Awards

Six word Saturday

Help me with my awards dilemma?

On 2nd June, I received the Illuminating Blogger Award from Two Black Doggies.  Isn’t it beautiful? You don’t have to be a dog lover to follow this excellent blog.  There are some wonderful travel features and photographs, which are right up my street.  Many, many thanks for considering me in this category, Sam.

On 8th June, I received the Very Inspiring Blogger Award from Megtravelling.  As the name indicates, Meg enjoys her travels, maybe even as much as I do, and I’ve spent many happy hours looking over her shoulder.  This award is very much appreciated, Meg.  Thank you!

On 10th June, I was pretty in pink with One Lovely Blog Award.  I’m fairly new to Grandmother Musings and very impressed with the humorous but practical approach to life that she brings to her blog.  Many thanks for nominating me, and I look forward to getting to know you better.

Do you have a time thief?  I suspect many of you do.  As a retired lady with “time to spare” I am full of admiration for those bloggers who are parents and work for a living, yet still find time to blog.  It’s a good job I came to blogging late, as I know I’d never have kept up.

I started blogging to enable me to do something that I love to do- write, with a little humour, about my travel experiences.  It has been wonderful, so far.  The warmth and support of the blogging community far exceeded my expectations.  I’ve learnt a lot (and forgotten much of it again) and made so many new friends.  Every day brings new and fascinating posts to read.

Do you see where this is heading, in relation to my six words?  When I received my first award, I was ecstatic!  Somebody out there loved me! Too strong?  “Liked my writing” is probably a better description, but I’m very much someone who needs approval.  Despite thinking I’m a bit of a free spirit, I’m often guilty of trying too hard to be liked.  So it is with trepidation that I say that the awards system gives me a bit of a problem. I understand and applaud the premise behind it.  It is a wonderful way of encouraging new bloggers and extending their network of followers and friends.

The difficulties arise in fulfilling the tasks imposed by the awards, and even more so, for me, in finding people to pass the award on to.  Very many of the bloggers I follow deservedly have every conceivable award in the book.  But it isn’t always easy to see who holds which award, and I’ve spent lots of time searching through blogs trying to find out.  Additionally there are those people who are averse to the awards system, some of whom display “award free blog” logos.  I respect that, and at least you know where you stand, then.  I find it quite embarrassing to pass on an award whilst not knowing if the recipient will be delighted, or not.

So where does this leave me?  Well, I intend to produce an Awards page for my blog, so that it’s obvious to anyone which awards I have collected.  But I don’t want to bore you all senseless with facts about me, when I’d so much rather spend the time on other things.  If anyone is kind enough, in the future, to nominate me for an award, I will receive it with hugs and kisses, and do my utmost to show appreciation.  What I don’t want to do is donate the time to finding candidates to pass it on to.  I would very happily share any of my awards with all of my followers.  Believe me, I am very appreciative of you all.  A nicer bunch of people I have yet to meet.  So if you’re reading my blog and find an award that appeals to you, I’d be delighted for you to take it up.  Please check out the blogs that have given me these amazing awards by following their links.  You won’t be disappointed.

I’m hoping that you’ll humour me with this, and not shun my future posts.  I did say that I need to be loved, didn’t I?  But that time thief is lurking.

Many thanks to Cath of Show My Face for enabling me to have this conversation with you.  I’ll be back next Saturday, when I shall be more succinct, I promise.

P.S Oh dear- already published and I’ve realised I’m remiss!  I was intended to include a link to the originating blog for the Illuminating Blogger Award.  Not good at this, am I?  Here it is:-  http://foodstoriesblog.com/illuminating-blogger-award/

Six word Saturday

60 years is a long time

Queen Elizabeth 2nd and Prince Philip – Coronation photo from Wikipedia

On 2nd June, 1953, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 2nd took place.  She had already acceded to the throne in February 1952, on the death of her father, King George 6th, but the mourning period precluded any form of celebration.  When it finally took place, it was certainly an occasion to remember, and was the first coronation ever to be televised.  Norman Hartnell designed all the outfits for the Royal Family, and the Queen’s white silk gown was embroidered with the floral emblem of each of the countries of the then Commonwealth.

