Recently Antonia and Megan tagged me for a “Seven Things Meme”. I’ve completed this one a couple of times before but memes are great for weeks like this. They’re fun and they don’t require a lot of thought. So here I go again.
1. As I’ve said before, I sleep walk fairly regularly. In my most recent sleep walking event a tortoise scuttled out from under my pillow snapping its jaws at me angrily. I leapt out of bed and began shouting on D to come help me deal with the creature. He did so but then had to go back into the livingroom and explain to his beer-drinking, ski-DVD-watching friends why his psycho girlfriend was screaming about reptiles in the middle of the night. 🙂
2. I once deeply offended a stranger at a wedding. I’d had too much champagne and when the farmer sitting across from me at the table declared that his grandfather was a Westie I almost wet myself laughing. He meant “from the western isles of Scotland”; I couldn’t stop thinking “West Highland Terrier”.
3. Whilst living in a small town in northern Japan, strangers (mostly teenage girls) used to shout “chisai kao” at me in the street. Chisai kao means small face. It was odd but I quite liked it for a while. Then I got irritated that I couldn’t go anywhere without being shouted at in the street. Being called “small face” was one of the reasons I left Japan.
4. Another time in Japan I went to a nearby lake, Shikotsuko, and asked another foreigner to take a photo of me and my friend. After he’d had done so we chatted and I discovered that, not only was he also Scottish, he was my best friend’s boyfriend’s next door neighbour back in Aberdeenshire!
5. I’ve been 5″10 (178 cm) since I was 13. In my teenage years I hated it and used to read medical journals hoping to discover an operation to make me shorter. I now love being tall as, being very nosey, it enables me to see more of what’s going on.
6. My best friend’s brother is called Matt and he’s married to a girl called Kat and they used to have a couple of lodgers called Nat and Matt. AND three out of the four of them had birthdays on February 14th. Really.
7. Eating dinner together every night is helping my family through a tough period. Last night I made macaroni cheese for the first time since Home Economics class in High School and we ate it with toasted white bread. It took me right back to my childhood.
A Wee Bit of Cooking 
I don’t even think about being tall anymore. I don’t think anyone even comments on my being 5 ‘ 9″. They do when you are young of course, and the guys always think you are 6 foot…only because they exagerate their own height ..wink..wink…When you’re tall people have to “look up to you” :D. Thanks for sharing Wendy 😀
I reguarly have crazy sleep walking incidents. The most bizarre has to me Hubby waking up to find me under the bed “searching for the raw chicken I left there earlier” ?!?
I hope your family comes through the tough period soon.
I love reading your blog and am delighted to find that you are a fellow tall girl! Sorry to read that things are tough for you at the moment – I was sad that someone who writes with so much relish for the little things was going through a sad patch. I hope it improves very soon!
PS I am now craving macaroni cheese.
that macaroni cheese looks so good that it should be able to solve the world’s problems – if only… But I am sure it gave your family so comfort
tall girl with small face sounds like an odd little kid’s drawing! my mum said I had a pretty little face so often that my sister started called it my PLF but I am short – which is not good when you are 2nd eldest of 7 and the shortest of the lot – so I used to wish I was tall
Love the Westie story, almost as good as the Yorkie one 🙂 xxx
Loved the Westie story. Too much champagn is just what weddings are for!
Great stories Wendy. That small face thing is disturbing, and what a coincidence on the Japan photographer?!?
Food is comforting even in tough times, and I’m glad that whatever it is that has caused you all pain is being helped by nostalgic food.
Regards
David
I think your blog is charming. I look forward to looking at it every day. Sorry you are going through a tough time. Keep up the good work.
Valli – The only real problem my height causes these days is getting shouted at by my rather short best friend for walking too fast!
Jules – Ah, I know the searching dreams well. Never looked for chicken, mind you!
Lysys – Thank you so much for the kinds words. They really did cheer me up. 🙂
Johanna – “Tall girl with a small face” – that does sound surreal! Have to say my face isn’t particularly small. It’s just that many japanese people have very round faces.
Gen – Come on. Nothing is as good as the yorkie story! 😉
Sophie – Couldn’t agree more. Still laugh my head off at the Westie incident.
David – Thank you. The photographer thing was really weird.
Sara – Thank you so much. You’re too sweet. 🙂
I think the winning story is the Westie one, also a great photo. As much as I love wine, and definately drink my share of it, I have to be very cautious with champagne! It makes me CRAZY and I always get the giggles over something very simple when I am having the bubblies!
Great post! You are too fun!
Oh I do the Westie story and look at that beautiful westie in your picture 😀 Thanks for sharing with us a lovely read!
Rosie x
Great post, Wendy. Macaroni cheese is one of the most comforting dishes ever, isn’t it? I hope that things will be better for you all before too long. Love the Mat/Kat/Nat/Matt story too. How funny!
Deb – Wonder what they put in it that makes us all go loopy Can’t just be the bubbles, surely.
Rosie – That’s Mac, my aunt’s dog. He thinks he’s a toughie but he’s not. 🙂
Antonia – Thank you! The Matt etc thing still cracks me up.
Hi, I found your blog through A Forkful of Spaghetti. Love your meme answers, especially the one about the Westie.
I always appreciate people sharing a little of themselves through these MEMEs and I thank you.
The Mac and cheese looks outstanding.
wendy,
your meme made me laugh lol! I used to sleep walk, now barry just says that I talk a load of rubbish in the night (nothing new there, I talk a load of c**p during the day)
Your macoronni cheese looks fab, ohh, you have made me hungry now
thanks for doing the meme xxxxxxx
Wow, this mac and cheese looks good. It has the perfect crust on top!
Cakelaw – Thank you and welcome!
Cynthia – Thank you! It was pretty good. 🙂
Megan – It was great fun. 🙂
White On Rice Couple – Considering it was the first time I’d made it since I was 15 I was pretty pleased!
Great meme, Wendy. Mac and cheese should be put on the NHS for its soul-soothing properties. I love the nonsensical small face insult/nickname. Ah, Japan.
Annemarie – Thanks! I think the small face thing was actually a weird compliment as afterwards they tended to say “kawaii” which means cute.