25 More Thoughts for the Day

Posted on July 12, 2014 by suzie81speaks

A few weeks ago I created a post entitled ’25 Thoughts For the Day,’ which essentially was a collection of 25 phrases that I had collected from various memes and inspirational posters around the Internet. It was received quite well, and in a few of the comments that were given there was a request to do another. Unfortunately, sequels are invariably nowhere near the standard of the original, but I thought I would honour the requests and create a further list…

1. Don’t regret the things you did. Regret the things you didn’t do when you had the chance.

2. Life is too short to remove the USB safely.

3. Build your own dreams, or somebody else will hire you to build theirs.

4. With great power comes a great electricity bill.

5. You never realise how boring your life is until someone asks you what you do for fun.

6. Help a man when he is in trouble, and he’ll remember you when he is trouble again.

7. The best things in life are free. The second best things are very expensive.

8. A jealous person does better detective work than the FBI.

9. Having one child makes you a parent. Having two makes you a referee.

10. Unless life also hands you water, your lemonade is going to suck.

11. You can’t breathe through your nose with your tongue out.

12. You’ve just tried it, realised that you can breathe through your nose with your tongue out, but doing so makes you closely resemble a panting dog.

13. A whale swims all day, eats fish and is fat. A tortoise barely moves and can live for hundreds of years. Exercise fanatics: think on…

14. The chance of you dying on the way to buy your lottery ticket is greater than your chance of winning.

15. When nothing goes left… Go right.

16. Life is like a party. You invite lots of people – some will arrive on time, bring their own drinks and food, some will stay up all night, some will laugh at you, some will laugh with you, some will arrive really late. When the fun is over, some will help you clean up the mess, even though it wasn’t theirs.

17. Never trust a computer that you can’t throw out of a window.

18. Forgive your enemy… But never forget their name.

19. If you do not ask, the answer will always be no.

20. Do not let success go to your head, and failure go to your heart.

21. There are often three sides to a story. Yours, theirs and the truth.

22. If everyone is completely happy with you in life, you may have made many compromises. If you are happy with everyone, it is likely that you have ignored the many faults of others.

23. Life is like a bath – the longer you’re in it, the more wrinkled you are going to get.

24. If you love something set it free… Unless its a tiger.

25. And finally, this:

You can also find me on Twitter and Tumblr @suzie81blog

My Favourites

Posted on June 16, 2014 by suzie81speaks

I’ve been blogging for just over a year now, and in that time I’ve managed to produce hundreds of posts. I spent some of yesterday revisiting these, editing and deleting them, and I thought that it might be a nice idea to compile some of my favourites to share with you again, in case you may have missed them. Simply click the image for the link:

balloon-balloons-dress-h3rsmile-tumblr-com-happiness-happy-favim-com-49804

23 Things You Should Actually Do before You’re 23

Successes and Mistakes: Blogging in 2013

Why Carrie Bradshaw Needs a Slap

46 Reasons Why Women Are Amazing

Karma’s a Bitch, Right?

Fifty Rules for Life

25 Thoughts For The Day

No Means No!

How To Gain 60lbs in Five Years

Great Expectations

Sorry, I’m Not Sorry

Stop Apologising For Yourself!

Nine Things We Don’t Owe Anybody

Eight Reasons Why I Blog

Professional Or Hobbyist? (Freshly Pressed)

How To Know When You’re a Teacher

Feel free to share, tweet, pin and repost any of these! As always, I’d love to know your thoughts! What are your favourites?

You can also find me on Twitter and Tumblr @Suzie81blog

How Many Frogs?

Posted on June 13, 2014 by suzie81speaks

Every so often I’ll read an amazing post that I thoroughly enjoy from start to finish, and it will trigger an idea. However, in this case I’m blatantly stealing.

This post, from Jolene over at ‘Valley Girl Gone Country’ was her response to a blog that she’d read about being single, and the types of men that she had dated.

