Liebster Award
It’s been a bit of a manic week this week – the first week back after a school holiday always is, I find. I seem to spend my time dashing about trying to catch up on things that got pushed to one side during the holidays, even though I do my best to keep on top of what’s going on.
It doesn’t seem like a whole week since Jo at Angel Jem’s City Cottage bestowed the Liebster Award on my little blog. I feel very honoured, thank you Jo! To be honest, I’ve shied away from this sort of thing in the past as they have seemed overly complicated in the rules and the amount of information you have to give and request of other bloggers. A quick look at the Liebster Award rules hasn’t changed my mind on this, and I will apologise in advance for providing an abbreviated version. Life’s too short for you to be endlessly reading my blog!
So without further ado, here are the answers to the questions that Jo had on her blog. Not the same answers, of course – these are mine but they are her questions 🙂
1 If your house was on fire, what one thing other than family members and pets would you save?
My husband laughed when he read this and said that I’d never get the Aga through the door, but even I am sensible enough to know that trying to dismantle a hot metal box whilst my house is burning down is not a clever thing to do. So instead, I would probably choose my old bear. Or the family photographs. Oh dear. Only the first question and I’m not off to a good start!
2 What, other than your children, is your greatest achievement?
Another one that’s not so easy to answer. First off, I’d say it was achieving my Masters Degree in Classical Studies. I can’t tell you how proud I was to walk across the stage at the Bridgewater Hall at my graduation to collect my degree – but then what about the person who told me that they’d finally managed to knit their first pair of socks thanks to my blog tutorial? Or the mermaid book that I wrote with small daughter in mind, which is now for sale on Amazon? I’ve been lucky to be able to achieve many wonderful things.
3 What would be your dream job and is it a job you do or have done?
I think it’s pretty much what I do. I get to look after my family, run my business, help my husband run his business and write my blog. I get to walk the dog, look after the house and garden and generally be around for my family. As jobs go, I don’t think I could get a better one.
4 What is your dream holiday destination?
I’d love to go back to Lapland. I was lucky enough to go to the Ice Hotel in Sweden for my 40th birthday and my favourite memory is sitting on a huge mound of snow watching the Northern Lights like a green ribbon in the sky. Magic. Oh, it was such a beautiful place and the rooms inside the hotel with their stunning ice sculptures were really something to see. There was a wedding in the ice chapel when we were and that was just lovely, although the bride did look a bit cold! We couldn’t sleep inside the hotel when we went as small daughter was too small, so that’s a good excuse to visit again. I’d like to visit Scandinavia when it’s not snowing, too. I’d like to see New Zealand. I’d like to go back to Canada to spend more time with our relatives. Oh dear. I’m not very good at picking one thing, am I?
5 If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you bought?
I’d pay off our mortgage. Does that count as buying something?
6 Name your top three films of all time.
Highlander. And as the hero of the film, Connor McLeod, says, “There can be only one”. Ha!
7 If you could have a conversation with a famous person, dead or alive, who would it be?
My grandma. She wrote knitting patterns for yarn companies, so in a way that was a kind of fame. I’d ask her why she couldn’t hang around long enough to show me how she did it. And if she was busy, I’d love to chat to Victoria Wood, because she makes me laugh.
8 What is your earliest childhood memory?
I can remember being very small and in my Dad’s arms for a photograph. I was chewing his tie and I can still remember the taste of it.
9 What is your favourite season and why?
Winter. Because it snows (sometimes). You might have noticed that I quite like winter 🙂
10 What made you decide to start a blog?
I had been writing a “monthly musing” for the St Oswald’s church newsletter for a while and decided that I wanted to turn it into a blog, although it felt like such an arrogance – who would want to read what I was writing? It took me quite a while to get over my self-consciousness but now, I just write. I’d say it’s more of a self-indulgence these days!
11 What would you like the future to hold for you?
A healthy, happy family. I want my husband’s business to flourish (as I want mine to, of course!). I want my girls to have wonderful lives of their own one day. I want to increase the world’s population of sock knitters, because we all need socks.
According to the rules, I need to think of some questions to pass on … I told you there was a lot to this!
