The Cottage Smallholder

Over the past month I’ve been delighted to receive some blogging awards. I had wondered how bloggers got awards and discovered that they are given by other bloggers. If you are lucky to receive an award you are then able to pass the award on to others. Each of the awards came at just the right moment for me. We have been going through a pretty difficult phase, just wall to wall work and stress with very little time for fun. So each of the awards was a wonderful surprise that buoyed me up enormously.

Now it is time to pass these awards on. All the blogs listed give me enormous pleasure to read. I often find myself thinking about the lives that they reflect.

In July Joanna from Joanna’s Food nominated me for Blogger for Positive Global Change award for my decision not to buy flowers for a year. When I read the link to the post that describes her husband’s heart attack, I must admit that I cried as the piece was so moving. Joanna’s Food is a good sound blog, sharing recipes with a healthy heart slant and reflections on her life. I spent a great afternoon recently reading her account of her summer holiday. The writing is so good that I almost felt that I was there with them all.

I would like to give this award to Amanda at Little Foodies, whose vibrantl blog is a virtual culinary journey around the world so as to introduce her children (and her readers) to other cultures and their food. A fabulous voyage without the airmiles.

Should she wish, the nominee may now proudly display the BPGC badge on her blog. If any nominee has someone in mind that they’d like to nominate in turn, just be sure to pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging.

The participation rules are simple:

1. When you get tagged, write a post with links to up to 5 blogs that you think are trying to change the world in a positive way.
2. In your post, make sure you link back to this post at Climate of our Future so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3. Leave a comment or message for the bloggers you’re tagging, so they know they’re now part of the meme.
4. Optional: Proudly display the “Bloggers For Positive Global Change” award badge with a link to the post that you write up

August has been a bountiful month, award wise for me

Amanda at Little Foodies generously awarded me
The Thoughtful Blogger Award is for “those who answer blog comments, emails, and make their visitors feel at home on their blogs. For the people who take others’ feelings into consideration before speaking out and who are kind and courteous. Also for those bloggers who spend so much of their time helping other bloggers design, improve, and fix their sites. This award is for those generous bloggers who think of others.”

The Power of Schmooze Award is for bloggers who “effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello – all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship.”

Thanks so much Amanda! I would like to pass on these two awards, in no particular order, to:

Lynn at Prim’s Place in Spring Valley. I often find myself thinking about this blog. It has many fun elements (such as the growth of the giant squash) and a lot of heartfelt content too. Lynn’s dream is to have land and a homestead.
Sara at Farming Friends . This blog is a real down to earth breath of fresh air. I have learnt so much from it as it is packed with useful, highly readable interesting information. Sara co hosted of Interblog Guinea Fowl Breeding Event.
Richard at Superfood. Richard’s love of food and cooking just glows from every post that he writes.
Joanna at Joanna’s Food. This blog is always worth visiting. If this blog was a book it would be beside my bed.

Lynn at Prim’s Place in Spring Valley nominated me for the Nice Matters Award. Prim’s Place is a great gardening blog with a few peeks at life beyond the garden fence. A thoroughly good read. Thank you, Lynn for this, it came at just the right moment. Oops I nearly forgot that Sara at Farming Friends also gave me this award a few days ago, I really appreciated being picked. Thank you.

I would like to pass on this award, in no particular order, to:
Pat at Pat’s Food Blog. Pat’s warmth and love of food (and Brian) comes across in all her posts. A generous spirited blog.
Ash at Stitched in Holland. A wonderful mix of cooking, an African childhood and Dutch life. Her gardening blog is good too.
Richard at Not a Proper Farmer. A relatively new self sufficiency blog that shows promise. Update: October 2009 – Noit a Proper Farmer has since vanished which is a shame.

Pat at Pat’s Food Blog, gave me the creative blogger award. Thank you Pat, I really appreciated this award. I’d like to pass this award on to these great blogs, in no particular order:
Lobstersquad One of the first fun foodie blogs that I found and have been reading for the past year or so. Energetic Ximena, writes about food and life in Madrid and illustrates her posts with her wonderful drawings.
Food on the Food This is a superb blog written by a freelance writer in the US. Tammy gives us a wonderful quirky mix of recipes and life.
Purple Podded Peas This is a relatively new blog. Celia is a freelance illustrator and amongst other things lover of chickens, food and gardens. Well worth a visit.
Kate Smudges Kate’s garden is delightful and I love what she is doing to the walls of her house.

Gosh, it’s like the Oscars!