60 years on,  England is gearing up for a long weekend of celebration.  I guess we wrote the book on pomp and ceremony.  The water pageant scheduled to take place on the Thames should be truly spectacular.  Local hamlets and village halls are bedecked with bunting.  I’d like to wish everybody a joyful weekend, however they choose to celebrate, or even if they decide to ignore the whole thing.  Personally I’ll be in Hart Village for the lighting of the beacon, and fireworks afterwards.  At some point in the weekend I’ll probably have Coronation Chicken, a favourite of mine, but which I only recently realised was devised in honour of Elizabeth’s coronation.  And of course, I’ll be raising a glass (or two).

I’m trying to keep this post brief (sighs of relief all round) but it seems like a good time to share the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award, passed on to me by Francine in Retirement.  What can I tell you about Francine that many of you don’t already know?  She’s a warm hearted lady who gently encourages each of us to fulfill our true potential.

I’ve shared more than enough about me in recent weeks, so intend simply to pass on this award to all the lovely ladies who are kind enough to follow my blog.  How empty would my life be without you!  Please follow the link to Francine’s blog for details, and take up the award as you wish.

It just remains for me to thank Cate of Show My Face for hosting Six word Saturday.  We’d love you to join in – the rules are simple.  I’ll be here again next week.  Take care till then, and have a happy Diamond Jubilee.

Kreativly tagged!

Such a lucky lady I’m feeling today.  I’ve been given the Kreativ Blogger Award by Sam of Two Black Dogs  I’ve often admired this logo in other people’s sidebars.  Now, if I can just remember how to put it there, I’ll be able to admire my own!

I had a thoroughly good time reading the blogs of my fellow nominees and have made some lovely new friends, so thank you Sam, both for the award and for putting me in such good company.  Sam blogs very appealingly about dogs (of course!) and “other things she loves”, so off you go and take a look.

As is traditional, I now have to share 7 things about me, and nominate 7 other Kreativ bloggers.

1. “Can we just go to the NEXT corner?” has been my gambit on family holidays for years.  They’re ahead of me now though, and usually either turn back when it suits them or sit down, pointedly, and wait.

2.  My need to try something new when presented with a menu has led to some serious disappointments.  Starving hungry one evening in Italy I looked aghast at a dish of sea creatures in their shells sitting in a dish of tomato sauce.  Not my kind of thing at all, Michael with his “safe” choice smugly looked on while I dipped bread in the sauce.  Much worse the time I walked him and son James for miles across Lisbon, seeking out a recommended Chinese restaurant.  We passed several and each time they would stop, eye up the menu, and say “this one looks ok”.  Not good enough, it had to be this specific restaurant, so when I ordered crab curry they definitely had the last laugh when I was presented with a bowl full of legs, and couldn’t eat a bite!

3.  I’m a pretty average cook, and fly into a complete panic if I have to entertain.

4.  Still talking culinary, we’ve had a barbecue at the house in Tavira for 8 years and only ever used it once!  I’m clueless and Michael is completely disinterested in donning a pinny.

5.  I must get some things right, I guess, because my lady friends and me have been hosting monthly “girl’s nights” for 40 years, and they still all turn up when it’s my turn to cook (or maybe they’re too inebriated to mind).

6.  I was brought up largely by my maternal grandmother, long since deceased, bless her.  Mam and Dad went their separate ways when I was quite small.

7.  I have two amazingly talented and gifted children.  Lisa has appeared before in my blog pages.  She can sew anything, basques and Victorian costumes included, and I can’t wait to see the creation she comes up with for her wedding gown.  James doesn’t sew, but he’s a mean guitarist!

This goes back such a long way- I don’t have many of the two of them together

Talking about gifted and talented people, I’m now going to turn my attention to a tag that was passed to me by Vicky…the Northern Chicky.  The pretty red tag above is her design, and if you follow the link you will see that she has presented me with some quite difficult questions.  I have to choose one to answer from eleven options, and then pose eleven new questions to my unsuspecting candidates.

Like myself, Vicky has Polish ancestry, but there the similarities end.  She lives in the USA with 5 children, and is contemplating a life changing move- compulsive reading!

Vicky’s questions were:

  • What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
  • What is the most defining moment of your life thus far?
  • Is it more important to love or be loved?
  • What’s the one thing you’d like others to remember about you at the end of your life?
  • What small act of kindness were you once shown that you will never forget?
  • Are you happy with yourself?
  • What is your most prized possession?
  • In your lifetime, what have you done that hurt someone else?
  • Right now, at this moment, what do you want most?
  • What’s something most people don’t know about you?
  • Who would you like to forgive?

Some big issues, huh?  But I’ve done enough soul searching in this post already (and probably bored you witless) so I’m going to make a flippant choice.

