Sandra

I live in Mornington Crescent, on the 10th floor of a 20 story tower block, and I’ve lived there for 30 years.

Spain was the best place I’ve lived. I lived there for a year when I was 20, and I really enjoyed it. I loved the sun, the warmth, the food, and the people. The people were lovely.

I’m very much a home bird. I like working, and reading, and being at home with my husband.

My favourite books are historical books. I read a lot of books by French author Christian Jacq, which are to do with Egypt around the time of Ramses. I like crime novels. I’ve read most of what Agatha Christie has written, and things like that. I’m not into romanticky type novels.

I’m a Catholic, but I’m not a very good practising Catholic! I do believe in God, I think, but I believe there is only one God, and people call him all different names. I don’t think there’s a panel of them sitting up there.

The first thing I notice about another person is their smile. When somebody smiles, you can tell whether they’re friendly or not. Some people smile, and you immediately know you’re going to warm to them.

Anything new makes me nervous. At the moment, I’m doing an intense computer course, and before I go into the building, I get butterflies in my stomach, because I don’t know what’s coming.

The thing that makes me saddest is watching people who are not as fortunate as I am. That could be somebody in the same block of flats as me, or somebody who lives in Afghanistan.

I hit rock bottom in January of last year. I was in hospital due to my alcohol dependency for the fifth time in a matter of two years. I think, at that time, I was so ill that I realised what they were saying was right. I realised I was completely powerless, and I had to get help, which is what I did.

I am most proud of  giving up alcohol, and doing six months in rehab, because it was hard.

I hate snakes. I can’t look at them, and I can’t look at a picture of them. I hate them. About 15 years ago, my husband and I were on holiday in Tunisia, and the hotel we were staying in had a snake charmer as entertainment. I was in the room with him, but I turned my back because I wouldn’t watch it. Unbeknownst to me, the man with the snake came over, put it in front of my face, and went to put it down the front of my dress, at which I leapt up, screamed, and went completely hysterical. I ran out of the hotel and refused point blank to come back in until the man had left the building, snakes and all.

The happiest day of my life was the day I met my husband. I worked in a pub, which isn’t very good for an alcoholic, although I didn’t realise I was one at the time. There was a wedding party in an upstairs room, and my husband was a guest. We were chatting, and had a dance, but he was very drunk. When he asked me to go out, I said “No, but I’ll consider it if you come back sober.” A couple of days later, he did come back, and we did go out. The rest is history.

I would give my life for my husband. His best qualities are his kindness and his willingness to help anybody. He has that in bucket loads.

If I had the chance, I would not start my life over again. I don’t think you can go back and change what’s happened, and I don’t think I would want to. A lot of it has been good. Some of it has been bad, but I’ve learned from it.