I’ve something different for my blog post today. It’s called the Liebster Blog Award.

My friend, Ailsa Abraham, nominated me for the Liebster Award. Apparently in German that means loved one, or favorite See Ailsa’s blog here

This award is all about answering questions on your blog and is also a game of “tag you’re it”.

All that’s needed is to read the rules, play the game and then check out some blog links of other players.

Rules:
1. You must tell 11 things about yourself by answering the questions your nominator gives you.
3. Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate.
4. Choose new blogs with fewer than 200 followers and link them to your post.
5. If you’re nominated, please leave a comment on this post with the URL of your Liebster Award post.

And now for my answers to the questions Ailsa has asked me and three other people.

1 What was your favourite subject at school and did you pursue it in later life?

English – Do I have to say more!

2 If I were providing the money, what household task would you PAY someone else to do?

Ironing? No – because I’m careful to buy drip dry clothes. Dusting and hoovering – absolutely yes.

3 What is the best meal you have ever eaten?

A good hot Indian curry

4 What is your own worst culinary disaster?

Rice. I just cannot cook rice. Probably because I don’t have the patience to stand and watch it as it reaches the critical point. However, I’m lucky to have a husband who does just that.

5 How many jobs have you had and which did you like most or least? Why?

My best job was bringing up my family. ‘Nuff said.

I’ve mostly worked for myself – so don’t count those as jobs. My worst nightmare was five years as Head of Computer Studies at a leading secondary school in Kenya. Talk about a round peg in a square hole… But it’s a job I am most proud of myself for sticking out. It achieved its purposes, which was to bring the Computer Dept. up to standard, and educate my youngest son.

Other than that, I suppose I’ve had about 7-8 different jobs in my life.

6 What is your favourite way to spend a weekend?

Curled up in an armchair with a good book; going out for a walk; and judging dressage for an Event at a beautiful country estate somewhere in the South of England; going to church; Oh, and if there’s a tennis match on the telly, I wouldn’t want to miss that.

7 If you could be a character in a book, who would you be?

Alice in Wonderland

8 I’m giving a fancy dress party. What / Who are you going to come as?

I hate fancy dress parties. Anything which is easy to hand, and causes the least bother, will do.

9 Which character from history would you assassinate if you could?

Stalin

10 What is your favourite period from history and why?

The Russian Revolution – shades of Tolstoy, I suppose. And the romance of early communism before it became contaminated. I’ve lost count of the times I read Doctor Zhivago, and saw the film, and I’ve read the whole of War & Peace.

11 How did you meet your partner? If not paired up, how long have you known your best friend?

I was a young widow, with a guest house accommodating a staid married couple in a unit at the back, their teenage son, and two other paying guests – single women of my age.

They were going to a party one Saturday night and urged me to come with them. I couldn’t, because of my three children. The married couple thoroughly disapproved of such gallivanting, and didn’t volunteer to babysit, even though the children never woke up in the night. But their son was more accommodating, and he was in our part of the house. We locked the door between the two sections, as was the custom, and the girls made a great show of departing in their car while I sneaked out of the front door and hopped in as they passed down the drive.

And at the party, there was this languid, muscly rugby player, tall, dark –  admittedly with a broken nose – lounging across an armchair, a mug of beer in his hand. He’d represented Kenya as a hooker, and had a divine sense of rhythm on the tiny dance floor…

At breakfast the following morning, Mrs.C. breezed in.

“And how was the party last night?”

I stopped myself in time, and glanced towards the closed doors of the girls’ bedrooms.

“I don’t know – they haven’t got up yet; but I expect they had a good time.”

And now – my turn for questions –  

1.  How long have you been blogging for, and how easy do you find it?

2.  Which of the social networking platforms works best for you, and why?

3.  Are there any books or writers who have influenced you?

4.  What is your favourite pastime?

5.  Describe one of the best moments of your life…

6.  … and the worst?

7.  What is your wildest dream?

8.  What is your least favourite daily task?

9.  If you could morph into any animal, what would it be, and why?

10.  How did you meet your spouse / partner / best friend?

11.  If you could sum yourself up in one word, what would it be?

Now to tag four others …  please dont forget to leave a comment on this post with the URL of your Liebster Award post.

Susan Finlay

Zanna Mackenzie

AJ Vosse

Maggie Secara