Monday, February 23, 2009

REVISED - Best Blog Thinker Award...yes, you know what's coming


I have been given an award by the lovely Cynthia and in the words of the person who created it -

This award acknowledges the values that every Blogger displays in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values with each message they write. Awards like this have been created with the intention of promoting community among Bloggers. It’s a way to show appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.”

It's always good to get given things like this, even though I blush a bit at the thought that my little bits of blogfest should be described in such a way, because it's not my aim believe me. I don't take myself that seriously for one thing.

Anyway, what I must now do is select five other blogs and this bit always makes me feel awkward, because I do enjoy all the blogs that I pop into on a regular basis. I wouldn't go and visit them if I didn't enjoy them. So, who to choose?:

Carol at Not Only in Thailand

Jen Smith at The Cigarette Diaries

Mama over at casa-dolce-casa

lakeviewer at sixtyfivewhatnow

ladyfi

These are all blogs that I enjoy and I couldn't begin to tell them what it is about their writing that gives me pleasure, but they all do.


On another note, my latest essay is not really progressing very well. For some reason I feel exceptionally un-student like at the moment. I don't know if it is because of the milder weather making me feel I should really be outside. It could be that this essay just does not hold much interest for me - but then Wilberforce's view of Christianity didn't either and I still plodded along with it. We all have times when we must force ourselves to do things - when I was younger I always threw in the towel when times like this started to happen, but not any more. Come what may I will be sitting at our dining room table from 2pm Monday - ready to draft those paragraphs into shape.

I've come back to this post to announce yet another award for my sidebar. It's from here

38 comments:

Brother Tobias said...

Completely, well done - entirely deserved! I know what you mean about the weather. It seems to have been cold and dank for so long, and suddenly there's a hint, just an intimation, the Spring really could arrive.

Jelica said...

Congrats on your award! And good luck with the essay...

French Fancy... said...

Thanks BroTob. I'm already drawing up the list of my birthday honours award to take place on 2 March. Not that I'm over-doing it or anything :p

Jelica - thanks so much on both counts

The Accidental Fan said...

Bet you did well in the girl guides too. I hereby award you a merit badge for accepting awards.

Rosaria Williams said...

Wow! I'm humbled, surprised and honored. Thank you. What does one do at this point?

French Fancy... said...

TAF - no, all I went to were ballet and piano lessons - none of that knot-tying for me. Well, where's this merit badge then - I need it for my sidebar,

lakeviewer - if you want a better idea on what to do best to click on the link to Cynthia - she did it with far more style and flourish than me. Basically, however, you copy the image and stick it in your sidebar (of course nobody will hang you if you don't); then pick five other people and pass it on to them. Or just do nothing and nobody will mind :)

The Accidental Fan said...

Well I'm not sure you should have it, after all you failed to thank your agent, your husband, your dogs and your aunt millie without whom none of this would be possible!

(You can tell the Oscars are coming up).

The Accidental Fan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
A Woman Of No Importance said...

FF - And you did all that without even having to put on diamonds and a long dress! Well received, and cleverly passed on to some fabulous bloggeristas!

Best of luck with those naughty paragraphs! x

Anonymous said...

Gracefully received FF and truly deserved.

As for the Essay, my problem was almost always in unstanding the question...sometimes it was posed in such an airy fairy arty farty way...not: How did So and so create the imagary in his poem? but:consider ways in which 'centres of consciousness' function in Nathan the Wise and 'The Woman in White'

Larry M. Brow said...

Congratulations on the award, although I have to wonder about the mathematics of it. If each new generation of recipients is five times larger than the previous....

Personally, I've been struck by a story I read about a poetry contest (perhaps, even Poet Laureate) in Ireland where the Judges are free to not make the award at all. Just think how that would change the Oscars. Imagine a year when NONE of the movies rose to the standard set by winners in the past. Not that this would be that year. My wife and I really liked Slumdog Millionaire, though several parts weren't likeable, if you know what I mean.

