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You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?

I was born in a small village in Co.Down on Valentine’s Day 1949, a 5lb 11oz baby whose guarantee of living at all was in the balance.

Have you ever unintentionally broken the law?

Many times, caught on camera over the speed limit. Not intentionally just not thinking.

Points on my licence and £60 fine, so tend to be a bit more careful now but driving a Jaguar at 29 miles per hour does make it harder. However safety first and I know how many innocent people have been killed due to people like myself exceeding the speed limit.

So remember slow down .

You won’t get there any quicker if you’re dead.☠️

If there was a biography about you, what would the title be?

An Eternal Optimist.

What makes a good leader?

A good leader is one who can lead! Lead in the right direction, be transparent, make difficult decisions and be prepared to admit when he / she is wrong .

They need to call out wrong doing and work on behalf of the people and not for their own political or financial gain.

They need to believe in their cause and to take advice from those around them but if things don’t go well accept responsibility as the one who made the ultimate decision.

They need to practice what they preach and set a good example. Being charismatic would also be a good thing. There are very few great leaders in today’s world. The USA being a prime example. From tomorrow that is. How could you have voted for Trump!!!

What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?

As I’ll be 76 in a couple of weeks should that be seen as living a very long life? Looking back to the year I was born I should think that probably would be about average.

I have aunts who lived well into their 90’s but apart from one they weren’t in great health.

Living a long life to me depends on the state of my health. It also means the joy of seeing your grandchildren and perhaps great grandchildren growing up.

Walking and trying to stay fit makes the prospect of a long life ( 90ish) more realistic, but in my last blog I wrote that I prefer not to look ahead and to focus on the present. I’ll stick to that and take each day as it comes, hopefully healthy and cognitively alert.

Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?

I find it hard at 75 to think about the future and dwelling on the past is not something I try to do.

Occasionally in the dark of night when I can’t sleep, memories do come flooding back, mostly bad ones.

I think the answer is to live for the day. No point in trying to look back, it’s gone, and as life is so unpredictable and in a minute can change dramatically, the future is uncertain.

I’ve no idea how long I have left but I’m trying to make the best of it and trying to make sense of it cause I’m damm sure I’ve no idea what it’s all about.

Life is cruel and few us get through out with pain and suffering. So enjoy each day as it comes and don’t spend too much time looking back or forward.

How are you creative?

I made this from sea glass.

Tell us about your first day at something — school, work, as a parent, etc.

My first day at university was one of the most exciting days of my life. It was Wednesday 31st August 1994 and I was registering to do a B.A. ( Hons ) in humanities at Queens University, Belfast. I had already been accepted and it was time to fill in the paperwork.

As I was driving there I heard an announcement on the car radio that the IRA had called a complete cessation of military activities, in other words a ceasefire. It was only to last until February 1996 but it gave some hope that a permanent ceasefire could be achieved.

I was 45 at the time and my course would be part time, over 4 years, as I was working full time.

I couldn’t believe I was actual there, I had left school at 16 due to friction at home which you may or may not have read about in my Memories blog.

I had supported by husband though his degree and PhD and now it was my turn to fulfill my dream of going to university.

We were shown round the various lecture theatres and given a list of subjects for the first semester. I couldn’t wait to get started.

I had seen Educating Rita at least three times and could picture myself asking extremely probing questions of my lecturers. I walked round the quadrangle picturing myself at the garden party after my graduation. I had been at my husband’s so I knew the drill. I also made many good friends on that first day and we supported each other through the years.

I graduated in 1999 having had to take a break for a while as my mother had a stroke and my mother in law developed dementia but I persevered and got there in the end.

It’s never too late to follow your dreams.

What’s your favorite cartoon?

I’m really showing my age now but my favourite cartoon back in the day was Top Cat or TC to his friends. His cat friends and part of a gang had names such as Fancy-Fancy, Spook, Benny the Ball, Brain, and Choo-Choo.

They were constantly being chased by Officer Dibble as they created chaos in the Manhattan alley where they lived.

I just checked and can’t believe that this series was first shown in 1961/ 62 when I was only 12 so I’m surmising it was probably shown in the UK many years later.

Also it had a very catchy intro. See below. Loved it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=top+cat+theme+song&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:68920de0,vid:6fvhLrBrPQI,st:0