It instantly brought back the horrors of some of my ex – boyfriends and dating experiences, and so I thought I’d create a list of things that have genuinely happened to me from the ‘frogs’ I have kissed. The above is a video of a South African Desert Frog, and when I saw it I couldn’t have found a more perfect example of some of these human frogs that I’ve had to deal with (It’s also hilarious and I almost bust an eyeball when I first saw it).

This may help you recognise potential frogs in advance in your own lives so you can AVOID THEM COMPLETELY.

Note: This is not an opportunity to complain or belittle the male race – the majority of my relationships have been with nice, genuine and hard-working men who treated me well. However, I have also had my fair share of experiences with men who have acted a little strangely…

1. I was dumped by a guy without warning. He let me know that he no longer wanted to be in a relationship with me by putting the phone down on me when I rang his house. No explanation. It transpired later (when his friend told me) that he was annoyed that I’d told a mutual friend that he was upset that his dog had died. I still don’t know how to respond to that.

2. I went on a weekend away with a boyfriend. We had a lovely day – we explored the area, had a laugh, ate a gorgeous meal and I was relaxed and happy when we returned to the hotel. I was, however, shattered, and wanted to go to sleep. When I told him I wasn’t ‘in the mood’, he had a tantrum: a full blown, stamping his feet toddler tantrum. I went to sleep, and we returned home the following day in silence.

3. The same boyfriend invited me on a trip to New York. Turns out, his parents had paid for the trip as a birthday present, and they were coming too. I had no problem with that and was grateful for the opportunity – his family were lovely people. Unfortunately, they were also strict Catholics and had booked two rooms in the hotel – one for me and his mother to sleep in, the other for him and his father. While I liked his family and respected their values, I was 25 years old at the time and felt uncomfortable about it. Suffice to say, I didn’t go, and we broke up not long after.

4. I really liked a guy that I met through a mutual friend. After flirting for a while, we kissed. He stopped, looked me right in the face and said “I’m sorry, I’m gay.” This was the first time he’d told anyone. He was in his 30’s and had worked with my friend for several years, who had no idea. He chose the exact moment he kissed me to ‘come out.’ While I’m always pleased to hear somebody has the courage to do this, I’d have preferred it if he’d mentioned something sooner.

5. I was asked out by an extremely attractive man when I was in college. On our first date he picked me up in his car, and I noticed that he had tapes (I’m showing my age here) of Britney Spears and Les Miserables on his dashboard, which he said were his sister’s. It was eventually revealed that the car actually belonged to his girlfriend.

6. I was excited to go on a second date with a man with whom I’d enjoyed a wonderful first. I bought a new outfit and spent ages getting ready, making sure that everything was perfect to the last minor detail. He took me to a Needle Museum. Yes, I spent two hours wandering round a museum dedicated to the history of sewing needles.

7. A man that I had started dating started texting me one night, asking where I was. I was at home, and told him as such, but he didn’t believe me. He bombarded me with text messages for half an hour, accusing me of seeing somebody else (which I wasn’t), and only stopped when I threatened to call the police. The following morning, at SIX IN THE MORNING, he knocked on my front door, offering a Tupperware box of homemade vegetable soup as an apology. I simply closed the door.

8. An ex and I broke up because he had started to sit outside my workplace in his car all day and started to get quite possessive and clingy. After we separated he turned up at my friend’s house that she shared with her partner in tears. He ended up staying for a cup of tea, he put some shelves up for them and left. MY FRIEND LIVES TWO HUNDRED MILES AWAY FROM HIM. He drove two hundred miles so he could cry on my friend’s shoulder. She, and I never heard from him again, although a mutual friend informed me that he’s got three kids now.

9. And finally, the ultimate: a man that I was in a relationship with, who I was in love with, was conducting a relationship with me while his girlfriend of three years was travelling around Australia. I was unaware of this, and when I found out, I got rid. The girl moved back in with him upon her return.

