Friday 7 May 2010

Five years

Jane, from the lovely blog Plain Jane, gave me this little tag that has been bouncing merrily around the blogosphere. Thank you, Jane! (Incidentally - the word ‘blogosphere’ does not get flagged up in Word as something strange. How quick language adapts!)

Where were you five years ago?

1. Interviewing bands like Level 42, and actors like Josh Hartnett
2. Just started writing a regular quirky history article for a London-based magazine
3. Directing an online team of fifty freelance writers, mainly beginners who loved writing, encouraging them with their dreams
4. Thinking seriously hard about giving up smoking
5. Scribbling story ideas when no one was looking

Where would you like to be five years from now?

1. A published author, whose stories leave people with the slightly warm fuzzy feeling a good yarn can bring
2. Helping with the casting for the film of the first book (heeheehee, rubs hands with glee)
3. Owning my own home, somewhere with hidden nooks and book-filled crannies and a garden for my two cats (who will still be with me as my elderly furry advisors)
4. Happy and confident in my abilities, slightly slimmer and healthier but fully at peace with myself
5. With a man who loves me

What is on your to-do list today?

1. Work stuff (day-time)
2. Redrafting stuff (evening - chapter 22)
3. Blog-skipping (a merry game to play whilst at work doing Other Things)
4. Puzzling over the ending of Daphne du Maurier’s ‘The Birds’, and wondering whether every story I read by this marvellous author will leave me scratching my head and desperate to know more
5. Finding the cat basket in order to take the Naughty Tortie for her Expensive Teeth check up tomorrow (we are both so looking forward to it)

What five snacks do you enjoy?

1. Chocolate (Cadbury’s Twirl)
2. Madeira cake
3. Chocolate (Cadbury’s Buttons)
4. Wasabi peas
5. Chocolate (Cadbury’s anything)

What would you do if you were a Billionaire?

1. Give half of it to various charities – no one seriously needs to be a billionaire
2. Buy property in London, Cornwall, France and New York (okay – will I need to be a billionaire to do that?!)
3. Give money to my friends/family so they can achieve their own dreams
4. Hire Sir Paul McCartney to play a gig on my birthday (and I choose the play-list)
5. Organise an all-expense-paid get-together party for all the people on my blog-list! It would be so great to meet you all.

Tag! You’re it... (as I would love to read your answers!)

Rose over at A Rose Beyond The Thames
Kit over at Kit Courteney Writes
Linda over at Wanna Be A Writer
Karen over at Get On With It
Fran at Being Me

And now for Awards!

And, as you have no doubt surmised by my sequins and best gown, I also have a One Lovely Blog award to give away, awarded to me by the lovely Alex at Friends and Crocodiles.




Without further ado, and with a sultry flick of my feather boa, I award it to:

Ev over at All This and Heaven Too
Christine over at Inwardly Digesting
Amy over at Bring Yourself
Pamela over at From the House of Edward
Joanne over at Whole Latte Life

I also have another Award to give away, given to me by the fabulous Carol, at Under the Tiki Hut, and the fantastic Julie at Silver Lining. I am an honoured soul (and a hoarder).


So, squinting in the spotlight, I would like to give the Sweet Blog award too:

Lydia at The Word is my Oyster
MissKris at A Shelter From The Storm
Old Kitty at Ten Lives and Second Chances
Milton over at KittyChat
Lilly over at Stuff I Make, Bake and Love

More awards coming up over the weekend! But don’t worry, I will change my frock.

37 comments:

Karen Jones Gowen said...

So nice to learn more about you! I wish you every success, that billion dollars and all the Cadbury chocolate you can eat!

Old Kitty said...

Awwwww!

Thank you so much for my sweet award - it really is so so so cute!!!

Thank you so much!

I love this tag thing - it's great to know you a little bit. I mean you interviewed Josh Hartnett?? Level 42?? WOW!!!

And isn't the Birds and other short stories by Ms Du Maurier the absolute best in profound uneasiness?!?!?!

Awww and I also hope your furry friends will continue to be your slightly older but ever so sharp furry advisors in five years time and more!

They will of course find you that perfect man who will love you! Oh yes they will.

p.s. I suddenly have this craving for Cadbury's buttons...

