MarySmith’sPlace: The Blogger Recognition Award – A thank you to bloggers who support so generously.

I am delighted to have been nominated by author and blogging star Sally Cronin and by author Jessica Norrie for the Blogger Recognition Award. I was going to nominate Jessica but she beat me to it but I still want to thank her for her support.

This gives me the opportunity to thank some of the wonderful bloggers out there who have supported me and my blog. If you have already been nominated on another blog (bound to have happened because like the ‘coo’s tail’ I’m always behind) then you know you are an extra special supporter.

If you have an award-free blog or are simply too busy (not many sleeps left until the big day) there is no need to participate so participation is optional. I simply want to say thank you to people for their support and let them know how much they are appreciated.

Sally made her own award plaque and, not being as technologically savvy, I have copied it.

First there are a few guidelines attached to the award should you wish to participate….

My thanks of course to Sally Cronin and Jessica Norrie for nominating me.

Rules:

1. Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
   2. Write a post to show your award.
   3. Give a brief story of how your blog started.
   4. Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
   5. Select up to fifteen bloggers you want to give this award to.
   6. Comment (or pingback) on each blog to let them know that you’ve nominated them and provide a link to the post you’ve created.

How My Blog Started:

For a few years I was posting about my dad when he had dementia, his wife left him and I moved in to care for him. I often wanted to post about other things but felt it should be in a separate place and so MarySmith’sPlace began on 28 December, 2017. Here’s a link to the very first post. It’s a bit of an eclectic mixture of stories from when I worked in Afghanistan to walking in Scotland, from local history to an annual blog about bunions (not mine, I am fortunate not to have any).

Give Two Pieces of Advice to New Bloggers:

1. Think carefully about why you want to blog – if you hope it will help to sell thousands of your books, don’t bother. It won’t. Blogging should be fun so don’t beat yourself up if you can’t manage to post every day or even every week. If it becomes a chore to you, take a break.
2. Do respond to comments people leave on your posts – the interaction with people from all around the world (many of whom become ‘real’ friends) is one of the things which makes blogging so much fun.

Select up to 15 Bloggers:  If you have already participated, or don’t want to, don’t worry – this is just a thank you for your support.

Author Barb Taub  is one of the funniest bloggers around – she’ll make you spit your coffee all over your keyboard

Author and blogger and a great supporter of indie authors and bloggers Marcia Meara

Lynn Otty – poet and short story writer

Pete Johnson with his wonderful dog, Ollie blogs at:

Author Janet Gogerty blogs at Tidal Scribe.

The lovely Willow is a wonderful supporter of my blog – many thanks, Willow.

James Cudneyis an author, blogger, book reviewer – and a huge supporter of indie authors

Maggie’s lovely blog at Cave Walls is well worth a visit

The next few bloggers, as well as supporting my blog, are responsible for my tbr pile reaching a monstrous height:

Liz Lloyd

Alison Williams

Jessica Norrie

Rosie Amber

Jill’s Book Café 

Cathy Ryan

I could go on adding to this list but I know some of those I’d like to thank for their support – such as Sue Vincent who has shown me tremendous support over the years – have already been presented with the award by other bloggers so, a huge thank you to everyone who should be on this list and whose support I truly value.

MarySmith’sPlace – #BloggersBash

As usual, I’m way behind – like the cow’s tail – posting about the 5^th Bloggers Bash held on 15^th June in London at the Grange Wellington Hotel. This was the same venue as two years ago, last time I went to the Bash, so it was good to be able to find my way there.

I’m a dreadful wimp about travelling around in London. Plonk me in the middle of Karachi or Kabul and I have no problems. If lost, just ask someone and they’ll direct you, or even take you, to where you want to go. Ask in London and the odds are the person is just visiting. As for the Underground! That map, all those lines. Glasgow’s is circular with an inner and outer line so you can’t possibly get lost.

Anyway, I arrived in my usual state of trepidation to be greeted with warm hugs by Sacha, Hugh, Geoff and Adam and within seconds there were more hugs and greeting from other bloggers and I knew it was all going to be just fine.

Sacha started the ball rolling with her welcome speech on this, the fifth Bloggers Bash (and my third). Throughout the day we had two interesting speakers, a Q&A session, a flatlay workshop and, of course, the ABBA award winners were announced. You can find a list of all the winners here.

The first speaker was award-winning blogger Laura Creaven

whose blog Full to the Brum is a food and drinks blog focussing on eating places in and around Birmingham. Since starting her blog she’s been on radio, television and written for a supermarket magazine. She blogs about restaurants she has enjoyed eating in, including burger joints – burgers were mentioned quite often. I went to check out her blog but as I write this it is currently offline for maintenance but when it’s back, it’s here.

Author Gemma Todd (G X Todd) talked about her writing journey,

which started with a childhood without books in the house but led to her being offered a four book deal with Headline Publishing. The books are in her ‘Voices’ series (she says she will never commit to writing a series again) and the reason the publishers use her initial rather than her full name on the cover is because some readers of fantasy/sci-fi won’t buy a book by a woman! Gemma’s blog is here.

Esther, Shelley and Laura headed up an interesting and helpful Q&A panel.

Then Suzie and Sacha presented a Flatlay workshop.

