A belated Happy New Year!
Apart from eating and drinking far too much, I’ve spent the Christmas holidays doing nothing except read and read, but I did also keep up with lots of my favourite bloggers. I came across the idea of answering these 25 random questions after reading one of my favourite blogs, Jaffa Reads Too. I thought it would be a fun start to the new year, and a way to introduce myself to new followers – and not too taxing – hopefully!
So, here goes, with 25 random facts about me…!
What is your middle name?
My middle name is Bernadette. (I’m one of three daughters, and my mum is also one of three daughters. My sisters and I took my mum and her sisters’ names as our middle names (if that makes sense!) and my middle name is after my auntie Bernadette.)
What is your favourite drink?
Tea! I drink copious amounts of it during the day.
What is your favourite song at the moment?
My favourite Christmas song is Johnny Mathis – When a Child is Born. Even though I’ve heard it loads these past few weeks I still never get tired of it. I know all the words, and sing along every time I hear it (even when I’m with crowds of strangers out Christmas shopping, which sometimes gets me funny looks)
What is your favourite food?
My favourite meal is either Christmas turkey dinner with all the trimmings, followed by Christmas pudding and brandy butter, or – when it’s not Christmas – a curry. I live near Bradford in the north of England, which is regularly voted Curry Capital of Britain. I have a post here all about going for a Ruby if you want to find out more :)
What was the last thing you bought?
The last thing I bought was a book. (And I expect that answer surprised no one!) I bought Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend yesterday. It’s a massive bestseller and I wanted to find out why. No one even knows who Elena Ferrante really is – apart from that she’s Italian and lives in Naples (probably). So I’m intrigued to read this novel and find out why people love it.
What is your favourite book of all time?
That varies quite a bit. At the moment it’s Parade’s End, by Ford Madox Ford. It was recently adapted for television by the BBC. I thought the cast was perfect – especially Benedict Cumberbatch – and the acting was superb, but the TV series didn’t have anything like as much depth as the book and it skimmed over a lot of things, which was disappointing. I love the book – a lot! – and it will always be one of my favourite books of all time.
What is your favourite colour?
I used to have bright ginger hair (which has faded now) and so when I was younger there were only wear a few colours I could wear that wouldn’t clash with it. I used to bemoan the fact that I couldn’t wear bright red, but now I’ve actually grown to love autumnal colours – greens, browns, and gold.
Do you have a pet?
Yes – my bonkers rescue dog, Lexi, who is very affectionate with the people she knows, but very distrustful of strangers. She also hates other dogs with a passion. We walk on the moors together every day near my home, where she can relax in the solitude and can terrorise the pheasants.
What is your favourite perfume?
I don’t often wear perfume as I’m not keen on strong scents. I like the smell of my moisturiser, which is a type of Royal Jelly, but that’s about as strongly scented as I like.
What is your favourite holiday?
Somewhere in a cottage by the seaside, with lots of books and walks with my husband and dog on the beach. We’ve just come back from a week in Cornwall and it was bliss.
Are you married?
Yes, to my lovely husband, Bob.
Have you ever been out of the country?
Yes, very often. Also, I was born in Uganda and didn’t even come to live in Britain until I was six. The next place I’ll be travelling to is New Zealand, to visit my daughter who lives there.
Do you speak another language?
Yes, I speak German fairly well as I spent some time in Austria and Germany. I also speak French, but both languages are quite rusty now.
How many siblings do you have?
I had two sisters and four brothers growing up. Sadly one of my sisters died from cancer eight years ago. I still think about her a lot.
What is your favourite shop?
My local bookshop, which used to be part of an old woollen mill. Here’s a photo, and I have some more photos of it here.
When was the last time you cried?
After my son died in 2011 I cried every day for eighteen months. Now I just cry on the inside.
What is your Favourite Blog? I have so many I love, I couldn’t choose just one. Book bloggers have massively changed the way I find great reads and I’m really grateful for all the work they put in.
What is your Favourite Film? I have two favourites – High Society, which I watched again recently, and a French film called Au Revoir les Enfants, which is a true story and very sad, and so I can’t watch it often.
Pc or Mac? PC
What phone do you have? A small Samsung. I used it to take the photos of Cornwall in this article.
What is your favourite pastime? Reading, reading, reading! I also like knitting and walking on the moors with my dog, and meeting up with my friends.
Do you have any tattoos or piercings? I’ve only had my ears pierced.
Helena Fairfax 
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