A very inspiring blogger (how nice!)

A very lovely lass called Gin nominated me for this award late last year. Please forgive me, Gin, for only just celebrating this here. I am so honoured and delighted... and grateful. And I do enjoy your gorgeous blog too, especially snaps of your delicious little lad!

Part of the award's requirements -- other than displaying the rather spiffy logo above and thanking the lovely person who nominated me -- are to volunteer seven factoids about myself, then spread the love to fifteen more bloggers.

So, in the spirit of keeping the blogosphere a beautiful place, here are seven things you may not know about me:

1. I have won two haiku competitions! One was when a haiku of mine was written on a paper plane, which happened to fly the furthest. The other was a little more satisfying, as the words were used to describe a bespoke ring... which I was awarded as a prize (and absolutely adore). I remain obsessed with haiku and dream of living and writing in Japan. Some day.

2. There's something about Middle Eastern -- specifically Arab -- culture (music, typography, architecture, scents, flavours) that completely resonates with me. My own blood lines stray reasonably close to the region but there's also something else that I can't quite explain. I wrote my doctoral thesis on a group of students from the Gulf States and I often long to return, particularly to Oman... which is a stunning stepping stone to Zanzibar... oh, don't get me started!

3. I have an almost pathological aversion to eating noises, like noisy chewing and especially crunching. (My sister once stumbled upon an article referring to a medical journal that categorised it as a "condition". Ha!) That said, I love the sound of my daughter eating. Bizarre.

4. I'm not much of a cook, although I am trying to be more adventurous in that regard. I am also not much of a cleaner, though I can keep the house tidy. (I love tidy, I just can't stay on top of grotty!) I am blessed to have a family who forgives me and pulls their own weight! I pray for a cleaner. A lot.

5. I'm highly superstitious, very intuitive, greatly empathic. I'm a Gemini and an INFJ and I love looking for myself in labels and descriptions. The Hermit in the Gaian Tarot deck represents my spirit guide: that look on his face reminds me of the feeling I get when I make a connection in my mind and everything falls into place. I guess I don't need to spell out that I get lost in my own head a lot!

6. The conceptual theme of my wedding was peacock feathers. It was the thread that tied all the colour elements together. Florence Broadhurst's Birds of Paradise inspired the invitations, place cards, thank you notes and so on. I'm pretty obsessed with feathers all 'round, really.

7. I am lot less confident and a lot more sensitive than I let on. Actually, if you read this blog, you've probably figured that out! I'm also a lot wiser when it comes to giving advice/support to other people than I am to bouncing back/building myself up... but I'm getting a little better at this. I know that none of these things are unique to me: but it can sure feel like it sometimes.

I would like to pass this award onto the following 15 bloggers (in no particular order) for the reasons outlined below:

1. Julie Gibbons: scared creative clarity

2. Jill Salahub: powerful wise love

3. Glenda Myles: clear focused energy

4. Pam aka The Mindful Mum: real earnest beauty

5. Mehnaz Thawer: brilliant sweet depth

6. Jani Franck: sparkly smart encouragement

7. Mujerzen: delicious nourishing retreat

8. Streetlights Imagination: wise witty longing

9. Kat Pearce: deep spirited neighbour

10. Kathleen O'Neill: intelligent brave decadence

11. Mrs Mediocrity: powerful everyday moments

12. Ruth aka Coffee with Hallelujah: wild creative manifesto

13. Debra Kreps: kindred intrepid writer

14. Noël Rozny: spirited supportive succulence

15. Alana aka happylan: genuine gentle musings

At the risk of offending the award's creators, I'm not really inclined to require any of my friends above perpetuate the award with all its conditions. I am 100% supportive of the spirit of the award but am not really a fan of spreading the love with strings attached. Especially when we are all juggling so many obligations in our lives and our blogs can often be the one sacred space where we are free to make our own rules.

So, dear friends, you are welcome to do as I have done here... or not.

Know that I love you anyway.