I was nominated on instagram ages ago to do a “20 random facts” post. It was actually quite fun thinking them up, so I thought I’d share them here too. Here they are:

  1. I met my husband when I was 18. I have now been with him more than half of my life.
  2. I love gherkins.
  3. I have stood in the Zambezi River, a couple of metres from the top of the Victoria Falls.
  4. I’ve always had a fascination with lighthouses. They’re just so romantic. I’d totally be living in one if they had any in Glasgow.
  5. I love going to the cinema. It’s something my husband and I have always done together. We still do, when we get the chance.
  6. Kitchen dancing with the kids is my happy place. I think it might be theirs too.
  7.  I have been to 36 US states. It’s sort of a bucket list aim to visit them all, but I’m not sure I’ll ever have a reason to go to Ohio…
  8. I feel most at peace when I’m near water. Especially if it has waves. Lochs… lakes… waterfalls… the sea… even water parks! (Or in a good spa.)
  9. I could never live anywhere but the city though. I really love city life. Especially Glasgow. The people, the buildings, the incredible green spaces, the food, the history and possibly mostly, the humour. I have lived in a few other places, but I always end up back here. It’s home.
  10. One of my front teeth isn’t a real tooth and hasn’t been for about 8 years. I’m pretty confident that nobody could guess which tooth.
  11. If I had a big enough house I’d have it full of animals. Our house used to have 2 dogs and 2 cats in it until babies started gradually replacing pensioner pets.
  12. I used to think Texas & Mexico were the same place. For some reason they were interchangeable entities in my head, in exactly the same way that Matt Damon & Mark Wahlberg were the same person.
  13. I have been crapped on by several species of bat and reptile, pissed on by a tapir, attacked by a red panda, bitten by otters, yelled at by penguins and ‘kissed’ by a rhino. I worked in Chester Zoo as part of my degree. I must have cleaned up at least 100 types of poo that year. My worst job though was my first, in a Brewers Fayre in the East End of Glasgow; I had to dress as a clown with giant feet and a giant head, and little kids used to kick me in the shins to see if I was real.
  14. I went to Yale University for a while, doing research on population genetics of tsetse flies.
  15. I am 1’ 3” shorter than my husband.
  16. I’ve skinny dipped at Sandwood Bay. Is that the North Sea? I’m not sure, but it was bloody freezing.
  17. I have 5 piercings (most of which have probably closed up) and no tattoos. I’m far too indecisive for permanence like that.
  18. My favourite place in the whole world (so far) is New Zealand. South Island. I’d absolutely be living there right now if it wasn’t on the opposite side of the world to my entire family.
  19. I have never, and will never ever, jump out of an airplane, off a bridge or a crane or any tall thing with an elastic cord attached to my feet. No. Frigging. Chance.
  20. I had never spent a night in hospital, had any surgery, or had any pain relief stronger than a dentist jab until the day I had a baby.

Bonus fact: I used to insist I was never having kids. Obviously I grew into the idea.