The Versatile Blogger Award

I was thrilled to bits to be nominated for this award! When I started blogging I was looking for an outlet to share my scribbles about travelling, my thoughts about the world and a platform to share a real passion of mine – photography. It’s given me the opportunity to engage with some fantastic bloggers and none more so than Searching For Humor who nominated me for this award. I’m always humbled and astonished when someone takes the time to read and comment on my blog posts so being nominated for a blogging award just blew me away.

The first thing I would urge you to do is to go and check out the brilliant Searching for Humor blog. There’s a healthy slice of literature and book reviews but what I love most about this site is the way our blogger takes us out on tours of places where her favourite books are set. This includes the settings and backdrops, but also a healthy slice of something delicious which is linked in some way to the book. If you can’t go out exploring yourself, then let Searching for Humor take you out on her travels around some great literary haunts!

Thank you Searching For Humor – you are amazing!

The rules for the versatile blogger award:

Thank the person who nominated you with a link to their blog
Share 7 things about yourself
Nominate bloggers for the award

7 Things About Me:

1.I’m a Londoner and though I’ve lived away from London for almost 16 years, it still occupies a special place in my affections. It’s such a fast-paced, vibrant and captivating city. There’s always something interesting happening SOMEWHERE! I’m proud of my hometown and get back for a visit whenever I can.

2.After many years of taking group and paired trips, I’m now a huge advocate of solo travel. I first travelled solo on a short break to Jersey in 2014. I was so nervous about it but had a fantastic time and met some amazing characters. People are so much more willing to chat to you when you travel alone. Over the years I’ve picked up a few tips about how to make the most of travelling as a solo female and have visited Norway twice, Austria, Slovakia and have an upcoming hiking trip to Switzerland just beyond the horizon. I still love to travel with friends but solo travel has opened up a whole new world to me.

Going solo on the road in Western Norway

3.I’m a massive music fan and have been to hundreds of gigs. It’s a great way to get out and see more of your own country too! My all time favourite band is Manic Street Preachers and when I was younger we would set off in a car and drive all over the country following the band’s tours. It was a thrill and a buzz! I got in to working with new bands in 2002 when I started an independent record label with a close friend and that gave me the opportunity to visit lots of tiny venues and see loads of great bands. These small venues are the lifeblood of music and are under threat in the UK. If you’ve got one nearby then go check out a band or two and give your local small music venue some love.

4.Though I’ve lived in the UK for almost my entire life, I spent 6 months living in the USA as a teenager. This was a fantastic experience! I remember the first time I came out of the subway in New York City and looked up at the towering skyscrapers which seemed so alien and yet so familiar at the same time. It totally blew me away and it’s a moment I will never forget. NYC is one of my favourite cities in the world and even though I’ve spent quite a bit of time there, it remains top of my bucket list for return visits!

Big love for NYC

5.I love the great outdoors. Whenever my soul is sick or I need a place to wrap itself around me and give me a good ‘ole hug then I head out into nature for a long walk. If water is involved, then all the better. There’s nothing like a stroll on the beach, hiking through a beautiful forest or climbing up high and taking in an amazing view. I’m lucky to live close to the Peak District National Park and I head out there whenever my head is mashed. I also love the sea as you may have guessed from the number of beach photos I put on my Instagram page! I feel my spirits soar when I’m near salty water and dream of living by the sea some day.

My dream… By the Pacific Ocean at Big Sur, California

6.I’m a restless fidget and always need to be doing something with my hands, whether it’s doodling on a pad while I’m on the phone, cooking up a storm in the kitchen, or cracking out the paints, glue and pastels to craft something from scratch. I don’t do well at sitting still and never in one place for long. Good job I love to travel!

7.I’m scared of flying. Yes, it’s true! It stopped me from travelling for around 12 years until I realised I was missing out on something I loved. So I read books about flying and fear of flying, did a course and then took the plunge and flew just about as far as you can from the UK when I visited Australia in 2011. I’m not ashamed to say that I burst into tears as we hurtled down the runway on the monstrous A380 but it was the best thing I ever did! It was a trip to remember and since then my fears have lessened with each flight I take. I still don’t enjoy flying but I can now board the plane calmly and even enjoy the flight a bit if it’s smooth and without turbulence. I always sit by the window so I can practise my travel geekery and spot places we are flying over!

Beautiful Sydney, Australia – worth facing the fear for!

My Nominations for the Versatile Blogger Award are:

Tasty Itinerary

Faiza Blogs

Win Life Win Love

The Frozen Mind

Hello Bexa

These 5 blogs will offer you a glimpse into the vast range of topics being blogged about out there in cyberspace, from travel to lifestyle, from mental health to stationery! They are all really worthy recipients of the Versatile Blogger Award as they not only cultivate brilliant blogs, they are all so lovely and have been supportive to me in the early days of my blogging journey. Please do check them out!

Thanks again to Searching For Humor for the nom and I’ll be back next week with more travel gubbins!