Your Questions Answered

I have eventually got round to answering these!

Are you Liverpool born & bred?

Sort of. I was born here but the family moved to just outside Leeds when I was one, then back to Liverpool again when I was 10. So I'm mostly Scouse but a bit Yorkshire too. I don't really have much of an accent of either place (any Yorkshire burr was well and truly bullied out of me by the time I finished primary school) but the Scouse does come out when I get irate.

Do you like to cook?What's your fave kinda food??

I do all the cooking so it'd be a problem if I didn't! I much prefer baking and making cakes, desserts etc to "proper" cooking though so my repertoire is a bit limited. I made a New Year's resolution this year to learn a new main course every month and it's going quite well so far! Fave kind of food? Well I'm limited because of the dairy allergy so there are lots of things I don't/can't eat which is a tad annoying. But as long as it won't make me ill and isn't too hot (my tastebuds are late developers and I've only just started eating curries etc), I'll eat pretty much anything. I love old fashioned English food - roast dinners and stews and suchlike.

Do you think cats/otter and ducks are similar?

Um, no?

Do you fancy coming to NZ?!

I really do! Mum is threatening to retire and go on a 6 month camper van trip around NZ in a few years and I really want to go with her for part of it. It's somewhere I've always wanted to visit.

Are you a lefty or a righty?

*hopes you mean handedness - a discussion of my political affliations could take some time!*

I'm a righty. Fun fact about me though - I find left handed men really attractive.

What is your shoe size?

Size 6/39 - I'm sure someone my height shouldn't have feet this big. They have shrunk a bit since losing the weight though, but thankfully not too much or none of my beloved shoes would fit!

I would like to know more about your career? You seem to have such an interesting job, but don’t really know exactly what it is you do, and I have always wondered!

Oooh, I'd love to know more about your job - it always sounds so interesting! Tell us more!

Hmmm, I wonder exactly how much to reveal here? I don't want to go into exact detail cos, you know, this is the internet and all. But then again, I never say anything bad about work on here (because it's generally wonderful) so why not talk about it?

I work for a heritage charity that looks after historic houses, gardens, countryside and coastline. I won't give the exact name but if you're UK based you've probably heard of us. It's a charity that my family has always supported and I grew up visiting properties all over the country. The big bonus about working for this sort of organisation is that everyone is there for the right reasons - they believe in what we're trying to do. I am genuinely passionate about what I do and I absolutely love my job.

As to what it entails, well I'm a bit of a jack of all trades. Technically I'm in admin but that covers all the admin, HR, payroll, handling enquiries, web editing, managing the various booking systems, bits and bobs of marketing and graphics, group bookings, weddings, lots of volunteer management, project work, events etc. It is NEVER boring. I help with as much of the conservation work as I can too - technically nothing whatsoever to do with my job but it's where my interest really lies (plus I love the smell of furniture wax) and on the job training is a lot cheaper than jacking my job in to do an MA and then become a full time volunteer!

I am seriously lucky. Yes, the pay is rubbish (charity wages are not high) but I don't do it for the money, I do it because I love it and I can't imagine wanting to work for anyone else. So many people are stuck in a souless office 9-5 and I get to work in a very old house and do all sorts of crazy things. I sometimes feel I should write a book about it - over the past 5 years I have done some truly bizarre things in the course of a working day (Lisa is stuck up a ladder balancing some antique duelling pistols and needs me to rescue her? Just a normal day in our place.)

I have a question! Do you live on your lonesome or with parents or with housemates? Random I know but these are the nosy details I like to ask.

I share a house with my mum. On my wages I can't afford to live by myself and after the divorce and house sale, neither could she. I'm really lucky though as we get on very well and we don't get in each other's way so it's just like a house share. Plus she's awesome - that makes life much easier.

Question - the best day out you've ever had? Home or abroad? What did it involve? xxx

Ooh tricky one! I've had lots of amazing days in my life but sticking strictly to the wording of the question, the best day out was probably 16th May 2001. 18 year old self and pal Nicki bunked off Sixth Form for the day, ventured to Dortmund along with thousands of other Liverpool fans, got adopted by some nice moustachioed men who gave us beer and taught us some new songs (totally non pervy of them, I swear) and watched our team win the UEFA Cup in a rather chaotic but thrilling game of football. I have never shouted so much in my entire life. I had no voice for about 4 days afterwards. It was bloody brilliant.

Please don't laugh at how much shiny polyester we're wearing.


Who or what would you say has had the most influence on your life so far and why?

Who? Probably my mum. She's an inspiration. My grandad is a constant reminder of what a truly wonderful person it's possible to be. I might not have his musical, artistic or creative talents but I can try and be as nice a human being as he was.

What? Books. No one book in particular, but I can't underestimate quite how important the written word is to my life.

What's your favourite building/ruin/castle in the UK ~ and why?

Well my favourite style of architecture by far is Georgian but my favourite places never seem to date from that era. Curious huh? I've been to a LOT of historic houses and castles and I could reel off a list of reasons exactly why I like each one but that might bore those of you who don't share my love. So, limiting it to two:

I love the building I work in. I genuinely mean that. I get a bit blase about it sometimes because I see it day in, day out, but it's STUNNING. I am possibly a little bit mad but I talk to it sometimes, especially when we're reopening after the winter and it actually feels like it's waking up and getting excited that lots of people are about to come and see it again.

Haddon Hall is somewhere that I go to again and again, just to enjoy the atmosphere and the sheer beauty of the place. It's somewhere that's grown over the years rather than being planned and that just makes it so much more fascinating. I am very fond of the Dining Room there for some indefinable reason.