So, it’s taken quite a few frogs to find my prince. For those of you losing hope, just think of these examples and remember this wonderful quote:

‘It’s better to be alone than be with someone who makes you feel alone…’

Video Credit: Dean Boshoff

What Really Grinds My Gears

Posted on May 28, 2014 by suzie81speaks

It’s pay day and even though it’s the holidays I had to go into work to do some extra coursework with the students. On the way back I decided to treat myself and stopped at the local McDonald’s, where I promptly ate my food whilst catching up on Twitter and minding my own business. Suddenly something hit me on the back of the head. I turned around to see a child standing there and laughing – he had thrown some of his food at me and seemed to find it hilarious. His mother responded by simply whining at him “Jadeeeeeeen… Don’t dooooo thaaaaaaaat! You’re soooooo nauuuuuuuuuughty!” in a baby voice. I was tempted to stand up, dump the rest of my fries on his head and laugh back, but then I realised that it would have been a complete waste of food, and I hate that.I normally try and put a positive theme into my blog posts, but sometimes things (usually inconsiderate people) really irritate me.

I’m always reminded of the Family Guy episode where Peter hosts a news segment called ‘What Really Grinds My Gears,’ and so for today’s post I am going to do the same.

These are the things that really Grinds My Gears

1. Eating popcorn with open mouths at the cinema.

2. Kicking the seats at the cinema.

3. Allowing children to run around at the cinema.

4. Spitting on the floor, particularly in the spot where I’m just about to walk.

5. Playing music so loudly from their car that it vibrates my whole body and the walls of my house.

6. Standing in front of me when it’s clear I’m looking at something – this applies to the zoo, museums, art galleries and shops.

7. Hitting me in the ankles with pushchairs.

8. Sneezing on the back of my head when I’m on the bus.

9. Weight comparisons.

10. Playing music on public transport – It’s inevitably awful music and I’ve been tempted to play some 80’s rock music in retaliation.

11. Lectures on any form of religion.

12. Making a ‘duck face’ when taking photographs.

13. A complete lack of manners.

14. Only contacting me when somebody wants something.

15. Walking past me and telling me to ‘cheer up’ when I’m minding my own business.

16. Lecturing me on my job.

17. Interrupting me.

18. Racists.

19. Sexists.

20. Animal and child abusers.

21. Homophobes.

22. People telling me how much money they earn.

23. People who feel the world owes them something.

24. Stopping suddenly right in front of me and then tutting at me when I bump into them.

25. Responding to an argument with ‘whatever.’

26. Talking down to someone in a service based job – waitress, barman, fast food restaurant, coffee house…

27. Making assumptions on my personality based on my accent. ( I have a thick northern English accent and some assume that I lack intelligence because of it.)

28. Assuming that accidental eye contact actually means ‘I want to sleep with you.’

29. Hypocrites.

30. People who don’t take no for an answer.

31. Nagging.

32. Borrowing something and not returning it.

33. Dropping litter on the floor.

34. Not picking up dog mess from the street.

And finally…

35. Allowing a child to throw food and me without correcting it, disciplining it and offering an apology.What about you guys? What really grinds your gears?

You can also find me on Twitter and Tumblr @suzie81blog

A Dented Bucket List

Posted on May 27, 2014 by suzie81speaks

I love Bucket Lists – lists of things that we wish to achieve/see/do before we die – and last year I spent hours creating the ultimate Bucket List that combined all the smaller ones that I have made over the years. I’ve made a good start on it too and have been able to cross quite a few things off…

However, I was inspired when I saw the idea of the ‘Dented’ Bucket List, created on the RawrLove blog in support of the much missed Rarasaur, who had suggested the idea herself. I decided to create my own – focusing on things that I would never deliberately see and do, things I never hope to experience and things that I have experienced already but would have been on the list. These are not meant to be judgemental towards anybody else and their lifestyles, they are based purely of personal preferences and are in no particular order.

1. Cage dive with Great Whites. Not even if there was money involved. Never. Ever.

2. Have to start my life again from scratch with almost nothing.

3. Live through the coldest two weeks of the year without gas or heating under a duvet, with just 25 pence in my bank account.

4. Wear fur.

5. Attend a bullfight.

6. Do drugs. I’ve never tried any of them aside from cigarettes and alcohol because I’ve never had an interest to and never will – it’s something that has never appealed to me.

