I am always astonished when I am acknowledged by a fellow blogger (a) because I started this blog when I was a Billy No Mates in a strange land (b) nothing warms your soul more than when you have someone else laughing along with you and (c) I’m in no way whatsoever a professional. When I started I was clueless and to a certain extent I still am; frankly I’m amazed some of you have stuck with me and more than just a little grateful.
With your encouragement I have become a better writer, overcome prejudice, shared laughter and tears and received the best kind of advice a girl could ask for. I think that fairly early on we established that I am as mad as a box of frogs and it helps that I seem to share that characteristic with quite a few of you. We have expressed our revulsion at cruelty towards animals and our fellow human beings and wished the world a better place.
My Roll of Honour is endless, and as I have supermarket shelves waiting to fill, I will instead just thank you for sharing your breathtaking pictures that make me gasp & promise to try harder with my camera, your razor-sharp wit that has me howling with laughter, your human interest stories that have me reaching for a box of kleenex, and your mouth-watering recipes which I swear will make me a half decent cook (fat chance).
So without further ado, I would like to thank Aisha at Expatlogue for nominating me for the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award. I am really really flattered as frankly, Aisha is the kind of disciplined and compassionate writer that I aspire to be.
The Rules are:
1 Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award
2 Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.
3 Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award – and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)
4 Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them
5 You can now also join our Facebook page – click the link here ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience
6 As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…
So this particular Work In Progress would like to acknowledge all of you for your support, encouragement, inspiration and words of wisdom. In my eyes you are all winners!
My nominations are:
Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
Aawwww you say the nicest things! This award is well deserved, you’re a natural writer with an entertaining and distinctive voice. Don’t stop anytime soon, ok?
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Bless you Aisha, I have a long way to go but thank you for the encouragement. It’s day like these that make me think I may have something better out there for me than just stacking shelves.
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You’re wasted stacking shelves hon – it’s as simple as that.
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You’re so deserving, your blog is fantastic and you’re a natural writer!🙂 You were the first person to stop by my blog on my first ever post, and yours was in turn one of the very first blogs I ever read on here, so you’ve always been a firm favourite of mine!!
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That’s because I am a tad nosey and have days where I’d much rather read other people’s blogs than write! So I want to thank you too for reading because its always nice to know that you’re not a Billy No Mates!
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I think judging by the responses you get on here you can safely say you’re definitely not a Billy No Mates!! Also, just spotted myself down the side of your page – thanks for including me that’s really appreciated!😀
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First of all, congratulations on receiving the Blog of the Year 2012 Award, yourself. Very well deserved, Dallas, and thank you for sharing so much of your life with us, and making us laugh and cry along with you. As soon as I see a post from Tinky Town in my Reader, I dive straight in there to find out what you have been up to. It´s always a great start to my day!
I am honoured that you have considered nominating East of Málaga to pass this Award along to, and am truly grateful for your continuing support and encouragement. What a lovely friend you are🙂
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Marianne, you really deserve this award, I love your informative posts and pictures and I thank you too for your friendship and sound advice. I rather thought it would look good on your “awards page”!
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You´re always welcome, girlfriend🙂
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Wow, nominated for the big one – thank you so much – I’m so honored. Congratulations to yourself.
Fantastic new – because you are worth it.
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Thank you, it made me feel like Jennifer Anniston! Well done you too, can’t wait to see what music you choose for this!
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…. I have to choose that music very careful I understand.
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First of all, congratulations with this (very much) deserved award!! I am really happy that you stuck to writing, because you made me laugh out loud so often! We started at the same time, but you seem to have done a much better job than I ever could. (You really should try to get yourself a column in some women’s magazine. Your writing is good enough for it and your unique look on the world makes it interesting to read!)
Anyway, I am extremely honored that you nominated my blog for this award! Thank you so much! I’m gonna sort this out and only wish I could nominate you back! Let’s go for 2013!
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Ohhhh, guess what! I CAN nominate you back, so consider yourself nominated for your second star!!
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Can you believe it’s only seven months since we both started? I have learnt so much and I continue to learn something new every day and possibly gain another blogging friend – ain’t life grand?
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I’m with these guys! I always open your posts as soon as I see them because they are funny, thoughtful and honest. Well done and a big thank you for nominating my blog.
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You are most welcome and it is always nice to hear from you and I do enjoy your people pictures
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Congratulations on your award! Keep up the great work!
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Thank you very much!
