tagged again...............

Lovely Lucy over at attic24 has tagged me with the "5 facts about you" tag, so here goes.......

:: along with most builders but almost nobody else I take sugar in my tea. I love these sugar cubes we got in France, they have the exact quantity of sugar..............perfect.

:: I briefly attended university after a gap year in which I worked in both insurance and banking, exciting eh! I decided in my infinite wisdom to do a degree in social work a long way from home, it didn't work out, I was working in a grocery shop by Christmas. Still, at least I got free satsumas!

:: I wet my pants in New York. We arrived carrying two incredibly heavy rucksacks and I sat on a very low wall and couldn't get up. I laughed so much I lost all control..........and that was before children!

:: I have to have my chocolate straight from the freezer, even slightly gooey, melted chocolate makes me feel queazy. My teeth won't thank me for it in later life, I'm sure.

:: My brief glimpse of a career in the late 1980's came when I moved to Middlesex (the nearest I ever got to London) and worked for a large multinational company. It didn't last long, the relationship I was in broke down and I scuttled home to my parents quick sharp. Get the impression I'm not really a high flier?!

So, there you go, a few snippets about me. I forgot to pass on the garden tag so I'll lump the two together and ask Lesley, Suzie, Claire, Anna and Sairer. Choose either one girls because I know some of you have already done one...........................

See you all later in the week!

Confessions of a bag lady.................

Hello,my name is Julia and I'm addicted to shopping bags...................

Seriously, I can't resist. I've got the whole lot, jute ones, fabric ones, ones made from recycled bottles, you name it I've bought it. I pretend it's because I'm an eco warrior but really it's because they're irresistible. I've never been bothered by handbags, I'm the sort of person who's far too disorganised to have more than one bag on the go at once and I also feel a bit sorry for the one that's been replaced by the new bag on the block. Labels don't concern me and I couldn't justify the cost of a designer bag.

These are the current favourites, both a couple of quid and so much more attractive than plastic bags don't you think?

But the overall winner has to be my good old string bag. Not the prettiest but it fits into any bag and you can squeeze loads into it. It's also worth taking out just to embarrass my gorgeous teenage niece who looks like she wants the ground to open up and swallow her whenever I take it out in the shops!

Did I mention they're also great for car booting, believe me you won't believe the goodies I've crammed into them. This is one of the latest acquisitions, 50p from a lovely man (didn't fit in the bag though!) A coat of paint and a scrap of oilcloth and another addition to the VH household is born.

A couple more things before I go. I've been tagged with the view from my kitchen window by Emma but it is absolutely pouring down here and has been for days, so I haven't forgotten and will participate as soon as the sun comes out, if it ever does!

Lastly I thought I'd mention that Andrea and I are having a little summer sale here this Thursday evening. We've also invited another lovely lady who makes the most gorgeous felt brooches. Really it's just an excuse to get together, eat strawberry shortcake and drink Pimms but any of you who are nearby and would like to pop in, drop me a line.

Better go, I should be cleaning and sewing. Bye all!

7 weird things about me

Well to limit it to seven may be difficult, ask my partner Ian and he'll tell you there's nothing normal!

Here goes......

1. I'm never ever on time. Every clock in our house is set fast but all at different times so I never actually know what time it is. I'm always very optimistic about how long it'll take me to get anywhere, which invariably leads to me swearing at whoever is in the vicinity because I can't find my way/parking space/car keys/bag etc.

2. I can't stand orange juice with bits in - "hairy bits" as my daughter refers to them. Same with yoghurts with strawberries in, I'm always a bit suspicious that they may be dead spiders!

3. I've watched the film "Truly, Madly, Deeply" about 100 times and know it word for word. If only Alan Rickman would recite poetry to me!

4. I never have any money in my purse, even for little things like newspapers. I find myself scrabbling about down the sides of sofas and leaving iou's in the childrens' money boxes in order to buy a pint of milk.

5. I'm obsessed with food portions. I cannot let Ian have a bigger portion than me, so after I've dished up I normally take a bit extra off his plate and stuff it in my mouth before he spots me, just in case!

6. I am so hopelessly disorganised that I am unable to do anything without a list, even so far as leaving notes in the kitchen to remind me to eat something that's in the fridge. Many's a time that I've discovered a mouldy piece of cheese/fish/ham etc. languishing in there!

7. I have a complete inability to follow instructions whether written, pictorial or verbal. My brain seems to say "can't be bothered" and switches off. Is this as a result of my 6+ years as a stay-at-home mum or simply an age thing?

So there you go, a bit about me and my weirdness.

What do I do now. Am I supposed to tag other people, please could somebody let me know?