• Contact
  • Welcome

Rachel

~ following the white rabbit…

Rachel

Category Archives: sunshine blogger award

The Sunshine Blogger Award

11 Friday Jan 2019

Posted by Rachel in sunshine blogger award, Uncategorized

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

Blogging, sunshine blogger award

sunshine-blogger-award-623146933

Thank you to Sheree from View from the Back for nominating me!  I admire Sheree greatly for the following words: ‘We’re accustomed to spending Christmas with just the two of us, doing exactly what we want.’  Not many are brave enough to do what they want, either at Christmas or in life.

My last tagalong post came just prior to a long and unscheduled wait at an airport and was very timely; I enjoy being given a task at the best of times and with an extra three hours to use it was especially handy.  This came just before another airport wait, and then a transit wait, so again, very timely, thank you!

My answers to the questions I was asked:

  1. How long have you been blogging and what prompted you to start?

I started this blog in 2014, I was writing a book at the time which felt like a slog, but creating blog posts felt so easy.  So I suppose you could say it was writer’s procrastination, although of course the blog posts are writing too.

2.  What do you write about on your blog and why?

I suppose I write about anything and everything, subject wise.  Whatever has resonated with me or seemed important, or that I’ve  noticed.  My primary aim is increasing my awareness and learning about myself.  I share my experiences, observations and reflections honestly in the hope that this resonates with others.

3.  Typically, how much time do you spend each week on your blog?

Maybe five-ten hours a week.  I am writing a book at the same time so sometimes the blog has to be a bit lighter, or sometimes I ‘cheat’ and post extracts from the book up instead of writing something separate for the blog.  I also spend time reading other people’s blogs and engaging with bloggers and readers in the comments sections.

4.  What prompts you to follow certain blogs?

Original content, well written.   Recently I searched for new blogs to follow using the search terms minimalism, voluntary simplicity, alternative living.  We will return to the UK to live on a narrowboat so I want to have a community around me to support me on the path.

5.  Do your family and friends read your blog? And, if so, what feedback (if any) do they give you?

No family, I would be inhibited if that were the case.  Friends do read it.  Some friends really like it and let me know that it has resonated with them, which I really appreciate.

6.  It’s The Sunshine Blogger Award so how do you spread rays of sunshine on your blog?

I don’t intentionally do this all the time; some of my posts are possibly quite sad.  But I do notice and report on beauty and personal growth.  I also believe that by being honest here it might help others feel less ashamed, or less alone, if they have any of the same issues, or can just relate to some of the ideas or feelings I express.  And I cherish the connections I have made on this blog.

7.  If you could change one thing about blogging, what would it be?

Why do I have to approve pingbacks I have made to myself?  When I  link to one of my own posts I have to approve it, so presumably the link won’t work until I do??  Which  means I have to catch WordPress as soon as the blog is posted, which is not always possible.

8.  If you were to impart one pearl of wisdom about blogging, what would it be?

Write what you want to write in the way you want to write it.  That way we will all get more original content to read, yay!

9.  Who or what, if anything, has influenced your blog?

For the first few years I just wrote what came out without much reference to readers.  Now I am more aware that people are reading and so I am aware of handling things like reporting on episodes of low mood sensitively.  I did go through a phase of putting really long book chapter excerpts up, there are people who will read long pieces (thank you dear readers), but I do now generally try to not go too far over 1,000 words.  Although I break that all the time.  In terms of blogging etiquette, I aspire to be like Sam.  Sam has over 4,000 followers but responds kindly and personally to every comment.  Sam is not a full time blogger either, blogging duties fit around travelling and working.

10. What’s the best bit about blogging?

Total freedom to write about ANYTHING.  But of course with freedom comes responsibility.  ‘You are free to choose but not free from the consequences of those decisions.’  Hence my care re writing about low mood, and my avoidance of politics.  Actually I avoid politics in day to day life too, and that helps my mood…  The connections I have made.  Like travel, it’s been a way of finding my people.  ‘Let your weird light shine so brightly that other weirdos will be able to find you.’

11.  What’s your idea of “A Perfect Day”?

Wake up when I want, do a few stretches, get ready in a leisurely fashion, eat breakfast and have a walk, come back and write for a couple of hours.  Then…  go and see something nice, a walk with my husband, eat again… and again, watch something on Netflix, go to bed.  We are travelling so just a walk around the local area and going to eat something is plenty pleasure enough for me.  Sometimes we are actually travelling somewhere new and on those days I get nervous but excited as well.

