Mini Interview with Amanda @ Something to Ponder About (for the Love of Quotes…)

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Good Morning Readers,

Today I want to share the Priorhouse Mini Interview with blogger Amanda, from Something to Ponder About (STPA). 

 

What does Amanda offer at her blog?

At STPA you will find posts with thoughtful sayings and seasoned perspectives on Sunday Sayings, writing Travel and Book/Product reviews, providing tutorials on Traditional Arts and Crafts, sharing recipes and fun posts about home cooking. Amanda also cohosts the Friendly Friday Photo Challenge.

A fun post from her blog is HERE, which was a “Words of Wisdom” post from September 2016. That post gives a snapshot of my view of Amanda. Sharing her enthusiasm for quotes – that depict wisdom and living life with with appreciation for learning and grace for growing –  while the post also shows her adeptness at connecting with others as seen in her signature style of comment chatting (i.e. with RAEWYN and MABEL KWONG).

art by Amanda

Interview Questions

Question #1: Can you share a little bit about why you feature quotes, traditional proverbs, and sayings on your blog?

Amanda: Loving history and traditional art, I am an Australian who began blogging at Something to Ponder About more than nine years ago.  As my writing evolved in direction and focus, one of the enduring features of my posts was the incorporation of traditional proverbs and sayings.

I became fascinated with traditional proverbs and sayings and the many different interpretations found within just a few, succinct words. I marvelled at their ability to transcend race, religion, opinions and age. They offered knowledge; knowledge that is passed to us in much the same way relay runners might pass a baton. Once it’s handed over, it is up to us what we do with it and how we pass it on.

Dissecting the metaphorical layers hidden within some of the old quotes and sayings often prompts a lively discussion on Something to Ponder About which I find both interesting and inspirational. I feel that this literary window into the minds and thoughts of our ancestors reveals elements of social history as well as offering us timeless advice we may need and use in the future.

As I have a special interest in practising and developing contemporary adaptations to a traditional form of decorative painting, called Norwegian Rosemaling. This art form dates back to the 18th century, so I guess it’s no surprise that some of my favourite words of wisdom originate in Norway itself.

Historically, it was a custom to decorate the border of a bowl, utensil or piece of furniture, painted in Norwegian Rosemaling style, with a saying or Proverb. Therefore, not only are these rosemaled pieces beautiful works of art, they also lend a small insight into Norwegian values penned by the artist of that particular time.

Question #2: What are three quotes to share with readers?

Amanda: 

– Bak skyene er himmelen alltid blå.  “Behind the clouds the sky is always blue.”

– Det er håp i hengende snøre. “There is hope as long as your fishing-line is in the water.”

– Gode ord skal du hogge i berg, de dårligere i snø. “Carve your good words in stone, the bad in snow.”

Question #3: Do you have a favourite quote?

Amanda: The following is my favourite quote and although there are questions as to whether it was originally Norwegian, or attributed to Helen Keller, the old language indicates its particular relevance in historical life.

Vend ansiktet mot solen, og skyggene vil alltid falle bak deg

“Face the sun and the shadows will always fall behind you.”

That quote is open to individual interpretation and yet so general in the sense that it could apply to anyone’s present challenges or predicaments, no matter where they live in the world.

The advice I extract from the quote is to look forward not backward. Be Pro-active not retrograde. Focus on the light, not the darkness.

Did you know…. that Amanda has a rock star cousin? 

Amanda shared that her distant cousins lived and worked in a very old Danish church. One of their sons was a guitarist for Carpark North, a successful Danish rock band, which toured the world.  Here is the band performing Transparent:

Speaking of rock bands, Amanda and I have been connecting since 2014, and yes, at some point over the years we discussed the “Amanda” song by Boston (here on YouTube if you do not know it). 

Did you also know that Amanda has two on-line shops? 

You can find some of her fabric designs and merchandise at:

To show you how Amanda can inspire, back in August, Bushboy (here) had a post titled, “For Amanda” – connecting to her Looking Back to the Future post.

Here is the part that connected to BB’s post (which also gives you a feel for the way we sometimes travel back in time over at STPA): 

Here is the image BB shared (so fun): 

 

Question 4: What do you consider your life purpose?

Amanda: Yvette and I have had many discussions on mental well-being and life itself, and so I suspected that if we were to meet in real life, she might ask me what I considered was my life purpose. Here is my short answer: 

I’ve always been interested in the concept of community. I believe the accumulation and passing on of knowledge, both formal or informal within our communities, IS our purpose in being here, in addition to a contribution to society or the community as a whole. Being me, I found an appropriate Norwegian proverb that alludes to effort and education:

 Bedre bør du bær “kje i bakken enn mannavit mykje. You can’t carry a better load up a hill than much knowledge.

