The October Blog Tag

I can't remember the last time I did a 'tagged' post, so I thought it would be fun to answer The October Blog Tag, which I recently came across via Jemma's blog, Dorkface. 

The tag was created by Lisa from Oh Luna to help you learn more about the blogger behind the blog, and it seemed like the perfect post to help you get to know me a little better. If you ever wondered why I started blogging, if I like pineapple on pizza, or what my favourite thing to do in October is, this is the day you'll find out!

Name

Louise Christine P.

What Is Your Favourite Colour?

Probably green (especially emerald), but I really like turquoise, teal, and cobalt blue a lot, too.

What did you do today?

I've been lounging on my bed watching TV, played a game of fetch with my dog in the garden, prepared some blog posts, finished the last eighty pages of my book, and worked on a Christmas cross stitch project for an hour or two.

Where are you currently?

Lying on my bed at home in Oxfordshire.

What is your star sign?

I was born in early July, so I'm a cancer.

Cake or ice cream?

Definitely cake; is there anything better?

Frozen or Moana?

Moana; I can't stand Frozen!

A night in or a night out?

I'm a typical introvert, so I'd rather have a night in. Unless the night out involves a concert, in which case I'd choose a night out every time.

Home cooked meal or takeaway?

It depends on my mood. Some meals are better home-cooked, but others like Chinese food and pizza are definitely better from the takeaway. 

Pineapple on pizza or no pineapple on pizza?

I'm a pineapple on pizza kind of girl. Hawaiian is the best kind of pizza.

Books or films?

Don't make me choose- I love both! If I had to choose, though... today I'd probably say books as I've really found my reading mojo again lately, and can't get enough of them, but tomorrow, I might say films because I'm a movie geek, too, and my heart flits between the two.

Autumn or Spring? 

I love autumn, but my favourite season is actually spring. I just love it when the evenings start getting lighter again after a long dark winter, pretty pink blossom and magnolias bloom from the trees, all the leaves start returning, the weather gets milder, colourful spring flowers are everywhere... Then there's Easter and pastel colours and spring fashion and months of light evenings ahead... it's the best!

Flowers or chocolates?

It depends on my mood; I wouldn't turn down either. Flowers are a real treat, even if it's just a £1 bunch of daffodils I've bought for myself, and chocolates, well, they make any day better, don't they?

Full fat or diet coke?

I actually can't drink either right now as caffeine aggravates my tachycardia and I've had to cut it out of my diet, but I usually prefer full fat coke. Especially when it's from a glass bottle, served with ice and a slice of lemon. Yum! TBH, it's been so long since I last drank it, I bet it would taste too sugary now, and I'd prefer diet again.

Phone or laptop?

Laptop! I use it so much more than I use my phone, as I prefer typing on a real keyboard and having a bigger screen. I use it for everything- blogging, social media, email, shopping, listening to music, photos, online banking, booking medical appointments and prescriptions... I couldn't live without it.

What is your current favourite TV series?

The Big Bang Theory.

What is your favourite thing to do in October?

I'm not sure I could pick just one thing! I love taking walks to crunch through paths covered in leaves, spending the dark evenings crafting, curling up under a cosy blanket with a good book, carving pumpkins, watching Halloween-themed movies... there's so many great things to do in October.

What is your current food to crave?

Right now I keep craving Snickers chocolate, and salted popcorn.

Do you have any piercings or tattoos?

I have two tattoos; a group of stars, dots, and swirls on my wrist, and a floral design on my foot. I was just getting in to them when I got ill, and I know I'd be covered in them by now if I hadn't. There are so many more I want, but I just can't afford them right now.

I do have my ears pierced, too, but just once in each ear. That's it for piercings. I keep meaning to get more in my ears but I never seem to get round to it. I'm definitely more of a tattoo girl.

Are you an introvert or extrovert?

I'm definitely an introvert. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy spending time with people and I'm not anti-social, but I've always found socialising draining, and need time to myself to recharge. I value time alone to do my own thing, and rarely get bored in my own company the way most people do.

What is your all time favourite Halloween film?

There's so many great horror movies I love to watch at this time of year, but let's be honest; nothing beats Hocus Pocus! I have to watch it every year.

Name your top three favourite artists / bands.

Linkin Park, Fall Out Boy, Boyzone / Ronan Keating.