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Thanks for introducing me to some cool, new blogs.
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They are an amazing bunch, that’s for sure!
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How absolutely wonderful!!! Congratulations on a well deserved award and congratulations to all those remarkable bloggers who received your nomination!!! We truly have an amazing community…it is a celebration!!!!
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And as I was going to check out all the blogs – I saw mine!!! I am overwhelmed, my dear friend, to be in this esteemed group!!! I am celebrating…friendship, encouragement, hope and our ongoing adventure…
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Gotcha! I really appreciate all the kind advice you have given me over the past six months.
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Piffle! Billy No Mates, my arse… I think not! You are one of the warmest, funniest, most grounded bloggers in the land! So good to see you have been recognised.
Oh – and a big ol’ thank you from down under🙂
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Thank you for always reading, it’s much appreciated and obviously as one of your readers, I wanted to appreciate your work too!
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So many congratulations to you, Dallas. Your writing is so witty, entertaining and very often makes me LOL. Thanks so much for nominating me, I’m honoured. You’ve chosen some of my favourite bloggers too, but I guess that I can nominate them again. Is that how it works? I hope so.
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I think the most important thing is to have some fun with the awards and if you nominate them again, it just demonstrates how we both have great taste! Thank you for all your happy pictures although the thing that will always make me laugh is the image of you being asked to play “Bat Out Of Hell” on the piano!
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Hehehe😆
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Congratulations!
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Thank you Laurie
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Your award is so well deserved. I love seeing a CTTTT notification in my In-Box… you’ve shared your life, given me heaps of laughs, and included a couple of blogs I really like in your nominations🙂
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Laughter has certainly been instrumental in getting me through the last few months and with all of you cheering me on, it’s made the journey an absolute priviledge!
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You deserve every award out there in my book! I’ve enjoyed all your well written antics with Ahmed and his family. I’ve hurt along with you when you’ve hit obstacles… and even those have been faced with courage and fortitude. Congratulations to you and thank you for including me in your award. Just don’t quit writing…😉
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I wanted to thank you too Gunta, for all the rainbows, sunsets, sunrises and stormy skies. I won’t be giving up blogging any time soon as I enjoy the rapport just a tad too much! Where else would I get such amazing advice for free?
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You’re nominated ’cause you’re fantastic, glad I can be part of your readership!
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What a lovely thing to say!
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A very well deserved award, I really enjoy reading your blog, the way you write it is very engaging, easy to read and makes relate to it.
So yeah, congrats.
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Always nice to hear from you Leo. Would you like to add a link and a little bit about your “Movember” challenge and see if we can drum up some more comments for you?
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That’d be really nice, seriously, if you don’t mind to give it a push.
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Write it on the reply and then everyone will know where to comment!
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Here”s what I could think of:
Feel like helping raise founds for the Movember movement without reaching into your pockets? You just need to leave a comment here (link to post) and automatically your comment will turn into 50 cents, it’s like a miracle, you know water to wine, rocks to bread and now comments to money, simply magical.
Feel free to edit it as you please.
Thank you very much, I really appreciate the support.
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Please check out Leo’s Blog Post in aid of Movember – Doggy’s Style – And don’t forget to leave a comment – it’s for a very very good cause!
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Congrats on your award! I enjoy your articles very much🙂
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I am very grateful that you read my blog so thank you!
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Congratulations! So very well deserved.
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That is very kind of you to say! Thank you
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Well done….earned it and owned it!!
*anna
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Thank you Anna – it is always nice to hear from you – loved your post today I could almost smell the sage
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Congrats! Well deserved.
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Thank you very much Phil – enjoyed your pictures today and everytime I see your amazing alligator pictures, I’m singing the song from Peter Pan in my head “never smile at a crocodile…” clearly I have too much time on my hands!
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Congratulations and wow, thank you so much for sending it our way as well. We really appreciate it and love that we found your blog. You keep us crying with laughter.
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I wanted to surprise you all and let you know how much I enjoy all the banter – it really does make my day! And also to say how much I appreciate your work – keep it up as our four-legged friends need all the help they can get
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Congratulations! You so deserve this award. Your voice is fresh and funny, and laced with irony and wisdom. I want to thank you for this really sweet nomination–I am truly honored. I know from several of the names on your list that I am in good company. I look forward to exploring the blogs you recommend. Well done, 2012! Best wishes for the coming year! I know you will shine, as always.
