LOOPY'S PERSONAL BIO

Hi there. I'm Linda Patterson, although you might know me better as Loopy (standard nickname) or LoopyNZ (web handle). I want this page to be a way for me to tell all my cyber-buddies who I am and (horrors!) what I look like, and to keep my real-life friends and family, near and far, up to date with what's happening in my life.

Born: 5 May 1978 Place: Dunedin, New Zealand Parents: Brenda Palmer and Ian Patterson Sister: Claire (two years younger than me)

I met and fell in love with Bob Brown in late 1995, and we've been almost inseparable ever since. I moved up to Napier, Hawke's Bay in 1997 to follow Bob, who got a job up here as a computer support technician with Opus International Consultants. Our home for our 6 1/2 years in Napier was a flat with a gorgeous rural outlook over fields and a couple of streams.

Bob and I were engaged in a very public way in late 2000 (and have a webpage to prove it!), and had a FABULOUS wedding on 11 November 2001 at Ormlie Lodge (the site of our engagement) in Napier.

Until recently, we were the proud parents of two cats, but we had to pass on custody to our friends Adam and Katie when we left New Zealand. Squee, our eldest, is a tabby, and our baby is ginger Jasper. They get on reasonably well...Okay, that might be an overstatement, but they haven't made each other bleed yet as far as I know, and Squee's getting more tolerant by the day!

I earned a business degree in accounting in the middle of 2001, but in spite of that have managed to avoid having to do any accounting. Instead I've worked for the past few years in various database-related positions at Opus in Napier, Western Australia, and the UK.

My interests and hobbies can be summed up fairly quickly - reading is it! I have almost all Agatha Christie's books (that's at least 60!), and am working my way through other mystery/crime authors like Elizabeth Peters, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Simon Brett, and Patricia Cornwell.

The other main genre I enjoy is fantasy, especially the David and Leigh Eddings' series, the Belgariad and the Mallorean. I've also read some Marion Zimmer Bradley, whose historical novels are really captivating - I recommend The Firebrand, about the ancient city of Troy, and The Mists of Avalon, a retelling of Arthurian legend.

PASSION FOR BOOKS + PASSION FOR BARGAINS = SECOND-HAND BOOKSHOP ADDICTION.

I never played any sports at school, but am quite proud that I've done a lot of "sampling" in the last few years, including trying squash, tennis, table tennis, volleyball, netball, badminton, indoor rock-climbing, orienteering, and tramping... What a list! In Napier I used to play social volleyball every week, and went orienteering about once a month. I was on the orieneering club committee and edited their magazine. 16 weeks of Yoga night classes with a friend a couple of years ago was also a very stimulating challenge!

Now Bob and I have itchy feet, and we've left the homeland! Our big OE (Overseas Experience) started in February 2003, when we spendt a couple of months in Bunbury, Western Australia working for Opus. In May 2003 we left Australia bound for the UK. We're earning a bit of money here at the moment, seeing different parts of the UK in weekends, and venturing into continental Europe when we can. If you're interested in our progress to date, we've got a travel diary (including photos) you should visit.