The Next Big Thing is a huge round-robin initiative of writers, bloggers, authors and journalists who share what they are embarking on next. The format is a set of questions, which can be varied depending on whether the current baton-holder is an author of books, or an online blogger.

I was passed the baton by Tamara Essex a new friend of mine, who I met after reading her wonderful blog ‘A foot in two Camps’ based around her life spread between rural England and rural Andalucia.  When I  first read Tamaras blog posts about my local town Colmenar in the montes of Malaga, they had me chuckling to myself.  I think it is great to see & read another fellows perspective on our life here, albeit if she is a ‘Townie’ 😉

So this is me @lynzinthesun, blogger, recipe writer, cookery & culture class giver,  local book club  & ‘ Views from the hills‘ ladies group founder . Phew, no wonder my life is manic !

I will be passing the baton on to two great virtual friends of mine, who have kept me inspired, supported & amused with their tales from their corners Andalucia & who I very much hope to meet in the flesh in 2013 !

Here are my questions & answers ;

What is the working title of your project? I blog at La Rosilla lifestyle & food , writings and tales of our family life, in our rural Finca on a mountain in Andalucia. I like to think of it as a harmony between food & nature.

Where did the idea come from?

I started writing a personal diary from the day we left Blighty ,lock, stock & barrel.  Many friends said ‘Lynz you should write a book’ but I thought they are two a penny now.  Although Driving over lemons &  A parrot in a pepper tree had inspired & whet my appetite  to take the plunge into a new life , I wasn’t sure our roller-coaster of a Spanish life would fit into a book, so I took to blogging instead.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your blog?

Life on a mountain in Spain, experiences, memory moments & food, glorious food.

How long do you spend writing posts for your blog?

I seem to be forever online, researching, tweeting but actually writing I think probably 2 hours a week.  I enjoy the time, it makes me reflect on what we’ve done as a family, and also makes me grateful of what we have achieved or experienced.  I try to keep my blog as positive as possible, and at times when things get too much, I can loose myself in writing.

To what book would you compare your blog?

Not sure about a book ; for my children it would be ‘Swallows & Amazons’, the tales I write about them, and the wonderful things they get up to on the mountain, sure give them a life of adventure.  For me, probably a T.V series ‘The good life’ I live a life of cross between Margot & Barbara , we’ve done the pigs, allotment, self sufficiency, but I do like a glass of bubbles in my hand 😉

Who or what inspires you to write?

I never take for granted my view or breathtaking location I live in , day to  day happenings inspire me to write.  Nature, plants, the weather, fiestas, traditions & lifes happenings – Just this morning, on a December day crisp & bright the bees are buzzing and busy collecting honey from our Passifloras & the Cooker repair man is busy in the kitchen doing the necessary to ensure the La Rosilla kitchen stays open at the vital time – Real life !

What is on your agenda in the next month or two?

My eldest daughter arrives home tomorrow for Christmas, so we will be together as a family – Can’t wait.  I’ll be cooking away, for guests and clients, busy with my Christmas orders for Buche Noel & shortbread .  As the New Year arrives, keeping warm is always high on the agenda, it gets cold up in these hills…I am planning new dates for my cookery & culture days & supperclub events.

What is your dream of a next big thing?

My Next Big Thing, is work in progress, I am slowly writing, compiling & planning my own cook book, which will be a compilation of recipes from family, friends and guests to La Rosilla. Favourite dishes, full of traditions & tales, from all over the world – the title ‘DELISH’ .

Well I need to get baking, so I’ll pass my baton on to two wonderful ladies;

Carole Byrne who writes a great blog Further south of Granada .  Carol keeps me entertained with her tales of even higher up rural Spanish life than me, way up in the Alpujarras.

Ann Larson is an extraordinarily busy lady, who writes about her life in Yunquera on her Olive farm, here she grows all her own vegetables, herbs & olives, which she uses to make the most beautiful natural products called Lujos.  Both ladies like me experience, all areas of Spanish life, warts and all.

So from my NEXT BIG THING to yours – Buen Provecho 🙂