I have been nominated for THE MYSTERY BLOGGER AWARD by Racheal, the creator of Racheal’s Novels, as you can see from her wonderful post below:
https://rachealnovel.wordpress.com/2019/10/30/mystery-blogger-award/
Rules
- Put the award logo/image on your blog/post
- List the rules
- Thank the person that nominated you – THANK YOU RACHAEL!
- Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
- Nominate 10-20 people and notify your nominees
- Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice
Three Things About Me
I love fresh air! In the winter months, everyone turns the heating up at work and I really struggle with the heat. I wear thin fabrics in an effort not to overheat. But if I had my way…there would always be a window open somewhere letting a nice cool breeze in and clearing out all the germs from winter colds!
I find it hard when supervisors or managers in my paid jobs think they can harass me by making multiple phone calls and leaving several messages on my phone, asking me to come into work to cover somebody else’s shift at short notice. On my days away from paid work, I am doing unpaid work as a volunteer for charities (or else I am away visiting my family (over 200 miles away) or perhaps with Jack). I sometimes come back to my nest after a few days away to find my answering machine is full of messages. What is the matter with them? I have agreed to work certain hours, and I will do them. I can’t spare any other time for the mundane task of making money. I only do the paid work I need to cover my rent and buy groceries. I am too busy with more important things. But it is really hard to get that across to the supervisors at my paid jobs.
I am trying to be really careful about what I eat at the moment and also I am out walking a lot. I want to slim a little, not a lot, just a little. It’s not because I am unhappy about my body. It’s because next year I am going to start attending events with Jack publicly. The first will be in January. There will be cameras. Cameras do me no favours at all! I don’t mind posing for photographers, but I really hate seeing photographs of myself. It’s something I am dreading. I love Jack though, and I want to be with him. So I am going to try to give myself that boost of confidence so that I look pretty for the pictures of him with me tagging along. I will be getting all dressed up so that Jack is proud to have me by his side.
Questions From Rachael
What is your favourite underrated movie?
I have some favourite movies…but I am not so sure they are underrated. Top of the list is “The Sound of Music”!!!
In case you are not sure of all the movies I put images of in the grid above…here they are:
- Finding Nemo
- Waking Ned
- Life Is Beautiful
- Singing In The Rain
- Bride And Prejudice
- My Fair Lady
- Dead Poet’s Society
- Working Girl
- The Goonies
…and oh, add to that almost anything with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
What is your personal favourite MCU/DC movie/comic book/character(s)?
I am not sure what some of this question means? MCU/DC movie? Perhaps I am a bit out of touch.
But when it comes to comics, well I remember reading Dennis The Menace when I was a kiddo. I could not get enough of him. I have no idea why, but when I think of comics, Dennis The Menace is first place, followed by Garfield in second place.
What do you most enjoy about history?
I enjoy thinking of all the people who would have lived in very different circumstances.
When I was a little girl, I remember we went on a school trip to a local historical property. First of all, we toured the areas of the house where the wealthy family would have lived. We saw fine furniture and decor and imagined the well-dressed family passing their time there.
Then we toured the areas of the property where servants would have worked and slept. I was a only around six years old, so I cannot remember much in detail, but I do remember the tour-guide pointing to a sack bed and telling us that several would have slept in that bed. That made a big impression on me.
So ever since then, whatever I learn of history, I am curious to know the living and working conditions of people. I especially compare those with wealth compared to those without. There is a lot of “showing off” in history. A lot of self-glory and boasting about accomplishments and greatness. But when you look at the abuse, the degradation and dire poverty of so many people, I find myself seeing those boasting elite, powerful rulers or upper classes as despicable.
Humans have dominated other humans for thousands of years and have caused great injury to their fellow human family members. So although I find history fascinating, I also find it grievous.
It just to confirms to me that humans should not be ruling over themselves. Our Creator should. Not only because He was the one who originally gave us life and a beautiful home and exciting assignment…but because history has made very clear what human rulership looks like.
Have you ever had something happen to you or someone else in life that made you step back and re-look at everything?
Well…I think that when I was around five years old, I first dealt with my first big ordeal. Some very close friends of ours were in a tragic accident. Icy roads, a lorry pulverised their car. It was a shock to everyone. I was only five, but I decided it was about time I started to read the scriptures. I was so moved by what I read about our Creator’s power to undo death and raise people back to life on earth.
Since then, very little has genuinely phased me. The wonderful training and stable background my parents provided, the precious knowledge I gained from reading the scriptures and keeping my mind fixed on what really matters, they have all helped me to deal with challenges in my own life.
I have had some challenges to deal with, I had eighteen months of illness around eleven years twelve years ago. I had four surgical operations and had a very unpleasant time with postoperative infections. My immune system seemed to be completely thrashed for some time and I had so little energy. What I found tough was that it seemed as if I would never be able to achieve my long-term goal of qualifying to be an international volunteer. But amazingly, I did!
Being the victim of slander and trolling for two years was hard. I found myself facing despair after the accumulative effect of all that nastiness. My self-esteem had crumbled. I was anxious whenever I left my home. But I was not comfortable within my home either.
Of course that led me to make a foolish decision. I was on my own late at night in a park in London (because I felt I couldn’t face going home) when I was the victim of a serious crime. A security guard found me unconscious the next morning. I was hidden in bushes and badly beaten up. When I woke up I was in an ambulance speeding to a nearby hospital. I was told that it is possible my attacker left me thinking I was dead. So…yes, that was a challenge.
