23 February 2012

My First...

Alison from Five Go Blogging - she of the fancy photos Snap Slappers Linky (* me bowing humbly to superior technical stuff where bargepole and never touching come to mind*) has tagged me on a 'My First' meme.

Hers are here.

Seeing as I will be 48 next Birthday (too, too soon) this is a bit of an ask.  Each one should start with the qualifying statement 'I can't really remember, but it was probably / possibly ...'

My First Boyfriend
...Stuart Moore. Quite a catch. We were 12.

The First Person I kissed
...Ditto. It was very, very clumsy.  If we had known the word 'over-rated' at the time, I think we would have used it.

My First Job
I worked in an Art Shop for a friend of my step-father on Saturday Mornings. Why anyone would listen to the advice of a 14 year old about which mounts and frames go with their precious paintings is totally beyond belief, looking back.  I enjoyed it, however and worked hard. Plus, in all my travels, I have generally returned with a locally done picture of some sort, so an interest might have been spawned here.

My First Paypacket.
I went to work for Barclays Bank at 16, which was criminal having been to Grammar School. I didn't really understand what University was. No-one I knew went. It was roughly £300 for the month and I took my Mum and Step-Dad and two (younger) sisters out for a posh meal.

My First CD
We'd moved on to Record Players from Gramophones by the time at least one of the very jovial Albums by The Monkees would be very much loved and over-played. They had their own TV show -which was supercool -but that term hadn't been invented yet - and it could be said (by anyone old enough to remember) that you haven't lived if you haven't seen this -




My First Holiday Abroad
Club 18-30. Majorca. With a girlfriend a bit older who was into boys, which I wasn't and into sophisticated drinks, which I soon learned to be. The memories of terrible sunburn stay rooted in my soul.

What age were you when you moved out of your parents home?
I applied for a transfer to Barclays, Jersey and left home at 18. I didn't know you could rent flats / rooms in flats / that kind of thing. It meant sharing a Bank House with several snooty other employees, so I wasn't exactly 'out there' alone to begin with. It would be four years before a move back to England, having switched Banks and forayed into the world of the Money Markets, which naturally brought me to be with the big boys in what would become my spiritual home, London.


It is my pleasure to tag some blogging chums for their 'Firsts' now because I know they will all be genuinely fascinating:
Polly at caughtwriting in case she's gone rusty in her recent absence and my usual Older Mum, as I love her.  I'm also going to include Amanda who writes The Diaries of a Mummy Misfit blog, stemming from her brilliant book which is giving me great joy as I presently devour it, as well as another favourite blogger / read of mine, Sarah at St. Bloggie de Riviere.

This is a free for all though, really! What were your 'Firsts?'