My 11 Nominees are:  (I know these kinds of things are not for everyone so of course feel free to ignore/alter/cannibalize as you wish!)

Adie– I thought you could use any questions you like for your web interview thingy instead maybe?

Adie is one of the bloggers I have been following the longest.  Adie writes flawlessly about everything!

Ann Coleman-

The person you’d most like to have in your real life family or circle of friends; such a kind person who shares daily life observations in a warm and honest way.

Bereaved and being a single parent-

Totally original, because it is about a person’s life.  Often highly amusing but sometimes sad.

Des-

Big life stuff, everyday stuff, all life may be covered here in an engaging  and approachable way.

Minimal-Lol

One of the minimalist bloggers I found recently

Msteequeology

Pure positivity and sunny support

The Mustard Yellow House

Lives in a sunny house- a tiny house.  I found via searching alternative living.  Wrote a really lovely post about creating a garden, Christmas, and switching off the tech.

Seoul Sister

Asian American culture and personal memoir.  Totally original, informative and inspiring, and emotional.

Unexpected in common hours

Beautiful photographs to brighten your day.

Weeping Pines-

Beautiful writings to brighten your day.

What you blog about-

Words and music

My 11 Questions for you are:

1. How do you decide which blogs to follow?

2. Do you follow people who have different backgrounds, cultures and politics to you?

3. Can someone have different politics to you but still be a good person in your eyes?

4. Do you connect with other bloggers on a personal level?

5. Do you read all the blogs you follow?

6. What is your opinion on blogging every day?

7. Do you like getting a post from the same blogger each day, or do you find you can’t keep up?

8. Do you sometimes think what’s the point (in blogging)?

9. And do you sometimes soar with happiness when posting a good blog post, reading a good blog, or making a connection in the comments sections and think, ‘Yes, this is everything!’?

10. Therefore is blogging a metaphor for life in general?

11. When was the last time you felt really happy?

‘The official rules,’ if you choose to participate, are as follows:

  • Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog so others can find them.
  • Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.
  • Nominate 11 other bloggers and ask them 11 new questions.
  • Notify the nominees about it on one of their own posts.
  • List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your post and/or your blog site.

Sunshine Blogger Award

30 Tuesday Jan 2018

Posted by Rachel in sunshine blogger award, Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

sunshine blogger award

Sunshine Blogger Award

download

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:

  1. Thank blogger(s) who nominated you in the blog post and link back to their blog.
  2. Answer the 11 questions.
  3. Nominate bloggers to receive the award
  4. 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? 

SMUT. and Self-Esteem

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.

The Cupcake Witch

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

Andiamo Bambino

Narrow boat dwellers, travellers, minimalist adventurers.

Ann Coleman

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.

Bethany K

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.

The Cupcake Witch

One of my Top 3 favourite bloggers.

Lisa Anniesette

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.

Paul Green at Mindfumps

So funny, so talented, and with such an engaging, kind and warm personality.

One Black Tree

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.

Sam, Living!

Always cheerful, super hardworking both work work and blogging, with a lovely attitude towards people and the world.  Currently in Sydney, Australia.

SMUT. and Self-Esteem

One of my Top 3 favourite bloggers.

Whatismaria

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.

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • May 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • January 2016
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014

Categories

  • ageing
  • aging
  • angels
  • Art
  • awareness
  • Blogging
  • buddhism
  • Cambodia
  • Celebrating others
  • childhood
  • Christmas
  • creativity
    • Yoga
  • De-cluttering
  • death
  • December 2018
  • Decluttering
  • Delhi
  • dreams
  • erotica
  • escape the matrix
  • family
  • Feminism
  • getting older
  • Hampi
  • happiness
  • How to write a blog
  • India
  • India blogs November 2018 onwards
  • Inspiration
  • karezza
  • Liebster Award
  • Life update
  • Marrakech
  • Marrakesh
  • memories
  • Menstruation
  • mental health
  • middle age
  • Minimalism
  • Narrowboat
  • Nepal
  • Periods
  • Personal growth
  • Pushkar
  • reality
  • relationships
  • sex
  • spirituality
  • stress
  • suicide
  • sunshine blogger award
  • Tattoos
  • Thailand
  • The matrix
  • therapy
  • Throwback Thursday
  • Tokyo
  • Travel
  • Travel update
  • Tuk Tuks
  • Uncategorized
  • Varanasi
  • veganism
  • Vietnam
  • Voluntary simplicity
  • Work
  • writing
  • Writing inspiration

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Rachel
    • Join 786 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Rachel
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...