I had a great time checking out new blogs to recommend in the spirit of International Blog Day. You may have already heard of some of them, but this is the first time for me and I have added them all to my blogroll.

1. Would-be astronaut Damarius Sarria is training hard in Florida to join a future space mission. When she isn’t skydiving or scuba diving, she loves playing golf. She sounds incredibly energetic and determined. I have visited the amazing J.F. Kennedy Space Centre and I hope she makes it. Her site is called How I Am Training to Become An Astronaut: http://damarisbsarria.blogspot.com/

2. Check out Mahmood’s Den, based in Bahrain, which gives an amazingly frank account of life in the Gulf. He talks about polititics, religion and sex and has become an iconic figure; he is recognised in shopping malls and is asked for his autograph. He wants to show that not all Muslims and Arabs are “hell-bent on world destruction”. I imagine he will have a leading role in the forthcoming 22nd Bahrain Bloggers Gathering: http://mahmood.tv/

3. I like this Slovakian Conservative site for its freshness and openness, it is written in the true spirit of blogging. Peter Martinovic is flying the blue flag in East Europe and gives you the low down on the personal lives of his country’s leading politicians, as well his responses to David Cameron and the new Conservative logo. It is a new site and the lawyer, who is leader of his country’s Young Conservatives, also bizarrely supports Colchester United. He also remembers his country’s dark days, the anniversary of the Prague Spring of 1968: http://petermartinovic.blogspot.com/

4. The Magistrates’ Blog may be known to some of you, and I like the way he deals with questions that often puzzle the man or woman in the street- why is it that a life sentence does not mean life? He gives answers on this and his views about the judiciary system, including the difficulty of hearing cases involving domestic violence: http://thelawwestofealingbroadway.blogspot.com/

5. Mr Chalk writes a great blog about teachers and school life and deals with bullying, tricky parents, the importance of grammar and exam results, as well as school mottos. I think a detention with Mr Chalk would be fun: http://frankchalk.blogspot.com/