Shouting into the Void

A lovely idea from Kayleigh Fraser to help us all get to know one another better. You can read her challenge here:

My first thought was, "what a great idea" and then my second thought was "but who is going to give two farts about random facts about me?"

I may be shouting into the void here, but here goes...

1. My favourite singer of all time is Freddie Mercury. It's actually his birthday today, so I thought it was fitting to lead with this fact. Now I'm going to bore with you why I love him so much. Not only was he a larger than life personality on-stage, and incredible performer and a strong song-smith... his voice was remarkable. He had incredible versatility and range, and he could move around within that range like it was nothing. He could do that for a number of styles (rock, disco, gospel, opera) - sometimes within the same song.

He tempered every note to suit the emotion of the song, switching as needed from one line to the next. His vibrato was near-unique, his use of subharmonics was impressive, and honestly it's a voice that makes me want to learn about the technicalities of singing so I can do his amazing voice justice. The span of his life was only 9th Sept 1946 - 24th Nov 1991 (much too short!) but his voice will live forever.

2. I love to cook. I meal plan on Thursday and do the food shop on Friday, so I have something yummy planned for every day. I cook dinner most nights. I love making pancakes or bacon and eggs for my family in the mornings, roast dinners on a Sunday. I bake or make treats regularly. Last night I made duck breast (pink in the middle). Tonight I did loaded potato skins. Food is how I love you.

3. I've been banned on Facebook more than 30 times. Mostly for educational birth or breastfeeding images, but also for a few rude jokes and snarky comments on my personal page. Oops.

4. My favourite movie is Back to the Future. Oh come on, it's a classic!

5. I don't wear make-up. It's too expensive, too much hassle, I don't like how it feels on my face. I could say it's bad for my skin and bad for the environment, but if I'm really honest those aren't the reasons I don't use it. I just don't like it, and I think I look OK without it.

6. I breastfed for a total of nearly six years. There were times it was difficult, but I was lucky enough to have a relatively easy start, so I made a conscious choice to capitalise on that and keep going for as long as possible. It was important to me. I am proud of it - I made an investment in my children's short and long term health - and my own. If I had my time over, I'd keep going longer. Other women can do as they like - this was the right choice for us. The more I learn about mother's milk and infant nutrition, the more glad I am that I achieved this.

7. I've never had short hair. I had it cut to a little above shoulder length when I was about eight. I hated it. I didn't want it so short and I was pretty upset when I saw the result. It's about to my waist at the moment. Oh and bonus fact: I've been going grey since I was about 15.

8. I'm a bit scared of moths. Don't laugh. They give me the heebie jeebies.

9. I gave birth at home. It was great! I would do it again in a heartbeat. My daughter was born into my own hands. I used a pool for relief. Best thing ever, I highly recommend!

10. I got married in red. The dress was made specially for me and it cost me about £200.

Thank you for stopping by!