7. Buy and/or listen to Justin Bieber’s music.

8. See Justin Bieber in concert.

9. ~~Go camping.~~

10. Skydive. I have a terrible fear of heights and flying, and so the two combined are even worse. While it appears on a lot of Bucket Lists that I have read, it will never appear on mine.

11. Bungee Jumping. See number 10.

12. Lick anything from someone else’s belly button.

13. Complain about having a job. While I may complain about my workload on occasions, as most people do, I have never, and will never, lose sight of the fact that I have a good job and I am very lucky to work there.

14. Watch Twilight again. There’s two hours of my life I’ll never get back.

15. Eat boiled egg. Eww. The smell is enough to make me feel sick.

16. Spend the night in a haunted building. I don’t see the point in scaring myself for fun.

17. Be ‘too old’ to do something.

18. Lose sight of the importance of a good friend.

19. Perform on stage in a play. I have recurring nightmares about being in front of an audience and not being able to member my lines.

20. Make The Bloke wear a matching outfit, unless it’s fancy dress.

21. Get another perm. I looked like a blonde reject from an ‘Annie’ audition.

22. ‘Grow up.’

23. Pose naked. Nobody needs to see that. I envisage people running away and screaming ‘my eyes! My eyes!’…

24. Forget. Forgiveness is one thing, forgetting is a whole different matter.

25. Expect anything from anyone.

What about you? What would be on your dented bucket list? I’d love to hear your ideas!

You can also find me on Twitter and Tumblr @suzie81blog

http://queenrawr.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/dented-bucket-list/

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_writing_challenge/list-lesson/

Ahh, The Weekend is Here!

Posted on May 24, 2014 by suzie81speaks

After what has felt like the longest week in the history of… long weeks, the weekend is finally here, and I couldn’t be more pleased. For the first time in about three months, I safely locked my work laptop in a cupboard and went home, leaving it behind. It’s the half – term holidays and even though I am in school on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday next week with the students who are doing extra coursework I am determined that the next few days are going to be spent as a work-free zone. I decided that if the computer was staring at me from the corner of the room I would feel the usual guilt that accompanies having personal time and so I removed the temptation by simply not bringing it with me. I like my job and am lucky to work at a high achieving and well-managed school, but this point in the year (ie. exam season) is always the toughest, and life turns into more of an existence. I’m in early, I leave late, and when I’m away from the place I’m either thinking or dreaming about it.

I had a few plans for this weekend in that I was going to go an visit my mother ‘oop North’ and go for a meal with some old friends from college, but after astronomical vets and household bills I found that my bank account is so low that the ATM laughed at me when I attempted to draw money out, so this is going to have to be put on hold until next week when I get paid. I don’t worry about things like this usually – the bills are paid, there is enough food in the house to last a while and I don’t have any events booked for the next few days – but it seems lately that when I do actually allow myself some personal time I find that the gods of finance are conspiring against me.

So, what to do with the next three days when, in true British style, it’s heavily raining outside? Any ideas?

You can also find me on Twitter and Tumblr @suzie81blog and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/suzie81speaks

14 Silly Ways To Get Over a Bad Day

Posted on April 25, 2014 by suzie81speaks

Having a bad day? It happens to everyone, but it’s important to remember that it won’t last forever. However, as I’ve had a run of bad days recently – it’s been a very emotional time – I decided to be silly and provide you with a list of 14 ways to cheer yourself up…

1. Imagine doing this to the person who has upset you. If she can do it, we all can. (senorgif.com)

2. Have a good cry (gifs8.com)

3. Take a leisurely walk to calm your nerves (icanhasgifs.com)

4. Help yourself to something nice to eat. (ohmagif.com)

5. Work out. (Gifsoup.com)

6. Have a nice long bath (senorgif)

7. Smile! Think about all the things you should be grateful for! (muver54.tumblr.com)

8. Look! This chocolate bar actually exists... (Mirror.co.uk)

9. As does this mojito… (facebook)

10. And remember, your day isn’t as bad as this person’s: (gifbin.com)

11. Or this persons… (icanhasgif.com)

12. And if all else fails, there is always Star Trek Meets Monty Python: Knights of the Round Table…

Uploaded by Starship Conductor

13. And Bad Lip Syncing to Game of Thrones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDxJ2T21PsE

Uploaded by Lip Readings

14. And finally, if this doesn’t make you smile, nothing will…

Uploaded and created by Benjamin J. Ames

What about you? What do you do to cheer yourself up after a bad day?

