10 Things That Not Many People Know About Me

Of course, you may not WANT to know esoteric facts about me, but I have no new photos at present, so here goes...

1. I was originally called Dorothy, but my parents changed my name by deed poll when I was 9 months old as it was too confusing - my mother's oldest sister is Dorothy. (Incidentally, my brother is Ross, the same name as my father's only brother. Why? Who knows?)

2. I have additional blind spots on the retina of my right eye, which I believe were caused by ordinary measles or German measles when I was a child. Optometrists get excited about this.

3. I lived in Raratonga and Western Samoa briefly when I was a tiny tot, as my father was a radio operator and worked in the islands for a year. I don't remember any of this.

4. I can't make pavlova (supposedly the requirement of a traditional Kiwi woman).

5. I was in my teens before I knew that spaghetti didn't only come in tins (seriously, this is how we ate it).

6. I am not remotely interested in rugby, which is (again supposedly) the national sport.

7. I am a speed reader.

8. I'm really interested in the weather, although I do not have a particularly scientific bent.

9. I studied Latin at school (as well as French and German).

10. At various times, I have kept keas, kakarikis (both NZ native parrots), red-legged partridges, a number of different ornamental ducks and pheasants (including native brown teal), wekas (native woodhens), peafowl, guinea fowl, finches, cockatiels, budgies, quail, bantams, geckos, goats, guineapigs, and tropical fish.