Amanda @ forestwoodfolkart.wordpress.com

 

Amanda, Thank you so much for taking the time to do this mini interview. 

And thank you readers, for joining us today. I have about five more mini interviews to share before 2021 winds down and will see you in October for the next one, which will feature Norah Colvin. 

In the meantime, I hope you have a great day and let’s chew on this little nugget of advice from Amanda: 

Look forward, not backward. Be Pro-active, not retrograde. Focus on the light, not the darkness.

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89 thoughts on “Mini Interview with Amanda @ Something to Ponder About (for the Love of Quotes…)”

    2. I love that I have been able to introduce you to Norwegian Rosemaling, Singlelikewildflowers. ( Love your user handle btw). I find it has become a bit of an obsession but has led to a world of discovery, many friends and marvellous experiences in Norway. I love its fluidity, it is dynamic!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you for your comment! I’m happy to have learned the name Norwegian Rosemaling to that art style, because it’s so much easier to appreciate something more if you know what it is.
        Beautiful artwork and the swirls are so smooth and dynamic.
        And thank you for your feedback on my user handle. I’m not particularly sure what that is on my blog but thank you!!

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  6. Yvette, a captivating interview with Amanda and I was drawn into your conversation! I had no idea about her wonderful art. The quotes here and on her blog are fabulous and I recognise many from my mother in Swedish … the quotes reach into the heart of our lives! Haha! A rock star in the family … love this! A lovely start to my morning, Yvette & Amanda and I’m now heading over to STPA – realise I’ve been a bit absent these last few weeks. Lots of gems to catch up on!

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    1. Hi there Annika thanks for the feedback – 😋
      Glad this post came out to arrive in your morning (was night here) and that you were able to catch it while online (and we do need our blog absent times to get other things done or to just refresh – so we do not burn out with blogging – right?)
      And cheers to Amanda’s love for quotes proverbs and sayings

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I am so touched that you liked the quotes, Annika. That Scandinavian heritage seeps into our psyche and presents in many ways. Thanks for popping over to my blog. I so enjoy yours, as well.

      Liked by 2 people

  7. An interesting interview, Yvette. I’d not come across Amanda’s blog before, and hadn’t heard of Carpark North either. Looking at their Wikipedia entry they don’t seem to have had hit records outside Denmark, so I think I can be forgiven for that!

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    2. Hi Clive, nice to meet you. I think the band has toured Thailand and SE Asia so they may have had hit records there. I assume they are more popular all throughout the Scandinavian countries.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi Amanda, nice to meet you too. As I said to Yvette all I know of them comes from Wikipedia – which isn’t much! – so I’ll bow to your superior knowledge. I’ve never seen anything about them here, but as my gig-going days are behind me it may be that I’m just out of the loop!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Hi there Tierney – it is a solid quote for any time in one’s life. I am so glad you like it. Even if you don’t live where snow accumulates! Lol. (N.B. I live in the tropics!)

      Liked by 3 people

    2. Hi Brian, We are all following each other and it is surprising that similar bloggers pop up in the blogs we follow. It makes sense as we tend to follow blog that synchronise with our own values. I may have even found your blog via Yvette’s blog? I can’t remember.
      Thanks for the nice compliment. Much appreciated.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi Amanda – I was wondering if I met equinoxio from your blog – hahaha
        And Brian – you are right – the circle is so interconnected and I miss a few folks who have left that circle – but I guess it is like many things in life – there is an ebb and flow to who comes and goes and also in how they go about things with output and all that
        – and with trust said – really glad you and Amanda are part of my blog circle

        Liked by 1 person

      2. It does make sense. I think one way or the other we share many things, beyond the thousands of mile away. 😉 Take care my dear. I hope the bl..dy virus is better contained now Down Under?

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        1. Down south they have huge problems….over 1000 cases a day, but our state border to the south remains closed and we all comply and wear masks so we are covid free atm. Zero cases! Unfortunately that means there is not such a drive for country areas to become vaccinated.
          My family are close to all being double jabbed. How is it over your way?

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        2. Double jabbed? 😉 We got all our shots a while ago. Daughter #1, an MD, got the bug last year, was double “jabbed” early this year and caught it again in July. So precuations remain in order.

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        7. Interesting and good news for me who has had Pfizer vaccine and am at a higher risk due to respiratory problems. The word is when we open the borders we will have a huge influx of cases, so it is somewhat inevitable. But so much better than not being protected at all. I don’t have a great sense of smell anyway! I hope your daughter regains it though. In a younger person, it must mean that food tastes much mroe bland.

