Navel-Gazing

Kate on Thin Ice has kindly offered me a Reader Appreciation Award. I don't fully earn it, however, until I have faced down an inquisition. I'm not sure my readers will appreciate wading through my mental trivia, but I'm always greedy for gongs so, with multiple apologies, here's my life story:

Where do you do most of your writing/blogging?

At a desk by the spare room window so I can keep an eye on the Vicar as he paces the parish and watch passing drivers discover the council's vicious new speed bumps.

What books were your childhood favourites?

Dostoevsky saw me through my first years of primary school. Oh, all right - it was Enid Blyton! I refused to read anything else until I was 15. Then I discovered Anne of Green Gables and Tom's Midnight Garden and have yet to find anything to match them.

Who is your favourite fictional character?

Anne of Green Gables, obviously. And the murderess in My Cousin Rachel (Daphne du Maurier).

Have you ever Googled yourself and been surprised at what you've found?

Yes. First up was the lunch menu at Tim's on Lake Anna. Their torch-lit tiki bar is apparently an unforgettable place to eat pulled pork.

What is your favourite time of day and why?

Mornings when my freshly-brushed children come down to eat my freshly cooked breakfast and swap loving confidences about the day ahead. Actually, I'm lying. Mornings are a pauseless banshee wail and invariably involve a catastrophe in the cat litter tray. My favourite time of day is 8.15pm. Because that's when I open my bottle of beer.

Who would play me in a movie of my life?

Whichever Hollywood mega star is prepared to have three bristles latexed to their chin.

One material possession I could not live without.

My daily journal. Or rather all 30 volumes of them. Haven't missed an entry since 1983 so if they ended up in a skip I would, quite literally, be throwing my life away.

Have you ever been naked in public?

Are you kidding? I've never appeared without at least three thermal layers in public (although I have developed a strategy for discreetly shedding my vest when it gets hot on buses).

What is your dream car?

I'm quite happy with the family Skoda.

What/who/where was your first proper kiss?

I thought this was supposed to be a literary quiz...

Is that it? Yes, seems that's it. Except that I have to tag some others whose literary achievements I appreciate. Are you up for it Sahdandproud, Random Pearls of Wisdom and Bibsey?