You timing

Since school started back, and my daughter's swimming training, and withdrawing my son from kindy, I seem to spend most of my time behind the wheel, or making play dough, or elevated narrow gauge rail tracks - yes, seriously , just ask my son -  and any free time is for writing. Guarded! Hence the lack of blogging.

Thank you time to two talented writers for nominating snowlikethought for blog awards, Teresa Stenson and Catherine McNamara.



Rather than post the awards, which I was nominated for yonks and badger years ago, I thought it would be nice to post a little about the nominators.



First award came from Teresa Stenson. Teresa blogs here and wrote this and is from just darn rooerd from me, so I'm rather proud of her. She's also so real and talented any fakers reading this ought to fall to bits and have their less than authentic parts crawl off to join Joan Rivers’ armpit.



Second award came from Catherine McNamara. Cat blogs here and wrote this which is to be followed by Pelt and Other Stories in 2013 from IDP, and she’s from just over the ditch from where I am now which makes us neighbours, I think. A strong woman writer; if there are any fakers left reading, please mwah yourselves inside out and select a new profile after Cat’s example.



Ladies, I salute you!


PS, I was supposed to write seven things about me, here goes:

1. I collect the variety stickers off fruit - my notebooks are covered in them - even wrote a story about one and an epic poem.

2. I have a 34 inch inside leg.

3. I drink on average fifteen cups of tea per day.

4. For reasons of area, half my books are in the garage along with a 1950s table I dream of one day having mismatched vintage chairs around and a cherry patterned cloth on.

5.  E. A. Markham, otherwise known as Archie, taught me creative writing. We had giggling fits together along with my mate, Bev, much to the bemusement of other seminar goers, and he said I showed "great promise" - important words to me at the time.

6. I don't like ice-cream.

7. In unfamiliar company, I often lie about my opinion just to see how other people react; I can't turn off the people watching long enough to talk properly.

I was also supposed to pass the award on.

If you want the award, take it, you've all done more blogging than me to deserve it!

It's not not awards

Thanks this week to the two lovely ladies who blog, respectively, at:
 this writer's life, and
 Ramblings From Yet Another Stranger On The Bus.

I usually deflect awards as the list of conditions for receipt often read like the instructions for flat-pack furniture. And the awards don't colour coordinate with my blog. Oh, and "passing them on" conjures imagery of contagious disease. But, aside from all of that, I appreciate people letting me know they like my blog - that means a lot to me - and it's a nice opportunity for me to note one or two blogs that deserve a mention.

Also, back in October, I said I would take part in a quiz from Patteran's Pages - I hadn't forgotten, Dick, but I hope this will do instead, at least for now.

Both awards ask me to list seven things about myself:

1. I had my first newspaper article published when I was fifteen.

2. I sometimes wake myself up laughing in my sleep and I once had a giggling fit for forty minutes, non-stop.

3. I don't believe you have to find a husband to lose your father's name.

4. My great great grandparents on my maternal grandpa's side were Irish and fled an Gorta Mór.

5. I was Mary in my primary school nativity and the angel Gabriel was my cousin, although I didn't find out until after I left school. My teacher told her she would have made a better Mary. I was deeply hurt (I'd auditioned and everything, and still remember the song!).

6. I was the first girl to wear trousers at my high school (and got summoned to the deputy Head's office for my audacity).

7. I was once dragged by my ear to explain what I thought was funny about The Lord's Prayer - it was this:



For The Love Of God, What's That Up Your Sleeve?



Bless me, mam, for I have sneezed, a snail slick
of snot shot out, top speed, hauled up my arm
and dried shiny hard like a graphite thick
drawing, rubbed, over worked by childish palm

to glossy grey like slates in the rain. And
I tried to explain when Betty dragged me
by the ear but she couldn't understand,
I'd got my head hung so they couldn't see

the candles dripping from my nose, sticking
to my hair, and so she hauled me up on
stage: full view. They all thought I was laughing
as my sniffs increased in speed and not one

explanation could I give standing there
for “what's so funny about the Lord's Prayer?”

And to the nominations; considering these awards are doing the rounds, and the whole six degrees of separation thing, I'll just note a couple of blogs I enjoy reading for kinship as well as content:

Sara Crowley's A Salted - for real and raw writing with no mincing of words.

Lori Tiron-Pandit's Daily Writing - for searching questions and creativity.

Helen Caldwell's My Writing Life - for a store-house of writing related info.


We should all wish for sisters like them.


And thanks again to Leslie and Teresa for nominating me - you are both the human equivalents of home, for different reasons; I want you to know I'd nominate you right back!

I make up stuff

I was recently awarded two blog awards by That Elusive Line writer, illustrator and all round dandy blogger, Thomas Taylor. Thank you, Thomas, I am very honoured.

However, I did look at the list of things I had to do and my brain short circuited (not to be confused with the book Short Circuit by Vanessa Gebbie). There were simply too many numbers, sorry Thomas, and I would have felt like a fraud if I had copied the awards onto my blog and then not followed through with the terms of acceptance.

So.....

Hahaha!

What I've done is come up with a feel good solution. A way for everyone to share in the enjoyment and praise with no numbers (well, three if you count the thirds). I am offering the Principle of Thirds Award to anyone who wants it. If you can be bothered to copy and paste this award onto your blog, it's yours. That's it. You don't have to pass it on but you can if you want to.

In line with the spirit of the two other awards and the recent blog craze to post some things which are true and some which aren't, here are some random facts about me and not about me.

I can click my tongue like horse hooves to the tune of the William Tell Overture whilst humming the same tune.

I can't swim.

I passed my driving test first time.

Awards, like painting, like photography, work on a principle of thirds. (I make up stuff so don't believe everything I write. Only a third may be true or, conversely, two thirds may be true).

This was fun! I might make up some more awards!

Telling my wares

This photo has a little to do with the flash fiction I've got up at Ink, Sweat & Tears. I'll explain later. But, remind me.

Bit of a school jumble sale of a post for you today. Got to be in quick to get the best stuff!

Thomas Taylor, over at That Elusive Line has generously nominated me for a couple of awards which I will gladly accept and do what is required of me at some point over the weekend - yes, it's Friday here, come on rest of the world, get your act together! (Note - deferring attention from my own tardiness!)

Got another piece of flash fiction up at Ink Sweat & Tears which I shall be dissecting for you in a week or so if you're interested to know what went into it and how it all started (this is my code for - you might think it's a little strange and therefore, that, by default, perhaps I am, also, but I'm not, honest governor, it's all got a very simple explanation, and phewsh, I'm normal really - and could I fit in another clause break? Probably not). It's called "Your Favourite Colour". Let me know what you think.

Goshkins, on a mish not to start a sentence with "so" and yet to cause the maximum agitation to all you grammarians out there! Any takers? We've sold all the quality goods now, can I ask anyone to take the last few items of this post off my hands - c'mon, it's pence. Nope?

Back in the van it goes then, you'll all have to wait until the next jumble to know what else I had to tell you!