One Day In The Life Of Xanantha Denisovna

I am a graduate of the University of Cambridge (where the week begins on Thursday, May Week is in June, and things happen in Latin), roaming free in the world with a History degree. In March 2010 I get to collect my fake!MA and relive the joy of dressing up like a fluffy penguin. When I grow up I want to be a librarian, but first of all I need to get my spurny body to start behaving.

Guiding is verrrrrrry important to me. I am: an Assistant Guide Guider; LSE's County PR Advisor; and Guider-in-Charge of the Brownie Unit at my church, with a team of fab & enthusiastic (if slightly mad) Owls to back me up. In October 2010 I will be taking part in the first WAGGGS Forum for Young Women as in interpreter & translator. Moreover, I am a Queen's Guide & thus "a valuable member of society" (huzzah).

I play the oboe and the recorder and am teaching myself the flute, with limited success owing mostly to the tendency of my right shoulder to go larking off. Alas for me. While at Uni I sang with the unfortunately acronymed CUMS chorus, who were choir in residence at the Murten Choral Festival in 2005. At some point I'd like to find a nice new choir who are short on first sopranos, don't mind that my sight reading is not fabulous, and who won't mind the fact I don't like singing when I think people might actually be able to hear me... Oh, and I might need to get my voice back again as well (though speech therapy is helping with that one...)

I have been learning ballet since the start of 2007 and have a ridiculous amount of ballet joy. This often leads to my bopping off to see the Royal Ballet/ENB/any decentish-sounding visiting company. Thank heavens for cheap tickets for the crippled. At the moment I take two classes a week: one at Laban & one at Markova House. From time to time there is ballet otherwhere.

In 2008 I started horse-riding and now ride for half an hour each week at Mudchute on the Isle of Dogs. Poppy the Paradox Pony is my favourite and my best; and riding just makes me Very Happy Indeed even though - as with ballet, having Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome does hold me back rather.

Once upon a time I spoke good French & German but this is sadly no longer the case. However, I still like to read in these languages (to try and prevent my brain from atrophying etc) although perhaps not as much as I enjoy reading in English. Bring on the books...