Michelle Noble-Nestor finds inspiration in stained glass windows and the Coen brothers
Hooked on crafts
I like working with my hands and I love the colours in stained glass, particularly in churches. I’ve taken evening classes in stained glass as well as upholstery, embroidery and mosaic tiling. I tend to make designs with flowers - tulips and irises. I’ve never made a window but I took my own children (aged six and four) to the stained glass museum in Ely Cathedral, and I went on a school trip to King’s College Chapel. They showed us what they were restoring and there were some wonderful pieces.
Favourite music
If I’m feeling really stressed I listen to classical music - I like to chill in the bath with a bit of Wagner. If I’m feeling happy I like Moby and U2. The kids at school recommend music to me - if it’s wet at dinner time, they’re allowed to have music on in the classrooms. At the moment it’s Wasted or Busted or something - I think I’m turning into my mother - but the Year 5s had Norah Jones’s “Come Away with Me” on the other day, and I thought that was very jazzy and beautiful.
Best film ever
Raising Arizona, an early Coen brothers movie (left). It’s a dark romance, about a thief and a police officer who get together. She can’t have a baby so they decide to steal one. I like a bit of romance when I go to the movies, which isn’t very often because I’m a single parent. I haven’t even seen Matrix Reloaded yet and I want to be able to talk to the children at school about it. I’m looking forward to the next Harry Potter film for the same reason. And I do like Keanu Reeves.
Favourite books
Murder mysteries - PD James, Carl Hiaasen, James Ellroy. I must be going through a dark period. I work with kids during the day and I want to read about murder at night.
Treat in store
Atonement by Ian McEwan. A friend recommended it; I liked Amsterdam and Enduring Love.
Michelle Noble-Nestor, 41, is a midday supervisor and learning support assistant at Newnham Croft primary school, Cambridge. She grew up in Toronto, where she took a marketing degree, and has lived in England since 1997. She was talking to Karen Gold