You can also find me on Twitter and tumblr @suzie81blog

Don’t forget to ‘like’ my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Suzie81Speaks

Stephen Sutton: Lemonade and £1,000,000

Posted on April 24, 2014 by suzie81speaks

I wrote this post a few weeks ago, when Stephen became extremely ill…

The last few days have been tough. If I am being honest, 2014 has been tough. I’ve been handed lemon after lemon. However, when life has handed me those lemons, instead of making lemonade, I have got into a rather self-destructive rut of letting the lemons rot on the sideboard whilst blogging about my hatred of them.

Yesterday, I was attempting to distract myself from thinking about the loss of my little friend by trawling about on the internet, hoping to be inspired. I didn’t have to look very far. What I found wasn’t just inspirational, it jumped out of the screen and smacked me in the face.

Stephen Sutton is a 19 year old from the UK, who is dying from terminal cancer. As I write, he is in hospital and still fighting.

When Stephen was diagnosed he created a bucket list and started to blog about his life and his adventures on Facebook, including crowd surfing, sky diving, hugging random members of the public, hugging an animal bigger than himself, having his face cast… Over a short space of time he gained a large following and set up a ‘Just Giving’ charity donation page for the Teenage Cancer Trust, in the hope of raising £10,000, spending the last few months of his life fund-raising. He reached his target, and on Tuesday the total stood at £579,000.

Stephen posted a final message on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

It’s a final thumbs up from me! I’ve done well to blag things as well as I have up till now, but unfortunately I think this is just one hurdle too far.

It’s a shame the end has come so suddenly- there’s so many people I haven’t got round to properly thank or say goodbye too. Apologies for that.

There was also so many exciting projects and things I didn’t get to see out. Hopefully some will continue and if you want to carry on the fundraising please do (justgiving.com/stephen-sutton-TCT is the link to donate to).

All future updates on this page will probably be from a family member. I hopefully may have the energy to write a few tweets (@_StephensStory). I will continue fighting for as long as I can, and whatever happens next I want you all to know I am currently in a good place mentally and at ease with the situation.

That’s it from me. But life has been good. Very good.

Thank you to my mum and the rest of my family for everything. Thank you to my friends for being amazing. Thank you to my medical team for the hard work and effort they’ve continually they’ve put towards me. And thank you everyone else for sharing this wonderful journey with me.

I love you all x

Stephen had a final wish – that his charity page could reach £1,000,000. And the world listened and responded. As I write, the total stands at £1,612,000. Donations have flooded in from all over the world and thousand of pounds are being donated every minute. Comedian Jason Manford, who has supported Stephen throughout and who has spent the last few days tirelessly promoting the campaign on national and international media tweeted “He bloody did it.” Stephen’s response on Twitter was amazing:

“Wow. Just wow. Thank you all so much.”

Jason Manford has continued the fundraising, starting a #thumbsupforStephen, which has spurred the campaign on even further.

And as an aside (which made me cry), on his bucket list at No.40 is

‘Get Tim Minchin’ to write a song for me.

Tim did just that, and emailed it across to his brother yesterday. I hope he liked it.

Stephen was handed lemons, a whole bag of them. And with them, he didn’t just make a bit of lemonade, he created gallons of it that he shared with millions of people around the world.

And if that doesn’t motivate you to get up and do something with your life, nothing will.

My love to you Stephen, you’re an inspiration to us all. Safe journey.

If you wish to donate to Stephen’s Just Giving page, simply click on this link

https://www.justgiving.com/Stephen-Sutton-TCT

You can also follow his story on Twitter @_StephensStory and see his achievements on his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/StephensStory

Edit: Stephen passed away this morning, Wednesday 14th May. He has raised nearly £3,500,000. My love and thoughts go out to his friends and family. What an inspirational young man…

Easter Apologies and New Developments

Posted on April 21, 2014 by suzie81speaks

mkalty.org

I am crap.

