SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Phew!

What a weekend.

What a lot of time off we have all had.

This weekend has been all about having a lot of fun.

First the continuing ninjafication of this sleepy backwater of South London,

then the wedding celebrations

and a street party

and then a couple of days of messing about on the river with lots of children and ducks.

But that's just a diversion.

I've been meaning to write this post for ages, but every time I go to do it something else even more pressing has come up.

A while ago I was given this lovely award by the lovely Sarah of

Guernsey Girl gets Crafty.

I was really flattered but a little freaked about what I would say.

I try to keep a lot of my life and what I really do out of this blog.

Just because I have a professional persona that has little to do with Flaming Nora.

But recently more of the line and the rules I set out when I started blogging have either been crossed , ignored or bent.

Plus I'm soon to be featured on Beth Nicholls Do what you love blog talking about my professional life.

So Hey Ho Lets Go....

Seven things you didn't know about me.

1. My name is not Nora.

By day I am a costume maker for London's glamorous west end and Hollywood films. In fact I am off tomorrow for a meeting with the designer of the new Tim Burton film. I've also worked on three films which won an Oscar for the costume design. "Shakespeare in love", "Gladiator" and "Elizabeth the golden age".

2. I can't cook and I won't cook.

Well except cakes,

I make a blinding wonky cake,

and sausage rolls,

even though I say so myself they are amazing.

No one can believe a culinary duffer like me can make them.

3. Most of my immediate family live abroad,

Dad, a little brother and a little sister in France,

and a big little brother in Denmark.

Its very hard to only see your Dad or siblings once a year.

Though it makes for some fantastic holidays.

4. I've had malaria.

I caught it on a most memorable trip to Nigeria in 1993.

One day I'll tell you all about it.

About the man on the market with the wheel barrow full of Afro Beats,

who wanted my hand in marriage.

Who my mother nearly sold me to for a bottle of whisky, two goats and a house in his compound.

About goats arriving for a party on a bus.

Of pulling crates and crates of beer out of the boot of a car for the aforementioned party to find lots and lots of chickens looking at me

(dinner)

Oh I could talk all night about it.

5. I love old children's books. Fact or fiction, pictures or words or both.

I have quite an extensive collection of them.

I especially love the Barba Papa books,

the illustration in the is perfect as far as I am concerned.

6. At 5'11" I am actually one of the shortest member of my family, only a couple of girl cousins are shorter. Its one of the bains of my life that I didn't reach 6'.

I mean what is the point of 5' 11"?

Its neither one thing or the other.

Its not tall enough to be proper tall

and its too tall to make it easy to buy clothes to fit.

7. I once had a job working on the chocolate counter in Selfridges.

I didn't last long, but blimey was it good.

I also once had a job as a waitress in a pizza restaurant.

Again I didn't last long.

Can't think why.

Because I am not in anyway a clumsy, bolshie, gobshite.

So there you go!

Thank you for the kind award.

This also seems like the right time to say thank you for all the fantastic and encouraging comments you all leave and to all of those of you who have been deranged enough to become my followers.

I guess all that time and money I invested in the subliminal hypnotism e-course is at last showing results.

Thanks guys I'm still slightly baffled by the fact people actually read my sometimes ranting, always rambling, stream of consciousness ponderings.

Much love to each and every one of you,

your families,

your pets,

your pets families,

your families pets,

oh you get the gist.

Thanks.

Nora xxxx