Mummascribbles – Mummascribbles meets…Life on my Island – Mummascribbles

There are of course bloggers out there who don’t have children and as I don’t like to leave anyone out, this week we meet one of them! Welcome Anushree from Life on My Island.

Tell me a little bit about yourself and your family
To begin with I live at 60degree North , the most northerly point in the UK and I quite possibly may be the most northerly lifestyle blogger too! Ya, always get those looks! Folk ask how did you land up here all the way from India? My boring answer is I am a good wife and just followed the husband and my cool answer is that I love to experience, experiment, fail and find and wanted to give island life a shot after the crazy busy city life!

Guess what, I have loved country living so far, which I didn’t think on the first night I was on the boat to SHETLAND, throwing front and back and then landing on a gloomy foggy rainy morning in a place that has no trees (I am not selling Shetland very well, but don’t go by what I say, go and check my blog!). You either love it or leave it ,I am the former fortunately We (me and my husband, S) started pretty much from scratch in this country as all our family is based in India but now I don’t think I can do without my Shetland and U.K family!

What do you do , when you are not working (if you do), or blogging?
I am a bit of a starter of many things at the same time and that does get me into trouble! Last Saturday I was supposed to be at two cafes and a takeaway at the same time – how on earth was I gonna do that?! So when I am not working or blogging ,you will spot me in cafes, eating cake or glazing pots with paints or scrap booking or with friends and a takeaway! I can’t cope without people and especially friends, S says! Occasionally I like to put my feet up and watch Mrs Browns Boys on repeat! (Is that too cheeky?!)

What is your biggest achievement to date?
That’s a difficult one! It can mean nothing to many and mean so much to nobody! I feel I have been a dutiful daughter, a friendly sister, a loving dog owner, a reliable friend and now a not so bad wife! (I think!) And that consistency is my achievement!

How do you juggle everything you need to in order to get everything done on a daily basis?
I have say I am not as organised as people think I am and my most closest friends would know how I packed my suitcase until 4:00am last night (for the holiday starting today – expect lot of travel blogs) looking for that florocent flower pair of socks that I needed and just could not find! So, between the two jobs that I do, between volunteering, socialising, secretly dreaming, Baking, entertaining, sometimes travelling and being an aspirant adventurer, I just go with the flow!! I don’t believe in planning overly as long as I know roughly what I am up to! S is the planner in my life

Why did you decide to start blogging?
Interesting one! Literature has always been my favourite subject and maths was my least. I have been writing diaries since a child and the thought of having a blog has occurred a few times but most times I never had the courage and at others, time was an excuse. But the main reason I have picked up blogging is to get back into reading again. I used to be an avid night time reader but that somehow lost its charm and social media took over! So I started blogging so that I can go back to being a reader (‘cuz you can’t write if you don’t read enough, I can’t)  and also enjoy the social media presence, so the best of both worlds really! Here’s a post on why I started blogging.

Tell me a bit about your blog?
Good timing as my blog has gone thorough a wee bit of rebranding and has recently been launched with a brand new name and look – It is www.lifeonmyisland.co.uk

It is really about everything and I don’t know if that is good thing or not! Google says you should have a niche, but I don’t blog for Google, I blog to feel free and my blog is my stress buster. I blog about lifestyles, travel, thoughts, cultures, today, last Thursday, festivals, family, sparrows and tulips! Anything that makes me smile goes on the blog so I can share that smile with others. I love doing guest posts and the feature I am running just now is ‘You Inspire me’  which is about sharing and spreading the smile infection with some famous and some not so much, but equally inspirational names. So far I have featured a self made kitchen entrepreneur,  a travel blogger who was fired from his job for the love of his travels, the voice of UK Fame from Shetland and a man who at 61 does what a 16 can’t do! And the next one is a Himalayan Trekker who was in Nepal for helping with hospitals. There is more to come soon …

What do you want your blog to achieve and where do you hope to see it go as it grows?
The answer is that I don’t know. I haven’t really set a goal, again impromptu me! I will take it as it comes and take it as far as I can. All I can say is I am open to all sorts of exciting bits of blogging and it is such a journey of learning for me. I write to feel happy and I write so that you can relax on my blog with a cup of tea and your feet up.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about starting a blog?
Write what makes you happy, write plain but original and do not worry about following, numbers, analytics as they will follow you. It is eaier said than done but it has worked for me so far and I still don’t call myself a blogger, I am may be more a ‘writer of small things’. Advice, ha I need some may be! Too many exclaimations..

If you could have dinner with three people (dead or alive), who would it be and why?

1. We have recently lost our Former President and a great scientist, also called the Missile man, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. I would like to have dinner with him and ask him on his last meal, what his last wish for India will be?

2. Second and Third – will be my mum and dad, as they are miles away from me in India and I haven’t had dinner with them in ages.

Tell me three random facts about you!

1. I am UK’s most northerly travel and lifestyle blogger

2. I am a trainer Indian classical dancer

3. I am a wannabe adventurer, a dreamer and life to me is passion

You can find Anushree over at www.lifeonmyisland.co.uk and also on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest