The Liebster Award

Okay - this post isn't about wine. There is no need to worry - I haven't woken up and decided that maybe abstemiousness is my next life style choice. Indeed, there is a bottle of strawberry wine in the fridge to finish off. However, my lovely fellow Medieval Studies MA friend, Lucy has given me a Liebster Award. The idea behind this is below - and it is a little like a chain letter. Generally I am opposed to 'pass it on' type things - all those endless posts on Facebook about 'Repost this if you have ever tripped over and hurt yourself or know someone who has' are tedious. But this Liebster Award has already resulted in my blog being read by several other people. What you should first do is have a look at Lucy's blog, Offally Good - which is all about cooking and eating offal, and is brilliantly written. Some people think I am adventurous with food. I pale in comparison to Lucy.

Right - here are the rules:

• Link back to the person who gave it to you and thank them.
• Post the award to your blog.
• Give the award to five bloggers with less than 200 followers who you appreciate and value (please do not be offended by this, I don’t think you have less than 200 followers I am sending on some blog love because I think your blog is great!)
• Let your award winners know!

And here are my five people (in no particular order):

Firstly, Carol Dance and her blog 'Believe You Me'. It causes me to emit loud guffaws that have Claire running into the room wondering what is going on. Carol has such a distinctive writing style, and things just seem to happen to her. Like two other of my 'awardees', she has not posted for a while - and I trust this is temporary. Carol - if you are reading this - please come back.

Secondly, my good friend (though we have never met), Dave Dealey and his take on living on an Irish small holding, Northsider. Dave is funny and poignant, and is a regular follower of my blog. He has a book out - also published by Good Life Press - called Archie Sparrow's Book of Useful Tips to Beat the Recession - with Baling String.

My third award is to a blogger who I suspect has shut up shop, which is a real shame. However, his blog is so good and so interesting, that you should look all the way through his archives. He is Ars Brevis, and he writes intelligently about both famous and obscure pieces of art - giving a snapshot of their cultural history and how they are relevant to an issue today - either political or personal. It is quite simply brilliant.

Fourth on this list in no particular order is to possibly one of the best unpublished (to my knowledge) writers that I have come across on the blogosphere. I don't know her name; I only know her as Dysnomia (actually until just now, I knew her as Dysomnia, but I realise that I have been getting her name wrong since I started reading the blog). Her writing is just so beautiful, and thoughtful. It is full of literature and cadence, and I wish that I had a third of her talent. As with Carol, she hasn't posted recently, but I hope that she comes back. Dysnomia - you are missed in this corner of Leeds.

Finally a blog that I keep on meaning to read far more than I actually do. It is 'Beekeeping and Homebrewing' and essentially does what it says on the tin. But does so in an entertaining and informative way, and with fabulous photos. On Ian's most recent post, you can see a bee licking nectar. This blog is well worth a read, and the author lives a hop, skip and jump away in Wakefield.

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