People of interest #3 – Meet Louise

As I have enjoyed being a guest blogger a number of times, I decided to start a new feature on my blog to share some interesting people with you.

Everyone has a story to tell, we sometimes just need to ask the questions.

So what I’ve done is invite my guests to answer a set of 10 questions and I am using their responses as a guest post while I’m away travelling. It’s a great way to share the love around and introduce interesting people to other interesting people.

People of Interest posts so far:

I started with my sister Sharon who you can meet here: People of Interest #1 – Meet Sharon and she responded the next day with a post from the guest’s point of view, it’s a great read! Life’s Like that: on being a guest blogger

Who better to include in this list of interesting people than my blogging friend Donna from Retirement Reflections as my Guest Post – People of Interest #2

And now onto my blogging friend and fellow adventurer Louise.

Meet Louise:

Louise blogs at The Year I Touched my Toes and I think it was the name of her blog that first got me hooked into reading her posts.  That along with our recent experience trekking in Nepal – she tells great stories of their treks to Everest Base Camp and her information is relevant to those thinking of doing so regardless of their age.

I must say that I have actually met Louise in the flesh and wrote this post about our meeting – Blogger meetup fun – we had a great time and it felt so weird as we knew so much about each other just from our blogs!

You deserve to know more about her so here is Louise’s guest post in my new series! As she says on her blog:

THE BLOG ABOUT AN OVER FIFTY WOMAN’S JOURNEY TREKKING TO EVEREST BASE CAMP WHEN SHE WAS TOO SCARED TO GO BUT WENT ANYWAY. IF I CAN DO IT SO CAN YOU, BELIEVE ME. NOT ONLY DID I DO IT. I LOVED IT. I’M HOOKED.

10 questions with Louise:

Q1. What do you enjoy about blogging?

A1: I love the writing and creating the posts. I enjoy the connection with others in the WordPress community. In the mornings I love finding an inspiring post, a beautiful image or a post to have a  giggle over my morning cuppa, before work.

Q2. Your blog is about Trekking to Everest Base Camp – where did this description come from?

A2: That’s easy! Trekking to Everest Base Camp (EBC). In 2013 my husband and I trekked towards EBC. I say towards because due to health issues we decided to turn back. Despite this it was a fantastic journey.

I returned home from a trip I really did not want to go on, glowing, and to wanting to tell everyone how fantastic it was, and that if I could do it, anyone could. With some training, of course. So, The Year I Touched My Toeswas born.

I had been toying with the idea of starting a blog and decided to just do it. Our trek to Base Camp seemed the perfect subject matter. I am passionate about the experience. The first posts were about our training because we were training for a second return trek (2015) because it felt like unfinished business.

My husband is known as The Trainer in my blog. He’s not really my trainer. But I got some interesting reactions with saying I was sleeping with my trainer (in real life) that I decided to use it in my blog. He was the one pushing and encouraging me all the way. And he came up with all the training program and strategies. Without him I would have never gone.

And how the title came aboutQ3. What plans do you have for your blog in the future?

A3: I have plans to make a two or three-minute video of some of the video footage and of the photos. I want to get my head around CSS to tidy up the look of all the posts, especially all the titles. There is a very overdue post about The Trainer.

I have been procrastinating for ages about a second blog. Put that verb in 72 point capitals. It would be about my non – EBC life. Oh and potentially there is, believe it or not, another trek in the pipeline for 2018.

Q4. What’s your favourite post on your blog and why?

A4: Only one? There are a couple of favourite posts. Everest Above Our Heads and Base Camp at Our Feettook my about three weeks to write on and off. I cried a lot when I wrote it. My mother read it and cried too. She said she felt like she was there. I took that as a sign I had written a good post.

I like the post I wrote about Our Porter Guide.

My newHome Page gives a good overview for information – if you are at all thinking of going. And you should!!!

 Q5. What’s your biggest achievement in life to date?

A5: I worked in a community based not for profit adult learning centre and neighbourhood house in a disadvantaged community. I am proud of being a part of the work there for eleven years and the six years I survived at the helm. My biggest achievement there was building a large community kitchen.

The first project out of the kitchen was a weekly session with women from many different countries (many Somalis) and the local Anglo Australian women preparing and cooking recipes from their respective cultures. Afterwards they sat down and ate their meal around one big table. The project culminated in a printed recipe book.

I will never forget going into the kitchen for the first session and looking through the window watching about twenty women all cooking together. I had tears in my eyes and goosebumps. I still get goosebumps thinking about it and it was ten years ago.

Also in 2015 climbing to Kala Pattar and Everest Base Camp. And back!

But my two best projects are my two beautiful adult daughters.

Q6. What do you like to do outside of blogging?

A: I work four days a week in a senior secondary college in a quality assurance role. It’s a dry job but it has interesting staff working in visual art, design, photography, music, dance and in the trades and technologies so there is always something happening. Years ago, I taught secondary art so the environment feeds my creative soul.

I am in a book club with twelve wonderful women, sing in a very big choir once a week, ride my bike and walk with my husband, I love drawing but I need to start doing it again. I love going to art exhibitions but don’t do it nearly enough.

Q7. What book are you currently reading?

A7: For quick reading, I like reading Crime Fiction. I confess to liking Janet Evanovich but also love the work of local writer Angela Savage.  I have just finished reading Anita Shreve The Lives of Stella Bain and My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante which was great read. My favourite for this year with my lovely book group was Dog Boy by Eva HornungIt certainly divided the opinions within our group. You either loved it or hated it. I loved the story about a feral child raised by dogs in Moscow.

Q8. Where’s your dream holiday destination and who with?

A8: Well I think I’ve just had it. My husband and I have just returned home from taking our two adult daughters to Italy for three weeks. We had two weeks in Sicily, one week in the small town where my husband was born. It was so special being able to go away with our daughters. Together we explored an island which I had no idea was so wonderful. It was a once in a lifetime trip for me. I don’t think I will be able to top it.

Q9. List 3 things you won’t leave home without?

A9: My phone, driver’s license, tissues, the key to get back in and something to hold all them all.

Q10. Who’s the most interesting person you’ve ever met and why?

A10: When I was eighteen I met mime artist Marcel Marceau.   I had bought The Story of Bip during interval. The guy selling the books offered to get it autographed. He took us backstage after the performance and left us waiting in the wings. The four of us looked at each other, without saying anything shrugged our shoulders and burst through the doors following him into Marcel’s dressing room. We said his performance was wonderful. Other than thank you he didn’t say much.

Links: 

Blog – The Year I Touched my Toes

About me

Facebook

Pinterest

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I’m sure you’ll agree with me about Louise being a very interesting person and a great addition to my new series. I love the story of how her blog came to be named! I encourage you to go and visit her blog to see some of her amazing photos and read her posts of how she trekked to Everest Base Camp.  Amazing stuff!!

Thanks so much for being a part of my new series Louise and I look forward to catching up again one day.

Stay tuned for another Person of Interest coming soon!

Thanks for joining in, please feel free to leave a comment below and Louise and I will respond.

Make life the adventure it was meant to be.

Deb 🙂

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