Seven things you might not know about me.

I've been tagged  by @superluckydi @chaoskay and @melspur so the first thing you need to know about me is

1.  I'm always the person where the chain  letter stops. Even if I want to  pass on a letter, an email or in this case a tag, I can never think of anybody to pass it on to because either they've  already done it or I think they'll be in some way offended. So sorry, folks, but I  won't be passing this on. I don't know very many bloggers, and  those I do know have already been tagged or wouldn't want to be tagged.  Now on to the more interesting bits....
2. I met my husband while he was teaching me to strip and clean a self loading rifle.  He was my weapon training instructor, and the way he handled his pull-through made my knees  tremble. Not a very sound basis for a relationship? Well, it's almost 37 years since we met and  our 34th wedding  anniversary this year so we must be doing something right.
3. I used to teach English cookery to Gurkha ladies. Their very favourite  recipe was steamed jam sponge pudding. Why? Because back in Nepal, most of them don't have ovens,  just open fires  or gas rings. But once they'd learned how to make  a sponge pudding, they could serve up something very much like an English cake to their friends and impress  them with their knowledge of exotic foreign cooking!
4. I have a silver Blue Peter  badge. Well, it's not very silver now - after almost 50 years, the silver ship has worn  off and all I have is the shield-shaped bit of blue plastic. But it's still one of my most treasured possessions.
5. I collect celebrity chefs and cooks.  I've  met and  spoken to dozens of them, mostly as a result of comping. They are often asked to present prizes  in cookery competitions, or  host events finalists attend. It's getting easier to meet them without being a winner nowadays, thanks to the number of food shows there are around the country. But the patron saint of TV cooks still eludes me - I  have yet to meet Delia!
6. I hate oysters. I know  this puts a blemish on my claim to be a serious foodie, but raw or cooked, to me oysters have the taste and texture of snot. Yes, even when they are served at The  Fat Duck. As for their aphrodisiac qualities, well, I'm not even prepared to think about that when my head is halfway down the toilet bowl.
7. I have  an unfulfilled ambition.  When  I  was about 14, I had to write a school essay about my ambitions. Mine included going to Oxford  University. visiting Hong Kong, talking  part in a performance of Beethoven's choral symphony,  having some writing published and learning to play the double bass. So here I am, fortysomething years later, with a Physics degree from Oxford  (where  I joined a choir and performed the choral symphony). I lived in Hong  Kong for about seven years and most of my time is spent writing for publication in one way or another.  That just leaves the double bass.....