Interview Me!

The Rules: Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” I respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better. If I already know you well, expect the questions may be a little more intimate! You WILL update your journal/bloggy thing/whatever with the answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

My questions come from Thinking Girl:

1. What is your least favourite household task? Explain (if necessary).

Definitely ironing - I HATE ironing! Gone are the days when I lived at home with the magic laundry basket. You know the one - you put in your dirty clothes and a couple of days later they turn up clean and ironed in your wardrobe - like magic!

2. Would you describe yourself as organized, unbothered by a wee spot of untidiness, hopelessly obsessive-compulsive, or hopelessly disorganized to the point of “absentminded professor”?

Depends how busy I am. Generally I border on obsessive-compulsive - I like everything in its place. But when I'm busy my apartment gets messier and messier. Then one day I have time to see it all and I whip myself into a tidying up frenzy. I always find that very therapeutic!

3. How do you like to unwind? Bubble bath? Yoga? Reading? TV? Glass of wine? Turn up the stereo? Late night disco dancing? Or something else entirely?

Reading. I am a compulsive reader. I read the backs of cereal packets, the signs on the trams, anything that stays still long enough! There's nothing I love more than lying on the sofa with a good cup of coffee and a book!

4. Please tell me about your pets, from childhood onward. With names, and if possible, pictures!

First Pet - Kimmy the German Sherpherd. An extremely smart and tolerant dog. She put up with me climbing all over her, sticking my fingers in her ears, and just generally giving her that kind of affection only infants can dish out. Here we are:

After that was Duke the crazy labrador. He used to jump our 7 foot paling fence and roam the neighbourhood. This was back in the days when milk was delivered in glass bottles with foil tops. Duke used to like to pierce the foil and lick out as much milk as he could reach with his tongue - for a while there he did this to most of the milk delivered to our street - the neighbours were not impressed. He also LOVED to chase cars, which was eventually the way in which he met his match. At least he died doing something he loved.

We also had a cat called Tinker "the Stinker". She came from the local Railway Yard when the railway cat had kittens. The first day she was home she went to the toilet on the cream carpet in our lounge room and Mum was not impressed (hence her nickname). She was a very independently minded cat and didn't like being cuddled. I once tried to rescue her from a fight with the neighbour's cat and ended up scratched and bleeding.

After that there were two cattle dogs: Duchess and Baron. Duchess was a pedigree and Dad wanted to breed her. But she was a modern dog and didn't want puppies. She made this very clear when she attacked the male dog brought over to service her. You go girl! She died fat and happy. Baron was a stray who we rescued on a busy road. He kept Duchess company and was a good dog all round.

Finally, my very own and beloved Corky Dog, who late last year went to live with my parents and their dog up on the waterfront. I moved to the city and Corky just wouldn't have coped here. She needs lots of space to run and water to swim, and most of all she needs company all the time. She has that with Kimmy Number 2, my parents' kelpie dog, and the two of them are now best friends and love to race each other around the back yard and in-and-out the dog door!

Corky Monster and her new best friend Kimmy the Wonder Dog:

5. Who is your favourite family member, and why? Who is your most interesting family member, and is he/she the same as your favourite?

Difficult question - not sure I can say that I have a favourite. I love each of them for their own individual quirks. If I have to pick favourites, it would be tie between my two nephews. Ryan is 3 years old and very cheeky. He makes me laugh. Nathan is 1 year old and an adorable smiley boy who you just want to cuddle all the time.

My most interesting family member would have to be my grandfather, known as "Paddy". He has lived a fascinating life with lots of international travel and he has great stories of famous people he has known.