Rory Has Nominated Me For The Mystery Blogger Award

I have received a nomination for an award that I have not received before…

…and my nomination came from our wonderful Rory, the creator of A Guy Called Bloke and K9 Doodlepip! Mystery hey? I have never thought of myself as a mystery. Men are a mystery. I blame testosterone… it makes them utterly erratic. I am a northern girl – what you see is what you get, and if you don’t get it – I can explain it in very direct terms to you – say it as it is!

What is the Mystery Award?

“Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers (blush) with ingenious posts (me – ingenious? that’s a bit far-fetched!). Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates (I’d love to know what Rory finds captivating about my blog!). They are one of the best out there (oh my!), and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion. – Okoto Enigma

Rules

1. Put the award logo/image on your blog
2. List the rules
3. Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog – THANK YOU RORY!
4. Answer the questions from the blogger who nominated you
5. Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well
6. Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
7. You have to nominate 10 – 20 people
8. Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
9. Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
10. Share a link to your best post(s)

5 Questions From Rory

Tick or Tock, which is best that describes your personality and why?

Hmm…I had to give this a lot of thought. I don’t know right now. It is my nature to be a supporter, I like to follow a leader, and I work hard to support them. But I often found myself on my own dealing with projects and expected to train and motivate a team.

So although, I would prefer to be a TOCK…I have often been placed in the role of a TICK and have had to thrive for the success of the project.

But ultimately I am happy to be a little cog doing my bit to make the charities I work with achieve enormous results. I would like to think I would be willing to take on any assignment, to be sent absolutely anywhere in the world there was a need for my skills and be willing to work with anyone.

With regards Passion Fashion and Fabric which is your go to for 199% comfort – Rubber, Silk, Canvas, Pollycotton, Linen, Jersey, Crepe, Lycra, Lace, Velvet or simply all bare – and why?

Ooooh Rory!

I am going to answer this question with dignity, imagining my Dadda was reading this post. That means no photos of me in any item of Passion Fashion. For Goldfinch’s eyes only.

So when it comes to items of Passion Fashion – I am told by Goldfinch that all bare is what men prefer. I have occasionally donned items to surprise my significant other, and I have chosen items that were not overly tacky. I am a princess after all. Looking at the modest collection of items in my Passion Fashion wardrobe – lace seems to be the most distinctive fabric. You will have to use your imagination.

I think sex is very special, and as much as it can be fun and exciting, I don’t want it to be cheap and trashy. I have had a really really awful experience the night I was the victim to a crime, and now more than ever, I like it to be romantic and beautiful, as well as exciting and fun. It is important to feel loved and treasured. In fact I could become very provoked on how I feel about the trashy view of sex that is promoted in entertainment and on the internet. If anything led the man in the park to do what he did, I bet it was feeding his own mind on an unhealthy and degraded view of sex. Sex should be a beautiful gift.

What happened to me that night in the park was the total opposite…so now, if anything reminds me of that night, I recoil in horror. Goldfinch never once triggered a flashback to that night, even though physical intimacy was a major factor in a relationship for him. He has always made me feel very special in that context, but seemed to be enjoying himself. I would like to think, we were able to satisfy and reward each other’s desires. I know I have loved every moment I have spent with him. It’s hard to imagine intimacy with anyone else.

What is the routine you undertake each day when you log into WordPress before you start to create a post?

• Click that little bell sign in the top right corner to look at the notifications: comments, likes, follows etc and then try to answer any comments.
• Click onto WP Reader and look through the posts of other readers
• Check out the writing prompts and see if I have any ideas for posts

One thing I have stopped doing is checking my statistics – it can be a bit depressing at times – why suck all the joy out of this by focusing on statistics and numbers?

What is your best time of the day – night, morning, afternoon, dusk or dawn and why, what makes it special for you?

I like bedtime…when I have finished all my work for the day and I can start to get ready for bed.

I love to slip into my wonderfully comfortable bed and rest my head on the pillows. It is a special time of day for me because I talk to someone I am sure is rooting for me and wants me to live.

There is something very special about expressing my thanks for all the delights I enjoyed that day and just that I was alive for another day. I ask for help to make decisions that make Him happy with me. I like to ask that my loved ones will be happy and that they receive support to deal with any challenges that come their way. I ask for Goldfinch to be happy too and to make wise decisions and have great joy in his life. I also ask for a universe at peace, and ask that once the issue of rulership has been settled in a way that noone will ever challenge it again, that all the wrongs that have been committed are eventually put right and all the damage undone. I ask for strength to endure the current state of the world under human rulers and for strength to do what is right, fix any wrongs I have done and not to give in to weaknesses. I ask for help to see where I am not doing what is good, because I know I make mistakes without even realizing what I am doing is wrong.

