Sunshine Blogger Award
Thank you very much to Matt of Matt’s Views for nominating me. Matt is cheerful and positive whilst being open and honest about his own struggles. He writes in a way that is refreshing and helpful. He also writes about all sorts of other topics as well. (I learned all I know about Bitcoin and other such things from him.)
For those of you who don’t know the purpose of the Sunshine Blogger Award, it is given to a blogger that is inspirational through their positivity and creativity in the blogging community (again, thank you so much Matt, I am so touched that you thought of me!).
SUNSHINE BLOGGER AWARD RULES:
- Thank blogger(s) who nominated you in the blog post and link back to their blog.
- Answer the 11 questions.
- Nominate bloggers to receive the award
- List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.
Here are my questions and answers:
What is your favourite thing about blogging?
Oh, meeting people on WordPress and how lovely it is here, no trolls or anything like that. I can write about everything and feel so safe. I’ve made real connections including with two people that I actually plan to meet up with IRL. It has also solved my problem of what to do whilst waiting for the water to boil or a bath to run (since I don’t read news media or do fb)- now I read blogs, and they are so much better!
Why did you start blogging?
It was such a relief from trying to write books. Trying to get my amorphous mass of diary style notebook entries into a coherent narrative was such hard work, and my previously fresh live writing would flatten and die. Blogging is the opposite of that. I love, love love it! My early blogs (2014) read as if I’m not telling you everything, because at the same time I’m writing a book. Which is either published on the blog or linked from it to Amazon where it is for sale really cheap (see my About page for details re how to read my books on the blog/get on Amazon). So I did tell you everything eventually but nowadays I just tell you everything in the blog and don’t keep anything ‘back’ to write anywhere else. I mean, I have recently written an article to submit to New Philosopher, about stuff, consumerism and objects, but most of the material and ideas were presented on the blog first. In the future I intend to submit travel articles, competition entries, etc, but the blog will always have the best of me, the absolute truth, not clipped or caged.
What is your favourite way to relax?
Eating snacks, going for a walk, doing some yoga stretches, time alone, writing.
What inspires / motivates you?
Writing, ideas, writing, talking with my husband about ideas, writing.
If you could do anything right now, would it be to go to someone or to go somewhere and why?
I am going to cheat and say both- go to Japan to see my new friend and fellow blogger that I met on WordPress! Because she wrote so beautifully about Japan and because we have connected as writers and as people.
What is your favourite music?
If you run into me as I’m dying at the side of the road, please, I beg you, play me this. I fell in love with this in 1985 aged fifteen and my love has never faltered.
A guilty pleasure. Actually I’m not even guilty. She’s okay right? And absolutely the most amazing thing to watch under the influence. I super impressed my husband with my music/video choice that night!
Top 3 Favourite Bloggers?
Deeply insightful, creative, sensitive. SMUT blogs about everyday incidents and reflects upon how they affect her. She offers strategies for dealing with anxiety based on her personal experience and recovery and provides candid stories that explain how her past has affected her and how she has learned to understand herself more. She’s also a trainee pharmacy technician and a musician. Smart, capable, awesome.
Such a good writer. So very, very smart. Writes about everything. Just read.
Damn Girl. Get Your Shit Together.
I have only just discovered this person via The Cupcake Witch. Her brief accounts of her childhood are enough to make you weep, feel pity, want to do something for her…. But she has her shit together and not only that, here she is, helping us, which is incredibly generous of her. What can we do in return? Read, follow, and be awed.
She offers perfectly pitched, deadly accurate advice in a way that is warm, incisive and very funny, from looking after yourself properly when you have a cold (use balsam/balm tissues from the very start- yes, yes!) to motivating yourself to clean the house.
Damn Girl…. knows that an inspirational fridge magnet is actually going to do fuck all for you, but cleaning out the fridge will make you feel better. (Okay maybe that’s going a bit too far; I rarely clean my fridge out, but doing the dishes and having a tidy up will definitely help.) She helped me summon the motivation to clean the bathroom and vacuum the carpet last weekend when the house was a mess and I didn’t much feel like doing it. (And I didn’t even know I was in need of any help, but that is her whole point. We need her, we just didn’t realise it before.) If I could only read one thing forever and ever, it would be her blog. She is amazing. I am begging you to go and see her. (Oh and thank you so much Cupcake Witch for doing your post recommending her.)
Where are you from?
Norfolk, in England.
What is your biggest passion?
Writing.
What are you most excited for in 2018?
Leaving my job and going off travelling.
What is your dream job?
A bit of writing and a bit of cleaning- deep ‘extreme cleans’ or light, helping older persons with cleaning, shopping etc, I don’t mind.
My Nominations
Narrow boat dwellers, travellers, minimalist adventurers.
Ann is warm, funny and honest. She talks about everyday things that people don’t usually discuss, such as what it’s like the first time you have to take care of your parent, and how you only find out that you can do it when you do it, and what that feels like. Ann also talks about her home cleaning habits, see the post I have linked to, which really made me laugh. She is a self confessed clean freak but I just know she’s not judging any of us, she’s far too nice.
Such beautiful photographs, it is as if a real window opens up on my computer and there is a bird, a butterfly. Bethany practices mindfulness every day and despite having many personal challenges she is a positive inspiration every day. And I think she’s a vegan, so she’s really kind to all living creatures.
One of my Top 3 favourite bloggers.
I like Lisa’s blog because she writes about lots of different things. I have linked to a very interesting piece she wrote about a book she got out of the library. Also she is a vegan and posts nice recipes.
So funny, so talented, and with such an engaging, kind and warm personality.
Currently living in Tokyo far from home. The post I have linked to is an absolutely beautiful description of Tokyo, as soon as I read it I said that’s it, I have to go. She is also incredibly brave, she wrote about losing her indoor shoes with no money to buy any more, and about being left without access to all her money for three days with barely enough food and not speaking fluent Japanese, yet she stayed calm and aware, and wrote about it for us.
Always cheerful, super hardworking both work work and blogging, with a lovely attitude towards people and the world. Currently in Sydney, Australia.
One of my Top 3 favourite bloggers.
Very helpful in depth articles, the one I have linked to is about what to do if you feel overwhelmed. Also posts nice vegan recipes.
Nominees, if you want to do this, use the questions I answered above, but I am changing the last question, from What is your dream job? to Describe your dream day.
Thank you very much for reading.