Category Archives: claretsgirl facts

Facts about claretsgirl: David Cassidy, Jane Austen and Bacardi

In my very first blog I dangled the carrot of expectation, teasing you with the prospect of more facts about me, claretsgirl, by way of introduction.

That was a little while ago and the carrot has probably shrivelled up by now, and you’ve all  moved on to thinking about the new football season.

But I’m back with more.

It’s quite tough really thinking of interesting things about me. Confounds me why I started a blog in the first place to be honest if, out of all of my almost-50 years (catch up; you need to read my first blog) the claretsgirl facts I’ve come up with this time include drinking and kissing.

But here we go ….

1. I had my first kiss at a junior disco in the Silverman Hall, Nelson. I kept my eyes open all the time.

2. The lad who gave me my first kiss at a junior disco in the Silverman Hall, Nelson, kept his eyes open all the time.

3. My first kiss at a junior disco in the Silverman Hall, Nelson, consisted of a staring competition.

4. The first album I ever owned was 20 Power Hits. The first single I ever owned was Storm In a Teacup by The Fortunes. My taste in music has gone downhill since then. We used to sing this this one in the playground. And at one point I even fancied this bloke.  But then David Cassidy came into my life … “hanging around with my head up, upside down”. Ooh. Butterflies, even now.

5. The first time I had a hangover I was 14 when someone spiked my coke with Bacardi. The last time I had a hangover was last Sunday after someone spiked my Bacardi with coke.

6.  All through school I had the maddest crush on *** ******. I’m not disgusing his name, that’s what he was called. Caused mayhem for new teachers doing register.

7.  I was a founder member of the Pendle Home Brew Society. In other words, a bunch of beer-loving journos had come up with an excuse to get together and drink lots of beer. I was social secretary, which was great.  There was  a lot of  emphasis on social and hardly any on secretary.

8. I once did a parachute jump even though I’d never flown before. For three years I was able to say I had taken off in a plane but never landed. I got a few pints out of that  teaser.

9. I don’t swim very well. I look like I’m doing the Okey Cokey underwater and that’s when I’m just paddling.

10. I named my daughter Emma after the book of the same name by Jane Austen. If I’d had twins they would have been called Pride and Prejudice.

“Oi, Pride, your tea’s ready! And put Prejudice down!!” I think that would have worked, don’t you?

Next time on claretsgirl facts: There will be more facts about claretsgirl. Keep going, I’ll quiz you all later.

Twitter and Burnley FC have alot to answer for

If you’re reading this you may have found me through Twitter.

If you didn’t, then how the hell did you? Answers on a postcard please …

So who am I, why am I here, if claretsgirl falls in a forest and there’s no-one there to hear does she make a noise.

Most likely ‘Yes’. Because I’m very clumsy. That, my friends, is the first uninteresting fact I am going to share with you about me.

The second is the reason this blog is called claretsgirl. One; I am not claret (though I go a little flushed after one too many) and two; I am definitely not a girl (I was once, I might add, just in case you are doubting my sexuality).

No. In fact the avatar ‘claretsgirl’ came about because I am a Burnley fan, and last summer when we were promoted to the Premiership at Wembley I was as giddy as a kipper. Have you ever seen a grown kipper cry? Well .. I was so excited and enthused that  I decided to start a Twitter account to prepare for a bit of angst-sharing along the way.

I ‘virtually’ met other clarets fans, and between us we are collectively known as twitterclarets. Angst is now most definitely shared. Quite often.

But that aside, discovering Twitter rekindled my love of words; a quirky quip or two between complete strangers about which Beatles song sounds like a fruit and there you have it. Fulfilment on an average at-home Friday night. (If you don’t do Twitter then to clarify…. Yes. It is total bollocks).

To the point then.

I’m writing a blog because I want to share my reflective ramblings at a pivotal time of my life. Pivotal because I’m 50 this year.

Shit. I’ll say it again. I’m 50 this year.

When I was 21 I thought people who were 50 were sad, chunky, crinkly and didn’t like decent music. I must have had fantastic visionary skills in those days as all are now true. Apart, maybe, from the crinkly bit. I’ve escaped that. People think I’m younger which is nice. Keep it up, I say.

So half a century old. In November. (The 7th if you want to send a card and some flowers, but I’ll remind you nearer the time.)

At the back end of last year I had great plans for this year. I wanted to do 50 things to mark my birthday and blog about them. Erm …. well, that kind of fell by the wayside. One of the reasons being that I was diagnosed with a bugger of an  illness which wiped me out for the good part of at least a year. More on that another time.

Hey-ho. It’s now July 2010, I’m 50 in just over three months, but here I am at last. My first blog post. I hope it’s up to the mark, whoever he may be.

So instead of doing 50 things and blogging about them,  I’ll share 50 facts with you about me. That should get us on a friendly footing I reckon.

I wouldn’t be so mean as to do 50 at once .. so here’s a starter for 10.

The first 10 facts about claretsgirl

1. I am not really claret-coloured (see above)

2. I quite like drinking it though

3. I am not a girl (see above)

4. I am getting on a bit (see above)

5. I support Burnley FC. This is me being as giddy as a kipper moments after we were promoted to the Premiership {a) I am giddy b) I don’t look like a kipper}

6) I am very clumsy (see above)

7) My daughter is clumsy too. (This year I will be exactly double her age. Emsiz {that’s Emma} will be 25 and mumsiz {that’s me} will be 50. Have I mentioned that? November 7th? Gift vouchers accepted)

8) I live in Liverpool. But I have also lived in county Durham, the county of Lancashire, the county of Hertfordshire and the county of Greater Manchester. The latter was a made up county in some 1974 admin-revolution, so I’ll change that to Bolton. And there I lived for 20 years.

9) My best friend when I was about 8 was called Lanky. Not a tall gangly girl, but a plank. Literally. I was heartbroken when someone snapped it in two.

10) I like words. Particularly ‘please’ and ‘thank-you’ and ‘I’ll have a pint’. Or even ‘I’ll have a pint please. Thank-you.’ Great when you can string them together like that.

But the bottom line is it’s a love of words that’s brought me here to my first blog. Words. And a drop of angst.

I’m blogging, at last. You can thank Twitter and Burnley FC for that.