About me

Hello! I’m 29 and from the North East of England. 30 this year which is a little bit terrifying.

As you may have gathered I really love writing, I’m both qualified as a journalist and a youth worker – although I feel more justified to call myself the later rather than the former, despite Masters degrees in both. Telling people I have two MA’s tends to stop conversation over dinner. When I’m not working I can be found playing fiddle, reading, Skyping friends or quite literally chasing my two cats around the house.

When I was seven I was diagnosed with a condition called dyspraxia and this blog had the intended purpose to talk about this, but as time has gone on, i’ve got older and more of life happened, It has changed into an “anything that is happening at the moment” blog. You will see mental health, university, vegetarianism amongst many other things discussed. I’ve still left up the dyspraxia FAQ  if you’re interested in finding out about that part of my life. As you will see from the name I wanted people to have more understanding, and that still stands, but includes more life circumstances and experiences than the blogs original purpose. I’ve often felt misunderstood, hence “a little more understanding” but as I’m nearing my 30’s, have more friends who are simply “mint” who actually understand me and I’m lucky enough to be developing a career that I love. Most people don’t have that. I realised there’s more I should write about.

Other things you might like to know about me:

• I’m a Geordie, but my family are all Southern. This results in a very confusing accent and countless people questioning where I’m actually from. It’s also useful because I can be lost in my own town and pretend I’m not from around here. I was once asked if I’m Australian. That was an odd day.
• I tried to learn the Northumbrian pipes when I was 16 but concluded that it could be likened to wrestling an Octopus.
• Once during a music summer school I dressed up as a man, complete with giant orange beard, and danced around a stage in front of several professional Folk musicians singing this.
• At school I once wrote to the headteacher angry about litter. This resulted in setting up a lunchtime “environment club.” One of our tasks was to count light bulbs left on after school.
• I’ve lost count of the times I’ve had to explain what a “Stottie” is.
• I went to a reception at 10 Downing Street when I was a teenager. I met Sarah Brown and ate canapés.
• Somehow I ended up on stage in Slovakia with the most famous Romany folk band in the whole  of the Czech Republic. I had no idea who they were at the time.
• Mental health, disability and suicide are particularly difficult and emotive subjects for me. I particularly dislike discussing my need for taxis with taxi drivers.
• I have been a vegetarian all of my life. I don’t eat fish and chicken stock doesn’t make soup veggie. I’m not militant about this now and will discuss if asked. Although just to clarify, I will NOT be offended if you eat a bacon sandwich in front of me. You do not have to apologise.
• I studied History and Politics at university. I ended up in the middle of a riot in and anxiety attack on a politics trip to Paris.
• I have two cats named Biscuit and Amber. Biscuit literally looks like a Garibaldi (the biscuit not the person.)
• I originally wanted to study English at university but was told by a school careers advisor that I could only do literature and not language. Years later I realised this was a lie. Apparently that careers advisor is still in the same job, at the same school.
• At the end of GCSE history our teacher gave us all a paper plane to remember her and history. I still have that plane.
• I was brought up on Radio 4, The Guardian and The Archers.
• I had an interview at The Guardian last year and was amazed by the “shiny building”.
• I like to watch 90’s soaps and sitcoms on youtube and remember “the good old” days.
• Brexit makes me angry.
• Moss from the IT Crowd is my favourite person in the whole universe.