What do you meme?

That arch funster Mark Hawker has tagged me in a random act of meming and I am now required by common law to pass the baton on to seven more unsuspecting plonkers just like me.

I wrote about memes in a previous blog but it's so far back in the mists of time, I can't remember where I left it. Something about 'Passion Quilts' springs to mind, but it's too much effort. Anyway, the rules apparently, are as follows:

• Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.


• Share seven facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.


• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.


• Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

Here are 7 things about me you probably didn't know (or were too scared to ask):

1. I nearly drowned when I was five years old while we were living in Gibraltar. I was pushed over into the dock by a pack of friendly little homicidal maniacs (they may have been rock apes), and yet somehow still managed to clamber back up onto dry land, just to spite them. I have never learned to swim, which is mad as I live in a seaside town.

2. I used to run an independent record label called Broken Records, back in the 80's when vinyl was king and CDs were a mere twinkle in someone's eye.

3. I play several instruments including guitar, keyboards, bass and mandolin to concert standard, but my voice is my most versatile instrument. Mostly though, I like to sing rock, the harder and louder the better, and I was part of the punk/new wave scene in the late 70's and early 80's. (Perhaps that's where my 'edupunk' rebellious streak has its roots)

4. I first met my wife Dawn on the day of her wedding (she had run away from the madman she was due to marry the week before, and had been staying right next door to me, but I failed to notice her). We were married a year later and now have three teenaged children.

5. I am a chocoholic (recovering). I have not eaten chocolate since the first week of August 2008. (er, not in the real sense, where a giant half pound bar of Cadbury's Milk Chocolate could disappear in less than an hour).

6. There is one word that I know in 26 languages, but I'm not telling. You can guess if you like, or try to bribe me, or tie me to the kitchen chair, break my throne or cut my hair, but you will never, ever find out (and it's not hallelujah).

7. I'm allergic to penicillin. If I ingest it, my eyes turn green, my head revolves and my kneecaps fall off. Seriously, if I take penicillin, I tend to become quite ill.

I'm tagging James Clay, Kath Trinder, Stephen Fry, Tara Alexander, Cristina Costa, Andy Black and Sigi Jakob-Kuhn as my unsuspecting victims in the next phase of this dreadfully Random 7 meme.... (they'll all thank me one day)