Who is Molly Forbes?

Well that’s the most existential title I’ve ever posted.

Anyway, this isn’t some kind of deep and meaningful introspective, but rather a chance to finally commit to a Blogger Q&A, after my pal Colette from We’re Going On An Adventure tagged me in her own post.

It’s been about three years since I did one of this, and it feels awfully retro doing a tag, but then retro is rarely a bad thing (unless we’re talking about women’s rights and dial up internet).

So here we go….

When was the last time you cried?

I’m a regular crier. Do it all the time. But the last time I properly cried? Last Wednesday.

I’d had a horrific school run with the girls arguing all the way, running late and then Effie refusing to hold my hand to cross the road. She dropped to the ground (deliberately) when I made her hold my hand and scratched her face. I was highly stressed – I hate being late – and cried with relief when I got home that it was all over. Later, when I collected her from pre-school, I cried again, after finding out Effie had told the staff “Mummy did it” when they asked how she’d scratched her face. That was not a good day.

If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself?

If I could get past the fact I’m regularly busy and I might have to wait a while to hook up then I reckon I would, yeah. Friends are a huge part of my life and I value each and every one of them. I’ve got lots of different groups of friends, rather than a specific clique, and I love it that way. I wish I had more time to see lots of my friends more often – especially the ones that live far away – but I find the older I get the less it matters how regularly I see some of my best friends, things are always the same between us when we do eventually meet up – whether it’s a week later or a year later.

 

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

No. (That means yes.) Sarcasm may be the lowest form of wit but it sure is the most satisfying.

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Without wishing to sound like Mrs Cheese from Cheeseville, it’s a person’s smile. I’m a very smiley person, even if I don’t much feel like smiling, so if my smile is met by a blank face or a scowl then that definitely doesn’t go unnoticed. I also notice politeness – I think you can tell a lot about a person from the way they treat strangers in shops / restaurants etc.

Scary movie or happy endings?

“Happy endings” *snigger*. (As well as sarcasm I have a weakness for immature humour and innuendo, it’s why I get on so well with my husband.)

Seriously though, I absolutely DETEST scary movies. I mean, I can’t convey to you how much I hate them. I would rather eat a plateful of offal than be forced to watch a scary movie from start to finish with my eyes open. I once lived with a girl who loved horror films and she made me watch The Ring. Well, that was an experience I’d like to repeat NEVER EVER AGAIN. I literally had nightmares for DAYS (nights).

Simon loves horror films, which is a constant source of irritation between us. My dream film is anything with love in it. Or something that will make me think. Give me a film with love in it that ALSO makes me think and it’s likely to be my best film ever. I also hate anything Sci-Fi or space related, but that’s another story.

Favourite smells?

Wouldn’t it be great if someone answered this question with something completely unexpected? “My favourite smell is the aroma of my other half’s gas on a Saturday morning, after a Friday night curry”. Or, “Tripe. I really love the delicate scent of tripe”.

Unfortunately I’m yet another complete cliché and cut grass gets me every time. Or that smell of the fresh grass on a sunny morning when you’re camping, you know? I also love the smell of coffee (but hate the taste).

What’s the furthest you’ve ever been from home?

In 2005 I travelled to Tamil Nadu in India for gap year placement on a magazine, before back-packing around Southern India, Sri Lanka and then Thailand. It was fun. I’d like to go back one day, with the family.

Do you have any special talents?

Ask me when I’m drunk and I’ll show you my “pig face”. I have a very flexible nose. Aside from that, I think I have a talent for self-deprecation, which isn’t a particularly winning thing is it? I also learned the flute and piano at school but can’t remember too well how to play them. Oh, and I can do a good Downward Dog #yogaforlife.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A dancer on Top of the Pops. I kid you not. I actually did lots of dance as a teenager and was seriously going to pursue it through to university before deciding to give it all up and do English Lit, Media Studies and Psychology at A’Level instead. Worst decision of my life. It would be way more fun to be a dancer on Top of the Pops than a journalist.

How many countries have you been to?

Not enough. (Ten or thereabouts.)

What was your favourite / worst subject in school?

I hated maths with a passion and still have a real fear of numbers (hiring an accountant was the best thing I ever did). I loved English – particularly English Literature – which is what I eventually went on to study for my BA at university.

What is your favourite drink?

What time of day are we talking? I think my life would be deeply empty without the existence of Earl Grey tea, New Zealand Sauv Blanc and gin.

What would you have named your children?

If Freya was a boy she’d have been called George. If Effie was a boy she’d have been called Ronnie. As a kid, I was adamant I was going to have a daughter and call her Enya after the well known Sail Away singer, but the less we say about that the better.

Who are some of your favourite YouTubers?

This is a really difficult one and I really don’t want to leave anyone out, so rather than saying all the UK family and mum vloggers I love, I’ll share a couple of other favourites. I really enjoy Peter McKinnon’s videos, the “father of the vlog” Casey Neistat and also love Brad and Hailey Devine for the sheer escapism of their content.

How many boyfriends have you had?

We’re not counting playground boyfriends, right? In that case, three – Simon was my 4th and last boyfriend.

Favourite memory from childhood?

Any from one of our various family holidays to France. Or Christmas. I had a very happy childhood with brilliant parents who continue to be bloody fantastic.

Tell us one of your bad habits…

Farting. JOKES. Kind of. Si would say it’s leaving things in the sink and not washing them up immediately (as a generally lazy person blind to all basic housekeeping needs it continues to amaze me that he gets wound up about this).

On the serious side, I think I’m definitely prone to overthinking things and sometimes letting my inner mean girl voice get the better of me, but this is something I’m getting better at squashing and a habit I’m determined to quit. Not arsed about the dishes in the sink thing though.

 

Have any of these surprised you? Do we have any answers in common?

(I’m tagging some other bloggers to do the Q&A – over to Kate at Wit Wit Woo, Sian at Helpful Mum, Kara at Innocent Charms Chats, Jess from Nora & Co, Sarah at The Parenting Trials, and Steph at Steph’s Two Girls.)