Have you got any plans for Halloween?

Not really; I haven't done anything exciting for Halloween since I was a kid. I'm planning to carve a pumpkin, but apart from that, I'll just be watching Hocus Pocus and a couple of other Halloween movies, and stuffing my face with sweets.

Do you have any fears?

Yes, I have many:

♥ Enclosed spaces. (I'm extremely claustrophobic).

♥ Spiders and daddy long legs'. (I actually fell up the stairs last month and bruised and carpet-burned my legs because I saw a daddy long legs and freaked!)

♥ Dying a horrible death by drowning, burning in a fire, or being in a car crash.
♥ Death... the uncertainty of whether that's it, lights out, or if something else comes next.

♥ Being alone for the rest of my life... not romantically, but literally having no one in my life as I get older.

♥ Not being able to work again due to my health, having no financial support, not being able to pay my bills or afford food, and ending up on the streets... This actually keeps me awake at night far too often.

Do you believe in life after love?

# I can feel something inside me say, I really don't think you're strong enough... #

Do you have any children? (Or animals you treat as babies)?

I don't have any human children, but I have a two (almost three) year old Tibetan terrier called Rosie, who's my little fur baby. Yep, I'm that crazy dog lady who spoils her dog rotten, and talks about her proudly, like she's my child.

What do you want for your future?

Happiness, good people in my life, my own home, some financial security...

I'd love to have good health and be pain free again one day, too, but I know that's extremely unlikely to ever happen, so I hope that my conditions will at least be manageable, and won't get much worse than they are now. 

I always hoped for a career in animal care again, as well, working with zoo animals or perhaps caring for sick and injured critters, but at the moment, it doesn't look likely that I'll be able to do manual work again, so this might not be on the cards, either. My future is full of uncertainty.

Be honest, why did you start blogging?

I started blogging because I needed something to keep me occupied on bed rest with chronic pain. I'd been house bound for six months, and I was going stir crazy from being stuck at home doing the same things every day (there's only so much watching day time TV, reading, and mindlessly surfing the Internet a girl can do before it starts to get old), and I needed a distraction.

I'd been following body positivity and plus size blogs on Tumblr for a few months, and as a plus size girl with a love of fashion but zero body confidence, I was so inspired by their style and confidence that it began to change how I saw myself. For the first time in my life, I had a little body confidence, and out of nowhere, I suddenly thought it would be fun to have somewhere to share my own outfits, and a place where I could work towards self-acceptance. So, I signed up to Blogger, created a blog, and the rest, as they say, is history.

What is your biggest achievement so far?

Making it through over seven years with excruciating chronic pain and chronic illness without falling apart, even though my entire life has been turned upside down and changed beyond recognition.

What are your ambitions with your blog?

I'd love to keep improving my content and photos, see it grow, and work with some of my favourite brands.

If there is one thing you'd like to change about your blog what would it be?

I wish my photography was better. I try so hard to make my photos look good, but no matter how hard I try, I suck at photo editing.

Have you achieved any blog goals you set out to do this year?

I haven't achieved anything major, like gaining a huge following or anything, but I did finally rebrand my blog with a Pipdig blog design in March, which was a long over due goal. I'm still so happy with it all these months later.

Where do you want to be in ten years time?

I'd like to be happy, pain-free, physically more mobile so I can be out there living my life, surrounded by friends and family, living in my own home, and achieving my dreams.

What is your dream holiday?

My dream holiday was always New York, which came true in 2011, and was the best holiday ever. Now, I'm dreaming of going to Austria, Italy, Greece, Amsterdam, and Australia, and taking an epic road trip all over America. I want to see everywhere from The Carolinas to Salem, and Chicago to Alaska... just not while that orange-tinted twat is running the country.

If you had an entire day to yourself, what would you do?

Being a housebound introvert, I regularly have entire days all to myself, so it wouldn't be a rare treat for me, but I always relish some time to myself. I'd do some blogging, curl up with a book, watch a movie or two, do lots of crafting, and relax with some good food, a face mask, and a manicure. Pre-chronic-pain Louise would have also gone shopping, and got her eyebrows done.

And that's The October Tag. 

I tag... anyone who wants to take part! If you decide to give the tag a go yourself, make sure you leave a link to your post in the comments because I'd love to read your answers!

So, now you've read my answers, do we have any of these things in common?

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