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Well you deserve it and to borrow a slogan from a famous beer commercial all the bloggers here are probably the best bloggers in the world! Thank you for always reading – I love all the banter, it’s what keeps me sane – oh and excellent Veteran’s Day post btw
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I’m honored, and especially since I read several of those other blogs you listed and to be in company with them is truly exciting! Thank you for always reading and commenting and occasionally peeing yourself (whether over my blog or a squat toilet😉 ). You are a wonderful inspiration to the blogging community!❤
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Thank you Marla, you are very kind! But I have to say that I still haven’t stopped laughing over your post tonight though! I will never again think of Starbucks in the same way!
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Your writing is always so clear of thought and clean of line, with good energy and humour. A big congrats and keep the flow agoing🙂
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Thank you very much; sometimes I wish I were a little more creative like all of you but as long as someone’s reading, I’ll carry on writing!
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Oh yes please! 🙂
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congratulations on the award! I am looking forward to exploring your blog – and so many other ones you have listed too that are new to me – think I’d better take the day off to explore them all!
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Thank you and I have to thank you for inviting me to be part of your community; you must have put and continue to put a lot of hard work and thought into the award. I am very proud to be part of it!
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you’re welcome – nice to have you aboard!🙂
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Dallas, you have a HUGE following, and it would take me hours to read all the comments above. Thanks so much for giving me this honor, and I will try to fulfill my responsibility! xoxox Kaye
http://www.youtube.com/user/kittrellkaye
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Good Morning Kaye! Admittedly, I’m fortunate enough to have some lovely bloggers reading and those I follow. You’ll do great, have some fun with the award and I look forward to reading your post
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WOW!!! What a surprise when I opened up this morning and found your “Gotcha” I love following your adventures and you have such a great way with words, must be that dry Yorkshire wit from your Dad… Anyway a big congratulations, I really feel honoured to be up there with all those other talented bloggers and now I look forward to slowly working my way through the new ones you have brought to my attention with the award list. I will be travelling on my own with Matilda when I go to pick her up next week so it will be a great way to while away the evenings (assuming I am in a Wifi area…)
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You and Matilda stay safe and I look forward to reading all your adventures on the road and your awards post – well done
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You have set a high standard in your Awards post reply. I will have to think about it for a while. Sort of ruminate!!!!
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You’re the best!
Congratulations & Thank you🙂
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Hope you’re feeling a bitter better Maggie and I look forward to reading your post – have some fun with it! I did!
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Thanks Dallas, I really need some fun.
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Well deserved! And I can’t wait to check out your recommendations!🙂
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Thank you Jill – are you still at home?
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Yep – but finally found a job! (after 4 months – but something is much better than nothing!) Making plans for what’s on the menu next. Work for a while, save up money to move. Probably what you’re up to too yes?
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Congratulations on your well-deserved award and thank you very much for passing it along. I am glad you stuck with writing, as you are truly gifted. I hope this blog will serve as a catalyst to your future writing gigs. I am already a fan. 🙂
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Thanks Grace, we’ve been following each other for quite some time now haven’t we? I’m going to keep up with the writing even though I’m working unsociable shifts in my old job – it’s the only thing that keeps me sane!
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Congratulations! And ditto to all the above. Your posts are fresh and funny and I so look forward to reading them🙂 Truly touched and honoured to be included in your list. Thank you so much!
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Of course, you would be included, I’m a big fan of your work and wish I could take photographs like you!
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First, congrats. Well deserved you are such fun to read taking on us with you on your journey. Next thank you so much for a list of blogs I don’t follow, now I can discover voices I haven’t heard!
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Thank you and I have to say all the blogs I follow are very very different but actually all very good as well! Was a real challenge just nominating a few but I have a few more nominations up my sleeve!
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you really deserved this award🙂 love reading your blog
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Thank you very much for saying so!
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i nominated you too now🙂
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Bless you – had a really s**t day today so I’m kinda choked right now!
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then i’m even more happy having written the post today🙂
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Pingback: It’s been quite a year « flyawayhomebook
Congratulations! And definitely very well deserved!
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Why thank you very much!
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Pingback: Blog of the Year « La Vida Loca
Hey, does anyone know how to display the badge on their blog? I’m a bit of a dunce at this stuff. Thanks, again, Dallas, love you and your blog (and you’ve got quite a following now!!), and so glad you found me way back in the spring!🙂 – Kaye
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