Suzie and Sacha

It’s a method of creating an image for promotional purposes. A collection of items are laid out on a flat surface with the photo taken from above. For example, it might be the book cover with an assortment of items linked to the story. Suzie and Sacha talked about Instagram which I don’t do but I can see how it would work on Facebook just as well and on a blog.

The best bit of the day, of course was having the chance to catch up with existing blogging friends and meet new ones.

Geoff presenting Ritu with the Best Book Blogger award. Ritu also makes the most delicious cakes!

A lovely smiling Shelley

 

Sherri, Ritu and Marje

 

April on the left in pink, Eloise on the right – and I don’t know names for the other three in this rather random pic.

Willow with the amazing sparkling eyes and Marje

Where else but at the Bloggers Bash could I be involved in a serious conversation which contained guinea pigs, time travel and technology all in the one sentence? Thank you, Jemima.

The worst bit of the day was not having time to talk to everyone for long enough. And realising, too late, I kept forgetting to take photos – and some I did take had a serious outbreak of fuzziness to apologies to Graeme – and thanks for the drink.

Hugh on stage

Sherri, Hugh and Marje enjoying a joke. There was a lot of laughter throughout the day.

 

MarySmith’sPlace #Awards: The Sunshine Blogger Award

I’m delighted to say I received the Sunshine Blogger Award in in February 2019 from Rob Goldstein at Art by Rob Goldstein.

Rob started his blog in 2013 to advocate for himself and other people with trauma related mental health problems. He is informative, writing with honesty and clarity and inspirational. Over the years his blog has evolved and includes his own poetry and other writing, digital art and photography.

The Sunshine Blogger Award is a peer appreciation award given to bloggers who are creative, positive, and inspiring, while spreading sunshine to the blogging community.

Thank you to Rob

The Rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you in a blog post and make a link back to their blog.

Answer the 11 questions sent to you by the person who nominated you.

Nominate up to 11 new blogs to receive the award, and then write them 11 new questions – or cheat like I did and use the same questions 🙂

List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or your blog

Here are the questions I received and my answers:

What was the driving force behind the creation of your blog?

I have two blogs: My Dad’s a Goldfish and MarySmith’sPlace  I started the Goldfish blog when I moved in with my father who had dementia. I began it as a way of recording and processing what was happening in Dad’s life and my own. It was also a way of being able to keep my writing muscle working when I found I had no time nor creativity for my own writing. I started MarySmith’sPlace because I wanted somewhere to blog about non-dementia related things – exploring the countryside around me, holidays, stories from when I worked overseas.

What was your vision for your future in blogging/writing when you first started this blog? How has that vision evolved?

I don’t think I had any particular vision when I started the Goldfish blog other than recording the ups and down of living with someone with dementia – and maybe to connect with others in a similar situation. It was quite a lonely place to be. I was delighted when it came apparent the blog resonated with many people who were affected by dementia, either going through the same process as I was (often with a spouse rather than a parent) told me they found my stories helpful. Their comments made me realise I was not on my own in this situation and feel it was worth continuing.

MarySmith’sPlace is a baby still. I’ve only been blogging on it for a year. It’s still settling in and deciding what it wants to be.

What age were you when you realized you loved writing?

About ten, scribbling stories in notebooks. Probably plagiarised from authors such as Enid Blyton.

How has your life changed as a result of the electronic age? Is it better/worse/the same?

Better. I love being able to connect with people all over the world, some of whom have become real friends.

What was the very last website you visited today?

HughsViewsandNews  He reposted a post he wrote some time ago on keeping blogging fun and not feeling guilty when you can’t manage to read and comment on the blog posts of bloggers you follow – or not posting as often as you think you should. Sometimes, the guilt threatens to overwhelm me so I need a reminder from Hugh that blogging should be fun!

What was the first website you visited when you woke up four days ago?

I don’t remember.

If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be?

My lack of self-confidence.

How would your life be different today if that one thing from your past were to change?

I would have achieved more.

If you have children, tell me…how did your parenting change from the time you had your first child until the time you had your last?

I’ve only had one child so I don’t know how my parenting would have changed.

Tell me about the funniest experience you’ve had in the past month.

Getting ready for bed one night, sitting on the loo still swishing mouthwash round my mouth – bulging cheeks, contorted mouth, loud swishing noises – when the cat wandered in, took one look and fled as though confronted by the world’s scariest monster. Of course, I laughed. Have you any idea how far mouthwash can spray across a bathroom floor?

What do you have planned for the upcoming holiday season?

We always have our first picnic of the year at Easter. Anything from a dozen to twenty of us, all ages from babies to nonagenarian meet up at a local beach. We roll our painted eggs down a hill seeing whose lasts the longest before it cracks, collect wood, light a fire, toast marshmallows and catch up with each other’s news.

If I nominate you and you have an award free blog, please view the nomination as a compliment: you are under no obligation to respond. My questions are the same as those posed to me.

My eleven nominees:

Sally Cronin

Darlene Foster

Barb Taub

Shelley Wilson

Lucinda Clarke

D.G. Kaye

Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo

Beetley Pete

Brigid Gallacher

Cathy at Between the Lines Book Blog

Lizanne at Lost in a Good Book