by Carla Louise | Oct 3, 2013 | Inspiration |
Lovely Kathryn at the brilliant The Business of Introverts has nominated me for a Liebster blog award, which is rather happy-making 🙂
The idea is that:
1. You choose a few young and evolving blogs that you love and believe in to receive the Liebster Award (which is simply like a stamp of approval from one blog to another)
2. You write a blog post stating that you are nominating them and asking them to answer 10 questions of your choosing (this is that post!)
3. They write a post on their own blog answering the questions and nominating more blogs for the award
I’m passionate about blogs and one of my very favourite things is finding new ones to read… so here goes with my answers to Kathryn’s questions:
1. Why did you decide to start your blog?
I’ve been blogging for just over eight years and I started my very first one to record my life at university, accompanied by two tiny rubber ducks called Freddie and Frankie. It’s a way of keeping track of some of my life – a journal and guidebook all rolled into one!
2. What’s your favourite season and why?
Spring! I love the feeling of newness as we emerge from winter, lush greens all around and the bracing fresh air, with sunshine and a promise of summer to come.
3. What is the last great book you read?
I am in the middle of re-reading for the umpteenth time, Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. I’m on book eight of fourteen and as always, I’m so hooked that the stories and characters are weaving themselves into my dreams. I’m a complete WoT addict, so much so that my 18th birthday present from my parents was a gold ring I’d designed, taking strong inspiration from the series.
4. What 3 things would you take to a desert island?
This is such a tough question! First up, Larry the lamb – I’ve had him since birth and he’d be a great comfort if I was alone on said island. Secondly, a boxed set series of the aforementioned Wheel of Time – they would at least keep me occupied. Thirdly, a never-ending notebook and a pen with everlasting ink (you didn’t say I had to stay realistic!) so I could get my jumble of thoughts and experiences down onto paper.
5. Name 3 people that have inspired you
You don’t make these questions easy, do you Kathryn?! Ok so firstly my parents, for living all over the world before that was a normal thing to do, for starting a business at nearly 60 and for learning and changing with the times and not being set in their ways like so many of their generation. They’ve set me a brilliant example.
Next up, one of my best friends, the genius behind Contrariety Rose – for having the guts to quit her day job and focus on developing her own indie fashion label. She has the most determination and focus of anyone I’ve ever met and I admire her for it every day.
And lastly (though by no means least, and by no means the only other person I admire – this list could go on for aeons), a newer but no less treasured friend, Rachael, who was brave enough to listen to her instincts, move to the other side of the country and start a whole new life over there. I’m proud and in awe all at once!
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by Carla Louise | Jul 2, 2013 | Uncategorized |
I had an email out of the blue from Jenny from Team Allegro (remember the rally?) to ask if I was free 22nd June to go and help them build a garage. Shed. Garage. Structure in which to keep cars and bits of cars.
Obviously I said yes, it sounded like a) something I’d never done before, b) a challenge fun and c) an excuse to drink in the evening while catching up with friends I’ve not seen for more than a year. And maybe fuel the camper van plans with likeminded people…
Arriving in deepest darkest Norfolk (ok, just over the border – but there were road signs proclaiming THINK DON’T SINK which, given Poppy’s desperate need for new tyres, alarmed me slightly…) I was greeted by this sight…
It was a windier day than we’d expected, so Rob’s car (no, that’s not his MR2 in a very sneaky disguise) is in fact structural in this pic.
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by Carla Louise | Aug 10, 2011 | Adventures |
I have been mostly moving my flat around, and not blogging as much as I should have been. This evening I intend to rectify that, but for now a quick text-only update will have to do. I’m converting my housemate’s old room into a studio and moving the whole of the rest of the flat around as I go, so it feels different and I don’t miss her so much. Also means I can have lots more of my random stuff on display 🙂
Today I have discovered I would win hands-down if extreme sleeping was a sport, I can sleep anywhere, any time, under any circumstances. Which is a welcome return to normality after close to four years of insomnia and being unable to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time. I still wake frequently in the night but the quality of my sleep is better (and having this week off work, I’m determined to make the most of being able to lie in in the mornings instead of having to get up at half five!)
This morning I have replied epically to two emails I should have replied to ages ago, which is good… I’ve also kicked into full-on panic mode about the rally. We need to book hotels, but we don’t yet have the route. Some of the other teams have booked some, but I’m still not certain which days we’re meant to be in which country, let alone which town, and I don’t want us to be antisocial and be staying miles and miles from where everyone/anyone else is staying. Quite apart from the fact that the closer we are to the action, the more likely we are to not miss the start every day (you’re looking at Miss Extreme Sleeper 2011, don’t forget!).
Then there’s the actual room booking, I need to make sure it’s ok to share rooms, try and work out where everyone else is going to be and book the bloody ferry as well… aaargghhh. Think maybe my best bet is to get it all prepared and then we can make final decisions as a team at the weekend, and I’ll book everything then.
Last minute much?! It’s an adventure… it will be fun! (No, it actually will be, I’m just a bit flappy at the moment, there’s so much to do and I’m scared of doing stuff wrong as it’s my first rally and I have no clue how stuff works really. Still have creative blank on the tshirt too although if I get a chance this afternoon/evening I’ll have a play with the steampunk stuff that occurred to me late last night. Rust and clockwork and glitter, oh my….)
by Carla Louise | Aug 7, 2011 | Adventures |
With less than a month to go, we’ve both suddenly kicked into panic gear. For those of you uninitiated into the wonderful world of banger rallying, here’s the StreetSafari link which will tell you all about it…
http://www.streetsafari.com/ssaf.esp?p=about
There’s lots of lovely clickable links on there too, should you fancy delving further.
So… banger rally. This one’s to Romania, starting in Calais, in the first week of September this year. When I met Rob he was doing a UK one (Lands End to John O’Groats) and I thought it sounded like so much fun I told him to call me if he ever needed team mates. I was not expecting the call, six months later, to ask if I fancied doing this one!
However, I thought it sounded bloody brilliant and signed up on the spot. We had a weekend of preliminary planning in May, and then have been flat out busy with work and stuff so haven’t given it any more practical thought. After CAE we realised we needed to get a wriggle on, so Rob duly bought a car the following week for us to rat. Here she is, the affectionately named Slag-una…
(Photo courtesy of Rob, I haven’t actually seen the car in person yet)
Yeah… she’s in such good nick it’s almost a shame we’re going to rat her! The theme of the rally is Rat Look, so we’re looking to make her along the lines of this, ideally…
(photo from http://www.ratroduniverseblog.com/?p=354)
Rob’s servicing the Laguna this weekend, and starting on the paint stripping – I’m on the hunt for roof racks, tricycles, random crap to bolt onto it and cameras to film the trip. Keep an eye on this blog – updates will follow 🙂 (and I’m intending to blog the trip day-by-day while we’re out there, too).
