I was born at approximately 5.30pm on 22nd April 1972, a Saturday I think, in Perivale Maternity Hospital (which no longer exists). A week later I moved into my parents home in North Greenford and lived there until I was 28 years old, apart from a two-and-a-half year break, when I lived in Luton, Bedfordshire (apart from holidays). Two years later we were joined by my younger brother, and at various other times we all shared the house with a varied menagerie of pets.
I went to school at Horsenden Middle School (now Horsenden Primary School), and later at Twyford Church of England High School. I left there with poor A-level results, and went to Langley College (now East Berkshire College of Further Education) where I studied print and radio journalism, and also met my future husband. I left Langley with sad case of career confusion, which lead to two years of temporary clerical/administrative contracts, and ended with my joining Luton College of Higher Education (which, in my first term, became the University of Luton - much to my relief, because I really was a snob) and reading psychology with social studies.
I left university with a 2:1 degree accredited by the British Psychological Society, and went to work in burger restaurant in the West End. So much for being a snob... I lasted two years, as the restaurant administrator, hating almost every minute of it with a passion but keeping my martyr complex fed to the point of obesity. Two days after my two-year anniversary with that company, I was offered and accepted a job in 'heaven', well okay, it's actually a medical education charity in Regent's Park, but it's about as close as I'd come to paradise in a working environment thus far. Two-and-a-half years later I am still working there, although time has worn and somewhat tarnished the sparkly veneer, I am basically happy - I get a regular pay-rise, work in a reasonably interesting post and have prospects for promotion, which does help.
In year 2000 I had a fairytale wedding, and moved into a house ten miles down the road (a semi with a huge unruly garden) with my husband (no children or pets yet, although our next door neighbours have a large shy white cat which I'm still trying to coax into friendliness). I was inundated with new things: a new address (I still end up at my parents' place twice a week anyway), a new phone number (programmed quickly into the mobile phone I never switch on, so that I don't need to remember it), and worst of all, a new name! (Still haven't notified all the relevant organisations of my changed details two years later, thank goodness my parents have no intention of moving just yet! And I still use my maiden name at work, which has on occasion caused utter chaos). But at least I have no excuse for forgetting how many years I've been married at each anniversary...
So that's me up until 2002. I will continue to update at some point in the future, but don't hold your breath, you may be a nice shade of blue before it happens :-)
So, did you hold your breath? I did warn you! It's towards the end of 2006 as I am finally adding more of my story. Should you be interested, you could click on the link below to learn more about me...