Coming back from holiday at the beginning of the week and having been without internet access for the previous 10 days has left me with a lot to catch up on. Imagine my delight when trawling through my blog trying to make sure I had not missed anything, I came across a comment from Chloris of The Blooming Garden linking back to her blog and informing me that she had nominated Peonies & Posies for the One Lovely Blog Award!!
I am thrilled – I have never considered that I might get a blog award, so it came as a complete surprise. Although I am not new to blogging I still struggle with the mechanics sometimes, so it took me a while to work out how to display the award in my sidebar – after a few false starts I now have it proudly showing at the top of the page.
Thank you so much for this Chloris – I am genuinely touched that you thought my blog lovely enough to include in your nominations. For readers who have not already come across Chloris before, she is the author of the inspirational and informative blog The Blooming Garden. Chloris is a self confessed plant obsessive with a knowledge to match – if I have a horticultural question I can rely on Chloris knowing the answer. Chloris’s blog also provides so much more than plant knowledge – she posts some truly fascinating insights into places she has visited and books she has read. A favorite of mine was about the Highgate Cemetery, published to coincide with Halloween.
One of the requirements of accepting the award is that you must post 5 things about yourself that your readers do not already know. Reading Chloris’s list I was amazed by how much we have in common – particularly a dislike of ball games and sewing!
For my five:
- Whilst all my readers will know how much I love photography as it plays such a large part in my blog, you will not know that for Christmas my lovely husband bought me the macro lens that I have been wishing for – I am now the very proud owner of a Canon 100mm f/2.8L lens and the photos accompanying this post are the very first shots I have taken with it. I am delighted and looking forward to being able to get so much closer to my favorite blooms this year.
- When I moved to our current home five years ago I was a computer dinosaur – barely able to send an email let alone attach a photograph to anything. Thank you to our village computer club my life has been transformed. Run entirely voluntarily, this village group has given me the confidence to learn my way around a computer – here I am 5 years later with a blog, social media accounts and thousands of photos digitally edited and stored on my very own Mac Book Pro (with 2 forms of back up!!). I cannot praise the work of this group enough – so many people can now make use of all that technology has to offer them as a result of the work of this group – thank you GBCC!
- I have recently started learning to play the piano. I have never played an instument before (discounting the ubiquitous school recorder) and do not read music, so my brain is finding this quite a challenge. I am plugging away though and hope to make some progress in time for Christmas carols next year.
- My fridge essentials are a bottle of champagne, yogurt and chocolate – anything else is a bonus.
- Before we moved to the country we lived in London, where I was barrister specialising in corporate tax – suited and booted our life was pet free and most of our food came from M&S – 3 children and numerous pets later how different life is now!
So there you have it – the city loving, dog phobic barrister who now relishes her ‘grow your own’ country lifestyle!
Finally I need to nominate 5 more blogs for the One Lovely Blog Award – if you haven’t got the time or inclination to accept I won’t be offended – but at least you will know that I appreciate your lovely blog! It is hard to make a nomination as all my dear blogging friends have such lovely blogs, but I have concentrated on blogs where the photography is an essential part of the experience. I also think I met most of these lovely ladies on the excellent Blogging Your Way courses.
Once again thank you Chloris for this nomination – I am so pleased to have been identified as a ‘lovely blog’!! All my photos today are taken with my new macro lens and feature a lonely rose I found in the garden this morning. I am astounded at the level of detail this lens picks up and really excited about learning to get the most out of it!
I will be back tomorrow with my first vase on Monday of the new year.