I feel a tremendous peace and happiness during the very last conversation I have each day. It’s as if a weight is lifted far away from me. It is something incredibly special.

Then I close my eyes and within seconds I am far away. I love falling into sweet sleep. It is wonderful to me to be allowed to be horizontal and allowed to drift into sleep. I have resisted the urge all day. I have stayed awake and carried on working. Aaaaah – now it’s my time for sleep!

It’s just the morning pain that wakes me is the biggest challenge of each day for me.

What is an ideal Christmas day for you and your family if relevant?

Ideally we would all have a day off work and be together, but that is very rare. For years I have worked during the holidays because I have been working in healthcare and that requires staff 24-7-12-365! My oldest sister is a nurse. My brother is a Doctor.

Mumma was a nurse (though she has now retired) and always worked on the bank holidays.  She could get either double or triple pay on bank holidays. Dad was a window-cleaner, and so it made sense for him to take time off during the winter holidays when the weather was rotten. So it was up to Dad to keep us busy and active rather than us wasting two weeks by staying in our pyjamas and watching movies.

There were a lot of older ones we knew who might be alone over the holidays, so Dad would often take us to visit some of those he knew would be alone. At the time, I don’t think we understood how much it meant to some of them to have my Dad turn up with his young crew who invaded their home for a couple of hours before he took us elsewhere. We thought it was great because we were fed cake and pie and chocolates everywhere we went. So we were well up for it. We chatted away to our hosts who apparently would have spent the holidays on their own. Dad couldn’t bear to think of older ones without any family being all alone. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement – I think. I don’t know if it was odd. But I do know we were a very popular little crew.

On days when we were all together we would visit my grandparents. But this year we lost the last of my grandparents. So it is now our immediate family and the many in-laws. Because of the numbers involved…we are splitting up. I am going to stay with Milly and her husband’s family. My parents will go to stay with Mandy and spend time with her husband’s family. But we are all meeting up on Thursday 27th December for a walk. There may be anywhere between 100-200 of us. It all depends on the weather as to whether some will want to travel to our rendezvous which is a location between North Wales and Lancashire.

This year I will be off from December 24th right through to the following Monday. I am so so thrilled to have almost a whole week off. I think it might be the first time for over fifteen years. I will be in Wales for most of that time, but will be seeing all of my direct family and a lot of the in-laws.

Three Things About Myself

• There seems to be a gap of around ten years in my memory since my head injuries. I remember my childhood and teens in vivid detail. But after that my memories are very lacey – full of holes. It has upset a lot of people that I cannot remember my connection with them. The memories that dominate are those centered around Jack and my world here in London. I seem fairly sharp generally, but the memory gaps have caused a few issues. My memory is more lacey than my underwear! But I have some very pretty memories. I don’t know whether what is missing is important. maybe there is a reason my brain seems to have discarded or blocked those memories. I have no idea.
• I don’t do debt – credit cards, loans, mortgages, it’s something I would avoid like the plague. I am happy to save money little by little and be thrifty.
• I have Punjabi in-laws. They are mainly Sikh. They are a lot of fun, their music, dancing, clothes and food have been fascinating for my family. My mum spent several years having Punjabi lessons so she could speak in the language many of our in-laws seem most comfortable with. I have lots of friends from India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. I have taught some of the girls to swim, although they had never been in a swimming pool before I started teaching them.

My Best Post

I have mentioned my poem before, (the only poem I feel proud of) but here is the link for anyone who has not seen my own favourite post:

River

Another one of my own personal favourites was about a lesson in life my Mumma taught me:

Kid In The Kitchen

My Five Questions For My Nominees

1. Are there any events, experiences or people that you would either like to remember with clearer detail…or else completely eradicate from your memory?
2. If you start to become stressed or anxious, is there something that you do to quiet down your worries?
3. Do you have a favourite scent, perfume or cologne?
4. Have you or one of your family had to overcome an enormous challenge in your life?
5. Do you sing out loud when you are on your own? Or even when you have company?

My Ten Nominees:

 copypower

 Sallyann – Photographic Memories

 SanaH – A Pause for Nature

 Irene Starr – Ireneity

 Sandmanjazz

 Cadie Mclendon – Cadie’s Corner

 Tom Burton – Slumdog Soldier

 lensdailydiary – Len’s Diary

 Artist, Writer, Poet – Art on Jasper Lane

 Romenu