Last Sunday I shared a few things about myself that people reading haver & sparrow up to now might have been surprised to learn about me... Here’s a snippet:
“I don’t own anything made of linen but I do own a lot of red lipstick, (potentially too many) pairs of studded ankle boots, and a tote bag that says “f*ck the patriarchy”. I like my Jane Austen with a side of feminist rage and enjoy both high- and low-brow culture equally: I find intellectual snobbery incredibly boring and I have no time for it. I love words, sarcastic humour, and firmly believe that well-placed profanity is a thing of beauty and a sign of excellent storytelling. I have a talent for finding the perfect meme for any occasion, use too many gifs in a the group chat, and am not shy to share political opinions in conversation.”
One other thing you might not know is that I’m learning Hindi. My bilingual fiancé is from Mumbai so while my progress is glacially slow (new alphabet, new sounds, new grammar) I’m determined to keep going and get a decent level of fluency. Among other things, I love the idea of us having an essentially secret language when we’re out and about in Shetland. 👀
So, your turn next! Tell me something that most people don’t know about you and would be surprised to learn…
Great prompt! My partner was my first boyfriend. We met aged 15 and got together aged 16. We've been together (almost) ever since. We've evolved so much as individuals and as a couple. Somehow it has worked up to now and I still think he's the absolute bees knees.
Yes I think it's really special. We've literally grown up and come of age together. But we're also very independent. We spend tons of time apart doing our own things! We both really value that.
Oof great question, Kathryn! Without overthinking...I think the hardest part has been learning about our differences and learning how to respect them rather than push against them and expect the other one to change. I still struggle with this! But...this probably goes to the 'best' as well. Feeling so safe and secure to be completely 'me' with my partner and still feel deeply loved is hard to describe. And I hope that I can be that place for him too as we imperfectly navigate life and our relationship together. Marriage is not like I imagined it would be. It's not like 'the movies'. But we keep evolving and our partnership - I treasure what we have together.
I am a very ignorable little old granny these days.
What people don’t see is the me that used to ride a 650cc Triumph Trophy - rode it from London to the south of France in 1978 with an Irish bloke I hated riding pillion, but he knew people along the way and could sometimes fix the bike. Slept on a stone doorstep somewhere in the French Alps when it broke down in a small unfriendly village. Although maybe we were odd looking to those people - black leather jackets and heavy boots.
Mostly what people don’t know about me is all the unspoken swear words behind my smiling eyes at work (I work in a hospital). 🤣
And that I can lie really well because I have an honest face.
I don’t own a iron, and I don’t often make the bed properly.
Love all of these details and memories! My Dad and brother are both into bikes and Dad restored an old bike with a sidecar and when we were small. My brother and I could side side by side in it when we were little enough and I remember feeling like it was coming up off the road when we went round sharp corners. So much fun though! 🤣 I don't own an iron either - I occasionally use a steamer for special occasions but it's not an everyday thing. My bed is more likely to be rumpled with a sleeping cat on top than being neatly made. 😆
My ex sister in law (RIP) used to ride a bike with a sidecar, she was a bit chubby and used to wear a hot pink vinyl jacket 🤣 (sweaty in the Oz summer), she used to take her dog Alex in the sidecar. He had a set of goggles 🤣.
I used to ride with my dog on the tank in front of me - trained him to sit there when he was a pup.
I have a Mudlark license for the Thames foreshore. I am regularly to be found in my muddy knee pads near Queenhithe or London Bridge, looking for little bits and pieces from history.
I love that, Will! I follow a couple of people on Instagram who do that and share the little treasures they find. Fascinating how much is just below the surface after all this time!
From the mundane like a Tudor button to a medieval jeton or a carved bone domino. I love that they suddenly appear again after all this time. Then there are the modern treasures, offered by Hindus to the river God’s in absence of the Ganges that turn up from time to time, the jewel stuffed sacred coconuts and then the witch bottles which scare the life out of me.
ooooh I am in the wrong part of the world (inland USA) for that, but in the late '90s til abt 2001 I spent a lot of time in Ireland and was obsessed with finding sea glass and pottery bits at the tideline!
1. When it comes to common allergies (peanuts, eggplants, peppers, ...), i'm allergic to none of these. Maybe there are other things i'm allergic to, but haven't found them yet.
2. I get angry at sb, erupt like a volcano, cool down, but never forget (trust me, there were times i wish i weren't like this).
In 1980 I bicyled with a girlfriend in France and Switzerland for month. We started in Strasbourg and headed south to the sea. I learned the hard way that my bike saddle was too low by doing a little damage to my knees. Once that was sorted out, we biked at least 5 hours a day, stopping at cafés to rest. On the way we climbed a switchback road to Grindelwald. This was one of my toughest physical challenges ever. We ended the first half of the trip at Stes Maries de La Mer on the Mediterranean. Ee spent a few days relaxing on a beach, then took a train north to Lyons to miss the strong wind called Le Mistral. We mostly stayed in youth hostels or camped in farmers' fields, but once the mayor of a farming community offered us his guest room above the pig sty! Those were the days...
