Saturday 21 August 2010

Yey, I'm a Versatile Blogger :0)

I found out yesterday that I have received a ‘Versatile Blogger Award’ from jewellery designer / maker Shirley! You can see her gorgeous work on her blog Mamasakio.... Thanks Shirley! X



As part of the award I have to reveal seven facts about my good self. I’ll try to do this without being scary   ( or boring)    :0)

1

I love to laugh. This is a good thing, but sometimes it can get me into trouble because when I am nervous I tend to get a bit too giddy. I think some people might think I am too loud at times which is a shame... I’m like the anxious puppy who wants everybody to be happy, bouncing up and down too much wagging my tail and knocking over furniture. The secret truth is I am actually quite shy, this has been may way in life of dealing with it. I adore comedy in film and on TV... I love Laurel & Hardy and Buster Keaton so very much that sometimes I get teary because I can’t stand the fact they are so long gone! Seeing Monty Python’s Life of Brian at the cinema when it was very first released – was for me, a poor Python-deprived teenager (my parents weren’t fans) a complete comedy revelation. When I feel really down, I watch Matthau and Lemon in The Odd Couple or Curtis / Lemon / Monroe in Some Like it Hot. Spinal Tap makes me laugh hysterically; I love Ealing Comedies and Ben Stiller movies. TV programmes like Family Guy and Green Wing, Spaced, Black Books all have me snorting with laughter, BUT, here’s my comedy ‘dirty secret’.... something I have never announced in public before so please don’t tell anyone else. I never, ever (not even once) found Seinfeld funny. Please don’t hate me.

2

One of my most favourite fiction reads ever is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Please, please read it if you haven’t before. It is magical and achingly sad in parts but well worth it. Just keep a hanky with you! I’m a professional librarian so I had to get literature in!





3

As I noted in my previous post, I once sat on a wasps nest. I was playing hide and seek with friends in the local woods and I found a big tree to hide behind. As I settled down I heard a ‘buzzy’ noise get louder and louder. As I stood up I realised I was surrounded by really annoyed wasps and that was when I saw the smashed up nest. I ran, the fastest I have ever run back home. It probably took me a good seven or eight minutes but I kept up the speed the whole way. When I got home I had been stung everywhere and still had the odd wasp in my hair, on my socks etc. I was actually being looked after by my lovely elderly neighbours that day – they were my adopted grandparents, and they were mortified when they saw me. Now, if that happened to a seven year old child today you would be rushed to A&E pretty swiftly. Back in 197? The cure for all my sting wounds was a liberal application of Dolly Blue. I don’t know how many of you remember Dolly Blue. It might have been called something different outside the UK. It was a substance put in a clothes wash to give your whites that ‘bluey whiteness’ all good people crave. Back in 197? it was already really old fashioned, my mum didn’t use it but thank goodness for Mr and Mrs Dunning’s Dolly Blue! I don’t know what it contained but it took the pain away from all my stings and once I had stopped crying I loved the war paint all over my body!! I can still see the look of horror on my mother’s face when she came to pick me up later that day. I looked like William Wallace.





4

I would love to get a tattoo of a sparrow – a proper, photo-real image of a sparrow sitting on a cherry blossom branch (again a botanically correct drawing of the blossom) but I am too scared to do it  :0\   Or am I?  :0/   I probably am   :0|   Ooh, but I would like one.....   :0)

5

I love music... I carry my iPod everywhere with me. My all time, forever-favourite band is Rush. My main love is rock / punk / grunge and I play music very loud. I love going to gigs and have seen most of the artists I would like to see. I shall finally be seeing Nick Cave in October (woo hoo!!). Of the artists I still haven’t seen, the one I must see before I die is David Bowie. Some favourite live shows: Eels, Buzzcocks, Futureheads, Rush, The Who, Iggy Pop, David Byrne, The Hives, Mark Lanegan (oh too many to list). Most tedious live show – The Blue Aeroplanes... I was given the ticket.

6

In another life, where science instead of the arts are my forte, I would be a geologist. My alter ego is actually a paleo-archeologist / geologist :0)   But I was useless at physics etc so I’m not. I am an artist with a large collection of rubble.

7

I like to go for long, long walks – get away from everything. I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like at the moment. I like to have a sketchbook and a camera with me and just dawdle along taking everything in. If a particular walk is supposed to take around three hours, I need to allow at least six, because I have to look at all the flowers, paddle in streams, sit and watch birds, sketch, climb trees, collect rubble, make daisy chains - you get my meaning. I am very much a rambler.


See here I am, just sitting again... I was watching some finches flitting about in the trees.


I think there are actually way more than seven points there.  Point 8 = I’m value for money!
Now the next part of my award entails me selecting 15 blogs that I would like to pass the award on to. This is a toughie because I subscribe to many blogs and I try to keep up with them regularly and I could very easily have chosen many, many more! So, please know I love you all, every blog I have ever left a comment on has been written by a person who has inspired and held my interest or made me laugh in some way, but here are the fifteen I managed to select, blindfold, with a pin:

1 Debra Morris Sketchblog
2 Down a Dusty Lane
3 PAMO BLOG
4 Impoftheyard's Photojournal
5 Mimilove
6 Dan's Canvas
7 Image Maker
8 Raena's Sketch Journal
9 Winna's World
10 Weekly Art Assignment
11 Nanke's Stuff
12 Inklings
13 Colour Blob
14 Andrea Joseph's Sketchblog
 and last but absolutely not least this wonderfully inspiring blog:
15 Patrick the incurable optimist  I can't remember which of you lovely blogosphere people led me to this site, but thank you, whoever you are x

So, all you winners, if you would like to - cut and paste yourself the award badge from my site and then, if you feel the urge - give us seven interesting facts about yourself, then select 15 other lovelies to receive the award.  You don't have to waffle endlessly like me! xx

16 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for thinking of me! I appreciate it so much, but I'm going to decline in actually participating. I got a bit overwhelmed about 6 months ago when I received four awards at the same time, three being identical. But, thank you so much anyway! I really, really enjoy your work!