I’ve become so behind with the blog housekeeping that I am now finding it difficult to keep up. Over the last few weeks I have received so many comments that I haven’t replied to and I wanted to take the opportunity to apologise. I’m really sorry. I read and appreciate every single one of them, and I wanted to say that I’m grateful for all the time that everyone has taken to support me and this little blog. I’m going to do my best to catch up…

There’s a few things that I wanted to share with you.

I started a Facebook page for my blog. I was going to delete it after the fiasco last week, but then I decided to not only keep it, but promote it as much as I can. I would love it if you would pay my page a visit, give it a cheeky ‘like’ and share it with your friends!

http://www.facebook.com/Suzie81Speaks

I am also gaining a Twitter following: @suzie81blog and I would love to see you there too!

Finally, and I’m actually quite excited about this, I am going to start my own weekly challenge. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, I wasn’t sure if anybody would take part, but I decided over the weekend that it’s now or never! It will be an open challenge for everybody to take part in and will be published every Sunday at 7.00pm GMT. However, for this week I am going to post it later today, and I would absolutely love it if you would not only participate, but invite your friends too! The subject will be a single theme in which you can respond to in any way that you like – music, poetry, thoughts, photography – the more the merrier! I will also create a badge that you can add to your blog if you wish.

Happy Blogging!

A Year of Blogging: Suzie81 Speaks

Posted on April 18, 2014 by suzie81speaks

Last week marked the official anniversary of Suzie81 Speaks. Brace yourself, this is going to be a long one!!!

I’ll start with some numbers:

Followers: 5,000

Comments: 12,000

Posts: 700 (but this is now 300 as I deleted over half of everything I had written)

Unbelievable.

After years of writing in journals, I followed The Bloke’s advice and set up a WordPress account. This little blog started as simply Suzie81 – my name and the year I was born – and served as the opportunity to share the various thoughts and anxieties that had been swamping my brain for a long time. The response and support that I received was immediate and life changing, and within a year I have not only met some fantastic people (you know who you are), but I have now have the direction in life that I had been so desperately seeking before. I purchased a domain name, changing it to ‘Suzie81 Speaks,’ set up an additional Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr and the most exciting thing of all is that I have been asked to write for a monthly online magazine (more on that later)…

In celebration of my year anniversary and to channel my inner narcissism, I posted a competition a few weeks ago. I invited people to ask me any question (within reason), with the winner being awarded two weeks worth of free advertising on my blog. I also promised that I would answer every question and include links to the blogs of every person who took part.

I had a brilliant response. I’ll announce the winner at the end… Here goes!

If you weren’t a teacher what might you be? (Perspiring Poet)

I would definitely be working with animals. If I knew then what I know now I would have gained qualifications in animal care.

If you were stuck on a CD for two weeks, which desert island would you be? (Steve Says)

The one owned by Richard Branson – CD or island. This was the best I could come up with – I attempted to think of a response for two weeks and my brain started to hurt.

If you were writing a novel what would your opening and closing sentences be? (Andrew Seal)

She laughed at the sheer arrogance of his words.

Maybe next time she’ll ask for more.

How long is a short piece of string? (Fearless Leader)

Infinitely long. I think. My brain hurts.

Who in your life has influenced you the most? How did they do it? (Jolene)

My mum. Of course, it has to be my mum. I haven’t always agreed with her at the time but inevitably she’s usually been right. How did she do it? Sheer persistence, support and large bouts of nagging.

In your opinion, what do women want? (mommyx4boys)

To be happy. I think that’s all what anybody wants. Ooh, and a footrub after a long night of wearing high heels.

What do you find most rewarding about teaching? (Heron There & Everywhere)

When a student is able to do something that they didn’t think they would be initially capable of.

If you won the lottery, what three things would you do with it? (Michelle)

I’d set up a no-kill animal sanctuary for all types of animals, with a vetinary surgery attached.

I’d set up a scholarship programme for under-priveleged kids to be able to go to university without ending up in thousands of pounds worth of debt.