Great revelations. Congratulations on the fiance part and good luck on learning Hindi. It's very good you have a partner to talk to rather than learning it in a vacuum. Language must be used to be remembered. My husband was learning Basque for a while, but it's just too arcane for my monkey brain to grasp, especially at age 75. I plead "age" as my defense. I could hang out in the local Basque bar, but I have chores to do.
I like a dose of classical music too but haven’t listened to much opera. What’s your favourite? The last sentence made me chuckle. I also enjoy almost all cheeses despite being somewhat intolerant to dairy. 😬
I actually am wondering if I can honestly say there are things people don’t know and would be surprised to learn about me. When I think about it, it seems I have shared so much of myself in so many places that even if someone happens to not know something, I would be surprised if they were surprised. 🤯 some random things that are true about me … I was both prom queen and high school dropout and I have one a half masters degrees but also dropped out of college and law school and massage school and that all kind of sums up a lot about me 🎓I write about the intersection of art and mental health which is where my passion is but I’ve been paid to write almost everything including horoscopes, gay porn reviews, travel destination profiles, VoIP news … ✍️ I had over 100 pen pals in high school, many in prison, and occasionally still write letters by hand to a few ✍️ I love a good smoky eye or cat eye but can’t apply one or most other makeup at all so I just wear lipstick and sometimes blue mascara 💋 more than one person in this world has gotten my name tattooed on them
Wow! Hindi is a very hard language! I lived in northern India for 5 years (non-consecutively) and volunteered with Tibetan refugee settlements in the area. I learned more Tibetan than Hindi. My Hindi is limited to greetings, numbers and food items, along with a few niceties. I have learned and forgotten the Tibetan U-chen script alphabet at least 4 times, now. I guess that's something most people wouldn't know as there's no need to bring it up in conversation! I too love secretly carrying it, and when I lived there was extremely proud that I could order food in both Tibetan and Hindi as well as barter for better prices ( a very good skill to have in India!).
Interesting and possibly useless fact: the Tibetan written alphabet was developed out of the Sanskrit/ Brahmic and Gupta scripts of India in order to pass along the teachings of the Buddha.
I still like to speaak Tibetan to my cat that I rescued as a severely injured kitten from a monastery in McleodGanj and brought home to the States!
YES to this, Wendy! Forever trying to do the same. 🖤
Great prompt! My partner was my first boyfriend. We met aged 15 and got together aged 16. We've been together (almost) ever since. We've evolved so much as individuals and as a couple. Somehow it has worked up to now and I still think he's the absolute bees knees.
That's amazing and so rare! Love that you've been able to stay with each other at the same time as evolving as individuals. 💘
Yes I think it's really special. We've literally grown up and come of age together. But we're also very independent. We spend tons of time apart doing our own things! We both really value that.
That’s beautiful. What has been the hardest part? What’s been the best?
Oof great question, Kathryn! Without overthinking...I think the hardest part has been learning about our differences and learning how to respect them rather than push against them and expect the other one to change. I still struggle with this! But...this probably goes to the 'best' as well. Feeling so safe and secure to be completely 'me' with my partner and still feel deeply loved is hard to describe. And I hope that I can be that place for him too as we imperfectly navigate life and our relationship together. Marriage is not like I imagined it would be. It's not like 'the movies'. But we keep evolving and our partnership - I treasure what we have together.
I am a very ignorable little old granny these days.
What people don’t see is the me that used to ride a 650cc Triumph Trophy - rode it from London to the south of France in 1978 with an Irish bloke I hated riding pillion, but he knew people along the way and could sometimes fix the bike. Slept on a stone doorstep somewhere in the French Alps when it broke down in a small unfriendly village. Although maybe we were odd looking to those people - black leather jackets and heavy boots.
Mostly what people don’t know about me is all the unspoken swear words behind my smiling eyes at work (I work in a hospital). 🤣
And that I can lie really well because I have an honest face.
I don’t own a iron, and I don’t often make the bed properly.
🤣
Love all of these details and memories! My Dad and brother are both into bikes and Dad restored an old bike with a sidecar and when we were small. My brother and I could side side by side in it when we were little enough and I remember feeling like it was coming up off the road when we went round sharp corners. So much fun though! 🤣 I don't own an iron either - I occasionally use a steamer for special occasions but it's not an everyday thing. My bed is more likely to be rumpled with a sleeping cat on top than being neatly made. 😆
Mine was a 1963 bike - kept breaking down 😵💫.
My ex sister in law (RIP) used to ride a bike with a sidecar, she was a bit chubby and used to wear a hot pink vinyl jacket 🤣 (sweaty in the Oz summer), she used to take her dog Alex in the sidecar. He had a set of goggles 🤣.
I used to ride with my dog on the tank in front of me - trained him to sit there when he was a pup.
Haha! That's excellent. Love the image of the dog with tiny goggles on. 🤣
😂
Also don’t own an iron 🤣 sounds like lots of fun times over the years
Haha! Not always fun, but an interesting journey.
Possibly some of it better in retrospect than at the time 🤣.
