A little love back to you...

I've was nominated by Lo on her marvellous blog, It's Always Something to recieve the Leibster Blog Award - lucky me! And because my German is a very average GCSE 'C' (and not much more than that), I've been sneaky and looked up 'Leibster' online and found it means; darling, sweetheart. But because most of you are darlings and I could go on listing your blogs forever... I've decided to translate my 'Leibster' Award as; favourite. 

Valentine's Day is a lovely opportunity to rave about those bloggers I think are just fantastic. Here are my favourites... With love!

Sharon Longworth at Resistent But Persistent

Because... she carries you along a journey, holding your hand to show you her world. Her posts are always full to the brim of quirky turns, lovely tales and stories I could read over and over again- (and admittedly, I do).

Dicky at Dicky Carter

Because...  the way he writes is real and very open; snippets of life, laying it bare. Eloquently put and often very brave.

Philip Dodd at The Domesticated Bohemian

Because... his words hold you in a way that allows his people and places to become inked in your mind for a very long time. So positive and encouraging, he's been my favourite blogger from the very beginning.

Steven at The Golden Fish

Because... perfectly captured moments in poetry, enhanced with beautiful photographs completely works for me.

Dan at My Point Being

Because... he has an uncanny ability to make me smile with his charm and quick wit. His blog always has something new and interesting to learn about, described with a big dose of passion.

Guest Post: 'My London' by Caroline from Hello Moon

I absolutely love her poems. They are beautiful, deep and emotive. Pop over to her blog and see for yourself. I feel quite honoured to star new blogger Caroline from Hello Moon, with a poem that she wrote about her London, just for my blog. 

My London

 

Jostled from the carriage,

Morphed into a herd of man,

The sound of a hundred footsteps,

Welcome to the commuters clan.

Heads down as we march together,

Minds collectively lost in thought,

Eyes not daring to wander over,

The shame of being caught.

The eerie silence lingers,

Interrupted by the buskers song,

Conserving my personal barrier,

Not feeling that I belong.

Grey sheets of printed paper,

Invades your capacity to see,

Bodies entwined with one another,

White knuckles clutching black coffee.

From tranquil, evergreen pastures,

The twee, rustic lull of the town,

To momentous, imperious buildings,

Watching you swerve and drown.

 Caroline, Hello Moon 

cited

The Award, The Mexican and Me

I've been given an award! The versatile blogger award, nonetheless. And whilst I'll admit I have been very versatile in the last couple of weeks working like a nutcase and trying to fit in one hundred things a day, I haven't been such a good blogger because of this, and my posting has been a little too far and few between for my liking. All because you just get those weeks where it all piles on top of you, and you end up being something different to a whole load of people, which stops you from doing what you love, or more importantly, from having the time to be you.

Now, like Jayne from Suburban Soliloquy, I'm no good with following the rules...  But tah-dah! It must have been fate that I was nominated for the award in which you have to show and tell a few things about yourself in a post. So here I am blogging (very good) about me (hurrah!). Two birds with one stone? I think so.

But first, you absolutely must (if you haven't done so already) check out Jayne and her blog, Suburban Soliloquy. Jayne is wonderful with words and very good at regular posting (*blush*). Her writing is playful and beautifully artistic - but always real. When Jayne nominated me for this award, I felt very honoured that she'd picked me, and in a similar way to how I feel when someone stops by my blog, reads a post, or takes their time to comment on something I have written, I was rather grateful. I'd like to say thank you to Jayne - but also to all of you who stop by my blog for a read.

I have so many blogs I could recommend, but I'd never get onto the 'me' bit of this post if I listed them all. For now, four bloggers come to mind. They all write blogs in a way I can always relate to, and their posts have encouraged me to write from the heart, just as they do. As the rules sort of went out the window in the way both Jayne and myself accepted this award, I'll leave these bloggers to accept this award if and as they wish.

Phillip at the domesticated bohemian

Otherworldlyone at Calling People Names

Starlight at Crazy Thoughts

Sharon at Resistant But Persistent


I've been procrastinating. But mainly because I've found it hard to think about just what to say about me...  I've been quite shy in this blog, and haven't put up any pictures of me, or too many personal details. In fact, I think the only photograph I've included in my blog is of my Gran. And a nice one it is too. 

Before I started writing, way back in September last year... I painted. Not walls, but pictures. I wouldn't say I was good enough to call myself an artist, but I loved creating all things bright and beautiful on a blank canvas. I never really liked painting what I saw, but threw everything into what I could imagine, and just waited to see what it would turn out like. I put all of this down to the fact that my Dad made me do Politics instead of Art at A-Level. And since trying desperately to justify 'The Special Relationship' between Britain and America in a draughty exam hall sometime in February 2004, I rebelled, and I threw everything I had into being creative.

So I think I'll say the bit about me, through a few photographs I've taken.

I might live in London, but I'm a country girl at heart.
And a Hertfordshire girl in particular.

 


Bess. Named after my Great-Grandmother, Bessie.
My lucky black cat.

 



I collect crystal balls. Nope, not to see into the future.
Because they are beautiful.
This one was a present from my Mum for my sixteenth birthday - and my favourite.

 



Yes. I crochet small animals - occasionally.
It's Cheryl the Snail.

And finally...



It's my lover. And me.
He's the Mexican and I'm the Cowgirl.
In our first year university halls, where we first met and fell in love.
And nope, he doesn't have one that big in real life.