Thursday 7 December 2017

Let's Get Christmassy with Paula Harmon



We’re getting festive here with some special peeps and today we get Christmassy with 

Paula Harmon





Hello Paula

Please tell us a little about you and if you are a reader, Blogger or author.



Thank you for welcoming me. I am an author of three books and have a website on which I post pieces of writing. I was born in north London but prefer my life as a country girl, which began at eighteen months when my family moved to Bedfordshire and then trailed slowly westwards from small town to village before settling in South Wales when I was eight. At eighteen, I one to university in West Sussex before settling in Gloucestershire and then, when my children were small, moving south again. I have lived in Dorset for twelve years, which is the second longest I’ve lived anywhere. It means I feel a little rootless and a bit of an observer, but on the other hand, at least I’m not afraid of change! I work full-time so I have to write when I can find time. My job involves a fair amount of travel and trains consequently turn up in a lot of my writing. I’m married with two teenage children. I’m constantly battling to keep on top of things at home, but on the other hand, writing and reading are more interesting that housework. My failures at keeping house feature in my sillier short pieces too, mainly as a battle between a bad housewife and the laundry fairies. You’ll have to read them to find out who wins.


What is your favourite Christmas memory?

Every year, until I was about twelve, we had Christmas dinner at my great-aunt and great-uncle’s house in Berkshire. The extended family was there and I think one year there must have been twenty of us round a selection of tables in the hall which was the biggest space in this old farmhouse. Including myself, my sister and our second cousins-once-removed, there were seven children. We were surrounded by a selection of parents, grandparents, one great-uncle and a few great-aunts (of varying degrees of scariness). Dinner was the main event and beautifully cooked by great-aunt H and her daughter who is technically a second cousin, but I always call her Aunt A. I have some lovely photographs of us crammed round the tables, which I naturally can’t find at the moment. Afterwards, the children were expected to perform by singing carols or anything else we could come up with and then we all played parlour games, like charades and so on. It was all rather old-fashioned but so warm and happy. I don’t actually remember any present giving, because it was rather less important than all the delicious food and the general running about with the others.


What is your favourite Christmas food?

Mmm, tricky. I think it would have to be turkey because we only have it at Christmas, but it needs all the trimmings too. My dad, for reasons best known to himself, always made zabaglione at Christmas and we ate it with our Christmas pudding - which is my second favourite thing. I haven’t made it myself, perhaps I should do it this year!


What is your favourite Christmas song?

Oh again, it’s so hard to choose. ‘Little Drummer Boy’ reminds me of my first nativity play at school and I’ve always loved its message: what’s in your heart is more important than what’s in your wallet. Of more modern songs, ‘Fairytale of New York’ has a wonderful poignancy, which conjures up dreams freezing in the snow. I always want to think the ‘characters’ in the song managed to find a happy ending somehow. As a child, my sister and I used to go carol singing with friends and our favourite was ‘Angels from the Realms of Glory’ because we used to compete to see if we could make it through to the end of Gloooooooooria without taking a breath while waiting for the householders to open the door and give us sweets or preferably money.

What is your favourite Christmas photo? Please tell us why



I have a lovely one of my children aged about two and three cuddled up with Father Christmas. They a little perplexed, because there seemed to be a tiny chance that Father Christmas was actually Grandad in disguise but they were so excited anyway, that the presents he brought weren’t really too important. However, I’ve picked a photo which I found in a jewellery box one of my great-aunts left me. There weren’t any jewels unfortunately, but there were some photographs including ones of this family Christmases. Seeing us all frozen in time brought back such memories. The photograph is of me (on the left) and my sister in the Christmas dresses my mother had made us.

Thank you so much for asking me to take part.


You can find Paula at all of these…

My website is www.paulaharmondownes.wordpress.com - this has writing both serious and humorous and links to my books which also combine humour and seriousness.
My twitter account is @paula_1964

My instagram account is https://www.instagram.com/paulaharmondownes/



Please come back tomorrow to find out what makes Liz Taylorson Christmas Christmassy

No comments: