A Nature Walk With: Don't Unplug Your Hub

John Bain is a guest contributor to Nature Center Magazine. He also has one of the most entertaining blogs in Don't Unplug Your Hub. His art and music are also featured there.The picture you see here was contributed to Nature Center Magazine as a wallpaper. The most appealing thing about John is his sense of humor. We find out a bit more as we take a nature walk with John.


01. Welcome to Nature Center Magazine. We are all anxious to learn a little bit about you. Tell us what your blog is all about.

My blog began as a history of my unhappy childhood in children's homes and foster care. It has now become more of a muse on life in general and occasionally I show my artistic endeavours. I like to make fun of myself sometimes.


02. Everyone has their own unique story about what gave them the idea to start blogging. What is yours?

I had a few months before I began blogging started a journal for my son, in which I described incidents from my life. I wanted him to have something in my own hand for him to remember me by when I finally pop my clogs! I still write the journal when I think of something personal to say to him, but mostly I write in my blog so that people across the world will know how talented and clever I am, and obviously also how modest.


03. What do you enjoy about nature and what benefits do you derive from it?

My favourite thing to do with nature is to walk in the woods or forests, enjoying the changing seasons. The benefits are many. Peace and solitude. Fresh clean air to breathe. Exercise.


04. Each of us has our own way of being with nature. Some people hike, some take pictures, and some climb trees. How do you experience nature?

I sometimes will pitch a tent and light a campfire. This is especially good fun when I have my son for company. It is nice to wake up and wash my face with the morning dew.


05. Tell us about the most exciting or scary nature related thing that ever happened to you.

I once decided to climb up a very steep quarry wall to investigate a birds nest. Halfway up I made the mistake of looking down. It was high! My legs turned to jelly and it took an age for them to stop shaking. Eventually I managed to climb to the top and safety. It wasn't a nest! Just a clump of grass. Never climb quarries. Especially if you are on your own. It is stupid and dangerous without the correct equipment.


06. If you were to take us on a nature tour of your area where would you take us first?

The South Downs in my area are outstanding.

Describe what we would see.

They are chalk downland and home to much flora and fauna. Also the views of the English countryside are stunning.


07. If you could visit any nature spot in the world, what would it be? Tell us why.

The Amazon rain forest. While it is still there.


08. Each blogger has gained their own insight into writing a blog. What have you learned that you would like to share with other bloggers?

It is a great feeling to write and get things off your chest. You can chat away to your hearts content, unlike in the real world, where you risk boring people. If someone reads your blog it is because they are interested in what you have to say. That is a nice feeling. It started off that I wanted to have lots of followers. Vanity I suppose. One day I realized that it made no difference to what I had to say, whether I was saying it to one reader or a thousand. I just enjoyed doing it.


09. Where can our readers find you? Give us the name and a link to your blog. If you have more than one to share, we would all like that too.

My blog is called Don't unplug your hub. It is called that because when I started it I didn't know what I was doing, and just spotted those words written on my hub plug.
dontunplugyourhub

I started another blog recently called Artful little sketchbook but I have not applied myself to it properly.


10. Is there anything we have not discussed that you would like to add?

No thank you. I'm flipping exhausted!
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Thank you, John, for the entertaining walk. It is always a treat to spend time with you. We will let you go to rest your weary bones while we take a look at your blog..


Do you write a nature related blog and you'd like to be interviewed by Nature Center Magazine? Click the link and let us know who you are and that you'd like to be featured in a Nature Walk: Interview Me.