysterectomy - but I always come back to regular exercise because it makes me feel better about everything.

5. Crochet. My mother was a keen knitter and dressmaker, my father a rug-maker and embroiderer. I have dabbled in all four but crochet is my newest obsession, it's only been with me for a few weeks and look:


I think most people have done this meme now, but if you fancy having a go, please help yourself!

7 comments:

HelenMWalters said...

I love your crocheted squares - so pretty. And your parents sound fab.

Pat said...

You photography is good. A question that leaps to mind; do you type straight away or do it in longhand first?
I have found it a help to type immediately - especially as I now can't read my writing although I do scribble notes when away from a computer.

Carol said...

Gosh, I am most impressed that 'keeping fit' features in your top five obsessions!! I've still to find a form of exercise that I don't completely and utterly hate!! (I do like walking but not if it involved big hills!!)

I love reading and cooking too!! Cooking is a relatively new love...I discovered I really enjoyed it when I was in my mid 20's.

Your squares look fab!! You've managed to do a lot...brill colours :-)

C x

Jenny Beattie said...

Oh Queenie, totally gorgeous squares. With you on the reading, and writing, I'll take knitting over crochet (I just can't see where the hook goes in again.) But I obsess about ways to avoid cooking and exercising... Wish I didn't, they'd go so well together.

Brilliant answers.

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

I love your obsessions, and your parents sound wonderful.

Great squares too.

Anonymous said...

Your blanket will be lovely - purple is always good. And unsurprisingly we have several similar interests - except exercise, of course.... ;)

Queenie said...

Thanks, everyone.
Helen and Debs, my parents are indeed fab.
Pat, I type straight away, and am entirely keyboard-dependent - if I have to write anything longer than a cheque or a birthday card with a pen, my whole hand seizes up.
Hilary, LOL!!