But the good news is…I have enjoyed a rich and wonderful life, which has helped the challenges fade to the back of my mind. Recently, the man who made me the interest of all those people who were unkind about me online…well, he has made contact with me, made peace with me, and turns out to have been in love with me for years. Which is pretty awesome. What is equally as awesome, is that I have always admired him and wanted to be on friendly terms with him. I am currently in the beautiful and intoxicating process of falling more deeply in love with him everyday.
Life is extraordinary at times! I feel that I am going through one of the most remarkable phases of my life right now. But I am a realist. Challenges can come at anytime. Not everyday is sunny and bright. Cold cruel winds can start to blow, leaving us struggling to keep our embers burning within. Sickness, accidents, the turbulence among mankind in general – any of these can arise. If you are not prepared for challenges, you may suffer more.
I prepare by keeping my focus on what my Creator wants. He wants good! He wants his creatures to enjoy life and to enjoy the satisfaction of work and good food and the wonders of creation. Yet while He is allowing the issues Adam’s rebellion raised to be settled, there will be challenges, some of them may seem insurmountable. Yet soon…all that spoils what our Creator had in mind will be gone…forever! The best, better than anything we can imagine, is yet ahead!
Who’s your favourite fictional author?
I am not very good with these favourite questions. But I can’t not mention three whose books I could happily read again and again.
Jane Austen
Victor Hugo
Alexandre Dumas
Questions For My Nominees
- Do you take any vitamins or supplements, or do you depend on a varied diet to take in all your nutrition?
- When you see all these sparkly perfume adverts on television, featuring glamorous scenes with famous actors and models – what do you think of them?
- Do remember any school trips that you loved or made a big impression on you?
- If a crime was committed in your neighbourhood which literary or screen fictional detective would you like to be sent to solve it?
- What would your perfect romantic date be like?
For example, I had to work at a location where your belongings are searched. Now, I have been at some high security premises where that made sense. But for a smaller shop which is open to members of the public wandering in and out all day long – I thought it was strange that staff are asked to submit to such vigorous security checks.
Well…someone has called me out for being a bit extreme in some of the policies I have set for my life. It is my choice to abstain from having a smartphone. I have my reasons. But the biggest reason is my negative experience from the past, when I saw a very unkind side to social media. I am perfectly happy without a smartphone. But this friend is pressuring me and ceaselessly trying to persuade me to get one. She has stated she is going to buy one for Christmas. I have said I do not want one I will not use one. She keeps saying I shouldn’t make myself suffer because of one bad experience. She says I am missing out. I am so tired of the conversations we have about this issue.
Then something else came up. She asked me if I wanted to do something. I replied, “no, because….” That was my mistake. I should have just said “no”. As soon as I gave my reason, my friend started to argue and told me I was extreme.
I am finding my friend is taking issue with me over so many decisions, trying to make me do things her way. I feel as if I am become entangled with sticky discussions. She keeps analysing what I say and labelling my reactions as extreme. It is tiring. I just want to be allowed to make my decisions and be happy with them.
Anyway…I am only writing this because my friend kind of “cornered” me last week when I was really sick and wanted me to agree to something I did not want to do. (It’s a particular type of entertainment that I do not find remotely entertaining.) And I was so tired, I started crying.
My friend…she is a lovely person. But she is strong willed, and she likes to tell people what to do. I am mild tempered, and in general very easy going. She has lots of particulars. She will decide where we eat, what temperature it is, what music we listen to. I concur, because I don’t mind. But when I have made a decision for a reason, I usually stick to it. I am not easily swayed. That’s where my friend is getting annoyed with me. Oh well!
The thing is…I doubt Goldfinch thinks of me anywhere near as often as I think of him. I am sure he is busy, and it is my hope that he is also doing all the things that make him happy. He told me that the situation would resolve naturally, that I would feel more love for Jack and less love for him. I am sure gradually his thoughts of me will fade away.
Now…I rarely check the statistics page that WordPress provide. I find it unhelpful when it comes to me just enjoying what I am doing. But I was working on one of these nomination posts just now, and one of the questions the blogger had asked of me, required me to look at my statistics page to find things out about my blog.
I know nothing about technology and the internet…but I wondered if anyone else knows what or why or how this “cdn.ampproject.org” is linked to my WordPress post? Have you seen this before? Are any of your referrers similar? Maybe this means nothing to you, or maybe you are one of those techno-genius types and could explain this mysterious anomaly to me.
I have been through two whole jars of honey in a week, besides a lot of lemons. Being poorly sick has totally changed my tastes. I have been breathing in eucalyptus on tissues, my scarf, and my pillow cases. I have had Olbas Oil baths and been rubbing Vicks Vaporub all over me. Which Jack should be here for.
I was looking for something slightly different to drink, but still with a cleansing flavour – if you know what I mean. I picked up some ginger and lemongrass cordial and have been sipping it mixed with steaming hot water.
I my have mentioned once or twice that my eyebrows are a bit feeble, and that I don’t know what to do with them. I was a bit overzealous with plucking them at one stage, so for the past few months I have been letting them grow and do their own thing. But even though they are fairly feeble, I need to do something to keep them tidy.
Anyway, on a spur of the moment impulse, I went into a department store recently. I had an hour or so free and thought to myself, “just go in and see if there is anyone who looks normal”. Well, I had a glance around and I saw lots of scary eyebrows and heavy eyeliner everywhere I looked.
Caramel 