“10 things” Tuesday: ten correct answers to pub quiz questions about me

The first freesias in my garden; picked September 1, 2013

I’ve worked as a  copywriter on and off for about 25 years; or about half my life writing in my clients’ voices. The consequence is that I rather lost my own.

Blogging is one of the ways I’m recovering my voice, and while I believe it should come through in all my writing, I also thought it would be fun to share some stuff more directly. So here’s the beginning of 10 Things Tuesday; loves, hates, secrets, desires – whatever takes my fancy and I think you might be interested in.

On the assumption…

that one day I’ll be incredibly famous and my life will come up in a pub quiz or trivia game, here are the correct answers to 10 questions that might be asked.

1. My favourite flowers are freesias, though lilies come a pretty close second.
2. I sat my University Entrance exams after I’d left school. The only place I could do the evening classes was a boys school, so ever since I’ve been able to – quite truthfully – write on forms that I attended Westlake Boys High School.
3. I’d be a vegetarian if I didn’t love eating duck.
4. I’ve seen Gaylene Preston’s 1986 film Mr Wrong about 20 times; partly as research for a masters thesis on feminist film-making, but mainly because it’s brilliant.
5. My Stage I politics tutor at University went on to become New Zealand’s first elected woman Prime Minister – Helen Clark. I don’t claim any credit for her political success.
6. If my house was on fire and I could only rescue one thing (not including my partner and son) it would be my photo albums (ok that’s not one thing, but if I couldn’t take them all I’d barbeque trying to decide which one to grab).
7. The best holiday I ever had was in Corsica, though Tahiti would be a pretty close second.
8. The best thing I’ve ever bought that I couldn’t really afford was a huge painting of Arum lilies. It’s been in my life for over 20 years and I still don’t know the artist’s name.
9. My favourite way to spend a wet Sunday afternoon is on the couch watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes or Casablanca with a bowl of lemon sorbet from Giappo in Auckland, and a latte.
10. It’s a cliche but … I want my funeral music to include Purcell’s Dido’s Lament – sung by Jessye Norman.