Definitely some of that here too
I have a Mudlark license for the Thames foreshore. I am regularly to be found in my muddy knee pads near Queenhithe or London Bridge, looking for little bits and pieces from history.
I love that, Will! I follow a couple of people on Instagram who do that and share the little treasures they find. Fascinating how much is just below the surface after all this time!
From the mundane like a Tudor button to a medieval jeton or a carved bone domino. I love that they suddenly appear again after all this time. Then there are the modern treasures, offered by Hindus to the river God’s in absence of the Ganges that turn up from time to time, the jewel stuffed sacred coconuts and then the witch bottles which scare the life out of me.
Incredible - so many stories in each of the items too and so much evidence of life happening along the shore.
ooooh I am in the wrong part of the world (inland USA) for that, but in the late '90s til abt 2001 I spent a lot of time in Ireland and was obsessed with finding sea glass and pottery bits at the tideline!
My wife thinks I’m daft to be knee deep in the stones and mud in pursuit of small broken pieces of pottery… I beg to differ…
I have two things:
1. When it comes to common allergies (peanuts, eggplants, peppers, ...), i'm allergic to none of these. Maybe there are other things i'm allergic to, but haven't found them yet.
2. I get angry at sb, erupt like a volcano, cool down, but never forget (trust me, there were times i wish i weren't like this).
Most people are surprised to learn that I was a cheerleader in high school.
Excellent. Keep 'em guessing, Kim. 👌🏻
I retain useless information 😂 I do pretty well at quiz shows because of this trait, but I don’t know what else to do with it 🤷🏻♀️😆
You can be on my quiz team anytime, Mackenzie! 😆
Write :)
:)
In 1980 I bicyled with a girlfriend in France and Switzerland for month. We started in Strasbourg and headed south to the sea. I learned the hard way that my bike saddle was too low by doing a little damage to my knees. Once that was sorted out, we biked at least 5 hours a day, stopping at cafés to rest. On the way we climbed a switchback road to Grindelwald. This was one of my toughest physical challenges ever. We ended the first half of the trip at Stes Maries de La Mer on the Mediterranean. Ee spent a few days relaxing on a beach, then took a train north to Lyons to miss the strong wind called Le Mistral. We mostly stayed in youth hostels or camped in farmers' fields, but once the mayor of a farming community offered us his guest room above the pig sty! Those were the days...
This is great - thanks for sharing the memories, Marlee!
My boyfriend and I drove all around the United States when I was about 21, living the #vanlife before it had a hashtag name and it was in a pickup :)
Great revelations. Congratulations on the fiance part and good luck on learning Hindi. It's very good you have a partner to talk to rather than learning it in a vacuum. Language must be used to be remembered. My husband was learning Basque for a while, but it's just too arcane for my monkey brain to grasp, especially at age 75. I plead "age" as my defense. I could hang out in the local Basque bar, but I have chores to do.
I listen to Opera occasionally and don't like Swiss cheese. I do like the Swiss Alps, though, and almost every other kind of cheese.
I like a dose of classical music too but haven’t listened to much opera. What’s your favourite? The last sentence made me chuckle. I also enjoy almost all cheeses despite being somewhat intolerant to dairy. 😬
Ooh I could never pick a favorite but I've just started listening through Don Giovanni and it's lovely so far.
It's the little rebellions 🧀
I actually am wondering if I can honestly say there are things people don’t know and would be surprised to learn about me. When I think about it, it seems I have shared so much of myself in so many places that even if someone happens to not know something, I would be surprised if they were surprised. 🤯 some random things that are true about me … I was both prom queen and high school dropout and I have one a half masters degrees but also dropped out of college and law school and massage school and that all kind of sums up a lot about me 🎓I write about the intersection of art and mental health which is where my passion is but I’ve been paid to write almost everything including horoscopes, gay porn reviews, travel destination profiles, VoIP news … ✍️ I had over 100 pen pals in high school, many in prison, and occasionally still write letters by hand to a few ✍️ I love a good smoky eye or cat eye but can’t apply one or most other makeup at all so I just wear lipstick and sometimes blue mascara 💋 more than one person in this world has gotten my name tattooed on them
that last one! classic :D
Especially unexpected since I myself have only one tiny tattoo that I got at age 42
Wow! Hindi is a very hard language! I lived in northern India for 5 years (non-consecutively) and volunteered with Tibetan refugee settlements in the area. I learned more Tibetan than Hindi. My Hindi is limited to greetings, numbers and food items, along with a few niceties. I have learned and forgotten the Tibetan U-chen script alphabet at least 4 times, now. I guess that's something most people wouldn't know as there's no need to bring it up in conversation! I too love secretly carrying it, and when I lived there was extremely proud that I could order food in both Tibetan and Hindi as well as barter for better prices ( a very good skill to have in India!).
Interesting and possibly useless fact: the Tibetan written alphabet was developed out of the Sanskrit/ Brahmic and Gupta scripts of India in order to pass along the teachings of the Buddha.
I still like to speaak Tibetan to my cat that I rescued as a severely injured kitten from a monastery in McleodGanj and brought home to the States!
Sorry for rambling!