Take care
x

i'm no miss said...

I wish you attain all your dreams and become a billionaire.

And oh, if you become one, I hope I'll be one of the lucky beneficiaries of your generosity haha!

Aubrie said...

Those are great goals! I'd love to choose a cast for my book to be made into a movie! How fun!

Joanne said...

Wow, lots of fun things going on over here! I'm kind of liking that snack list of yours. You're as partial to chocolate as I am! And thanks so much for passing the Lovely Blog Award my way, it is much appreciated :)

Kittie Howard said...

Very nice to learn more about you and this means I learned you're a very sincere, very kind-hearted person. And on a morning when so much seems to be going wrong in the world, reading your blog brought a smile to my face, for Nice and Kind-hearted are good.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for the One Lovely Blog award.

I would have been in awe of you if you hadn't confessed to snacking so much on chocolate! :-)

May all your dreams come true.

Unknown said...

Mmmmm... Cadburys..... yes, definitely excellent snack food

Talli Roland said...

Congrats on the awards.

But... Madeira Cake? SERIOUSLY?!

Laura S. said...

Mmmm, chocolate! I love Cadbury Creme Eggs at Easter time. I wish those were sold all year!

I have an award for you at my blog!

Mise said...

This five years back and five years on thing is a great idea, especially if one plots the graph between them and indicates with a dotted line where one is now, then stomps dejectedly to the liquor cabinet for something stiff.

Wendy Ramer, Author said...

I loved Level 42...whatever happened to them? And as for the chocolate (see my own list of 5), I prefer Lindt all the way, baby!

Lola Sharp said...

Congrats on your awards!


~Lola

Private said...

Wohoo! Very nice to learn more about you - and I agree with the mansion in Cornwall-thing. Very Inspector Lynley:)

Shannon O'Donnell said...

I love this tag - it's such a fun one! And I love Cadbury's anything chocolate, too! Congrats on your awards.

Have a great weekend! :-)

Lydia Kang said...

Oh you are too sweet! I love this award, I want to hug it! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Nothing beats Cadbury chocolate!

Fran Hill said...

You and I are choco-buddies, obviously. Thanks for the tag - will work on it ....

Arlee Bird said...

It would be cool to meet all of these other bloggers that we encounter here in Blogworld. There really should be some sort of convention or something financed by some benevolent billionaire.

Lee
May 17th Fifteen Fantasy Island Favorites

Amy said...

Thank you for the award! I may just celebrate with some chocolate buttons. I love them too.

Susan Fields said...

You interviewed Josh Hartnett? Lucky you! I like to think about which actors/actresses will play which characters when my book becomes a movie - I'm pretty sure there will be a part for Johnny Depp in there somewhere. :)

Congrats on your awards!

mi said...

just came across your blog - and i too love just about anything cadbury!

btw - i never in my life thought i would see level 42 and josh hartnett in the same sentence, haha!

and you just might need to be a billionaire to hire sir paul!

Rose said...

I am it! okay I will answer- thanks very much x

Linda said...

Thanks for the tag. Its set me thinking. Will post soon.

Linda

Creepy Query Girl said...

Congrats on your awards and to the winners! Thanks for visiting m'blog! Did you ever stop smoking??:)

Plain Jane said...

How did I miss this post for three whole days? That is what I get for being too tired for computer time...I really liked your answers. My favorites are the five years ago and five years from now. Perspective is so telling, don't you think?

Carol Kilgore said...

I loved learning more about you :)

Missed Periods said...

I am currently obsessed with wasabi peas. Chocolate...always.

Julie@beingRUBY said...

Hi Jayne
Thank you so much for your birthday wishes... it's starting to look a lot like.. well my birthday.. haha

Love that 5 year plan.. I'm with you on points #3-5!! I wish you all the best in getting there...

So... glad you popped over so I could find you too.. Have a great day and congrats on all your awards.. xx Julie

Ange said...

Hahaha! This is too funny. Well - I hope you get to be a billionaire so we can have some of those snacks together that we seem to share a love of.

May all those dreams of yours come true Jayne. Looks like you've done so much wonderful stuff already - it's bound to happen!

Ange
xx

Jayne said...

KarenG – Aw thank you!