What’s something you know you do differently than most people?

My answer is going to be “Six word Saturday”!  My six words are almost always illustrated by a gallery of photographs.  It has been pointed out to me that I should rename my posts “Six photo Saturday”, but Cate of Show my Face gave us carte blanche to adapt our own style.  Travel is my passion and I can loose myself for hours in photos of our amazingly beautiful world.  You know what this is leading up to, don’t you?  I can never resist a few more photos of Portugal.

Casa de Alte

Water feature powered by the Fonte- the young uns love it!

Can anyone identify, please?

“Scarecrow” image, traditional on May Day

Church roof in Alte

Castro Marim

Are you still with me?  Here are my nominees for the Kreativ Blogger award.

http://travelpenandpalate.com/

http://lizzierosejewellery.wordpress.com/

http://catbirdinoman.wordpress.com/

http://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com/

http://stephaniecalvet.wordpress.com/

http://retireediary.wordpress.com/

http://hobbyfabulous.wordpress.com/

Wonderful photography, interesting ideas, talented people- that’s what you’ll find.

Now for my 11 questions :

1.  Which place would you most like to visit, and why?

2.  In my next incarnation, I would like to be…?

3.  Which person from history would you most like to meet and why?

4.  What has been the most exciting experience you have ever had?

5.  Have you a life lesson that you would like to share?

6.  The best meal I ever had was…?

7.  What changes would you most want to implement if you were a leading politician?

8.  The best holiday I ever had was…?

9.  The quality I most admire in a friend is…?

10.  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

11.  Do you have a favourite walk, and if so where?

I’m taking a leaf out of Vicky’s book and tagging the people who comment most regularly on my blog.  If you happen to be reading this and fancy making a post out of any of these questions, you’re very welcome to join in.  Consider yourself “tagged” if you’re on this list.

http://theurgetowander.com/

http://francineinretirement.wordpress.com/

http://justasmidgen.com/

http://algarveblog.net/

http://apetcher.wordpress.com/

http://titabuds.com/

http://thismansjourney.net/

http://hferrati.wordpress.com/

http://thelaughinghousewife.wordpress.com/

http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com/

http://rlavalette.wordpress.com/

Hasn’t this been a marathon?  I daren’t even think about Francine’s “Sisterhood Award”.  I’m off now to notify everybody.  Cheery-bye!

Six word Saturday

A Wedding Invitation and a Hug

It’s no secret that I have a talented and very artistic daughter.  Her cards often arrive late, but are always a pleasure to receive.  The Easter card shown above brought particular joy because out of it slipped a small black invitation card.

 Lisa has led an often troubled life and has had much to overcome.  I am enormously proud of her, and can hardly wait for this most special of occasions.  Slight doubts though, as to what the mother of the bride wears to a Steampunk Wedding?  The honeymoon will be in Venice, for Carnavale, lucky girl.  To attend is a lifelong dream of hers.  I wish them all the love and luck in the world.

Lisa, my tea and cake girl, at home in Nottingham

As if this wasn’t enough to gladden my week, I have also been awarded a Hug from Francine in Retirement.   I’ve long been an admirer of Francine’s blog so was truly humbled to receive this nomination.  Not being sure of blog etiquette in this matter, I need to point out that I had previously been nominated for the Hug Award by Alyson Sheldrake of The Thought Palette.  On that occasion I wrote A hug a day in acceptance of the award, and nominated a couple of blogs.  I plan to extend that nomination today to:

Ana at 1001 Scribbles

Patti of Read Me

Elisa at Fun and Fabulousness

Sonel at Sonel’s Photographic Corner

All of these blogs give me enormous pleasure.  I should also say thank you to Conny on A Hope for Today who originated the Hug Award.

Please join me next week on Cate’s Six word Saturday and we’ll see just what the week’s brought.  You could even have a little fun and play too?

It’s raining awards! Ok, so I’m exaggerating a little bit.

It’s pretty exciting though, isn’t it?  Especially when you’ve spent the day beating yourself up for being a technological waste of space.  I was gazing hopelessly at my Widgets, just knowing there was a way to put a link into my sidebar, when that little sing-song sound of an incoming email took me back to my Inbox.

I don’t suppose Meg of Meg Travels http://megtraveling.com/ will ever know the joy she bequeathed on me with this award.  I have been happily following her travels hither and thither, and suddenly she’s made me a recipient of the Leibster Blog Award.   Thank you so much!

