I’ve been fortunate enough to have been nominated for two awards today (actually Tuesday 09/01/18), so I’ll answer the questions from both together.

I’d like to thank Sarah at the Invincible Fortitude Blog for nominating me for the The Brotherhood of the World Award. I highly recommend you visit her blog for some great advice about self-defence, and some inspirational words. Here are her questions:

1. What was it that inspired you to start writing a blog? I just had all these ideas in my head, and wanted to get them out. I don’t think I was aware at first, but I think I also wanted to start writing again.
2. Besides blogging/writing, do you have any other creative outlets (ie. singer, actor, etc)? This is about it really, but I do enjoy writing and consider it a creative venture.
3. If you were given the power to change one thing in the entire world, what would it be and why? I’d get rid of heavy rain, except for occasional summer showers.
4. Do you consider your blog “a job”? Why or why not? No, largely because I have a full-time job. It’s still very important to me though.
5. You’ve been given magical powers. What is your specialty? Short-term rewind button.
6. Out of all of your blog posts, which one is your favorite and why? This one, because it’s just my thoughts simply expressed.
7. Is the glass half empty or half full? It’s 50/50.
8. You have been given the opportunity to live on Mars. You can only take 5 things with you. What do you choose? An e-reader, because even though I prefer physical books, I’d need more than five. Pen and paper. Spacesuit, and spaceship.
9. What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you? I can’t think of any specific examples, but I’m sure whatever it is I followed it.
10. What is your favorite memory from when you were a child? Probably my homemade Thomas the Tank Engine birthday cake when I was four or five.

I’d also like to thank Kathleen at the good, the fab and the lovely for nominating me for the Unique Blogger Award, where you can find a great selection of writing on beauty, books, travel, and much more. Here are her questions:

• If you could drop everything right now… where would you be going and why? I’d go to Edinburgh for a few days: I always love it there.
• If you could invite three people (alive or dead) over for diner, who would it be and why? (optional: what would you cook??) George Orwell, Jesus, and Winston Churchill, because I think they’d have interesting arguments. I’d cook something pretty straightforward as I think they’d all have quite different tastes.
• Can you really be in both ‘team coffee’ and ‘team tea’ or is that not done?? Which team do you belong?? Or are you, as me, member of both teams?! I prefer coffee, but both have their time and place (coffee in the morning, and tea in the early evening or Sunday afternoon).

And that’s that! It makes a nice change from my usual routine, doesn’t it? And a big thank you again to Sarah and Kathleen.

I don’t really want to nominate a lot of people, so if you’re a regular reader and blogger, please accept my nomination for the Brotherhood of the World Award, because it has a great name. Here are my questions.

1. What time is it as you’re writing your answer to this question?
2. Is this when you normally write?
3. Do you enjoy writing?
4. What’s your favourite childhood memory?
5. What room are you in, if you’re in one.
6. What’s your favourite question to ask someone?
7. Do you listen to music when you write?
8. Would you like to write full time?
9. Has your life changed since smartphones became commonplace?
10. Which of these questions made you think “Aw man, why has he asked me that!?”