The Leibster Award

Like Anne who nominated me to do this I’ve been putting this off but it’s just for fun so here goes. Here are the rules if anyone doesn’t know them already!

Rules

• Thank the blogger who nominated you, and provide a link to their blog.
• Answer the 11 questions given to you.
• Share 11 facts about yourself.
• Nominate 5-11 other bloggers.
• Ask your nominees 11 questions.
• Notify your nominees one you have uploaded your post.

Firstly thank you to Anne ( Nomorebeer2019) https://canireallybesober.home.blog/2020/05/23/day-261-hit-hard-by-reality/ for nominating me. I love Anne’s blog – she’s honest and real and I feel very connected to her – I think we are probably very alike and I really admire her for getting sober at a much younger age than I have! Same goes for all you young uns actually! Getting your shit together before 50 – I’m in awe!

Answers to Anne’s questions:

1. If you could have had any job/career what would it have been? I love doing therapeutic work as in essence it’s helping people tell their stories and make sense of them – it’s all the stuff around it I don’t enjoy so much. I would love to earn a living from writing too and I’d love to hang out with horses all day but it doesn’t pay too well!
2. If you were stranded on a desert island what three items would you choose to have with you? This is hard! Am I allowed people? If so I’d have C my husband and soulmate but also because he’s far more practical than me and would build a shelter, make fire etc. Secondly I’d have my dogs and maybe my horse which takes me over I know. If it’s things not living beings I’d have pen and paper, some way to listen to music and a lighter and something to smoke (sorry – bad but true!)
3. What’s the thing you like most about yourself? That’s hard – I like my face when I’m in a good mood, and I like that I have a quick mind and get most things easily (as long as the thing don’t require spatial awareness!) though this also makes me impatient!
4. If you could relive one day again, exactly as it was before, what day would it be and why? Apologies to C but my 1st wedding day, it was a wonderful 24 hours and everyone I cared about was there. It was a wonderful moment in time. My 2nd was also wonderful but my daughters weren’t there nor a lot of family so I felt that.
5. If you could only see one more band/singer live, who would it be? I love live music so hard to pick one. Probably an intimate small gig with Paul Weller – ideally in my garden playing requests! In many ways he’s provided a lot of the soundtrack to my life.
6. What is your biggest achievement in life so far? This one is easier! My daughters – they are both beautiful inside and out, wise and kind and it amazes me that I gave birth to and raised them! They are also the reason I stopped drinking so they gave me back my health and self respect.
7. What’s your favourite way to relax (keep it clean please!) Again being honest smoking a spliff, but I’m working on substituting that with more yoga! Also love walking the dogs, riding, Scrabble a good film and I’ll say it – sex! (With C of course!)
8. You can have a superpower for a year. Which one would you choose? The ability to make people love and be kind to everyone – as a highly infectious virus that once infected never wore off then I’d make sure the whole world caught it in the year!
9. What’s your favourite time of day and why? It depends on where I am and what I’m doing – they can all be good in different ways.
10. What are you most afraid of? Something bad happening to my daughters
11. What are your ‘words to live by?’ Name the three most important for you. Love, understanding, friendship.

11 Facts about me

1. I grew up on a farm
2. I have 4 brothers, a sister and a step brother and sister
3. I was a punk as a teenager
4. I’ve been in love 3 times – infatuated many more
5. I burnt down a barn with my brother when I was 5 – (I’ll tell that story in a blog one day)
6. I was raised a Catholic but I’m not now
7. I lived in Dublin Ireland for a few years, otherwise always UK.
8. I rescued a dog and her pups from Greece with C
9. My closest group of friends call ourselves the Mad Cows
10. We have a dance routine to Bat out of Hell – all started on holiday in the BSE crisis 30 years ago
11. Simon Cowell is my guilty pleasure and I used to love X Factor (I’m getting over it now!)

My nominees

This bit is hard too as there’s a lot of blogs I like and quite a few of them have done this already so apologies if you have and I haven’t realised!

1. https://nickreeves.blog/ – Nick writes evocative short fiction and poetry that leaves you wondering with vivid images in your mind. He’s also very supportive to us folk dealing with our demons and I’d love to know more about him especially as he also likes The Clash!
2. https://sobrietytree.com/ – When I tentatively published my 1st post Nadine of sobrietytree pinged it and has offered words of support and encouragement ever since. She strikes me as a woman with a beautiful soul and a big heart and I’d love to meet her one day.
3. https://100daystosparkle.wordpress.com/ This is a new blogger challenging herself to have 100 days AF. She writes insightfully and could do with more support to help her do this!
4. https://mentalhealthathome.org/ Ashley is a mental health nurse who writes about mental health both professionally and personally. She helps other sufferers with good quality knowledge and insights as well as supporting new bloggers by publishing their posts as she did for me. I really admire her.
5. https://ainsobriety.wordpress.com/ Anne has been sober over 6 years and still writes and comments sharing words of wisdom, kindness and love in this community. I think of her as a big sister who understands exactly where you’re at and what to say.

There are lots of other blogs I would like to nominate but I’ll stick at 5 as I’m finding it technically challenging to copy the links (impatience again!). Here are my questions for them – some borrowed from above!

1. Who is your biggest hero/heroine and why?
2. Where and when were you most happy so far in your life?
3. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
4. What 3 words describe you the best?
5. What’s your greatest achievement so far in life?
6. What’s your favourite film and why?
7. If you could be any age you wanted for a year what age would you pick and why?
8. What are you most afraid of?
9. What’s a perfect day for you?
10. Excluding people what is your biggest love/passion in life?
11. What’s your favourite genre of music and why?

I’m looking forward to reading your answers – hope I can figure out how to notify you all! 💞💞