Nonetheless, I feel privileged to have found your blog, as I find it to be a marvelous tutorial on what such a thing ought to be. Thank you.

claire p said...

Oh the joys of the TMA I remember it well! Can I ask what course/s you're doing? You mentioned humanities and Pride and Predudice which ring lots of bells!

Well done on the award.

Jennysmith said...

Bless you, FF, very touched and honoured. Thank you sweetie.
Listen, do i pass it on too - ie tag 5 people?

No, youre right, education is wasted on the young. You can do it. You've got to have heart - as the song goes - all you really need is heart, oh its fine to be a genuis of course but keep that old horse before the cart, first you've got to have heart.....
(tell me what musical that's from) xxx

Kathy said...

Many congrats FF a truly deserving award and thank you for thinking of me.

I am guessing it is indeed this lovely weather we are having that is making you a little unenthusiastic towards staying inside and studying, we have had a lovely spring-like weekend here. I know you will get back into it come Monday.

I am looking forward to your 2nd March post :-) meanwhile I am making the most of my visit home starting with a full Sunday Roast today (there really isn't anything like it.) oh and Jeremy Paxman on the telly, swoon.
Have a wonderful week and thanks agin, am blushing and wil display this award from you. Kathy.

Kathy said...

ops meant to say display this award from you wit great pride. Kathy.

david mcmahon said...

Congratulations on the award. It's richly deserved.

nikkicrumpet said...

Well done on the award...and if you really want to feel student like....you need to wear bobby socks, a bedazzled t-shirt...and stick your chewed gum to the bottom of your desk.....trust me you'll be writing that essay in no time!

Anonymous said...

OMG - blush! Thanks so very much! And congrats - your posts always give me food for thought.

No spring here - just snow snow and snow!

Good luck with that pesky essay!

Carol said...

Thank you so much hon....you've made my day!! (I am honoured that you enjoy my ramblings about rubbish!!). I shall display it with pride :-)

It's not easy to stay indoors when the weather improves....what about going for a long walk prior to writing? Fresh air...time to think...

C x

French Fancy... said...

AWONI - do you know what, I would love to put on diamonds and a long designer 'Oscar' type of gown and have extra-high stilettos. Just for one night I would positively adore it. As it is, I am sitting here with my multi-coloured Rockets on my feet, my jeans and a blue ribbed pullover - not very glam at all.

Moannie - yes, I came unstuck with the wording of the question on the previous course (A210) - nowadays I have the question propped up in front of me the whole time and I write out the list of what they are hoping to find from our essays. Not that I'm obsessing or anything :p

Larry - I'm with you on the 'none of the above' option; I feel it most when political elections are taking place; not the Obama one, obviously - I was thinking more of the local elections.

As for your words of praise - they mean a lot. thank you very much.

Claire - I'm doing an Honours BA in the Humanities - my current course is the level 2 multi-disciplinary one A207. Last year I did Level 2 Approaching Literature A210. the year before Level 1 multi-disciplinary A103 and before that L192 which was a French course but I didn't sit the exam as it was going to be done over the phone - and I was too anxious. That was five years ago and my French is so much better now that I wish they would let me just sit the telephone oral now - but of course they won't, so it was a Fail.

Jen - yep, you've got to pass it on to five people. It's very hard to single people out and for that reason I have mixed feelings about all these awards. I want everyone to have one. I don't know what the song is from by the way, even though I do love a good musical.

Mama - nice to see you back in blogland again. I too like Jeremy Paxman. I once saw him by the bar during an interval of a play and I must tell you that he is very short and slight - I never got that impression when I've seen him on tv. I do like clever men who speak nicely.

David - thanks cobber

nikki - yes - or I could wear lots of badges of the things that students save 'save the 'insert cause here' type of thing.

LadyFi - oh no, you're still snow-bound. I won't tell you about the sun and mild weather then - and my hellebores all out in flower and the daffodils almost showing.