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  2. You're very welcome Raena! I always enjoy reading your posts and your art work. I do understand what you mean, it took me ages to write out my 'points'!! For me it's been a nice way of getting myself back into the creative mode after a couple of weeks of a bit of a block!

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  3. I was able to put the award on my site http://winnasworld.blogspot.com as a gadget at the bottom--scroll down to view its sitting there on a tasseled red velet pillow....I'm very very happy with the award! I will do the 7 items ASAP,like right now--so it's a done deal and can rest up from the process. Here goes..1. I am 75...2. I have 5 children..3.I love putting outfits together and clothes
    design. 4.I like jewelry hanging all over the place....5. I love historical stories and places....6.I love to laugh so comedies are favorites....7.I taught in my studio for over 3o years....it seems to me I could go on and on until words fail me, which would maybe next never..

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  4. That great photo of you on the rocks with the beautiful scenery--reminds me of parts of Ireland--can you say where it is located?

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  5. I just had to tell you how much I also loved The Book Thief - what an incredible book and to think the publisher made it YA (young adult). So many adults have never heard of it....

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  6. twice I responded with lengthy comments and nothng goes thru--it seems to be fine as I am sending it but then nada...

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  7. I recently found your blog, via another blog I follow. (can't remember whose, unforgivable!) but I love this post! You remind me of me, only younger and across the pond. Your description of wandering fits me precisely. Several of your recommended blogs are already faves of mine too. Nice to meet you. My own blog is more chit chat than my art at present, but am sensing that probably changing. It's not worth following, but I love being inspired by others who write and sketch and live so whimsically. Thank you!

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  8. Thank you so much for including me! I will accept the award, my first, even though I've been so bad lately about posting. Weather is changing and so am I so hoping to get busy drawing and posting! Love your new seahorse necklace!

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  9. Sorry to hear about the spamming problems. Yeah usually when you change the password to your email account would work. But of course, in some cases they are pretty nasty and you pretty much need to hit the 'reset' button. Anyway, glad that you're back and 'healthy' ^^

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  10. Greetings Leslie,

    Congratulations on the award.

    I do understand your readers respectfully declining the award. I have received awards too but felt that they are also like pyramid schemes when one is asked to pass it along to so many.

    It is though nice to receive an award but I feel it should be up to the person receiving it whether they wish to pass it on to one or two individuals.

    I did love reading about your past and especially having sat on a wasp nest and been chased by them. I am glad you survived without permanent damage.

    Wishing you a wonderful start to the week,
    Egmont

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  11. Thanks for all the lovely comments!
    Winna, the photograph was taken at Otley Chevin, in West Yorkshire. It is only a five minute drive from where I live and you can look out over beautiful Wharfedale and the small market town of Otley. The views go right into the Yorkshire Dales.... anyone visiting England should 'do' the Dales!! :0)

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  12. Lesley- What a wonderful, beautiful post you have done here! I loved reading everything about you and the photo of you was really magical. Really! This post is packed full of wonderful stuff. I WILL read that book and I will check out the other blogs you posted. I too belong to most of them, but the last one, I haven't heard of.
    I too love comedy, laugh inappropriately and am shy. Your music interests are great! I'm not very good at naming bands, mostly I know when I like something. I listened to Rush years ago and they seem as of late to be making a resurgence.
    You write extremely well and I am jealous that you are a librarian. I did laugh at Seinfeld-- maybe it's an American thing? I love watching the British comedy 'Keeping up Appearances' written by Roy Clark. It always makes me laugh!
    I am so honored you included me on your list of award recipients. I accept! I may not do anything with it, but then I might, depends on how the mood strikes me. However, I'm so pleased that you wrote out those 8 points because now I feel I know you even better. You are the kind of person I could see laughing inappropriately with over tea.
    Thank you!!!!

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  13. Thanks Leslie and welcome back! sorry about the delay in replying. The photo of Yorkshire really makes me want to come back to the U.K. being originally a (South)Yorkshire girl

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  14. Hey I just saw that my blog was one of the 15 blogs listed...I guess I must have missed it thinking that I was still in Rainbowbox somehow =) Silly me!
    Anyway, the answer is yes, I'd love to trade, just drop me an email and let me know which one you'd like to have. I'd have to go to the shop and get some more ^^

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  15. Hi Lesley, I am not sure if my first message got through, anyway yes I'd be more than willing to trade the cards with you. Just let me know which one you're interested, and email me your mailing address at aleksitanninen(at)yahoo(dot)com =)

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  16. Got your messages Alex thanks! Will e-mail a.s.a.p. Time online has been very limited over last few days.... I'll try to be in touch Sept 7th when I check my e-mails!! :0)

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