The Wednesday Hodgepodge #68

I hope you are all having a good week. It's Wednesday, which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce who blogs at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

1. I saw a meme on Instagram that went like this-'The movie Dirty Dancing came out in 1987 and was set in 1963, so if remade in 2026 it would be set in 2002. Now I need a little lie down in a dark room for a while." Time is crazy isn't it? So...what were you up to in the year 2002?

2002 was a massive year for me and I spent most of it pregnant! It was the year I became a mother! Becky, my eldest was born in September! The last six weeks of my pregnancy were terrible. I suffered from sciatica and my feet and legs swelled up really badly, so I spent a lot of time sitting in bed. I went for a routine check-up with my midwife on the Thursday before Becky's due date the following Wednesday. The midwife was a bit concerned that Becky's heartbeat was too fast and also said she might be breech. By the time I got to the hospital for a scan, her heartbeat was fine but yes, she was breech. The doctors said I needed a c-section and Becky was born a day early! It all seemed rushed and crazy but all was good and I settled into motherhood!

2. "Me? I'm scared of everything..." What's something that scares you that you'd like to try anyway?

The first thing that came to mind was skydiving! You really can't get much scarier than that. Just the thought of even going up in a tiny plane terrifies me, so throwing myself out of the plane is just a whole other level of terrifying. That said, I know that the adrenaline rush afterwards would be completely unreal. I know I'd need someone with me the whole time encouraging me, holding my hand, telling me that the plane isn't going to crash and I am not going to die but how cool would it be to be able to say that I had jumped out of a plane!

3. Watermelon-yay or nay? Which melon is your favorite-watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew. Of the watermelon food/beverages listed which would you say yes to... watermelon salsa ~ watermelon feta salad ~ watermelon sorbet ~ a watermelon Jolly Rancher ~ a watermelon margarita.

I’m not a big fan of watermelon, it's one of those fruits that I could take or leave. I don’t dislike it but it’s never something I would see in the shops and I think I need to buy it. I haven’t tried any of the things on the list but Jolly Ranchers are a blast from the past! They were a big thing when I was at school but I don't think you can get them over here anymore. I might have tried a watermelon one without realising. If I had to pick one, I think I’d go for the watermelon margarita. I’m always willing to give something a try, especially if it comes with a little bit of alcohol!

My favourite melon is honeydew! When my girls were little, we used to go through two or three a week, especially in the summer because we all loved them so much and they were a healthy snack. They never lasted long in our house! It’s been ages since I last bought one and I hadn’t really thought about it until answering this question. Now I’m sitting here thinking about how nice a big piece of cold, juicy honeydew melon would be. I think I might have to pop one on the shopping list this week.

4. August 12th is National Middle Child Day. Are you a middle child? If not, where do you fall in the birth order in your family of origin? Do you think this has influenced your personality? Elaborate.

I’m the eldest, with a younger brother. Looking back, I do think that has shaped my personality. My parents were definitely stricter with me growing up. I was their first, so they were just figuring it all out as they went, which meant more rules and a lot more worrying. I remember having to be in at 7pm at a certain age while my brother got much more leeway and was allowed out later when he hit that age. At the time, I thought it was the most unfair thing in the world but now that I'm a parent myself I totally get it and I can admit I was way more relaxed with my youngest compared to my eldest too. Being the eldest also came with more responsibility. I had chores and expectations before my brother did and I was always the one who was supposed to set a good example. My brother and I spent a massive chunk of our childhood arguing over literally anything and everything but at the same time, I was protective of him. I could boss him around all day long but if anyone else dared to upset him they had me to answer to!

I think all of that just made me more independent and someone who takes charge. I'm so used to having things expected of me that I tend to just step up and handle responsibility rather than waiting around for someone else to do it and I can also be a bit bossy which I'm sure my brother would be very happy to say!

5. Would you rather talk to everyone at a crowded party for a short time, or have a significant conversation with two people? Explain.

I’ve been blogging for years and I connect with so many people online but in real life I’m not really a people person. I have a few close friends and I’m very happy chatting away to people I know but put me in a room full of people I hardly know and tell me to make small talk and I’d probably want to hide in a corner! I think I’d rather have a really good conversation with two friends than spend a whole evening going around a crowded party trying to make small talk with twenty different people.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I am looking forward to the end of this week. It's Stu's birthday and as much as we don't have anything planned, we have lots of things that we might do and we're going to decide on the day. He has a few days off work and we are going to make the most of that time with maybe a day out.