1 If you were down to your last £5.00 (or $5.00), what would you spend it on?
2 What is your favourite thing to eat?
3 What was the first film you ever watched at the pictures?
4 If your house was on fire, what one thing other than family members and pets would you save?
5 What, other than your children, is your greatest achievement?
6 What did you want to be when you grew up?
7 What word would other people use to describe you?
8 How many WIPs do you have at the moment?
9 What is your favourite yarn?
10 What tool could you not do without?
11 What was the last magazine you bought?
Phew! That took some thinking about! Now, passing the award on … it could be seen as an honour or a burden and I have no wish to put anybody on the spot. So here goes with just six blogs that I’m enjoying reading at the moment, but the award is also given to anyone else who feels they would like to answer the questions!
To keep up with the theme of finding new blogs to read, this is my post for Planet Penny’s Happy Friday where there are lots of lovely blogs to discover!
What a lovely post, i feel like i know you much better now 🙂 How exciting that you've ben to the ice hotel, i love the photos! x
Thank you – yes, it's a fantastic place and it's different every year as it melts in the spring to be rebuilt in October xx
Thank you so much for adding my blog to your list. It was a joy reading your answers. You have a great talent for writing!
Pat, thank you, that's a lovely thing to write and I'm very flattered! xx
I love the idea of you trying to manhandle an Aga through the door amidst the flames! Great Graduation Photo too. x
It would be a bit silly, wouldn't it, and even in my daftest moments I like to think I'm not that daft! 🙂 xx
Hello! I loved reading your answers to those questions. My dream destination would be to see the Northern Lights too. xx
Hello, lovely to meet you! I've really enjoyed visiting your blog and reading your answers – isn't it amazing what other people have done in their lives! xx
Hi – I enjoyed reading your replies 🙂 Its refreshing to hear from someone who enjoys winter and your trip to the Northern Lights sounds amazing – hope you can manage a return trip one day. I enjoy watching Highlander too – love the Scottish mountains and the Queen soundtrack x
Thank you! It's a kind of magic 😉 xx
That was really interesting! One of my ambitions is to see the Northern Lights, it must be quite awe inspiring. Thanks you so much for nominating me for an award, I am very honoured. My problem is time at the moment, I've just signed a contract to do some writing and I can see from what you have written for this post that it's quite a challenge, but thanks you so much anyway. Also thanks for joining in with Happy Friday x
Thank you! I'm not offended at all that you've not got time to play along – and writing that involves contracts sounds very exciting! I hope it all goes well xx
I am well jel! The ice hotel is on my wishlist of things I'd love to do. It sounds brilliant;
And…. Highlander!!! Ach! How could I forget that one! It is an absolute classic (and there is only one Highlander, although I did hear nasty rumours somebody used the name for a travesty of a movie that I have never watched and have no intention EVER watching!!
And good luck with the businesses. What makes a business successful? It's a Kind of Magic…..
I didn't think very much of the other Highlander films, it has to be said, and I've never watched the TV spin-off. The original is good enough for me! I'll hope you're right with the business magic and hope that it's working for you too! xx
Very nice post, I have enjoyed so much reading it 🙂
Lluisa xx
Thank you! xx
Wow I loved reading this post. What an interesting person you are and so many wonderful achievements. You made me smile though regarding the aga, I'm sure you wouldn't give it up without a fight 🙂 Have a lovely week.
Ali xx
Thank you – you made me smile too! 🙂 xx
I can imagine us spending an afternoon nattering and knitting socks, you are a very interesting person. Thanks for sharing. And thank you so much for nominating me, I am feeling flattered. I shall think about how to participate. Apologies for this late comment, I have been absent in blogland these last few days. x
Yes, I can see us spending the afternoon knitting and chatting too! Don't feel obliged to join in if you're busy – I know that blogging can swallow up hours of time that can be usefully employed elsewhere! xx
I loved reading this post and learning more about you. Thank you for the nomination, I will try and get to do this today. We have been away for the weekend so just catching up on all my blog reading. xx
Hope you had a lovely weekend away, and look forward to learning more about you too! xx