Laying it bare – Judy’s Nosy Questions #2

Judy Dykstra Brown over in Lifelessons wants to know more in the second round of Nosy Questions!  Join in the fun, if you dare!

1. Tell us how you met your partner. Please be specific in telling your tale.
   We worked at a hospital and knew each other in passing only.  One day after work we found ourselves at a pedestrian crossing not far from where we worked.  He said something and as I had relocated from Canada to Australia, I recognised the Canadian accent.  He was pleased as punch that I did.  We walked and talked for a while, mostly about Canada, until I was home (a high rise apartment in the CBD).  He grinned and asked if he could come up to see my etchings.  A few weeks later, I let him.  A long courtship, living together, marriage, two kids and divorce followed.  We are still on good terms.
2. What is your most romantic experience, again with details?
   At Dr T’s (see above) insistence we were having a break and, broken-hearted, I decided to travel to Europe when I met him.  He was from Scotland.  He always seemed to find me in a crowd.   He had the most beautiful Scottish accent and could recite the poetry of Robert Burns and Robert Frost, just like that.  He also wrote poetry.  I was smitten.  As my time in Europe was coming to an end we spent a memorable night in Beaune, France.

   I’m not sure how we continued a long distance relationship in those days, the days before email and FaceTime or Skype, but we did for two years.  He sent me cassettes of him reciting poetry, songs that made him think of me and monologues to me in that wonderful Scottish voice.

   He and Dr T were aware of each other’s presence in my life.  I was struggling to make a decision when he sent me a cassette of the song by Matt Munro ‘Walk Away’, the lyrics:
   Walk away, please go
   Before you throw your life away
   A life that I could share for just a day
   We should have met some years ago
   For your sake I say
   Walk away, just go.
   Walk away, and live
   A life that’s full
   With no regret
   Don’t look back at me
   Just try to forget
   Why build a dream that cannot come true
   So be strong, reach the stars now
   Walk away, walk on.
   If I heard your voice
   I’d beg you to stay
   So don’t say a word
   Just run, run away.…

   The song haunts me to this day.

3. What is the most extravagant purchase you’ve ever made, and why did you buy it?
   Oh my goodness!  For someone who hates shopping I splurge on a regular basis!  My most recent splurge was a sterling silver cuff by John Miller Designs, a silversmith in the South West.  Beautifully handcrafted in his studio, I want everything he has ever made!  I bought this one to remind me of the wonderful time I had in Exmouth.  I bought a ring to go with it too.
   
4. What is your favorite swear word or expression, and when are you most likely to use it?
   I’ve lived in Australia for decades so expletives Bastard! F*ckwit! and the like, is my primary language, especially when I’m driving in the city.
   I still remember how to say Motherf*cker in Hindi.  I slip into bilingual swearing for special F*ckwits.
   I’m particularly fond of the phrase, who gives a flying f*ck and for no particular reason other than the mental imagery!
5. What is your favorite kind of pie? With or without ice cream?
   Offer me cherry pie with vanilla ice cream and I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth.  (Rare to find cherry pie in Western Australia).
6. While we’re on the subject, what is your favorite ice cream, and where did you last eat it?
   
   I rarely buy ice cream because I prefer the ice cream I make and no, I don’t have an ice cream maker.  This is a family favourite, dried apricot and cointreau.  Rich and luscious, because it is calorie laden it is best enjoyed once a year, at Christmas.
7. Who is your most unique friend and why? (May be someone from the past.)
   He was 30 years older than me and I loved him dearly.  He had never married and was an author, human rights activist and mental health activist.  I met him only once but we had a long friendship before he passed on a few years ago.  He was my rock and touchstone during difficult times.  I’ve written about him in a previous post.
8. What is your most irritating habit?
   Dr T and our children would agree … when I have people over for a meal, I cook a buffet and everyone complains about having to wait while I cook one more dish.
9. Who was your favorite teacher and why?
   Miss Eva was my teacher in the final year of high school.  She believed I could make a difference.  I, in turn, believed her.
10. Do you like being alone and if so, what would you probably be doing?
    Love, love, love being alone.  You’ll find me beach combing.  Or if home, enjoying my first cuppa in the shadows of pre-dawn.
11. What is the most outlandish thing you’ve ever done?
    I was scared of heights and a friend coaxed me to go abseiling (rapelling).  I abseiled off a 75 metre (about 240 foot) cliff.  I loved it so much I did it three times.  I’m no longer scared of heights.  I find the descent exhilarating.
12. What superstition do you always follow?
    I never walk under ladders.  Ever.
13. What famous person or animal have you met? Tell us about the meeting.
    I was so mesmerised by his outrageously flamboyant shoes that I literally bumped into Bob Geldof on a street in London.

Well, I’m done unwrapping.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

In response to Judy’s Nosy Questions #2