Tails From Provence

I’ve never received an award before and this week I was awarded not one but TWO Liebster Blog awards.  Thanks Aoife and Allie!

HOW TO ACCEPT THE AWARD: The Liebster Blog Award is a way to recognise blogs who have less than 200 followers.  Liebster is a German word that means beloved and valued.  Here are the rules for accepting the award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and include a link back to their blog.
2. List 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions given to you.
4. Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate.
5. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or fewer followers to nominate and include links to their blogs.
6. Go to each blogger’s page and let them know you have nominated them.

Eleven Random Facts About Me

1. I drink a big mug of Barry’s tea every morning
2. I am reputed to be distantly related by marriage to Baron von Richthofen
3. I have hairy toes, I think I am part hobbit
4. I’m crap at giving injections.  It gives me the willies.
5. I worked in Wildwood, NJ as a waitress and as a chambermaid for a summer
6. I fail to see the purpose in seafood (or should that be porpoise?)
7. I want to visit New Zealand some day
8. I used to have a crazy ‘fro but the menopause has succeeded where years of attempted straightening failed and and I now have straight, fuzzy, grey-y/blondish hair
9. I can’t eat chocolate (it triggers migraines)
10. I detest Brussels Sprouts
11. I love toffee

Eleven Questions For Me

Some of Allie’s and Aoife’s questions were similar, so I’ve kind of amalgamated the two.

1. What’s your earliest horse-related memory and have you photographs from the early days to share? (Please say yes & post them!)

Sorry no photos, but a good memory :

I’m on holiday in Glenbeigh in Co Kerry but I’ve no idea how old I am.  Maybe six?  My mum had promised that there would be pony trekking.  I thought she said pony trapping, so I wasn’t at all sure what was going to happen… We went to a farm where there were lots of horses and ponies and I rode a little black pony called Pebbles on a trek.  I don’t remember the trek but I remember sitting there looking at her mane (it fell on both sides of her neck) and her little pricked ears in a kind of happy daze.  I already “liked” horses, but this was the nail in the coffin – I was hooked.
2. Have you any pets? If yes names & info please 😉

Two dogs; Cinnamon, who is some sort of  Jack Russell Terrible/Chihuahua cross and Cookie, who seems to be a Jack Russell Terrible/Whippet-on-speed cross.  In theory, I still own two black cats called Fatty and Skinny but the people who are renting our house look after them.

3. What was your first horse called? Tell us a bit about them, age/breed/disciplines worked on together…

My first horse was a crazy chestnut bitch mare called Trixie.  She was a four year old  Irish Sport Horse who had just been broken, totally unsuitable as a first horse.  She was described as “athletic” which actually meant that she specialised in bucking.  She once got me off three times in the space of fifteen minutes.  She destroyed my nerve and the LSH took her over because he was braver than me but she nearly killed him out hunting and we sold her to a dealer.
4. Have you ever ridden a horse on a beach/in the sea?

Yes.  Just a couple of times, once on a hired horse in Co Mayo years ago and once (or twice) on Aero’s Mum.

5. What is your favorite non horsey thing to do?

Ehhh it seems that would be blogging, judging by how much time I spend at it.

6. How do your friends/family/significant other feel about your horse obsession (because we all know, we are obsessed)?

When I was growing up, bewildered is the only word that describes how my family felt about my obsession.  When I was young, I chose my friends carefully, so that most of them were similarly afflicted.  The LSH was curious to see what the attraction was and (evil cackle) he got hooked too!  Although not as badly as me, it must be said.

7. What is one thing with horses that you would like to try that you have not done?

Driving!  Never done it, would love to have a go!  Hmm, or Western… but I think Driving if I had to pick one over the other.

8. Describe your horse in three words.

Flurry : The Incredible Bulk / Aero : Wimpy Mr Muscle Guy (sorry, that’s four words)

Enough horsey questions!
9. Do you live to work or work to live?

The LSH works so I can live 😉

10. Have you traveled to other countries? If yes, which ones?

US, Canada, UK, Holland, Germany, Belgium,( possibly Luxembourg, not sure, Aoife!), Austria, Italy, Spain, France, Portugal.
11. Have you read Fifty Shades of Grey? 

Yes.  Much to my daughters’ embarrassment.

11 Questions for my Nominees

1. My-Nom-in-Ees, do-doo-be-dooby….. did you just sing that in your head?
2. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten and would you eat it again?
3. If you weren’t into horses, what would your favourite sport be? (If you’re not into horses, what’s your favourite sport?)
4. Do you have hairy toes?
5. Did you just take off your shoes and socks to check?
6. Seriously, though… did you have a pet/pets growing up?  Species/Names/Quirks please
7. Do you tan, burn, freckle or none of these?
8. Tea, coffee or hot chocolate? Or what?
9. Would you ever eat horse meat?  Even in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust?
10. What’s the furthest you’ve ever travelled?
11. How would you feel if you were told Blogging has been banned from the internet?

Phew!  Now for the hard part – nominate 11 blogs….

I’ve gone for blogs I like & read which I hope haven’t been Liebster’ed yet :

1. She Cuts Paper – a brand new blog from someone I’ve been watching on Facebook for a while, she makes the most amazing paper cut-out art
2. What Kayti Did Next – Kayti blogs about her life in the wilds of Scotland with her collies, hens and all the animals she babysits
3. Life IC and Me – FM blogs about her horse Finlay and her  battle with interstitial cystitis with a wry humour
4. Borrowing Freedom – Irene suffers from ME but she doesn’t let it stop her from learning to ride and helping at horse events.
5. Ride With No Eyes – Marie has been blind from birth but is learning to ride.  She has cantered bareback in an open field – BRAVE!! (or nuts?)
6. Skyfaxa – Helen is another expat in France but she’s still at the “got kids” stage of life.  We’re parallel but different.
7. Travels with Harley  – Lisa and her partner are happy hackers with a couple of OTTBs.  Not a recipe for an easy life…
8. The Wide Angle Cafe – I’d be divorced if I didn’t include this one.  Come to think of it, I might be divorced when he has to come up with 11 questions for his nominees.
9. Maddi at Uni – Maddi is even younger than my kids so her blog is a lot of fun!
10. Janes Juggle – Jane has a young baby, works, is getting back into eventing & is breaking a pony.  She clearly hasn’t got enough to do, so she blogs as well.
11. My Shetland – Frances blogs  every day with amazing photos of Shetland and her Shetland ponies and Icelandic horses.  (I might be breaking the “less than 200 followers” rule here but shhhh we’ll say nothing, I love her blog!)

I found a lot of these through HayNet, a friendly social Network for Horsey bloggers and readers.  Drop in and say hi!