MUSIC

Like so many people at this time of year, life gets scarily busy but rather than the usual round of panic, disillusionment and shear exhaustion that affects so many this time of year, my thoughts turned elsewhere.

Saturday afternoon, the daughter had her nursery Christmas party, which all the family were invited to. The tradition is that everyone brings some food and so I found myself in the kitchen making eggie sandwiches.

The installation of a new kitchen has awakened a long dormant enthusiasm for matters culinary, particularly baking. Number 2 son (chief dish washer) has put his CD player in there so with daughter asleep and sons all doing their own thing, I put on a long forgotten disc and got going.

As I spend most of my summers making sandwiches for the cricket club, this isn’t exactly an onerous task and took under an hour but as I listened (and spread), I mused to myself what an effect music has had on me and my life.

We listen to the radio at work and colleagues often look at me in amazement when I chirp up with the artist, title and often the year it was a hit. I don’t know why I retain this information so readily but I have always loved my music with a passion. Milestones in my life are inextricably linked to the music of that time:-

1978 - Grease. Second year at high school. Spent acting out scenes from the film with friends on the tennis courts surrounding our classroom. On my god, what an admission. I was Rizzo – bet that came as a surprise – NOT!

1982 – ABC and their debit album The Lexicon of Love. Details are far too embarrassing to reveal – even on here but suffice to say it was a significant event in my life!

1987 – Evangeline – The Icicle Works. Dancing to this with pure joy. I waited a long time for a daughter so I could call her after my favourite song. I still play this as loud as the neighbours will tolerate whenever I need to put a smile back on my face.

1991 –,Everything I do - Bryan Adams. Bittersweet memories – the end of my first marriage.

1994 Love Is All Around – Wet, Wet, Wet. The birth of my second son. “you know I love you I always will” what else is there to say………

I could go on and on, describing events and the songs that are inextricably linked to them.

Music can make me laugh, cry, dance like a lunatic or relax after the most stressful of days……………..

My sons and I had a lovely time watching Miss Evie-D have a total ball dancing in the middle of the dance floor, hands in the air "giving it large". Can't for the life of me think where she gets it from!!

The lovely Suzy over at Identiy Crisis has challenged me with a MEME.

Apparently the rules of the game are:

A). Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog...

B). Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself...

C). Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs...

D). Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So seven facts about me:-

1 Random statistics - I am 42 years old, have been married 3 times and have 5 children by 3 different fathers. I have had 3 miscarriages and 1 termination. I have been on television 3 times and have had 2 newspaper articles published. I am 3 stone overweight.
2 I am vain – I dye my hair (and there’s you all thinking I am a natural blonde!) , have regular manicures, wax – everywhere(!), I wash, blow dry and straighten my hair every day. I wear make up everyday I am at work. I like luxury fabrics like cashmere and silk.
3 I am totally quixotic. Sometimes my house is a show house, other times it’s a complete tip. At work sometimes I work like a demon and other times I coast, just getting by. Sometimes I post to my blog a couple of times a week, then not for ages (think the longest is a month).
4 I am generally easy going and being a balanced Libran, see all sides of an argument. That said, if you get me on one of my pet subjects – breast feeding or abortion, I become the most opinionated person out.
5 I cry at films, books, listening to other people’s troubles, songs, children’s play etc, etc. Basically I cry at the drop of a hat. My mum says it’s because I have the strong empathy gene from her family that makes all the women brilliant nurturers. And if my mum says that’s why, it’s good enough for me.
6 Generally I prefer to eat my pudding/sweet/dessert with a fork. Have no idea why but cake, pie and the like seem to taste better that way.
7 I am a life-long vegetarian and never eat meat, poultry or fish. That said, all my children love meat, poultry and fish – makes for some interesting meal times in our house! I can confess here that last week when my daughter was eating some pork, I really bit my tongue to stop myself from telling her she was eating Peppa Pig!!!!

Now, I have recently passed on one of these and I am reluctant to “make” people take part. Therefore, if you happen on my blog and fancy having a go, please do and let me know so I can have a nosy……