On a selfish note, I’d travel the world.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done? (Father At 54)

The father of a girl that I knew as a teenager was in the army and had been sent away to another country. She wasn’t particularly nice to me and after months of standing nasty comments from her I told her that her dad had joined the army to get away from her. I apologised, but twenty years later, I still feel guilty for saying that.

A box of books you just packed away takes a tumble and lands directly on your big toe and you respond by saying: a) ouch! b) f*&# c) BIEBER, you bastard! d) other (please state) (Sandra)

B. Definitely B. Every time. Little Miss Potty Mouth always appears during such incidents.

What has been the best piece of advice someone has given you, and how did it impact your life? (Rebecca Meyer)

Don’t tell anyone anything that you wouldn’t want the whole world to know. There’s only a few people that I trust and I don’t tell people secrets as I’ve been hurt by others in the past.

Mark Twain once said that “the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Obviously you have already been born, so my question to you is have you found out why? (adropofno5)

Occasionally I’ll have glimmers of what I know I want to do, but as yet I can’t honestly say why or what my purpose in life is…

Think Dr. Who. If you were able to time travel, (without changing past, present or future) where would you go? (Biker Chick 57)

I’d travel to the Washington Mall and witness Martin Luther King Jr give his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, I’d go to the early 1960’s and watch the Beatles in concert at The Cavern in Liverpool before they became ridiculously famous, I’d go back to 1985 and attend Live Aid at Wembley Stadium, I’d go back to the early 1990’s and spend more time with my Grandfather, I’d go back to the Party in the Park concert where The Spice Girls gave their first concert and this time actually get their autographs (I couldn’t be bothered last time because I didn’t think they’d end up being more than one hit wonders – those autographs would be worth a fortune now) and I would go to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

What has been your favourite moment while working as a teacher? (A Girl With a Piano)

Honestly? There are two moments. The week of the performance of a musical that the kids gave – they were incredible, and the day I left my previous school.

What do value about being a story-teller? (makaedelee)

The opportunity to share what I think and what I believe I know. I love the process of planning what it is that I am going to write, and I love the satisfaction I get when somebody else reads it and enjoys it.

As a teacher, do you think it’s more effective to be lenient or demanding with your students? Or something in between? (Rose F)

New teachers are always told not to smile until Christmas. I think that’s bollocks. Smile, be approachable, friendly and have a good sense of humour, but the most important thing is to have clear, consistent boundaries with sanctions if they are crossed that the students know and respect. There are times when it is possible to be lenient, but I often think that leniency shows a weakness of character with some students. Being fair is more important. Don’t take any nonsense from them.

If you were chosen as leader of Planet Earth what rules or laws would you make or change to help the entire human race? (Phil)

Saying that I would ban religion is against human rights but I do think that religion and religious persecution is an enormous factor in conflicts around the world, and I would prevent religion from being used as a way to discriminate against another. I would legalise gay marriage across the entire planet. I would ban the fur and animal trade, and testing on animals. I would pay women the same as men in every profession. I would enforce fair payment of goods from around the world and make sweatshops illegal. I would have countries near the sea build wind turbines for power. I’d get rid of every countries nuclear weapons.

Oh wow, you’ve opened a can of worms on this – I’m actually going to create a post instead later…

If there was only one book you could take with you to a remote island where you would be for a couple of years and where you would have no access to other reading material of any sort, what would that one book be? (Cathi)

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou. I’ve read it so many times that I had to buy another copy as I wore my first one out. Beautiful book.

Who are your favourite authors? (Tina Bakes Bread)

Maya Angelou, Bill Bryson, Primo Levi, Sue Townsend and, of course, Roald Dahl.

Would you rather travel back in time or into the future (Kim at Awkward Laughter)

I’d definitely rather travel back in time. I like not knowing the future and there are so many events that I wish that I could have experienced.

Thank you so much for all your questions. And the winner? Steve Says. I couldn’t think of a witty enough response to his question – it was awesome. So, congratulations Steve, you have won two weeks of advertising on my blog starting from the first week in May!