One Lovely Blog

I've been nominated for the ONE LOVELY BLOG Award by the very lovely Elizabeth Lloyd (thank you for thinking of me). You can find her Lovely Blog Award post here

If I've nominated your blog, please don't feel under any obligation to join in with this; I was just pleased to be nominated so that I could share the blogs that I like.

Here are the rules for the One Lovely Blog Award:

• Thank the person that nominated you and link back to that blog. 

• Share seven things about yourself – see below.

• Nominate 15 bloggers you admire – also listed below (or as many as you can think of!).

• Contact your bloggers to let them know you've tagged them for the One Lovely Blog Award.

Seven Things About Me

1. I love Family History

Ever since I was a child, listening to all the stories my grandmother Freda told me about the family and about the town I grew up in, I have loved it. When I had my daughter there was a strong voice within me that told me to get back into it and pursue it seriously. I took the baton from my mother who had made some inroads into her side of the family. Armed with a notebook I had kept years before, I made a start and have never looked back. My daughter turns 13 next week and I haven't finished yet.

2. Which leads me to my second best love...Beccles

I grew up in the Suffolk market town and even though I left to live in Australia with my Mum at the age of 12, I have never forgotten my roots. Beccles is deep within my heart, and firmly under my skin. I am currently writing a house & street history on Peddars Lane, where I grew up in the 1970s. My e-published novella, Symphony of War, is based in Beccles and I also write a blog about the history of the town called Relics of Beccles. I did have a Twitter account of the same name but I gave it away when it became harder to only tweet 140 characters at a time! My second novel is also based in Beccles and loosely utilizes some of the factual history of the period in which it's written (1912).

Beccles from the Church Tower, 2014
Taken by Brett Ford @ Guru Photo Genix

3. I love Writing

From a very early age I loved to write stories and English was always my favourite subject at school. When I was a little older I became a lover of writing letters and when I moved to Australia that passion flourished as I wrote regularly to my father and grandmother. In my teenage years writing left me (well, I left it) and for a long time stories stayed dormant inside me until I was in my mid-twenties. Even then, I only got so far as the fifth chapter before I threw it away. Then I met my husband. He has spent the last twelve years encouraging me to let loose the inner demons and to start writing again. If it wasn't for his support, I wouldn't have started blogging and writing again. Symphony of War would exist only in my head.

4. I love Cats

I had several cats growing up but it wasn't until 1996 that I really learned what loving a cat meant. I had some nightmare times with Oliver "Ollie" Twist but he came into my life at the right time and he left it only two years ago. In February this year, my husband and I rescued an 18-month-old female cat from the Cat Haven. She has a forever home with us now and we love her to bits. Her given name was Spearmint but we call her Minty Moo.

5. I love London

Don't ask me why, I just do. Whenever I go there, I feel my heart swelling with a deep pride to be British and I can't stop smiling. I love the Underground smells, I love the Embankment, I love the alleyways, the pubs, the lamps, the Thames, the architecture, the whole atmosphere. I walk taller when I'm in London. I watch anything if it is set in London. I read books that are set in London, especially in Victorian London.

Victoria Embankment, London

6. I love Historical Novels/Historical Crime

I cannot get enough of them, especially ones that are set in England. I devour all books by these authors: Kate Morton, Sarah Waters, Essie Fox, D.E. Meredith, Charles Dickens (<3), Lynn Shepherd, Tracy Chevalier, Lena Kennedy and Ruth Park. I love reading all things Victorian Crime such as Squizzy Taylor, Eugenia Falleni, William Palmer and Constance Kent.

7. I love Supernatural

Since its inception in 2005, I have been avidly following the trials and tribulations of those gorgeous hunks, the Winchester brothers, Dean and Sam. I can't get enough of the show and now that my daughter has become a fan, I get to watch the whole series from scratch.

Supernatural

My blog nominations:

Broadland Memories Blog http://www.broadlandmemories.co.uk/blog

Kindred Spirits http://thesekindredspirits.blogspot.com

A Visitor's Guide to Victorian England  http://visitvictorianengland.blogspot.co.uk

The Virtual Victorian  http://virtualvictorian.blogspot.com 

The History Girls http://the-history-girls.blogspot.com

Family History 4U http://sharnsgenealogyhints.blogspot.com.au

Family History Across The Seas http://cassmob.wordpress.com
Dance Skeletons http://danceskeletons.blogspot.com.au

Jottings Journeys and Genealogy http://judy-webster.blogspot.com.au

Lone Tester HQ  http://www.lonetester.com

A Rebel Hand http://rebelhand.wordpress.com

Adventures in Genealogy http://deb-adventuresingenealogy.blogspot.com

Stephanie Fishman http://www.stephaniefishman.com/blog

Desperately Seeking Surnames http://www.desperatelyseekingsurnames.com

Jenealogy http://www.jenealogy.biz/blog