Love-Mongering

A kind-hearted blogger, Sarah Hague has granted me a Liebster Award. This, apparently, is a salute to lovable blogs with fewer than 200 followers and I am supposed to import a special badge on to my home page to advertise my good fortune.  Now, obviously I can’t do this. I am incapable of programming contacts into my mobile phone, so I shall never master the science of html codes on Blogger. But you can imagine it. It’s a white rectangle with a black rim and it has Liebster Blog written on it and an amorous red heart. And I am very grateful.

But these gongs come with strings attached. I have first to thank my benefactress who blogs enviably about life in southern France and who shames my sparse larder with her fridge full of smoked trout blinis.

Then I have to pass on the compliment to five other bloggers who have a discipleship of under 200. This could be awkward. Some blogs don’t advertise their subscribers. Asking a blogger how many followers they have is like asking a middle-aged matron her age. So, with many apologies if I’ve underestimated their adherents, or if they have already been touched by the Liebster love, here are my nominations:

Sahdandproud When his new post alerts hit my inbox I drop everything. This Stay at Home Dad endures some dark and painful journeys, but he recounts them with a humour, an eloquence and complete absence of self pity that awes me. And his Kraft Corner could reinvent the Britart scene.


Maid in Yorkshire I hesitated before including this one. The fact is I’m jealous. No editor is going to beg for the rights to my blog posts while this journalist is on the loose. She has wise and witty views on all things from Hull to vegetable intercourse.

The Girl Behind was one of my first discoveries. She has a poetic ethereality which is restful after the domestic clamour of parent blogs. She shares my love of blank paper and sea foam and her camera skills can make Quality Street wrappers look like sculpture.

Upyoursginaford I ought to dislike this blog. After all, Gina Ford and I made a fine partnership during my baby days and these blog posts tend to explode into a linguistic fervour that makes my thermals quake.  I disapprove, of course I do. She once straddled a motorbike with Peter Stringfellow. She has a husband who punched a seagull.  She describes herself as a dishwasher bitch and has never once mentioned attendance at Family Communion. But she is hilarious. And her frustrated zest rings in my ears when I am resignedly dusting down the vicarage.

Midlifesinglemum I chanced upon this blog after she posted a thrillingly cynical ‘Blogging Charter for the individually and independently challenged’. Still wish I’d written that myself. It shamed me into only checking my stats once every half hour and deleting all the fetching pictures of my kittens that I’d planned to post daily to save myself the trouble of original thought. Since then she has given me a fascinating insight into life, customs and cooking in Jerusalem. She has also been selflessly supportive of my blog. She won’t thank me for this award. She has a healthy disdain for badges and tags and regurgitated blog love. But I’m shoving it her way anyway, because it might prompt another witty charter.

Comments

  1. Really good to see some that I have not yet discovered on the list. Thanks for the heads up.
    Some of these sound really great and I will be heading their way very soon.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Kate. Was tempted by you too, but suspect a grooving rum drinker is disqualified by her throng of acolytes.

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  2. Maid in Yorkshire's blog is brilliant actually, that Kuma Satra post she did was immense.

    Had a quick at look the Gina Ford one simply because of the name. She is bonkers.

    Is it rude of me to mention another blog here? I find Mother Venting's stuff very funny as well - http://motherventing.wordpress.com/

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    Replies
    1. I love Motherventing too but assumed she'd be followed by thousands (and was too coy to ask).

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    2. Thanks mister, I'll pay you later, yeah? *shifty face*

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    3. Wow. I think I need a lie down after all these nice comments...

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  3. Thanks for the mention, and the kind words. You is da bidness sweetcheeks.

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  4. Hi there nice to meet you, came through the very entertaining Sarah Hague. Sarah always shames my pantry too with its excessive amounts of rubbishy cereal and canned fruit. Will check out all the blogs you've listed for sure!

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    1. Like the sound of you. And your reassuring fridge. Thanks for coming by. But what did happen last weekend?!

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  5. Wodya mean I won't thank you? How could I not? In fact I think I love you! Seriously though, I'm all for bloggy love but I have had this award a number of times so I've 'done' it on the blog. However, I think it's time I did a recommendations post anyway so watch this space as you are the blog that I stop all else for and rush to look as soon as you post. And meanwhile I've given you a Google +1 (you should +1 all your own posts btw - good for SEO).

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    1. Thank you, my dear. What on earth is a Google +1 and how do I +1 all my posts? I don't doubt you have too many followers, but how could I resist the chance to tell you how much I appreciate all your kind comments!

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  6. I forgot to say (good for you as an extra comment counts towards Tots100 rankings)that I will be visiting all the blogs you've listed as I rate your opinion highly (and not just because you chose me). Also I have many many many anonymous followers who don't show up on the side bar (just in case there are any PR ppl reading). So I'm probably not eligible for the award and anyway most of these things have 'for UK residents only' somewhere in the small print.

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  7. 'Tis a shame you can't nominate yourself, Matron. You entertain me enormously. And, what's more, you have cheered me up on a truly frightful day. Thank you!

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  8. What a fabulous list of blogs. I'm so glad I stopped by, particularly as now I've found someone else who worshipped at the alter of Gina Ford.

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  9. Thank you so much - this is fabulous. It's moments like this that remind me I really should get back into the swing of blogging and actually write some stuff at some point in 2012...

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  10. Sounds like a good list to get my teeth into, which is the point of these things natch.

    By the way, the blinis were left over from Christmas, a once a year purchase. My fridge is as full of forgotten and unidentifiable foodstuffs as the next which I keep meaning to throw out and ends up being another once a year treat...

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  11. Bloody hell, I have fewer than 200 followers. This is what I get for unstinting support of this blog? Oooh, harumph.

    Oh wait, no, I do have more than 200. Sorry, ignore me.

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