Excerpt from memoir...

As I walked down that old familiar road to the ancient bus stop, I stopped for a moment and looked into the beautiful rolling hills that lead to Bristol Airport and Chew Magna where we used to go to collect newly fresh milk from that farmer who lived under this big tube like structure and always made and sold his own dairy products. The Yogurt. That creamy milk that always left a little white moustache on the top lip.

I remembered that time my school had gone to his farm for a picnic and, instead of eating outside in the rain with the others, I had crawled into an empty pig sti, all alone to escape. To escape the rain and the loud whir of excited voices. To escape the hierarchy in the classes and to feel that little rush of independence. I remember not feeling like a loner but feeling like a Prince. And I wasn't a loner, I was just different and this wasn't always a bad thing at all. I had many friends and was coming acquainted with how to 'fit in.' Which was useless really, but necessary at the time for my realisation to occur all these years later.

Someone – you'll be glad to hear – did poke their little head into my pig sti. Someone I was seriously crushing on.




In my childhood it was clear that I had strong fancies and infatuations, usually on pretty girls my age but later on, with older, glamorous women. Maybe I just wanted to be as fabulous as them with all their crazy, dramatic, beautiful lives. These larger-than-life women acted as a kind of inspiration to me and provided hope that things get better and more fabulous. I was just a young naïve little kid desperately wanting my adventures to start. And in a sense. They did.

School was a defining time in my life, something that brought out my creative zest for life and not only brought it out, but nurtured it. Welcome to Steiner Waldorf Education.

I joined as a baby to 'Mother and Baby' sessions. Moving up to Kindergarten as a toddler. The focus being on play and creativity as opposed to plunging straight into education at the age of 5! In fact, I joined at 3 and a half and loved it! Painting with watercolours, baking cute little braided loaves of bread, sharing out little bowls of Semolina with a delicious cinnamon and sugar dusting on top. It was a child's heaven!