A-Z FACT FILE: E... F...

Dear reader, I’ve decided to intersperse my fiction writing (short stories, snapshot narratives and poetry) posts with some facts about myself... my way of inviting you to get to know me better ‘up close and personal’ (lol). My remit... three key words for each letter of the alphabet... which lead to three brief facts about myself... and I hope to cover two letters of the alphabet per post (whenever I do post). Hmmmmm - this should be an interesting journey. It’s so easy to hide behind the liquid interface of cyberspace however in these A-Z Fact Files about yours truly I do intend to keep it ‘real and honest’! Please feel free to simply read, share your thoughts, and/or ask any questions... [For earlier A-Z facts please scroll down... Thank you!]

Embarrassing moments. Embroidery. Enid Blyton.
Embarrassing moments... well, in the spirit of honest sharing there’s no time like the present to release those skellies from the dust and cobweb coated cupboard (lol). I’ve had my fair share of embarrassing moments in my topsy-turvy life but I’ll just share a couple with you here. Brace yourself!!! I must have been about 18 yrs old when I went to a ski resort in Virginia (I was completing my first degree at VCU at the time) and I was a novice skier, that is to say, I couldn’t ski an iota. But I was persuaded to take a Beginner's Lesson that day and I ended up in a class with about twenty kids aged between 5 and 10 (honest). I was the only ‘big person’ amongst all those little kiddies. Anyway, I went along with it – thinking how hard can it be to slide on the white fluff? To my horror, as I took my first ski-steps – I slid, lost my balance, and landed on my bum. It wasn’t a delicate and dignified Jane Austen topple (well that’s what I imagine her fall might be like). No – my fall was ungainly and awkward; definitely more Gerard Depardieu (no offence, Gerard – I do like you as an actor). Then I had to get myself back up on my feet engulfed by the laughter of the kiddies. I’ve never been so embarrassed. To top that day of embarrassment off, when it was time to be airlifted on the ski lift... as I stood in line waiting for lift-off and went to sit on the seat of the ski lift (when it arrived) – I missed the target by a mile. Yep – you guessed it... for the second time, I landed on my backside AGAIN. Humiliating! Not surprisingly, I’ve never been skiing again and to this day I still can’t ski an iota (chuckle). BUT my most embarrassing moment must be the time I wet the bed at the grand ole’ age of 19 or 20. Yep – you read it right – I wet the bed AND (it gets worse) someone was in the bed with me at the time. Too embarrassing for words... cringe cringe cringe... (lol). Thank goodness the boyfriend at the time was good enough not to make a big deal about it. And before you ask, no – I don’t suffer from any unfortunate bladder problems rather it was a case of being bladdered up with booze after a heavy night clubbing. I’d had way too much to drink and used the loo in my dreams. Hmmmm... thank goodness for the beautiful phrase of life coined ‘I grew up’ - I'm such a different person from the girl I used to be (chuckle)! Embroidery... In the last year or so I’ve started doing lots of crafty stuff such as embroidery, cross-stitching, knitting, and creating collages, card and jewellery making. I also started my first scrapbook a few months ago and I’m really enjoying that. I’ve had fun hosting some cool ‘Craft & Chat’ socials and also attending invites of others. I find these crafty circles very therapeutic, almost meditative, and a great source of inspiration. Enid Blyton... I was going to go with Epitaph for my final E-word but decided on Enid Blyton – the author who opened up the realm of imaginary worlds to me. I read and loved most of her books which kept me sane by giving me worlds to escape to during my boarding school years. My favourites were: The Wishing Chair series, Famous Five series, Mallory Towers series, The Magic Faraway Tree series... I just loved Moonface and the Saucepan Man...

Fear. Feet. Ferdinand.
Fear... of one thing or the other... I have lived with fear most of my life. I am afraid of many things. Some irrational. Others real. As a child I was afraid of the dark and would creep into my younger sister’s bed at night (she's a year younger). To be honest, right up until my early twenties if I was in a room alone, I would always sleep with a light on. These days I am now well over my fear of the dark. Another big fear of mine is that of heights. So if I’m on the sixth floor of an apartment block I would not be comfortable on the balcony. Saying that, I’d be happy to look at the view from the window. Biggies... as with regards to my fear of heights are walking across bridges, especially if they are crossing over a major motorway and thrill seeking rides. I’m absolutely no good with fun-rides. Anything that dips, swoops, slams or dunks from any height is NOT my thing. Well, I could go on and on in terms of my fears and phobias which include the physical, emotional, spiritual, etc – but I’ll spare you the details... after all don't most people live with one fear or another? Feet... I’m a UK size 7’s and not only that, my feet are broad and flat. Unfortunately, I have my father’s feet (perhaps, that’s part of the reason for my earlier oaf-like fall). Anyway, I digress... I dislike my feet because I’ve always viewed them as unattractive and unladylike. Matters weren't helped by the fact that it was always very difficult to find decent shoes to fit me in Israel (where I grew up) and I hated that. In my thirties, I have come to accept them. But I remain evermore a FLATS person, never HEELS. Ferdinand... the name of my first true love (age 22)... always special and never forgotten – even after all these years... funny that!?!