Blog On MSI (May 2017) Ice Breaker

As you may well know from my recent blog posts I am off to Blog On this weekend. For those of you that aren’t in the know ‘Blog On’ is one of the best blogging conferences which is held in Manchester twice annually.

Having been to Blog On once before I am at least familiar with the setup and location of the conference and am really excited about heading back to the Museum of Science and Industry to catch up with fellow bloggers, meet further bloggers, to network with brands and of course to learn even more about something which I have a great passion for.

Whilst I have already written a very similar post to this in the past for the previous ‘Blog On’ conference which I attended I decided to rewrite and update this post for this weekends upcoming conference. So without further ado, here’s a few questions and answers to break the ice before the weekend.

Share a recent picture of you

Heres a recent selfie taken to monitor my current weight loss. I’m desperately trying to lose a few pounds to get ‘beach ready’ for the summer.

Describe yourself in three words

Feisty, Bubbly and Unique

How long have you been blogging and what made you start?

I first began blogging back in the 90s, I first used Bolt then LiveJournal from which to blog from. Having given up writing teen angst I later deleted my online journals and switched to writing a parenting blog/ magazine in 2009.

After having my second child in 2013 I deleted ‘Mums Baby Magazine’ (my online magazine/ journal) and gave up writing for a while. I was bitten once again by the blogging bug in early 2016 and began writing from a personal perspective upon my current parenting and lifestyle blog ‘RachelSwirl‘.

What was the inspiration behind your blog name?

Quite simply put RachelSwirl is my nickname, I began getting nicknamed ‘Swirl Girl’ as most of my art work was based around swirls back when I was studying for GCSE and A Level, that and I am a massive fan of Tori Amos and one of her greatest tracks for me has to be ‘Raspberry Swirl Girl’. Put together I was nicknamed ‘RachelSwirl’ and it has stuck ever since!

What is the best thing to come from your blog so far?

I love writing from a personal perspective, unlike my previous third-person work I am now able to express myself fully with added humour. I really enjoy writing and through being a blogger I have made some amazing friendships and have also had the added bonus of getting to work with brands and companies to create honest reviews. I enjoy every aspect of blogging in all honesty and plan to continue for the foreseeable future.

Your most remembered thing from your childhood

Gosh where do I start? I remember so much of my childhood some of it I don’t wish to repeat but one of my happier memories has to be spending time with my beloved Nana and Grandad down on the coast road in the caravan eating home-made chips and running around following treasure hunts.

Something interesting you might not know about me is . . .

I had pioneering surgery a few years ago on my hand due to a tumour. I was given a bone graft from my hip to my hand saving my index finger and as a result I am still able to tinkle upon the ivories as well as type this here blog post!

Which social media platform best describes your personality and why?

I have a bit of thing for Facebook, I tend to use this more often than any other social media platform. However, if I were to describe myself as a social media platform it would more than likely be Instagram as its quick, straight to the point and there’s no beating around the bush with lengthy posts.

What is your happy song?

My happy song changes according to the hour. However, one of my all time favourites has to be ‘Happy Phantom by Tori Amos, it’s quirky and seems to fit my personality well.

What is your favourite alcoholic drink?

Currently I favour Rose Wine with lemonade (make mine a long one!)

What is your favourite cake?

I adore coffee cake but as I am allergic to nuts and most coffee cake tends to get served with walnuts I have to be extremely careful when eating cake whilst out and about.

What is your favourite takeaway dish?

I will always opt for an Indian take away despite having to dice with death to find out whether the curries are made with nut oil. I love a spicy ‘Bombay Potatoes’ with a garlic Naan!

Where is your dream holiday destination and why?

My dream holiday destination is and always will be Florida, the sunshine state filled with rollercoasters and of course the land where dreams come true Yep, I’m a Disney Diva!

What would your superhero name be?

Fire – Mess with me and you will get burnt!

If you had a magical power, would you want to have and why?

I would love to be able to fly wouldn’t we all? Either that or teleport myself to save on travel fees and to cut down on luggage!

What one weapon would help you survive a zombie apocalypse?

I’ve never really thought about a zombie apocalypse to be honest, this has got me thinking. Aha! I would have the cure, that would fix everything right?

If you could send something into space, what would it be?

I would send a device which would be able to communicate with any other life form on any other planet in any other galaxy within the Universe. We could finally find out if there is ‘life on others planets’ then.

What would you have on your gravestone?

Hmmm this is a bit morbid! I would obviously have my dates of birth and death but as a quote I would probably have to opt for “Life is one big adventure, this is just the next step”.

You make headline news around the world in 2 years time… but for what reason?

Girl that says what she means and means what she says takes on the World and wins.

If an EMP wiped out all mechanical forms of transport, how would you get to BlogOn?

I’d seriously struggle in all honesty given that Manchester is almost a two and a half hour drive away and these boots weren’t made for walking! I would most likely find a horse and mosey on down to the MOSI.

I look forward to reading lots of other bloggers ice breaker posts prior to the conference and of course being in attendance along with my giant suitcase this weekend!