Amongst my busy life of working & baking, I have found a new love of snail mail through Instagram! I will post more about this later this week but in the meantime I want to share a wonderful blog of a new friend I have made.

Annabel from Annabel & Alice is my latest pen pal and I have been busy reading through her lovely blog – which has made me feel like quite a novice to the blogosphere! She swirls updates of life & blog shares with intriguing book reviews which have me wanting to make a trip to my local library!

As a youngster I loved to read and one year even managed to read the most in my class! However since finishing school & adopting Instagram, Pinterest & Macaron making, my length of time for reading is right now about 4 pages of a magazine!

So if you like a good book make sure you pop over to her blog for some inspiration for your next read. But in the meantime, she has shared what is called the ‘Liebster Award’.

It is an award for small blogs of less than 200 followers as a way to connect to other bloggers and share more about themselves. The blogger must:

• Share 11 facts about themselves
• Answer 11 questions from the previous blogger
• Post 11 questions & for the next lot of bloggers to answer

Those who know me know that I love to share! So if you are reading this and have a blog please feel free to participate and answer my questions below.

11 Facts about me!

1. I was born in Bowral, in the Southern Highlands

2. I have a little blue Indian Ringneck called Chomper (because she bites!) who is the inspiration behind the name Blue Bird High Tea

3. I am left handed – me and only 10% of the population!

4. My last 3 managers have also all been left handed. I don’t have statistics on this, but I think it’s pretty rare!

5. I am often asked about my families heritage – I believe I am 4th generation from England on my father’s side, and have a great-great grandmother from France. Apart from that I’m simply Aussie!

6. My favourite character from a show is Blair Waldorf – so much that I decided I would dress like her to school when I was 17. Think kitten heels, headbands, bows, lipgloss & stylish jacket. Or at least I thought I was stylish!

7. As a teenager, while everyone at school was unsure about what to have for lunch, let alone what degree & job they wanted, I declared that I would one day become either the Prime Minister or CEO of Big W. And I plotted on a chalkboard at lunchtime what steps I needed to take to get to either role. And now there are 4 positions between me and the CEO – wide-eyed 16 year old me didn’t think I’d get there that quickly, did she!

8. I’m not a fan of regular coffee! I prefer mochas or caramel lattes – or TEA!

9. My favourite place in the world is the town of Berry & the Berry Tea Shop – who source their tea & make all of their yummy sweets!

10. I’m terrible at making decisions – lunch, venues, times, what to wear, favourites – you name it!

11. I’ve lived in the gong now for almost 9 years! I’m thinking I will need to host a 10th anniversary party!

11 Questions from Annabel & Alice!

1. What is your favourite flavour of tea?

I love many of the blends from the Berry Tea Shop – however Vanilla Bean is my favourite! Buy it here!

2.If you could have three people to brunch, dead or alive, who would they be?

My great grandmother Elizabeth, my mother & me. My mum has told me many stories about her and I would have love to have met her!

3. What’s your one blogging tip to give the blogosphere?

Make sure you include lots of pictures & photos as they stop it from becoming an essay! And I hate essays!

4. What was your favourite subject in school?

Textiles! I loved sewing and creating masterpieces. So much in fact that I finished my final work about 2 months before the rest of my class!

5. If you could be an animal, which would you be?

A bird. Wouldn’t you love to crap on people who annoy you?

6. What is your favourite way to travel? Train, bus, car, plane, bike…

As I’ve spent so much time in my life travelling each of these ways I simply can’t pick! I loved the scenic train ride to school, people watching on buses, singling along in my car, the thrill of catching a plane & riding my bike along the beach. See – how can you pick?

7. If your house was burning down, what would you grab as you ran out the door?

I’m not sure quite how I’d do it but my precious bird Chomper. Everything else – from my baking, my sewing, my clothes, even my KitchenAid is replaceable. My beautiful bird isn’t!

8. What do your favourite pair of shoes look like?

They have bows. I LOVE flats with bows! Currently crushing on these Oroton flats!

9. When you were a kid, what was your favourite story?

My dad used to make up stories about knomes that lived in friend’s houses, or pirates, that were really silly! Now I do the same for my brother.

10. Would your dream house be modern or old?

Modern! I’m renting a smaller version down the street from one of my dream houses. my dream house is in Wollongong, close by the beach, with a lovely big kitchen & enough room to entertain. The rest is negotiable!

11. What inspired you to start blogging?

My lovely boyfriend knew how much I loved talking about myself so surprised me for my 22nd birthday by buying me a Domain name and setting up my blog. The rest is history!

11 Questions for the next Blogger!

1. What is your favourite drink?

2. If you could swap lives with someone, who would it be?

3. What was the last book you read? How many stars would you give it?

4. You can only eat one type of cuisine for the rest of your life – what would it be?

5. What advice would you give your 23-year old self? ( I borrowed this questions from one of my favourite blogs the Everygirl!)

6. How do you start your day?

7. Apple or Samsung?

8. How do you have your scones – jam then cream or cream then jam? (I have had many debates on this!)

9. What is your favourite type of tea?

10. What is a small gesture that someone has done lately that has made you smile?

11. Now how have you done a small gesture to pay it forward?

Thanks!

x Rachel