Questions, questions

If you’re wondering where I’ve been, my computer has been out of action for several days. I’ll fill you in with my activities in the next couple of days. Just before its demise, Elizabeth Grace sent me the following questions which I agreed to answer on my blog. Since I assume the questions are meant to provide an insight into the interviewee, I am not sticking rigidly to the question but I have rather tried abiding by its spirit.

What is your favorite line from a book, movie, or song?

Here, for example, I cannot in all honesty say what is my favourite line. Too many things have gone inside my head and escaped again. However, there is one memorable line, which I have been known to quote on many occasions – from Shirley Conran’s book, Superwoman – Life is too short to stuff a mushroom. So if I’m entertaining, I try to think, what looks good (tastes good, too), but doesn’t take too much time. I once grumbled at my mother for thinking she had to make chocolate choux buns every time we came to visit. (That was apart from the main meals she cooked.) This entailed making choux pastry, making and baking the buns, whipping cream to fill them and, finally, making chocolate icing to go on top. My mother was ninety and still doing this. We just wanted her to sit down and enjoy our company.

What do you think is the most important quality to instill in children?

I like to think my children are honest, honourable people who I can trust. But there are so many other things that are important; unselfishness, altruism, kindness and such things as tactfulness and sociability too. I haven’t necessarily managed them all.

3. If you found a genie in a bottle, what would you wish for?

Above all, good health for my family, both physical and mental. Health comes way before wealth. I remember my father, who never seemed to be without an ailment, and who spent many years worried and depressed about his health and many other things. My family were never short of money, but I can’t say my father had a good quality of life. Good physical and mental health gives you the ability to do many things in terms of happiness, success, or making the best use of your talent or skill.

4. If you were to win one whopper of a gift certificate to the store of your choice, which store would you choose?

I’ll cheat here, and nominate two stores and you can treat my answer as either/or. My first choice would be Marks & Spencer. I am not a fancy type of person, and on the whole I prefer classic clothes. M & S also please me by doing trouser that are short enough for me – a mere 5ft 2”, whereas so many shops cater for the much taller modern generation of women. I would probably buy lots and lots of plain jumpers and trousers and t-shirts. (Boring! I know.)

Alternatively, I would have a Waterstone’s voucher. Apart from buying many books by other people, I would also order hundreds of copies of my own books and distribute them to friends who would not otherwise buy them. Perhaps I would finally convince someone that they were worth a read.

5. What are the best and most challenging things about your job?

My job is not one that I chose, as I am fond of reminding my other half. I never wanted to be a secretary; opted into the job by default, thinking I would work for a newspaper or magazine, write something brilliant and get discovered. It didn’t happen. Once I was married, I was able to run that side of M’s business. The things I like about it are being able to work alone on accounts, etc., which I quite enjoy and turning M’s letters into elegant prose, which is sometimes a challenge. The best thing is probably the flexibility. I can juggle work to fit in with meeting friends, writing (sometimes) and getting up at my leisure in the morning.