The Stylish Blogger Award - 7 things you didn't know about me

When Mother Hen presented me with the lovely Stylish Blogger award, I was in the midst of a chest infection and hadn't got out of my PJs for three days. Stylish I wasn't but it made me feel better so thank you for that.  As part of the award, you get to learn 7 things about me, you lucky, lucky people!   So here goes....

1.  I came into this world in Iran where my dad was on secondment from BP to the National Iranian Oil Company and my mum was working as a nurse - they had met and married before going to Iran.  One day I would love to go back, especially to put flowers on my brother's grave.  I've also lived in Bahrain, Portugal, Ireland, Cyprus and most recently France - the only place I couldn't really settle.  That's probably more than one thing but I'm in charge here!

2.  I once sat on the shoulders of  the uber-moustachioed Murray Mexted of the All Blacks and sang 'Hi Ho Silver Lining'. It was at the Bahrain Rugby Club which was a place where few left sober.   It's fair to say that we were a tad squiffy but Mr M, who stands a towering 6'5, didn't realise that every time he jumped up and down to the song he was bashing my head on the ceiling.  I nearly ended the evening with concussion. Earlier in the day, I had been inadvertently tackled on the side lines by one of his team-mates. In a sliding tackle he took out myself and my friend Jennifer, spilling our beers which we both considered to be very unneighbourly.  Jen got the rough end of the deal with a find pair of stud marks in her leg but fortunately the alcohol had numbed the pain.  It's a dangerous game this rugby!

3.  Still on a rugby theme, I went to Australia for the very first rugby World Cup in 1989. In those days it was played in small provincial grounds around Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.  I went (shock... horror) with my ex-boyfriend who was, by this time, seeing another girl. Well it wasn't my fault, we'd already bought the tickets.  We were caught snogging on international television at a game in Brisbane. By the time I got back to Bahrain my answering machine had run out of tape with all the 'OMG... we SAW you!' messages, including one from his new girlfriend. Not my best move to be fair!  I love rugby though.  If The Boy had taken up football I'd have to have put him up for adoption but wisely he chose rugby, playing at number 5. I love my Sundays screaming on the sidelines at his matches.  I can out-shout any man!

4.  I once sang on stage with Lucian Pavarotti.... OK, well me and several hundred others but it sounds good!  I was also a 'heavenly voice' in 'The Planets Suite' conducted by Sir Georg Solti at the Royal Albert Hall.
5.  When I was 15 I spent the summer in Switzerland and partied with Queen and David Bowie. Somewhere I still have a photo of myself, Tony Visconti the record producer and David Bowie. I wasn't a great Bowie fan so I didn't really realise the significance

6.  And continuing the musical theme, I appeared in the Status Quo 1989 tour diary. It was when I was an air stewardess and the Quo were doing a warm up tour in the Middle East. We were so starved of entertainment, The Vienna Boys Choir and the Swinging Blue Jeans were the best we could get,  that they could always be assured of a good, appreciative and largely drunken audience. They were travelling to Dubai in First Class and the captain and first officer asked me to get them signed photos. I hate all that autograph stuff, even when I worked at Shepperton Studios I never asked anyone,  so I was very loathe to ask them. Not only that but their music had blighted my early years. My brother was a huge Quo fan and the three chord wonders were the unwanted soundtrack to my teenagehood so I had a bit of a bone to pick with them.  Under duress I asked for signed photos for the Captain, F/O and my brother.  Rick Parfitt asked why I didn't want one myself so I told him. He appreciated my candour. Some wouldn't.  We had a good laugh and they were all really nice people, in fact I spent most of the flight perched on the arm of his seat chatting.  He asked me my name and put me in the diary that they keep on every tour. So there I am, a little piece of musical history!

7.  I did Russian ballet until I was in my 20s at Miss Coneybear's School of Russian Ballet, daaaahhhlink.  She used to make me sit cross legged then stand on my knees and bounce up and down. It was to improve my turnout. I think I'd probably need hip replacements before long! Her other trick was to sweep her big wooden stick below our feet during our entre'chat quatres, moving it progressively higher and higher so we had to jump or get a sound rapping of our ankles.  It was bloody torture. In my last year of classes, we had a (male) student from the Royal Ballet come to practice with us during the summer break.  It was an adult ballet class.  When he finally stripped off his ballet trousers and stood, resplendent in tights and a dance belt, well, I've never seen so many grown women act in such an unseemly manner!  Dance belts are, of course, intended primarily to support the bits but they are also partly to disguise the dancers 'contours' which might otherwise prove too much of a distraction.  If you think of jockstrap crossed with Magic Pants thong to avoid any unnecessary VPL you'll get the idea. They are not the most attractive garments. Still, not enough to prevent unneccessary distraction in that class!

Now, I have to pass this award on to some blogs I have just found so I've selected A Modern Military Mother, who's blog I only started to read yesterday. As I live in a garrison town, the military is very much part of the landscape here. So AMMM, this one is for you. Projectforty is another West Country blogger whose blog I have just started to read and I hope she'll accept this li'l award too.

I'd also like to give it to Vera at Labartere. Although I've been reading her blog for some time it is one of my favourite ones to enjoy over a leisurely coffee. It has a certain serenity to it that I just love. So Vera, take this with my best wishes for your life at Labartere in 2011.

I'm also going to tell you about another blog I discovered only recently. It is written by my neighbour, Tom Williams, who is a screenwriter.  His blog, which he admits to updating 'infrequently' gives a real insight into the coming together of a film.  Tom's first full length feature 'Chalet Girls', a 'snowmantic comedy' set in a ski resort in Switzerland,  is due to open in the UK on 18th March so YOU MUST ALL GO AND SEE IT.  It's a British film, something that is close to my heart and bank balance. Tom very kindly invited myself and The Husband to the opening but sadly, for my sins, it is the day I am taking The Girl to the X Factor Tour at the O2.  If you click here you'll find a trailer for the film, ignore the opening date as it has recently changed. Tweet it, join the Facebook page, do whatever you can but just go and see it.  I will blog about it more as the opening date approaches.

I know I'm supposed to award this to another 11 blogs I've recently found but I'm just too busy at the moment to spend the time to find them so if it's OK I'll present the award as an when I find them.