Thank You Monix!

So I'm back from Spain, the lovely parentals, and 101 degree heat to autumn in England, life as usual (which I like) and a blog award from the delightful Monix. To be honest with you I'm a complete chicken about accepting blog awards simply because I don't like to go about nominating people and leaving others out, however with this one I'm just going to get over myself and do the award properly.

First, I have to list seven things about myself, which you in turn, gentle reader, may find amusing. Here goes.

1. I'm a horribly boring muso. In fact I'm such a horribly boring muso I could be a bloke. A single bloke in a pub trying to make conversation. I'm that boring about music. There are few genres of music that I haven't been "into", I've gone through jazz phases, classical (particularly the English pastoral and choral music) phases, I know more show tunes than Weyland Smithers, I'm into folk, selective country, classic pop and indie. Please don't get me talking about music, I'm so boring I could make your eyes bleed.

2. That being said, I can recite the lyrics to (rap, if you will) Bring tha Noise by seminal rap combo Public Enemy. Base. How low can you go? Death row, what a brother know. Once again back is the incredible, rhyme animal...I like to do it in a cheery, English schoolgirl manner, because the original is rather cross. When I rap my husband wets his knickers.

3. I adore poetry but can only remember one poem verbatim. It's This Be the Verse by Phillip Larkin. It's not a very pleasant poem but I did it for A' Level and taught it for A' Level and it stuck. My professional opinion of Larkin is that he's a right miserable old bugger.

4. I come from a long line of ne'er do wells. My grandfather (who was actually very nice) was shot during the war when he was on leave - up to no good, bad lad.

6. I don't use public libraries. I always forget to hand in my books on time and run up massive fines. The DH used to go into town on a Saturday morning to sort it out for me, which was both a brave and loving gesture, as he used to call the fines lady he dealt with "Conan the Librarian", she was a bit of a dragon.

7. All of a sudden I'm a respectable member of the community. I'm a mother of two, a dutiful wife, a school governor, a regular communicant (delightfully Anglican phrase, methinks), a junior church teacher, a Christening/Baptism prep lady, a jam maker, a soon to be member of the MU. Being a respectable member of the community unnerves me slightly, I'm waiting for the day when somebody takes me to one side and say: "Dulce Domum, we made a terrible mistake. We've just found out that when you were ten you stole a chocolate eclair from the Woolworth's pic'n'mix."



Oh, I feel like I've unburdened myself. You won't tell anybody about the pic'n'mix incident will you?



Here are my nominees for the award. All great bloggers who are well worth a read. Oh, and I won't be offended if you don't want to accept the award.



1. Frances at Left-Handed Housewife cracks me (considerably) up. She's so funny and she can write, which is as it should be as she's a professional children's writer. She's actually JK Rowling, but don't tell anyone.

2. Angela from Tracing Rainbows is also a respectable member of the community, she's even more respectable than me because she's a pastor's wife. I'm also pretty sure that she doesn't have a shameful chocolate eclair episode in her history either. She's funny, likes old hymns and knows her way around a pudding.

3. Jodi from Gumbo Lily is great. A hardy farmer's wife who knows her stuff, great recipes, good gardening, oodles of common sense and lovely photos of the landscape of her farm; a vast American landscape so different from what I'm used to.

4. Nan, from Letters from a Hill Farm, lives on the other side of America to Jodi, and she's well worth a read. She's bookish and likes her film and music, she's gentle and could probably win a gold medal in an international tray bake competition.

5. Nikki, from Rural Writings, is another gentle soul. She's a Canadian blogger, a farmer's wife, a mother and a grandma. She's full of practical advice, information and enthusiasm for her way of life.

6. I don't know Kindnessgirl. She's a new blogger to me, but I like her optimistic ethos and her commitment to goodness and practical love. It's a blog which is well worth a read.

7. Last, but not least, is Jenny from Little Jenny Wren. Jenny is my oldest blog pal. When I started my first blog (about simple living - I live simply in the suburbs, like Jenny) Jenny was one of my first commenters. I love her blog, I love her dolls and think she's jolly nice too.

Oh, honourable mention goes to my friend Sarah whose blog is not online at the moment, but if she ever starts up again I'll let you know as she's funny, ever-so-slightly cat obsessed, and a true thinking Christian.

Blimey, well if those nominated want to join in, here are the rules!

1.Thank the person who nominated you.
2.Copy the logo to your blog (or at least into the acceptance post...).
3.Link to the person who nominated you.
4.List 7 thing about yourself people may find interesting.
5.Make your own 7 Nominations.
6.Post links to those 7.
7.Leave them all a comment to let them know you nominated them.