Carol - I ramble about rubbish - although I'm not for a moment saying that you do :). I seldom write about serious things, not because I don't think about them and have views, but because I just use my blog to have a laugh really.

French Fancy... said...

I do go on

Carol said...

I am rebelling....I've passed the award to everyone on my blog roll so all I can say is

right back at ya hon

C x

Lane Mathias said...

Congrats on your award. well deserved.

I think spring is teasing us at the moment and winter will zoom back and have another go. Not that I'm a pessimist or anything:-)

Good luck with your essay.

French Fancy... said...

Carol - if I hadn't thought Cynthia might have rapped my metaphorical blogging knuckles I might very well have done the same thing.


Lane - I'm rather hoping winter will come back because I've got another new pair of gloves now (black suede with different coloured finger gussets - snigger at gussets) and I want to wear them. Thanks for the good wishes

The Accidental Fan said...

LOL Carol!

FF you and C have completely routed my gag in such a brilliant way. Kudos!

Oh look, I get free link advertising too, leech that traffic!

French Fancy... said...

TAF - I'm still waiting for the merit badge you mentioned,

Jennysmith said...

Its Heart from Damm Yankees sweetie. if you heard the tune , you'd know it. xxxx

The Blonde Duck said...

Congrats on your award! :)

Lulu LaBonne said...

you are positively encrusted with awards, well done.

to respond to the Julian Barnes thing - he does have nice diction, but I have heard stories to the effect that he's also a bit on the pompous side. The affair with Winterson is interesting isn't it? - I do mean to get a copy of 'Written on her Body' to get an insight.

I agree that it must be horrid to have your private life broadcast in public, though I always find it interesting to see how women are perceived in these situations compared to the men.

Anonymous said...

Thank goodness you didn't tell me all about your spring weather. Minus 9 C here overnight... I do love gallettes! So, I'm sending you a semla over the Internet...

Blu said...

Well deserved French Fancy, For some strange reason I prefer to read your blog in France..it makes me feel I am really home again.

French Fancy... said...

Jenny - I'd better have a listen on Youtube then,

Blonde ducky one - thanks :)

Lulu - I'm just crusted really.

It must be hard to be an erudite and cerebral writer - if your living is made from thinking out and writing masterpieces, then I think perhaps you are always going to come across as a bit superior and pompous. In his presence I
probably wouldn't dare to open my mouth.

I do agree about gender perspectives - we just can't win basically. Man is strong and determined/woman is bossy and shrewish.

Ladyfi - I went out without my coat on this morning - just trousers and a pullover. Sorry.

Blu - welcome back to beauty. It's nice to know you are in France again

A Super Dilettante said...

Félicitations Ms. FF! Keep up with the good work for your essay!

Cynthia Pittmann said...

My goodness, your winner status is well received here in the comments...everyone loves French Fancy and her intellect! I'm please with your commenter's support of the dear wise Mrs. French Fancy. Now I must find out what this other award is about...it's exhausting keeping of with your prizes...I'm off to explore your blog recommendations. <3

Henry the Dog said...

You deserve every award you get FF. We love your blog. It's warm, friendly and funny and makes mum feel as if she's popped over for a chin wag and a cup of tea, or a glass of fizzy stuff, depending what time of day it is. We've missed you xxxx

French Fancy... said...

ASD - thank you so much. I'll do my best

Cynthia - wise - yeh right. If you knew how I really was you'd know how unlike me that word is, but all the same it is lovely of you to say so. As for the other award - it was a silly one but it made me chortle for a moment

Henry - oh I've missed you too, in fact it amazed me quite how much. It wasn't nice having you at the bottom of the blogroll for so long.

cheshire wife said...

Congratulations on your awards! Stick at the essay writing. I, too, am beginning to be tempted to go outside and start pottering around in the garden but have had to stay indoors to do some chores in the house.

French Fancy... said...

Qwin - that is really nice of you to say so - thanks a lot and hope to see you back here soon

cheshirewife -It's so tempting to just push the books to one side, get my little trowel and head out there. I Must Resist the call of the wild