Helen at Crispy Confessions very generously nominated me in the first ever Dazzling Blogger Award. I love her blog, she’s honest, open, funny and varied – my favourite combination!
The Official Rules
- Thank the person who nominated you for The Dazzling Blogger Award.
- Link back to the original blog post.
- Answer the seven questions that they asked on their blog post.
- Make up seven new questions.
- Nominate seven more people for The Dazzling Blogger Award, who you think exemplifies excellent blogging skills.
The 7 Questions
- What is one life lesson that you learned during the Covid-19 pandemic?
Gratitude. Easily the most important thing has been recognising how lucky we are to have what we have and who we have. - What was the catalyst for you wanting to start blogging?
In early 2019 we lost our third son, boy3, when I was 20 weeks pregnant. The idea of blogging had occurred to me previously but never seriously. About 4 months after our loss I was fed up of feeling like I had thoughts inside me with nowhere to express them. I’d tried a couple of online support communities but I just didn’t feel like I fitted in. So I jumped into WordPress and just wrote what was in my head. - What are seven things that you hope to accomplish within the next five years?
Goodness that’s hard! I want to be happier at work, less frustrated. I want to run a half marathon and get my 5km down to about 25mins. I want a new kitchen and a usable garden. I want to still be blogging. Gosh I’m stuck. I’m pretty happy as things are to be honest, I can’t think of three more. - What book or movie has been life changing for you?
I read The Virgin in the Garden by A.S. Byatt when I was in my late 20s. I suddenly realised I wasn’t so different from everyone else. My teenage years and angst were common and normal. - What advice would you give to any new blogger?
I think that depends on what the new blogger’s goals are. If they want to make a living and be “successful”, I’d tell them to ask someone else for advice. Otherwise, just write what interests you, write from the heart and get involved in the community. There are some amazing people that I feel very lucky to have met through blogging. - What are seven of your favourite things?
Coffee, gin, chocolate, running, Grey’s Anatomy, books, and my family (that means all of them in one big lump otherwise this would just be a list of their names). - In seven words or less, tell me what your blog is about.
My blog is pretty varied, it includes rants and waffley rambles, guest posts, recipes and cocktails, wandering thoughts about kids, very occasional and bad poetry, reading round ups, random reviews, considerations of loss, and sometimes smugness about running. Sorry, that’s not 7 words. I’ll try again: life, kids, work, loss, gin, running, bad poems.
My Questions
- When you get up in the morning, are you alert and ready to go or sluggish and befuddled?
- What’s your preferred way of getting news and why?
- What subject do you wish you worked harder on at school?
- Coffee or tea?
- What’s the bravest thing you’ve done?
- Out of the books you’ve read this year, which was your favourite and why?
- Which post have you written that we should all read? (re-using this one because its so good)
My Nominations
Helen made this hard by nominating lots of my favourite bloggers already. So instead I’ve picked a mixture of new discoveries who I totally clicked with from the start and long standing blogs I read but feel I don’t appreciate enough.
You folks are fabulous and I can’t wait to read your responses and questions.
Bree at Growing up Garlicky
Merry at Monodreame
Lindsay at Brains and Spoons
Queenie at the Queensights
Farwa at The Homemaker Mama
Flo at Flo’s Bubbles of Joy
Tiffany at the Metaphysical Mama
This is a new award, so I really hope my nominees pick it up and pay it forward. The support and mutual appreciation of the blogging community is such a wonderful thing, spanning all the divides that blight the modern world. Pick someone you love to read or feel is under-appreciated – you might make their day.
Smelly Socks and Garden Peas 
Thanks for sharing your answers, also congrats on your award to 🙂
Nic | Nic’s Adventures & Bakes
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Awesome answers! Grey’s anatomy, coffee, and chocolate are my favorite things too! Though I stopped watching Grey’s anatomy after the original characters went away 😦 Just wasn’t the same lol
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Ah I’ve just with it all the way through. There’s a core cast still there. I miss Christina though.
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Congratulations. Always, lovely to find out more about someone xx
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Hi SS&GP.
Congratulations! Richly deserved 🙂
It’s always interesting reading this kind of post and the Q&As. I’m with you on the coffee front. But I’d have to swap out the gin for a nice single malt!
Good luck with the running. I got up to half marathon distance in my younger days – and what stopped me going further was … the monotony of it all. Plod, plod, plod … mile after mile … round and round, up and down. Perhaps I have a short attention span! 🙂
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I love the longer distance, I get lost in the rhythm and time flies by. But then I do long loops, not round and round. I did 4 laps of the park for a 5km yesterday and that was so dull.
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This is such fun! I hope this award continue to rotate around. I love how supportive this community is of each other. I enjoyed learning more about you.
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Yeah, I love these for those reasons too
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I always enjoy reading these. Your answers are fun and informative.
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I quite enjoy writing them
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This is good to read your answer.
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Love this. These blogging awards are such fun. My response to Helen’s nomination is coming this week.
I get the feeling you like gin? LOL
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You knew that already surely?
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Ha ha. Yes I did, but you mentioned it a couple of times so I couldn’t resist commenting on it.
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😁 I had a large one last night so that’s probably why it was on my mind
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You are so sweet! Thank you for nominating me and Growing Up Garlicky. I love this idea ❤❤
Everyone can be sure to look forward to my upcoming post!
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Awesome!
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I love reading these sort of posts as you can find out so many new things about the blog & blogger which you would never know about on a normal post!
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That’s why I like them too
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What a lovely idea! I loved reading all of your answers in this post x
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Thanks!
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Congratulations on the well-deserved award! I’ve not come across this particular one before. I’ll have to check out Helen’s blog in a minute, too.
I actually love your answer to number 3. To feel pretty content is awesome. I totally agree on the gratitude side of things during the pandemic too. Follow up question for number 6 – what’s your favourite chocolate? I have a few favourites but I suppose Lindt Lindor is number one, then Galaxy, Cadbury caramel and Maltesers. Mmmm nom nom!
Have a lovely weekend 🌻
Caz xx
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I love dark chocolate truffles more than anything. My husband used to bring them back from an annual meeting in Belgium, it’s been cancelled the last 2 years tho so I’m missing them. Aldi do something pretty close at Christmas tho.
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What a cute idea! I loved reading your answers. ❤
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Thanks
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