Old Kitty – You deserve the award! I quite liked interviewing folk, although it was totally out of my comfort zone. Profound uneasiness definitely describes the du Maurier book I am reading! Your comment was lovely – thank you!

I’m no Miss – hee! I’m liking the sound of this billionaire thing.

Aubrie – I must admit to thinking of such things! Sometimes more than I write anything.

Joanne – I am totally and happily addicted to chocolate! I think you can tell.

Kittie – aw, your comment warmed my heart! Thank you so much.

Christine – Hee - thanks! Today’s chocolate was Maltesers, which I consider pretty much diet-worthy.

Elegant Snobbery – Cadbury’s is the Stuff of Dreams. Long may it last!

Jayne said...

Talli – honest, Madeira cake is made of win. I am also rather partial to a good Victoria sponge.

Laura – I think where I am they are sold all year! At least I don’t recall them being off menu, so to speak. But I am not actually a big fan of the crème egg. It’s the crème what does it... the egg is fine! And thank you for the award!

Mise – Gosh yes. With that in mind I am off for a dejected stomp!

Wendy – I cannot get on with Lindt. I tried it, but it’s just not the choc for me, which means more for you, and more Cadbury’s for me – what a team! I think Level 42 are still doing their own thing. When I interviewed Mark King they had just released a ‘best of’ album – amazing how many songs I remembered and enjoyed. It was a phone interview, and he was such a nice person to speak to – one of my favourite interviews!

Lola – Thank you!

Alex – Love how my Cornwall pad has been elevated to a mansion! I am a bit more of a cottage by the sea girl myself, although if a mansion came begging I wouldn’t say no. And yes, very Inspector Lynley!

Shannon – It’s nice to read more about folk, isn’t it? Thank you!

Lydia – Hee! Glad you liked it!

Donna – I agree – nothing, nothing! My heart is true.

Jayne said...

Fran – I worry more about the future of Cadbury’s than I do about who runs this country.

Arlee Bird – It would be fab wouldn’t it? I’d love to go to a convention like that.

Amy – I found the only thing nicer than chocolate buttons are giant chocolate buttons. My waist line is doomed.

Susan – Yup! He was very professional, laid back, slightly bored of saying the same stuff over and over, but still attentive with it. I love how we are so positive ‘when our books become a movie’ – damn right! And oh yes, Johnny Depp. Definitely!

Mi – Hello! Welcome to a fellow Cadbury lover! I know - haha. I deliberately chose them two as I thought visitors here would know one or the other (or both!). I sadly suspect you are right about Sir Paul.

Rose – Yup! Hope you get a chance to play along.

Linda – Thinking is good! Hope you get time to play.

Creepy Query Girl – I did stop smoking that year – decided it would probably be the best 30th birthday present I could give myself, and so finally did it! I can’t say that has quite been the end of the smoking story, but I can count the cigarettes on one hand since that birthday, so that is not so bad!

Plain Jane – Glad you liked them, thanks for tagging me! I too like the five years previous and future – interesting to see where people have come from, and where they want to go.

Carol – Thank you!

Missed Periods – Wasabi peas are delicious! Wasabi anything is lovely. Prefer peas to peanuts though.

Julie – Thank you so much for coming over, and for the future plan wishes! Slowly but surely!

Ange – Glad you liked! And thank you, that is such a lovely comment. I do appreciate it. x

Ann said...

Congratulations on your awards. I love Daphne du Maurier’s novels. Just finished Frenchman’s Creek, again.

Enjoyed reading about you and discovering we have Cadbury's chocolate in common.

Have a wonderful Tuesday.

Jayne said...

Hello Ann! I am so excited that I have so many of Daphne du Maurier's books yet to discover. I just finished The Apple Tree today... she really makes us live that cold house, that taste, the scent of the apple wood burning. I so admire writers that can do that.

I am already rueful that I have no chocolate to get me through to lunchtime! Coffee shall be my saviour! Happy Wednesday!

Kit Courteney said...

I was merrily reading through your post, chuckling at your answers..............

and then I saw my name.

Now I have to try and be funny and clever and make myself sound interesting!

I thought you were my friend!

Jayne said...

Hi Kit - hahaha, I am, I am! :)