Is it Awards time of year, do you think?  I only know I’m very grateful.  Maybe I’m not just writing for myself after all? One of the truly wonderful things about blog writing is the warmth and support that comes to you from the community.  Yes, I’d still write my travel diaries, but it’s the response that comes back that makes blog writing addictive.  I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who has “like”d or left comments on my blogs- you guys are awesome!

The Liebster Award- I didn’t take German at school but I understand that Liebster means dearest- isn’t that lovely?  It’s a way of encouraging relative newcomers, with less than 200 followers, to spread their wings.  Lucky me!

As a recipient I need to:

1. Say thank you so much to Meg at http://megtraveling.com/2012/01/08/the-liebster-blog-award/ and congratulate her on her own well-deserved award.

2. Link back to her blog http://megtraveling.com/.  It’s a pleasure.

3. Nominate 5 new people, whose blogs I have enjoyed, to receive this award:

http://algarveblog.net/  Almost my first introduction to the network of bloggers, Alyson has been amazing in her support.  Not only that but she writes excellent, finely detailed and researched blogs from her adoptive home in Ferragudo, the Algarve.

http://davidohall.wordpress.com/  David is a fellow “monkey hanger” (native of Hartlepool in the north east of England) but I’d never heard of him till I came across his blog.  I fell a little in love with his photographs, and his gentle sense of humour.

http://globetrottingforfood.wordpress.com/  I’m quite a reluctant cook, but I love the enthusiasm of Ashkitty.  Good place to look for some foodie ideas.

http://bananabatman.wordpress.com/  Another photographer David, but with very different content.  Like me he’s struggling to get a grip on technology but his photos speak volumes.

http://purecomplex.com/  Kay has a young, fun-loving style and her content is great- fashion, food, art and architecture.  Something for everyone.

So there you have it- I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading these blogs as much as I have, and I’m very happy to “share the love”.

Just remains for me now to put the award logo in my sidebar.  Watch this space!

P.S Dunnit!!!

P.P.S Don’t look now but I forgot to notify the people I’ve passed the award on to!  I’m on it!

An Award!

Just as I was logging off to head for a nice lazy bath full of bubbles with my book last night, something rather wonderful popped up in my Inbox! I had been selected by Alyson Weldrake of thethoughtpalette.co.uk/abc-award/as a recipient of her newly created award for Awesome Blog Content.

Wow! It was like receiving a belated Christmas/Thanksgiving present and New Year greetings all rolled into one.  I shared the excitement with my husband, then tum-ti-tum-d my way up the stairs.  My first ever blogging award!  I dashed back down the stairs again (MUST get a bungalow one of these years!), dropped a kiss on his head, and filled a glass with white wine to sashay back up the stairs.

Woke up this morning and checked my Inbox again, and yes, it’s still there!  My very own ABC Award.

Now don’t get me wrong- I am not the sole recipient of this honour.  Reading down Alyson’s list I realised that I was in very fine company indeed.  Part of the delight of this is that I now have an invitation to meet other bloggers that I would not necessarily have found on my own initiative.  Believe me, I’ve dabbled in “social media” in an attempt to find like minded people- not easy!  Mostly all I want to do is share my joy in writing about the things I love.

Enough rambling! I have a contractual obligation to fulfill.  I humbly accept this award Alyson, bless your kind heart!

Here comes my Alphabet which reveals a few things about me:

A       Award-winner!                                        Nadal

B       Blogger                                                  Optimist

C       Courteous                                               Poland

D       Daughter                                                Quarrelsome

E        Easter                                                    Restless

F        Faithful                                                   Scribbler

G        Greedy                                                   Tavira

H        Hopeful                                                   Uncoordinated

I         Italy                                                       Venezuela

J         Johanna                                                  Wanderlust

K         Kind                                                       X-asperating

L          Loving                                                   Yellow

M         Mother                                                   Zante

I am very happy to pass on this award to some of the people who have inspired me:

susanwritesprecise

www.titabuds.com

www.thetravelbunny.wordpress.com

www.ontheluce.com

http://malloryontravel.com

and will be notifying them tomorrow with a clear head.  Being technologically challenged I’ve struggled a bit to get this up and running.  Hope I don’t disappoint, Alyson.  Again, many thanks!

P.S Don’t know if you can have a P.S on blogs but I seem to need one! As I was scampering to get out of the door last night I failed to nominate a couple of blogs I really love and am hereby rectifying this!

Kana’s Chronicles

Devouring Scotland

This man’s journey