The Sunday Roast

He Can Close His Eyes And Think Of England

This week's interview is with The Brit,
who writes the blog Spinning The Wheel.

Here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

I put off having a blog for a long time, I guess I did that out of fear really: the unknown and the fact that having a blog shows every part of you as a person, at that point in my life I wasn’t sure if I was ready to meet the world in close-up as I was going through some tough times. I’m a British guy living in Brazil, far away from my family and friends at home. I do have very good friends here in Brazil, of course, as I have lived here for ten years now but other expats will know that feeling of a kind of loss and detachment from "home" and having a blog seems to connect everyone from all parts of the world in such a wonderful and genuine way, a little bit of "Home Sweet Home" away from home...

The day that I decided to sit down and create my blog I was instantly immersed into a different world, a virtual universe where wonderful caring people reside.

In the beginning I wrote insignificant and quite empty posts, I felt quite lost really, but then I decided to just be open and honest and write about me and my life and then I was hooked, it’s all been a wonderful release, a real lesson in self-therapy. My life so far has been a rollercoaster of incredible highs and devastating lows.

I’ve experienced terrible loss and was buried in a deep black hole for three long years after my Mother passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in the UK. If I could have had a blog back then it would have brought me out of the darkness faster. Blogging and writing my poetry truly has saved me as I was going quite crazy at times, I see that now.

What's the story behind your blog name?

I’m a huge fan of the British singer/songwriter George Michael and one of his greatest hits is "Spinning The Wheel" The words in that song really resonate with me, he always writes such wonderful lyrics and he truly is a poet (you only have to listen to "Jesus To A Child" to know that) his songs are full of wonderful metaphors and meanings; some easy to find and others hidden deep within the verses, I’ve always been a huge fan since forever.

Plus the title "Spinning The Wheel" is like spinning a wheel of fortune and seeing where it will land... fate and not knowing what the future may bring, guided by some unseen force... and I feel, and have felt, that way in my own life many times.

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

Without a doubt all the truly fantastic people I meet! Every day I am so surprised and extremely touched at how many truly wonderful, caring and genuine people are out there in the land of blog! Also how many truly talented writers there are out there just waiting to be discovered! It’s a world of incredible people and their wonderful words, it’s like a huge living library of great personalities!

Some months ago I went through a very bad break-up and it was the people in my blog circle of friends that helped me through it all. People were sending me e-mails of support and concern and I truly did appreciate that and let them all know it. I had more comments and e-mails of support and love from my blogging friends than I got in the real world and it’s at times like these when you really do see how lucky you are to have met such kind, warm, genuine, caring and utterly fantastic people in the blogasphere – people who I never thought existed before I had a blog.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

This one is easy: Speak the truth and never give up! Just be yourself and write always from the heart. It doesn’t matter if you are writing about some terrible or wonderful experience in your life or if you are just writing about a day at the supermarket, the important thing is to be genuine and write exactly what you feel, from the heart, that way the inspiration comes thick and fast.

And when you read a post on someone’s blog always leave a comment ... remember that they, just like you, have spent a long time to write that post and have let you know a bit about their life. I always leave comments and I always reply to comments left on my own posts too, it’s a mark of respect and gratitude, I guess they call it "bloqiquete" now.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

This is the most difficult question as I have read so many and have found so many wonderful friends by reading so many fantastic blog posts. But I love reading about people’s lives and experiences and one that does stand out in my mind was from my dear friend Maggie May that she wrote in 2008 called RestingPlace, all about the sad passing of her dear son-in-law. That post really stayed with me and I got extremely emotional reading it, and the subsequent posts that she wrote, about this huge loss brought upon her, her daughter and her young grandchildren. The grief and heartbreaking loss just poured off of the page.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever written?

Hummm ... difficult ... but I would have to say "Scenes From Another Room" – My Story: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5 as this series of posts are so extremely personal to me and I spent more than four hours writing each one.

I totally poured my heart and soul out onto each and every page, every bit of happiness and extreme sadness that I have experienced over the years. I cried ever such a lot whilst writing it all and especially when I was writing and remembering all the heartache and extreme loss I suffered when I lost my dear Mum to cancer when she was only 56 years old and how I had to return home alone on the loneliest 12-hour flight of my life, knowing that I had already lost her. I just looked out of the window as I flew above the clouds and cried for 12 hours.

But my story continues ... I’m extremely happy here in Brazil, I went through an extremely stressful time over Christmas, New Year and for three months afterwards, when my relationship of 13 years finished, but my life has changed for the better once again and I am living an extremely happy life with a new partner who I absolutely adore and who also adores me.

I haven’t been this happy in many, many years and I’m in a state of well-deserved joy, so it’s a very happy and rejuvenated blogger who is answering your questions right now – I want to thank you very much for this honourable pleasure David! I really appreciate it!

Today's Sunday Roast with The Brit is the 81st in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.