duck in a dress: The Liebster Blogger Award

When we got home from the Great Dorset Steam Fair last week, I discovered that the lovely Lucinda from Putting the Tea in Teacher had nominated me for a Liebster Award!

I've seen this award doing the rounds and I know there's lots of different versions of it, but still, I've never actually been nominated so it's all very exciting! (and yes, I lead a very sad life...)

Anyway, the Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have fewer then 200 followers (I like that phrase a lot, I don't think I've ever been 'up and coming' before!). It's all about sharing the blog love and is a really good way to discover other blogs, fellow bloggers and appreciate all the leg (and finger) work that goes into running your own blog.

The Rules

1) Link back to the person who nominated you

2) List 11 facts about yourself (optional)

3) Answer the 11 questions given to you by the person who nominated you for an award

4) Nominate 11 blogs/bloggers who have 200 or fewer followers

5) Think up 11 different questions for the people you are nominating to answer

6) Notify your nominess so they can join in!

11 Facts About Myself

1. I don't own a Passport.

2. When I was really little, I was afraid of sand and used to run away from beaches.

3. I've performed, sung and danced to over 100,000 people in one night (and do it every few years)

4. I might have had a broken wrist for 5 years without knowing. I broke my left wrist when I was 10 and then my right wrist when I was 15; however the doctors reckoned it was an old break that hadn't healed and might have been done 5 years previously.

5. Ian Rush, the ex-Liverpool and Wales footballer is kind of part of my Dad's family (he's married to my Dad's second cousin, that counts right?)

6. My first trip abroad on my own was to New York, at the age of 19, exactly one year after 9/11.

7. I have another website, photos of South West England's Carnival season and have been running that for 14 years, since 1999.

8. I'm studying an MSc in Information and Library Studies by distance learning in my spare time.

9. I'm my office's resident cake baker.

10. I'll probably be having IVF later this year or early next year, which may or may not feature on the blog (depending on how it all goes!)

11. If I had half a chance, I'd move and go and live in Iceland, or at a close second, Edinburgh.

11 Questions Given to Me by Lucinda from Putting The Tea in Teacher

1. What's your favourite book and why?

I think I can safely say I'm quite a large reader, my teenage years were spent with my head in a book (and my adult years are much the same!). I'm going to answer this with two books; my favourite fiction book is Junk by Melvin Burgess. I read this when I was about 15 and just kept re-reading it, the story was so compelling and well written. My favourite non-fiction book is 'Our True Intent Is All For Your Delight: The John Hinde Butlin's Photographs' which I blogged about for day 11 of Rosalilium's blog every day challenge on the subject of Book Love.

2. What's your favourite animal?

Ducks obviously!

Although dogs (labradors and golden retrievers) come a close second.

3. Describe your style.

Umm, unique? This is actually quite a difficult question, I love bright colours (red is my favourite) and anything with a print pattern on; I'm drawn to 1950's style shapes, halternecks and A-line skirts and I also love hippyish surf style clothes. I'm not sure what that makes my style?

4. Are there any blogs you check more than others? What do you particularly like about those blogs?

I follow all my blogs now on Bloglovin so the ones that I check out more than others are simply the ones that have posted most frequently. But I've always been attracted to people's lifestyle blogs, mainly because I'm nosy, and anything with a clean background, plenty of large pictures and a chance to peep at someone else's world is fine by me.

5. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Far far too many.

Adsa and Primark need to stop making nice shoes and people need to stop donating their pretty shoes to charity shops for me to find.

6. Which would you rather be, a badger or a cow?

I think I'd rather be a badger - aren't they supposed to be wise old creatures?

7. Do you wear glasses?

Yes, sometimes. My eyesight's just started going downhill in the last couple of years so I have a pair of glasses for long distance and I wear them driving and for things like theatre shows and sitting at the back of lecture halls watching presentations.

8. What was the last thing you made?

A couple of presents - a house warming tea and biscuit basket for my best friend who's just moved into a new house; and my summer themed Bloggers Summer Swap box. Hopefully both of them will appear on the blog at some point.

9. What film do you wish you had never seen?

When me and Andrew first met, we had quite a few cinema dates and one particular night the film we wanted to see was sold out. We ended up seeing something which I think was called Electra; it was pretty dire and we both agreed afterwards we should have just cut our losses and gone on home!

10. What do you spend the most money on?

Earlier this year I started using the online money management website On Trees so I can confidently say now that I spent the most money on charity shop clothes and shoes, closely followed by theatre and stand up comedy shows.

11. What piece of advice would you give to your 16 year old self?

I would probably say something about sticking with the career I had then (working in a library) and to follow that path all the way. However, knowing my 16 year old self, I know I wouldn't have taken any notice!

11 Blogs/Bloggers Who Have Less Than 200 Followers

1. Angela over at Little Apple Tree

2. Michelle over at Life Outside London

3. Saskia over at Braids and Books

4. Josie over at Tales From The Finch's Beak

5. Nicola over at Nic's Notebook

6. Jen over at Gingerella

7. Rachel over at Things That Make Me Go Aagghh

8. Rosie over at Life's A Cup of Tea

9. Hazel over at Tales of a Little Hazzlenut

10. Cat over at More About Cat

11. Rachel over at The Inelegant Wench