Welcome to this week's Saturday 9 at 9 - I want to thank my wonderful bloggy friend Rachel for being in a different time zone this week and stepping up into the hotseat! Taking a day off mid-week caused me to forget to send out my usual Wednesday emails and I was madly searching for someone at 10:30 PM my time... my email was in her inbox when she got up this morning - not long after that! So the five hour time difference saved the Saturday 9 at 9:
1. Tell us a little bit about your blog:
It's a personal blog (at http://blog.rachelcotterill.com), so there's a little bit of everything in there, but the main focus tends to be on recipes I've devised and travel stories from my various trips. Also, I've just started a new book review blog (at http://books.rachelcotterill.com).
2. How long have you been blogging and what do you love about it?
I started my blog in November 2008, and while it's evolved a bit over the years, it's still basically the same place to hang out. I really love the social side of blogging, and I've met quite a few other bloggers as I've been on my travels. Everyone is always just as lovely in person!
3. Who is the person or group behind the blog?
Rachel Cotterill: a British girl studying for her PhD and trying to make a living as a writer. My blog is a pretty good reflection of my life, aside from the academic side, which I tend to skip over to avoid boring everyone.
4. What hobbies/interests do you have?
Lots! One of my main interests is in trying new things and learning new skills, which keeps me busy. Aside from blogging most of my spare time is spent reading, writing, baking, doing various crafts, and travelling as much as I can afford.
5. If you could invite 4 people (real or fictional, living or dead) to a dinner party, who would you invite and what would you serve?
I'm really interested in philosophy and religion, and this would be a perfect opportunity to get to the heart of some things we can normally only read about second hand, so I think it would be fascinating to bring together Jesus, the prophet Mohammed, the Buddha, and Guru Nanak Dev. I'd serve up a vegetarian hot buffet, because it's very difficult to know what might appeal to the tastes of people from different eras, and I'd want everyone to be able to choose food they were comfortable with. I think it would take me quite a long time to research my menu!
6. I can’t live without…
Coffee. And believe me, I've tried.
7. Something people would be surprised to know about me is…
I used to live on a narrowboat, on the Oxford canal. There was no mains electricity or water, we had bottled gas that sometimes ran out half way through cooking dinner, and the toilet was a chemical cassette design that we had to empty every few days. It gives you a very philosophical outlook on life, when every basic necessity of modern living is suddenly a luxury.
8. Three of my favorite blogs to visit are (includue urls) :
504 Main - for awesome DIY and crafts at http://www.504main.com/
Uncornered Market - insightful travel at http://www.uncorneredmarket.com/
My Pixie Blog - a lovely blogger who I met in New York at http://www.mypixieblog.com
9. Three of my favorite posts on my blog are (Include urls) :
Chocolate & Ginger Cookies http://blog.rachelcotterill.com/2011/05/dark-chocolate-ginger-cookies.html
The Midnight Sun http://blog.rachelcotterill.com/2010/07/midnight-sun.html
Sigara Borek - a Turkish recipe http://blog.rachelcotterill.com/2011/12/sigara-borek-turkish-recipe.html
Thanks so much for sharing a bit about yourself! I love your dinner party - you're right about it being a great way to debate religion and philosophy! You can also find Rachel hanging out at these fun Social Media links:
http://facebook.com/mrs.rachel.cotterill
http://twitter.com/rachelcotterill
https://plus.google.com/u/0/110695103736072083997/
If you want to be featured on a future edition of the , please send an email to heather@actingbalanced.com with your blog link and I'll add you to my database!
