meme and myself

MissyFee has tagged me for a meme. I'm a meme virgin. A meme requires self-reflection and revelation - processes that are gradually becoming less scary through the activity of blogging. But responding to a meme is a big step for me. Here goes:

What is your current obsession?
Probably knitting; and reading knitting blogs; and Ravelry; and catching up with knitting friends.

What are you wearing today?
I've finally taken a day off work to try to get rid of my cold and protect my work colleagues from my coughing and sneezing, so I'm wearing my 'comfort clothes' - old, soft wool pants, even older cashmere jumper with enormous ragged holes in the elbows, handknitted socks (all grey) and old, bright red Camper slides.

What's for dinner?
Pork steaks with apple sauce, mashed potato, glazed carrots, and peas (my son is staying with me).

What did you eat for your last meal?
It was breakfast - half grapefruit, toast with avocado and tomato, strong coffee.

What's the last thing you bought?
A 'do it yourself' Power of Attorney kit. My son is travelling overseas and I need to be able to act on his behalf.

What are you listening to right now?
The dishwasher washing dishes

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
A cafe in Amsterdam, my favourite city

Which language do you want to learn?
Spanish, so I can communicate with the many Spanish-speaking members of my extended family. But to be honest, if I really wanted to learn Spanish, I would have done so before now. I think I want to be able to speak Spanish but I don't really want to go through the process of learning it!

What do you love most about where you currently live?
Its convenience; its comfort; my neighbours.

What is your favorite colour?
To wear? Grey. But I also love deep rose pink, red and burnt orange.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
The piece of clothing I love most is a modern print, traditionally made kimono jacket given to me by a Korean/Japanese friend. The fabric and colours are wonderful.


However, the beautiful kimono is rather flamboyant and I don't wear it often. The clothes I currently love wearing are cotton knit sort of pants/leggings from Alistair Trung.

What were you doing ten years ago?
Working very hard at a job that I loved and that enabled me to travel quite a bit. I've just checked, and in June 1999 I was in France. Ahhh.

Describe your personal style?
Gosh. I've been wearing the same kinds of clothes (and in some cases the same clothes) for a very long time, so I guess I must have a personal style. I have to be comfortable. I only wear flat or very low heels. I don't own any jeans. I like clothes that hang well. I like accessories - scarves, interesting shoes, chunky jewellery.

If you had $300 now, what would you spend it on?
A new pair of shoes

What are you going to do after this?
Knit

What countries would you like to visit?
I would love to re-visit The Netherlands, and to go to the Baltic states. I'd like to see Central India, Laos and Cambodia. I'd love to go to Argentina. I'd like to drive across the USA. Indeed, I want to travel anywhere...

What inspires you?
Reading; some movies, JS Bach; Vermeer's paintings; Georgian architecture; my friends

Whose work/designs are you inspired by?
Issy Miyake, early Coco Chanel. For knitting - Elizabeth Zimmerman, Ysolda Teague, Nancy Bush

Your favourite books?
George Eliot 'Middlemarch', Jane Austen 'Persuasion', Elizabeth Gaskell 'North and South', Anthony Trollope 'The Way We Live Now', Margaret Oliphant 'Miss Marjoribanks'. Somehow my favourite reading got stuck in nineteenth century England.

Do you collect anything?
I'm trying to ignore the growing piles of yarn. I have a small collection of santos - mainly old, wooden images of saints. For an atheist, a bit odd.



The Santo Nino (Holy Child) and the taller San Vicente and San Francisco are from the Philippines, the small St Joseph in the front from India. And the garish plaster saint is a Cuban San Lazaro - patron saint of the poor, who is also the orisha Babalu-Aye in Santeria, the local version of a Yoruba religion practiced among slaves.

What makes you follow a blog?
That it has a personality and reflects passions and interests.

What was the most enjoyable thing you did today?
Lying in bed listening to ABC Radio National because I didn't get up early to go to work.

Whats one thing you dream of doing?
Retaining my health, independence and interest in life as I grow older.

These are the rules as passed on by Fee:
1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own. 2. Tag eight other people.

But the rules are too hard. I couldn't answer Fee's question about my favourite films - my mind just went blank. I can think of many films I like, but none I would call my favourite. I substituted a question about where I'd like to travel. I've not added a new question, as this has already taken me ages to answer. Enough self-revelation.

And I don't think I know eight readers who have not already been tagged. However, if you haven't been tagged, feel free to play along. I've really enjoyed reading other people's answers.