My name is

Jacqui Brown

My name is Jacqueline or Jacqui (these days I'm happy to answer to either) but it's a name that has caused me a bit of bother over the years. As a kid I disliked Jacqueline, mainly because it is so long to write and even seems to take forever to pronounce 'jac-que-line'. I was still in primary school when I adopted the shortened version Jacqui, that has suited me fine ever since. Although it is true to say I do have to spell it a lot and not get too hung up about an extra 'e' added on the end, especially here in France.

Sixteen years ago I became Mrs Jacqui Brown and unfortunately this fantastic event coincided with the release of the Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown. The seemingly endless jokes from work contacts when I mentioned my new married name was enough to put me off ever watching the film for myself.

Moving to a small French village almost ten years ago we found we were not the only Browns in the village. The rural postal service tends to deliver by name rather than address and a mix up of mail is how we came to meet the other Browns, who have since become very good friends. It now seems I am not the only Jacqui Brown in the local area.

Last weekend I received a steady trickle of confused emails from local friends following another Jacqui Brown's mail shot advertising her cleaning and gardening maintenance business. Confused and amused is probably more accurate as anyone who knows me will agree, housework and cleaning aren't really my thing! It is the first time in 16 years that I have come across another Jacqui Brown with an identical spelling and to be living so close to each other in rural France is quite bizarre. To avoid any further confusion, and in the interests of her business, I promise to stay well away from cleaning, but if the weather is good, you might just find me doing some weeding in my garden. If you would like more information on Jacqui's business, you can contact her here.