In the past couple of days two people have very kindly given my blog an award (now three – see below). This has really brightened up the end of January for me, which in my opinion is the most dismal month of the year. Don’t worry; this isn’t going to be a tearful Oscar acceptance speech. But I do have to thank them and nominate some others to receive awards in turn.
Kate Swaffer’s Forget-Me-Not Award
Kate Swaffer is a remarkable lady. She is a little younger than me but was diagnosed a couple of years ago with early onset dementia. Despite this, she retains a positive outlook on life, blogs every day about her life and feelings and is an unflagging combatant in the fight against this awful disease. She does a lot to increase people’s understanding of dementia and of the people who suffer from it. Her own blog is life-affirming and inspirational.
Thanks very much, Kate. I need to give some thought to worthy recipients – I had already done that for the award I received slightly earlier, which is –
The Liebster Award
Victoria Corby has lived in France for many years and started her own blog a few months ago. She lives near Bordeaux and, like me, is a writer by trade except that she has had three novels published, which is three more than me. She nominated me with four others to receive this award. It’s intended for blogs with less than 200 followers which deserve greater recognition.
I am supposed to pass on this award to five other bloggers. This poses a certain difficulty. I have no idea how many followers people have and don’t wish to offend anyone by assuming they have less than 200. So I’m going to ignore that bit of it and just give this award to blogs I like and follow regularly and that deserve as wide a readership as possible.
Here they are, in alphabetical order:
Life, Love and Llamas in Limousin – Stephanie has been blogging since 2009 about her life in France with her family and a range of animals, including llamas. She unearths some interesting facts about French life, always delivered with humour and vivacity. An excellent chronicle of a family’s discovery of life in France.
Melanged Magic This blog has been going for a couple of years but I came across it only recently and I’m glad I did. Evelyn is, I think, an American lady who lives in Lot near the river and writes about her life there. She is a girl after my own heart since she’s interested in the history of the area. Not content with taking things at face value, she always seeks out the story behind the facades. Update: Evelyn has moved back to the States and the blog is now closed.
My Kind of Writing Blog – Melissa Lawrence blogs with refreshing candour about her experiences and ups and downs as a writer. Always readable, informative and something I can strongly identify with.
Provence, the Luberon and an old house on a hill – Deborah Lawrenson is a novelist who owns a house – actually a hamlet – in Provence. Her blog is full of the light, colours, scents and tastes of Provence and illustrated with beautiful photographs. Her last novel, The Lantern, was set in Provence and has been a great success. I await her next with impatience.
Kate Swaffer – I have mentioned Kate above. She is a deserving recipient of this award.
Have you heard of the three buses theory? You wait for hours and then three come along all at once. It would be too much to hope that a third bus (award) might turn up but you never know.
Here’s the third bus – Versatile Blogger Award
Update: lovely Kate Swaffer answered my wish for a third bus and has kindly nominated me for a Versatile Blogger Award. Thanks so much, Kate. My cup really runneth over.
Copyright © 2012 Life on La Lune, all rights reserved
Life on La Lune 
Vanessa
Really enjoy your blog, not to mention the SF’s weather information. It brightens up a progressively cold winter in dear old Blighty!
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Hi David, it’s really nice to hear from you. Thanks for your nice words about my blog. The SF enjoys doing his monthly weather report and after nearly 15 years we have quite a collection of statistics. Up till now we have had a mild winter but now we are in the grip of Siberian temperatures from the east and it’s going to get colder! No one tells you before you move here how cold it can be in the winter – we have experienced temperatures here that we never saw in the UK!
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A well-deserved award – congratulations! I’ve only recently ‘come onboard’ and have been finding your posts in-depth yet light, full of interesting and unusual info and accompanied by terrific photos. Bon continuation.
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Thanks for the kind words, Sue. It’s interesting that a lot of people have mentioned my photos. I’m really a rather indifferent photographer but I think the practice I’ve gained by doing the blog has improved my photographic skills – for which there was plenty of scope!
Your own blog is taking off well and you combine being informative with being amusing – not easy to get right.
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Many thanks indeed for the award, Vanessa. A total surprise as I am so new to blogging but very much appreciated. Now all I need is an award for my writing! Your encouragement with setting it up and your regular comments have really been so helpful and congratulations on all your own blog awards.
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This is an award for your writing! But I know what you mean. My pleasure – it’s well-deserved.
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Congratulations, hope the additional publicity is beneficial.
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Thanks, Rob. Every little helps…
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Wow…thanks, Vanessa, for the blog award! Total surprise to see it in your blog post. You were right in your description of me… American woman living in the Lot (actually alongside the Lot River) I’ll be looking for five worthy recipients for this award. Thanks again.
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Oh sorry, I did leave a message on your blog but perhaps you haven’t seen it yet, or maybe it didn’t register properly. Well-deserved, anyway.
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[…] today I offer the Versatile Bloggers Award to all my blog followers, and in particular to https://vanessafrance.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/awards-awards/#comment-1731 in keeping with her theory. There is no need to follow any rules this time; I know many of us […]
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Thanks so much for this lovely award. I still have no idea how to get it onto my blog (!!) but that does not mean I haven’t loved receiving it. In keeping with the three buses theory, I think you also deserve the Versatile bloggers Award, which I want to offer to you via my blog later today.
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Here it is… http://kateswaffer.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/respect-your-elders/
I have awarded all my blog followers the Versatile boggers Award today, but in particular your blog as think you deserve the trifecta 🙂
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Thanks very much, Kate, for making it three buses for me!!
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I’ll come over to you and give you some instructions how to get the badge. Thank you for the Versatile Bloggers Award too. I am spoilt!!
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Oh, how lovely! Thank you very much, Vanessa – much appreciated. I am head-down charging at first draft of the first of two works in progress so not blogging quite as regularly as I’d like but I hope to pass it on as soon as I can. Cheers!
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Don’t feel under any obligation. It’s not always easy to pass these things on – and they seem to be getting more common, witness my getting two in three days! Hope your works in progress are developing as you wish.
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I’m really honoured. Thank you Vanessa, both for the award and the kind words.
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Avec plaisir. You now have the difficult task of choosing another 5 to pass it on to – if you want, that is, no compulsion.
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