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        8. Pfizer is very good. Sorry that you should have respiratory issues. All the more reason to stay careful. 😉 We’ll see how it goes when they do open the borders. We’ll see. Have a great wee, “Astrid”

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        9. I will edit the comment to add the letter ‘k’ on to the word Wee – in your comment, have a good week, Brian. That gave me a good chuckle!
          Yes I am careful, but feel much better for being double vaxxed! It was good to hear of your daughter’s experience in that she has not suffered so badly the second time around.

          Liked by 1 person

        10. Lord Almighty! I tried to edit it too but couldn’t. My apologies though it is a great laugh… 🤭
          That happens when one types too fast. Plus I don’t always look at the screen… 📺 🤣🤣🤣

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        12. Oops. Just realized this was posted on Yvette’s blog so I can’t update. Maybe Yvette can, or maybe we leave it to give others a chuckle.
          Kind regards,
          Astrid! Lol.

          Liked by 1 person

        13. I’d seen your comment briefly – and partly – on my phone and I thought “what on earth did I write?” That is a roar… 🐯 (The tiger is courtesy my Mac keyboard. It reads what I write, but apparently not all.) 🤣🤣🤣🏴‍☠️

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        16. Hi – that is not what concerns me – it is all the other prying eyes between A and B – it seems so much is intercepted and filed – and this mega data is just a way of the times
          Right now – I could go on but won’t – instead I’ll go back to your latest Paris post for a mini getaway

          Liked by 2 people

        17. I try to block all trackers on programmes. As much as I can. Right now it is not so much a problem since it is in the hands of sales people. You don’t kill the customer. However, the day it gets into the hands of politicos…
          Do go back at leisure my dear.

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  12. So lovely that you featured Amanda, Yvette. Thank you for the link too. I’ve followed Amanda for years and really enjoyed her blog, from the quotes to Norwegian Rosemaling art. Like Amanda, quotes, sayings and proverbs have always fascinated me. Maybe it has got something with the fact I love writing and interpreting words. There’s always so much meaning behind each saying, so many different interpretations.

    Community can be such a powerful force. Not only can community encourage you and help you achieve what you want to achieve, there’s so much to learn from community and others around us.

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    1. Hi Mabel – thanks for the comment and here and I know you love quotes and sayings and you have e that nice little niche with using them for your cultural explorations and societal writings
      ☀️☀️☀️

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    2. Thanks so much, Mabel. You were one of the first Australian bloggers that I followed. It is so lovely that you and I and Yvette appreciate the intent behind the words in old time sayings and quotes. We can learn so much and isn’t that what the sayings are formulated for – to afford us the wisdom learnt from ancestors? I think so.
      Totally agree about community being a powerful force for good.

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      1. You were also one of the first Australian bloggers, Amanda. Very happy we connected and are still connected today. Agreed, we can learn so much from old time sayings and quotes, from those who lived and spoke before us – and find meaning in our lives today. I hope we can work on our book next year. I got a good feeling about it. Hope you are well Amanda. Really so lovely to see you here on Yvette’s blog. Take care.

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        1. I do think we need to finish that book! Next year! Yes
          So glad to have that extra connection with you and collaborate on writing.
          Hope the lockdown isn’t getting to you, Mabel. Stay safe.

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        2. Yes, next year would probably be the year to finish the book. It will be a good one. Learnt a lot during lockdown. It hasn’t been all that bad but certainly interesting. Enjoy Spring, Amanda.

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        4. Yes, a lot of us in Melbourne can only hope our Spring and Summer will be a good one considering what’s going on here. I’ve been reading up on different writing techniques over the last year 🙂

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        8. Mabel and Amanda – please let me know when your book is ready for some fresh eyes because I volunteer to beta read or to offer suggestions at any point – and best wishes with it (Nike phrase- JUSt DO IT! – and song phrase “let’s get this party started – book party that is!!🎶🎶)

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  14. Yvette, it was such an honour to be invited for an interview at your blog and the comments indicate that you have a supportive and kind blogger community. Some names are familiar but others are not and I look forward to checking out their blogs in due course. Thank you!

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    1. Well my pleasure Amanda and thanks again for your flexibility with the post time – that means so much to me because my posting schedule changes each month –
      In addition – it was cool when I found that photo of you – triumphantly on the mount with that cool scenery / it fit so well at the end and I was so pleased to find that on your blog and add it here –
      Ok – wishing you a great week ahead
      ☀️🌸🌸🌸

      Liked by 1 person

      1. That photo is taken on the border of Norway and Sweden, way up north – a fairly inhospitable place in winter. Wonderful in summer. It was a special moment. I was on a road trip with a dear Norwegian fun loving friend.
        Thanks again for the interview. It was fun.

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