I’ve been tagged!

One of the things I love about blogging is all the new friends I’ve made. It’s such a friendly, interactive community to be involved in. I enjoy reading and commenting on other blogger’s posts and fellow bloggers have been so helpful and supportive since I started my blog last December.

One of the other things I love about blogging is the ‘tags’.  This is where another blogger will set a writing challenge and then ‘tag’ other bloggers to complete it.

Yesterday, I was invited to take part in the ‘Sisterhood of the World Bloggers’ tag by the lovely Claire over at The Pramshed. I had the pleasure of meeting Claire in ‘real life’ earlier this year at the BritMums Live Conference.

The tag came at the perfect time for me, because I was drowning in interior post writing and was desperate to write about something different.

So how does the tag work? It’s simple, I answer the 10 questions Claire set for me, and then choose another 5 bloggers to answer 10 of my questions.

I love this idea because it’s a brilliant way to find out a little more about the people behind the blogs I’ve read.

Claire has set some really good questions, but I have to admit it was difficult to keep my answers brief and for some of the questions I found it hard to choose one answer.

What is your favourite food and why?

If we are talking about individual food items and not a meal then I’d say bread! It’s my downfall. That’s why I’ve resisted buying a breadmaker because I’d be huge! I love tiger bread, naan bread, pitta bread, stottie bread (Northern bread), ‘eggy’ bread…Basically anything ‘bready’.

If we are talking about my favourite meal, then I’d have to say ‘Ron’s Krispy Fried Chicken’ When I was nine, we lived in Texas for 9 months and we had a local Restaurant which served the best fried chicken EVER!  35 years later and I still dream about that chicken and remember how delicious it was.  Kentucky Fried Chicken is nothing compared to Ron’s.  Nothing could beat the crunchy thick, perfectly seasoned batter of Ron’s fried chicken. My mouth is watering now just thinking about it.

What I wouldn’t give to be able to go back and have a plate of Ron’s Krispy Fried Chicken.

If there was one place in the world you would visit, where would that be?

At the moment, I would have to say Sydney, Australia.  I’ve never been and would absolutely love to visit, but not just to see all the sights and soak up the sun.  My main reason for choosing Sydney is I that it would give me a chance to visit one of my best friends, Jenny, who lives in the town of Bathurst.

This probably makes more sense when I tell you that despite being such a close friend, I’ve never actually met my Aussie friend in real life. We got to know each other about a year and a half ago through a fanfiction website. For the uninitiated, ‘fanfiction’ is fiction written by amateur writers and the stories are based on films, TV series and books. I’ve read fanfiction for years now (I’ve even had a go myself) and there are some hugely talented writers out there. Since I sent my first message commenting on one of her stories, Jenny and I have become great friends. One of the perks of our friendship is I get to ‘Beta’ (edit) her amazing stories and read them before anyone else does. So, yes, we’ve messaged, we’ve written and we’ve Skyped, but as yet we’ve never been in the same room!

It would be wonderful to finally meet each other!

P.S. If you want to find some great stories based on your favourite films, books & TV shows, click here: Fanfiction.net

What do you do in your spare time, other than blogging or working?

I’m always busy! I love sewing, reading and writing fanfiction, photography, watching Rizzoli and Isles and The Good Wife.  I love spending time with Rich and the girls and going away in our caravan together.  I’m also involved in our church and volunteer at the Debt Advice Centre we set up last year.

When you were little what did you want to be?

All Creatures Great And Small.

I wanted to be a vet! I grew up watching ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ about James Herriott, the country vet.  I loved animals and the idea of helping make them better.  However, there was one big problem with my career aspirations. I’m very squeamish and hate the sight of blood or even people talking about blood. That, together with watching an episode of the show where James had to stick his arm up a cow’s bum, prompted me to reconsider my career choice!

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

This is such a tricky question! Fiction or non-fiction? I’m going to assume you mean fiction.  If I had to choose, I’d probably say ‘The Help’, by Kathryn Stockett.  The film of the book has probably overtaken ‘The Color Purple’ as my all-time favourite film.  I loved this story about black maids (‘helps’) raising the children of middle-class whites in the deep south of the United States of America.  The humour made me laugh out loud and the racism shocked me, particularly as it’s set in the not too distant past.

What’s your most embarrassing childhood memory?

Oh, I have loads! I think a particular howler happened in my first year at secondary school when I fainted in a packed assembly hall during ‘the talk’ about menstruation. I hadn’t started my period at that time and the whole idea of it terrified me because, as I’ve already said, I’m very squeamish.

The nurse had only been talking about the subject for 5 minutes and I was already starting to feel faint.  She spotted me and asked over the microphone if I was okay.  I was mortified to be singled out and was desperate to avoid any unwanted attention so I nodded weakly. In the end, it was all too much for me and the talk had to be interrupted whilst they led me out of the hall in front of all the girls in my year group and their mums.

What is your favourite song and why?

Oh, I love music so it’s a really difficult choice. My favourites vary depending on my mood!  I’ll focus on recorded songs, rather than some of the amazing ones I ‘try’ and sing at our church.

I think I was born in the wrong era because I love Motown (Steview Wonder, Percy Sledge, Otis Reading) and country music (Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert). In fact, every year Richard and I go to a Country Music Festival called Country 2 Country at the O2 Arena in London and see all the biggest country music bands.

See, I’m waffling again! The song that sticks in my mind as being a particular favourite is ‘Midnight train to Georgia’ by Gladys Knight & the Pips. I know it’s not very cool and current but I love everything about this song. I love the lyrics, her voice, the vibe. I can’t listen to it without joining in (and maybe even moving about a bit). It makes me happy! It’s my happy place!

Next…

If you could rule the world, what would you do on day 1?

Right now I’d have to say I’d have Day 1 off and stay in bed all day.  Then I’d deal with ruling the world on day 2. That’s because I am completely knackered at the moment and looking forward to going on holiday to Norfolk in our touring caravan at the end of the week.

What sort of day have you had today.

Well, it’s still only 7.50am, which helps to explain my answer to the previous question!  If I reflect on my day yesterday, it was a successful and enjoyable day.

In the morning, my youngest daughter helped me work on my review of a Fellowes Laminator and comb-binding machine for my blog. In the afternoon, I went on a bike ride to the local garden with the girls. In the evening, I worked on a post about a guitar amp pinboard I’ve made, whilst watching Team GB win a fistful of gold medals in the Rio Olympics.

Lastly, what do you want to achieve from blogging?

I want to grow a blog that folks want to read! I want them to think ‘I like Jane’s writing and her creative projects and random musings’. I would love to make enough income from blogging and writing so I never have to return to an uncreative job!

My nominations for Sisterhood of the World Bloggers tag are:

IslandLiving365

MylifelongHoliday

Bridie by the Sea

Mess and Merlot

Someone’s Mum

And I’m also going to tag Geraldine at Over Heaven’s Hill in case my 5 choices have already been tagged…And because I’m nosey and want to know her answers!

Here are my questions for you:

1. Who would you most like to meet and why?
2. What’s your earliest childhood memory?
3. What’s your favourite film and why?
4. Name three of your ‘guilty pleasures’.
5. Which superhero would you most like to be and why?
6. What’s your proudest moment.
7. What’s your most embarrassing moment (I’ve shared mine, you share yours!)?
8. What or who makes you laugh and why?
9. Who’s your favourite character from a book and why?
10. When was the last time you cried?

Once you’ve completed the Sisterhood of World Bloggers tag it would be great if you could tag me on Twitter once you’ve written your post, and I’ll give you a re-tweet.

I can’t wait to read your responses.

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