Well, I know I said I’d write something about grammar or etymology, but then, how can one turn down the Sunshine Blogger Award? And there are plenty of more days ahead in which to indulge myself in the riches of English, so why not have a little break, eh, to enjoy a little sunshine? I probably won’t have to use so many italics on this one, and formatting all of those can be tiring.

So, I have to say a big thank you to Parvathy Sarat for her nomination. It’s an honour, and I strongly recommend you check out her blog, Trust Me, You’re Alive. How could you resist such a fascinating variety of topics as written by a scribbler, dancer, dog-lover, and an overthinker? Certainly three of those four describe me (I’ll let you decide which), so obviously her posts are great reading.

Let’s do this then.

The Rules:

• Thank the person(s) who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog
• Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you
• Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions
• List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your post and/or on your blog

Parvathy’s questions:

1. Is there a country you have always wanted to visit, and if so, where?

Japan, simply because it seems so distinct, a substantially different culture from my Western-European own.

2. What do you do on a rainy day?

Read, write, and drink coffee.

3. What is your favorite book, or if you prefer, your favorite author?

Kind of the same answer: Nineteen Eighty-Four, and George Orwell. The book because it captured something that exists in the soul of man, and simultaneously how that shapes the society we create. And the man because he was a compassionate humanist idealist who wasn’t concerned with being fashionable.

4. What four people would you invite to a dinner party (contemporary, historical, or fictional)?

George Orwell, James Joyce, Orson Welles, and Alfred Hitchcock. Seems like it’d be good conversation. I’d probably cook.

5. If you could live in a book/tv show/movie, which one would you pick and why?

Star Trek: The Next Generation: flying around the galaxy exploring on that lovely ship – a dream.

6. How did you start blogging?

I was boring my colleagues with my ideas about language, so I thought it only fair that I potentially bore everybody in the world.

7. What’s the story behind your blog name?

It’s pretty self-explanatory. But I very deliberately included the hyphen, so you wouldn’t think my thoughts were from England, and about language in general.

8. If you could talk to your younger self, what would you say?

Wait another few years to start shaving your head: enjoy your hair before it starts to slowly go.

9. Is there anything you would change/delete from your past?

No, what’s done is done.

10. Do you play an instrument?

Not anymore! I learned the piano for a couple of years in my early adolescence, and wasn’t too bad at it at all, but I didn’t appreciate it at the time and gave up, so sadly I don’t play anymore. I still hope to brush up on it some day. Playing an instrument is like speaking a language of an entirely different nature.

11. If the world were to end tomorrow, what would you do today?

Go to the sea and silently appreciate the world for its own sake. Being a planet that supports life is a truly incredible thing, and we should all appreciate how lucky we are to be here.

My nominees:

As it’s quite hard to know which blogs are new or not, I’m going to nominate my 11 most recent followers. You lucky people.

byebyebeer

Liz Hensler

The Closet Atheist

thelifestylelove

thetaozinityproductionspage

smilingdreamer

Everything EmmZeeBee

gnarlyshanti

(Aren’t these all such great names?)

frompillartoposts

lynsey401

Language Learners Journal

As my way of thanking you for following my thoughts (and I honestly am grateful), I’d like to put you on the spot with…

My questions:

Which, like all my best combinations of words, I’m making up off the top of my head…

1. At what time of day do you enjoy sunshine most?
2. What was your favourite book as a child?
3. What’s your favourite smell?
4. If you were reincarnated, would you like to retain your knowledge from this life, or not?
5. Where are you now?
6. How do you write your blog posts? Do you have a routine?
7. What’s the best idea you’ve ever had?
8. What language do you not speak, but would like to?
9. What would 10-year old you think of you now?
10. What would your last meal be?
11. Which of these questions was the most difficult to answer, and why?

Let the sun shine!