Blue Sky Tag

I have recently been nominated for a Blue Sky Tag by Mrs. Blooms, who writes an amazing blog at https://candeloblooms.com/about/. As you can imagine by the name, her blog is full of roses, gardening, crafts and general good vibes! She is one of the most good-hearted bloggers in the online world and will provide all sorts of inspiration and many good cake recipes too!

I like to imagine the Blue Sky Tag like a little bubble of positivity being passed from one blogger to the next. Everyone feels happy when there are blue skies and Germany is offering up some beautiful Summer days right now. I am appreciating all the sunshine while it lasts!

Here are the rules for Blue Sky Tag:

1. Thank the person who nominated you
2. Answer their 11 questions
3. Formulate 11 questions for your nominees
4. Tag 11 bloggers and let them know

My answers to the questions

What do you enjoy most about blogging?

My favourite part of blogging is documenting all my adventures in one place and re-living my travels in the process of writing about them. It is extremely satisfying and helps to clarify my thoughts, travels and ideas.  It is also exciting to share these experiences with the world and hopefully provide some inspiration to fellow travellers.

What other hobbies and past times do you enjoy?

My other biggest hobby is music, particularly playing guitar and song writing.  Again, I find the writing process very therapeutic and satisfying.  It is a way of recording life in a way that normal writing can’t do. And it gives me another creative medium to express my ideas.

I also play the piano accordion, dabble in water colour and love reading, particularly historical fiction and autobiographies (especially if they involve any kind of travel, which they most often do)!

Given your time over, without any restrictions, what would be your ideal job?  Why?

I don’t really have a desire to have my time over (I guess I am still relatively young) and I really believe that a lot of the restrictions we think we have are those that we have put on ourselves.  Our mindset can be very powerful and it is all a matter of choice.  My past, including all the mistakes and triumphs, has allowed me to form my mindset today and to choose a path that allows me to follows my values and passions.  I have given many different directions a try – a musician, a travel writer, an art teacher, a primary teacher.  I enjoy all of these pathways and have also learnt the reality of them.  Now, I am really loving my career and enjoying every moment, but that doesn’t mean I can’t change direction at some point in the future if I set my mind to it!

Which new country would you like to visit?

This list is very long!  But I would love to visit Peru, particularly Machu Picchu. In the mean time, I am keen to explore more of Europe – all over – every single country!

What is your favourite quotation?

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

If you were an animal, what would you like to be and why?

A camel, because they love trekking through the outback, they are strong and reliable, plus they have very long eye lashes (double-sets, though I don’t need that many)!

What is your favourite time of the year and why?

Summer.  I do appreciate all the seasons, but in my heart, I love the heat!

What is your favourite film?

There are so many wonderful films but I remember loving The Intouchables.  It was one of those films that gives you so much hope for human kind.  It is full of love, joy, persistence, courage and strength and it has the potential to make you cry tears of joy.

What are the 3 most important character attributes to you?

Being kind, honest and open-minded.

What is your favourite book and why?

There are too many books that are too different to be able to just choose one.  But here are three books that I couldn’t put down:

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini.  This book gives you a fascinating insight into a completely different culture, focusing on female characters and their role in Afghan society.  It has the potential to make you cry!

A Fortunate Life, by Albert Facey.  This is an autobiography of a down-to-earth aussie man with a refreshingly grateful attitude towards life, despite extreme hardships.  It covers an extensive period of Australian history, which I find really interesting.

Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert.  An inspiring book about creative living beyond fear and how to harness that energy to live a life of passion.

What is your favourite garden and why?

I love walking around the gardens of historic houses and palaces.  For example, Monet’s Garden or the gardens at Schloss Sanssouci!  I always like to imagine that I am back in time, enjoying the pleasures of life in the royal gardens!

11 Questions for my nominees:

1. How were you inspired to start a blog?
2. What was your most memorable travel destination and why?
3. Which 6 famous people would you like to invite to a dinner party?
4. What is your favourite food?
5. What do you do to overcome writer’s block?
6. How do you define success?
7. What makes you happy?
8. What are some of the biggest lessons you have learnt throughout life so far?
9. If you could describe yourself in one sentence, what would it be?
10. What kind of qualities do you admire most?
11. How do you feel technology has changed the world we live in?

My 11 nominees

https://tammiepainter.com/about-me/

https://lifeintrips.com/about/

https://thoughtsonfantasy.com/about/

https://travelingwithlyn.com/about-2/

https://mistakesandadventuresblog.com/whatimabout/

https://cherrylsblog.com/category/out-and-about/

https://wanderlustplusone.com/about/

https://whereislydia.com/places/

https://lagrenouilleanglaise.wordpress.com/about/

https://thetravellingdiaryofadippydottygirl.com/about-me-8/

https://outanabout.com/about/

I hope to hear from some of you soon.  Happy blogging!