What awakened your passion for

On school trips I also went to see ballet at the Palace in Manchester and heard the Halle Orchestra several times at the Free Trade Hall. Sir John Barbirolli was the conductor and it was the most amazing experience; I remember being enthralled.

For me it was meeting a new friend, when we were both about 19. She came from an educated background- her family knew about art, discussed books and spoke foreign languages. I went on holiday to Italy with her - when all the famous buildings were free of tourists. We were often the only ones. We 'did' Paris and then Italy and after that I was a changed person.
The next great leap was to learn German, to embrace a new culture, to speak it fluently and become bilingual.
I am still interested in so many things.

We didn't have a bookcase as such, and my mum was not a great reader. But she had a strange assortment of books in the tiny bedroom that we referred to as the box room and in there I found 'Jane Eyre'. Goodness knows where it had come from. I started to read it one day when I was bored - I can't have been more than 8 or 9 and I'm not at all sure how much of it I understood, but I was hooked on literature from then.

I think I was born with a love of ballet and of horses. I have no idea where either came from as no one in my immediate family shared them. My grandfather was a farmer and worked with heavy horses, but he died before I was born. I think I inherited his genes. Either that or I was a horse in a previous life.

Stansgran have read reams about King Arthur both adult books and kids. Even bought a very tatty copy of The Mabinogion! (can't say I've read cover to cover though )

BUT, The Once and Future King was the only one I couldn't take to! Might give it another try - borrow it back from grandson (he loved it!)

Think I might be a bit King Arthur'd out now though! It was a grand phase in my reading life.

My grandfather worked with the railway horses, nightowl; supposedly he was awful to my grandma but if one of the horses was ill he used to sleep with them. He died round about the time that I was born, and I'm sure part of his spirit made it's way into me. In our first [rented] house there was a cupboard at the top of the stairs that had a box full of books; I can still remember looking at them. Mum always took me to the cinema and bought me books; she and my dad were both lacking in education so I don't know where that came from. I went to an amazing primary school in a really poor area and so many of us went on the grammar school. And there I met an American lad who took us to Stratford to see Shakespeare. And my ex husband, who's family had a passion for travel, drove me round Europe each summer for several years. That's why I'm so passionate about Education; sow the seed in a child and it will grow.

I think I owe my love of books to the children's library in the bowels of the old Town Hall in my home town. Used to spend hours browsing the shelves. Loved that place.

I have still got my copy of Jane Eyre. And Black Beauty. Given to me by a neighbour who must be long gone now. I' m glad she wrote in them. Even if she couldn't actually spell my name!

It depends when you read something. I always felt my children should never read anything I wouldn't want to reaD myself but now I think back how stuffy of me. But the right book at the right time . I read TH White 's books when I was getting books for my children. We weren't deprived of books as a child just no guidance and I get quite cross when I find there were children's books which are now considered classics published when I was a child and I knew nothing about them.

My 'epiphany' was being allowed to go to the library on my own, aged eight. I was allowed three books, usually Enid Blyton, but then I started exploring the shelves and would spend ages devouring the books before choosing what to take home. When it got to the stage that I was going there twice on a Saturday, aged eleven, the stern librarian told me she thought I might enjoy some adult books and showed me the Agatha Christie shelf. I sat in the corner engrossed, but wasn't allowed to take the adult books home, till the same librarian suggested my mum's library card would get me two books, and she gave me a knowing wink! I used my mum's card for quite some time before I got my own adult card and could raid the whole library.

I have been an avid reader all my life, but my ex-husband was not well pleased with my passion soon after we got married, when I set the newspaper on fire whilst standing at the cooker trying to read and stir gravy.

......and from reading Agatha Christie and the sleuthing children in Enid Blyton's books came my fascination with crime and the criminal mind, hence a career in probation and academic pursuits in psychology.

I saw my first ballet last year because my 6 year old granddaughter wanted to see Sleeping Beauty at the Sunderland Empire.

Food? Hunger

Reading, and on to read English? And thence to a passion for poetry? My parents taught me to read early because they were fed up with my constant demands for stories, then introduced me to the local library (same experiences as you, when with the grown ip books) and local second hand book shop. There, aged 10, I bought an ancient copy of Palgrave's Golden Treasury, and got completely hooked on poetry. I learned lots by heart, and now have a mind full of quotations from there, as well as elsewhere from my studies and my teaching.

Oh, and etymology too! I did Classics at school - Latin and Greek to "A" Level, and, with French and English, this opened up a whole new world. Anglo Saxon at university just added to my delight in tracing the roots of words.

I've always had a passion for learning, reading and other cultures and languages- which I really would NOT call academia personally. Never been interested in academia per se.

When I was at primary school (in the Swiss Jura mountains where I live now)- we had a big arrival of immigrants from Italy, with their children who did not speak a word of FRench- and I was ashamed how they were treated by some of the local children. So I befriended some of them and visited their homes- and learned quite a bit of Italian, how to make pasta and gnocchi, etc- and taught them French and showed them the wonderful sights, taught them how to make some of our local specialities, etc. My mum was the local librarian and we had the library as part of our house in exchange for cheap rent- so I always had books around.

I came to London for 6 months, to learn English (on the job- as assistant translator and secretary for Beecham's)- as I wanted to travel the world. All my friends became teachers, which was my worst nightmare. I met a wonderful man in London- so never made it any further... offered my services at a French assitante at a local 6th Form and became a teacher aged 32... life is funny.

Still learning - about a mass of things.
Especially history, sparked by my genealogy research....I follow all kinds of clues into all kinds of places, mostly online....love detective work.

Ga we often went to the Free Trade Hall to hear the Halle, when I was a student in Manchester.
Once saw Sir John Barbirolli conduct the Messiah, but I think that was at Belle Vue.

DS got me into archaeology when he was four. We visited yet another castle, he was fascinated by them, it was Roman and he kept asking questions I couldn't answer. When I got home I saw an evening course in Roman Archaeology advertised and did it. That was nearly 40 years ago. I now have a degree in archaeology and archaeology remains my main interest.

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.