Who is your favorite blogger to follow?

One thing I really like about following a variety of blogs is the geographic diversity. I obviously like all the writers behind the blogs I follow—and actually consider many of them online friends—but beyond that, it’s so cool to get updates from all over the English-speaking world.

For example, Shelly just gave me a great tour of Madison, Wisconsin (a place I’ve never been). And I’ve loved seeing the Seattle area (another place I’ve never been) through recent transplant Stephanie’s eyes. And CJ lives so far north in Canada it makes my city (Boston) seem positively tropical.

The one native English-speaker who uses the most different English than me is my friend May in Brisbane.

Brizzy Mays Books and Bruschetta

“Australian” English is wild and sometimes I have absolutely no idea what she’s talking about. They’ve got animals, plants and birds down there that I’ve never heard of. Plus, the slang is so…colorful. Sometimes I put her words into Google. “What does an Australian mean when they say…” or sometimes I just ask her to explain.

Plus, the seasons are opposite down there. (I guess I knew that before, but when she’s sweltering at the beach and planning a cool “Christmas salad,” I actually get it.)

She’s a huge reader of authors from her own country and she loves visiting quirky little Australian towns. She loves her country’s history and culture—especially Errol Flynn and the unsung women heroes of WW2. She goes to lots of live theatre and tackles lots of interesting projects like turning her father’s diary of the war into a book. Plus, she’s a retired grandma like me—a “retirement mentor” if you will.

I honestly know more about Australia (they call it “Oz” you know!) from May than from any other source.

Cheers to all of our blogs making the world seem a little closer.

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