Dear Gianni of across the hogs back
nominated me to be part of the chain of posts about the Sisterhood of World Bloggers. Admittedly, it was a couple of weeks ago, but I was having internet problems, so better late than never.
I like women bloggers, in the most part, anyway. Ok, I like men bloggers too, but they are different in the way that they write. Somehow, I think it’s more polarised than in books or magazine articles. Or is that just me?
Anyway, there are some questions I have to answer to keep this going, so here we go:
- What is your all-time favourite destination?Mm, that’s a really difficult question because I like different places for different reasons. I love different parts of the UK because of the countryside and the architecture. I love Cornwall, I have so many fond memories of being there, especially with my parents as a child, and with my friend Lynn. I love India. I think it’s an amazing country, although there are lots of things I don’t like about too. I love Normandy, it reminds me of Devon. I love Marseilles, again, I suppose, because of fond memories.
My least favourite destination is Thailand. I was mugged on my first day in Bangkok and it took months to recover from the injuries. (Months and quite a lot of money to put the bits back into the right places.) I never want to go there again.
I’ve enjoyed most of the places I’ve visited but there are loads more on my list, so maybe I should come back to this one in 20 years time?
The Shard taken from the Walkie Talkie - Which post are you most proud of?
Another difficult question. I write them and forget about them. My sister-in-law likes the more personal ones, I like the more factual ones, where I have to do research first, but that’s because I like research. I don’t think there is any one I am most proud of. - Who would you invite to your dream dinner party, dead or alive?
Elizabeth I and Margaret Thatcher. Two women who’ve had a huge impact on this country, I’d be interested to see how they interact. Churchill and Napoleon, to see how two powerful men get on. And Byron, I’d like to meet him, just to see whether I would have fallen for him. Rupert Brooke because he’s really the only poet that I like. That’s it, I’m not cooking for more than that.
Lord Byron - Do you have a favourite travel app?
Not really, although a calculator is always useful for currency conversion since I seem to lose all ability to do even basic maths outside the UK. I agree with Gianni about WhatsApp though. When I can get an internet connection. - What’s your favourite thing and least favourite thing about blogging?
My favourite thing is the writing (and research, where appropriate). My least favourite thing is website problems.
Courtesy of Pixabay - Is there anything you like to do anytime you visit somewhere new?
I like to get to see some of the place I’m visiting, not just the hotel or the beach. I do not see the point of travelling even a few hundred miles and not setting foot outside of my room.I like to try the local food, although the big caveat on that is that there are lots of things I don’t and won’t eat. I don’t eat red meat, wheat or citrus fruit, which sometimes makes things difficult. I don’t want to eat bugs – I did try one in Thailand (yes, just one). I don’t fancy sweetbreads, etc, and I rather think that now, if I don’t want to, I don’t have to eat these things. I’m sure there are more things I don’t want to eat, but I always find new things to try. - Where is somewhere you’ve been or something you did that you didn’t expect much of but ended up loving?
I’m sure this has happened to me many, many times, but the most recent occasion was my visit to Goa. I haven’t been on an all inclusive holiday since I was a teenager and was a bit dubious, if I’m honest. Mainly about the food in the hotel. I was worried that it wold be very bland. How wrong was I? It is true, the wine wasn’t great, but I managed to cope with that… J
- What’s your pet peeve?
How long have you got? I hate it when banks make a mistake and then the person at the end of the ‘phone isn’t interested in doing anything to put it right. Actually, that doesn’t just apply to banks… I had this recently, Bank of Scotland “lost” £500-odd of my money and didn’t want to take any responsibility for it. Thanks to First Direct and my persistence, I got it back, but it was hard. - What’s your most treasured possession?
I’m not sure that possession is the right word, because I’m not sure you ever really own cats, but my girls. I love them dearly. They are my friends. They are so clever and bring so much joy into my life.
As for my nomination, well, I only know two women bloggers, and one of them nominated me, so I can’t nominate her back, so I nominate Julie Hayward.
© Susan Shirley 2016
susanshirleyblog 