Fact, not fiction

 

   I am honoured to have been given a Stylish Blogger Award by Deborah Lawrenson (do look at Deborah's blog if you'd like to see a very stylish and interesting site!). In accepting this I am supposed to reveal seven facts about myself, ones unknown to you readers; Deborah herself has cleverly approached this by listing some of her favourite books - there are so many of mine already dotted around this site that it might be too much to mention them again, so we're back to facts and that's the tricky bit because I'm hard pressed to come up with anything interesting, and when I turned this over to my family they were no help whatsoever, so you've been warned:

1. I have a lovely handwritten letter from Anthony Hopkins* (to me) tucked inside my Christmas card record book.

2. I had a big crush on Melvyn Bragg** when I was a teenager and once hung about outside his house in London in the hope of seeing him. I didn't see him, but my mother - to my consternation at the time because it was so unfair - met him shortly afterwards here in Edinburgh.

3. Once upon a time I played the piano well enough for Mr. C.*** (this was in the early days of knowing him) to loiter outside my house listening to me. Nowadays people would run away with their hands pressed to their ears.

4. I collect stones on my travels - and have been known to reject ones picked up by my children as "not good enough" (shades of the Tiger Mother!).

5. A friend once told me I should have a career as a stonemason or letter cutter because my handwriting, especially "the flowing loops", would lend itself to that. (Re. 1., Anthony Hopkins' handwriting is very characterful).

6. I've always quite wanted to be a doctor, but I did not like any science at school, so I became a lawyer instead, and I studied medical jurisprudence under someone very famous.

7. I have a Blue Peter competition winner's badge.

 

*He's now a knight. 

**He's now a lord.

***He hasn't been ennobled.

Comments

[Jo]

All very interesting. I have come to the conclusion that everyone is interesting but we never see ourselves as interesting!

Not wishing to trump you but I have 2 Blue Peter badges!

[Ros]

#7 is clearly the most impressive. I was trying to explain the significance of a Blue Peter badge to some Americans the other day, but I don't think they really got it.

Mr C. may not have been ennobled, but he does have the distinct honour of being Mr C., which neither Anthony Hopkins nor Melvyn Bragg can claim.

[adele geras]

You do have the most beautiful handwriting it's true...but I'm so glad there's someone else out there who fancies Melvyn B! I have said so often in public too and will be covered with embarrassment if I were ever to get to meet him! One of my best daydreams is being on the South Bank Show and being interviewed by him....that daydream features me as very famous...and with Melvyn thrown in! Bliss...

[B R Wombat]

Very interesting but I'm afraid I just don't see the appeal of Lord Bragg. I've lost my Blue Peter badge and I wish I hadn't.

[Juxtabook]

Nope, don't get the Melvin Bragg crush at all! I like the idea of you entrancing Mr C with your playing though and I am impressed by the Blue Peter badge!

[David Nolan]

I have a Blue Peter badge buried somewhere too, but it was Mr C loitering outside listening to your piano playing that I really wanted to comment on. That has to be the most romantic thing I've read this year. How appropriate just a couple of days away from the commercial romance fest that is Valentines Day. If that wasn't enough you also mention a couple of my heroes, Lord B and AMS.

[Dark Puss]

Dark Puss has the very fondest memories of your piano playing and wishes to hear it again, possibly with flute obligato - why do you think I have all these lessons? I too remember the London "Bragg" experience - sigh ...

[Dark Puss]

Jo, I think that many people are not very self-aware and, if they are, then the "nice" ones (by definition the ones we know and love) are reticent about stating what it is about them that makes them interesting. I think I do have some insight into what might make me interesting to other people (or cats), but I'm unlikely to come out and tell you explicitly .

[Julie Fredericksen]

How about a sentence or two on the Blue Peter badge for this American?

[Margaret Powling]

How coincidental, the proliferation of Blue Peter badges amongst those who read 'Cornflower'! I confess that I was already too old to participate in Blue Peter-ish things, having married way back in 1964! Perhaps many of those who read 'Cornflower' have other similar 'connections', such as star signs (I'll bet there are lot of Virgos reading this, for example.)
Congratulations on the Style award!

[Susan in TX]

I, too, would appreciate a little more info as to what a Blue Peter badge is. Love the piano playing item. I'm going to have to tell my girls that you "never know who might be listening." Thank you for sharing these facts with us! Most interesting!

[Dark Puss]

I'm sure those Cornflower readers who actualy were awarded them will chip in with their own stories, but you can find out the basics about the current Blue Peter badges here.

[Cornflower]

Thankyou, all!
Re. Melvyn Bragg, glad to see I'm amongst friends there, but remember all you who don't understand what there was to see in him, the passion was some years ago when he was - in the vernacular - "hot".
Thanks to DP for the Blue Peter badge link. The extremely long-running children's television programme was the highlight of the schedules when I was young - everyone watched it. Apart from the usual badges, they had competition winners' ones which as far as I know went not just to first, second and third, but a greater number of entrants. I think I got mine for designing an outfit for one of the presenters.

[Deborah]

Designing an outfit for one of the presenters!? Now you are just toying with us...

[Juxtabook]

I remember that competition! It was for Peter Duncan and and if I remember correctly the winner was a green and white suit with big shoulders! Did you get your badge for winning or as a runner up?

[Cornflower]

Yes, I remember that suit but I wasn't responsible! As far as I recall (it was an age ago) I was some sort of runner-up but my creation was an outfit for one of the female presenters.