Me In Brief
Me ^
I'm not going to give a biography of my entire life, because frankly, it's not interesting enough to write about, and that whole sort of thing is a bit too emo for my liking.
So. The news in Brief:
Hi, I'm Natasha, people call me Tashlentine, Scrat, Kate, Kita, Jacqui... and god knows however many other things, but mainly Tash. I've just graduated from UKC with a Ba in Comparative Literature (which is basically English, but we did more work than the school of English, and got less credit for it). I've got no idea what I want to do with my life now I'm in the big bad world, but then, who does?
I've not been painting for very long (about 5 years), because I never thought I was any good and didn't have any patience for it, but out of the blue one day when I was about 17, I picked up a paintbrush and apparently the result was ok, so I took an A-level in it, and didn't do too badly. I had some amazing teachers who poked and prodded me into persevering and pushing myself, for which I am eternally grateful. As far as photography goes, I've always loved taking pictures. I started out using photos as ideas for paintings, but now it seems to have developed into a hobby of its own.
Interests:
Anything and everything. But if I had to limit myself to 3 things, they would be: the arts, the countryside, and laughter.
I am blessed with an absolutely brilliant group of friends who are all completely insane, so laughter is never in short supply!
A few of my favourite things:
Music: (most things as long as they're not angsty gangsty or 'dance') Alternative, folk, Indie, Rock and Judy Garland are my main loves
Movies: A Star is Born, African Queen, Ice Age, Life is Beautiful, Cool Runnings, Amelie, The Belleville Rendezvous, Die Hard
Books: 'If This is a Man' by Primo Levi, and ' The Golden Ass' by Lucius Apuleius. 2000 years later, and it is still funny. I think that says something. Although I'm not entirely sure what... The enduring quality of the work or the lack of the evolution of humour 
Everything Else:
The cold side of the pillow, coffee, climbing trees, walking in the rain, my wellies! (my friends could tell you just how much I love those things... basically, if I could get away with wearing them every day, I would). Jumping in puddles, baking cakes... eating cakes. Days when I can sleep in until late and not feel guilty, building sandcastles, DOGS! Long hot shower - clean me, clean PJ's, then climb into bed with clean sheets. Beautiful. The smell of freshly cut grass, the smell before a storm, sitting on a porch watching a storm. Snow! Sunshine! My 1950s tweed hacking jacket. Quotes. Picnics under the stars with good friends, good wine, and copious amounts of jelly (that's jell-O to those of you of an American disposition) and ice-cream. When it is cold, wet and absolutely miserable outside, and I'm inside, warm and cozy with a BIG mug of hot chocolate and a black and white movie. Walking barefoot on grass. Long walks in the countryside, silliness, shiny things like sweet wrappers, sitting by rivers thinking, wandering aimlessly around London (the NON-touristy areas, I might add - I hate crowds of gormless tourists). Art galleries, interesting and slightly weird people, taking photos, food shopping, painting, ideas, spontaneity and laughter. Lots of laughter.
Spending many hours in Coffee and Corks in Canterbury - which is brilliant, because it combines cake-eatingness, laughter, coffee, drawing and silliness. All in one place. Perfect. You even get a free custard cream to go with it. What more could you ask for?
Simple things really.
And there you have it. That is me.
And I'm afraid that is about as good as I'm going to get.