Liebster Blog Award!

One of the very best things to come from running my blog has been the resulting blogging friends that I have made from all aound the world; it's great that technology even helps overcome my poor understanding of other languages. From my armchair I can: go on a stroll and see amazing birds on Florida Beach, receive helpful tips with my painting technique, gain huge encouragement from those enjoying life to the full even despite living with major health challenges or sharing in the wonderful faith of others.

However in this particular post I wish to express an especially huge 'thank you' to one of the most talented of all these friends, Sonia Aguiar. A big thanks because she has honoured me with an award! I can't remember the last time I received an award for anything! !  Sonia's blog is so worth a visit; she is a fabulous and versatile artist who can convey so much with so few brush strokes and she manages to combine great compositional structure with wonderful freedom.

As I understand it, there are a couple of rules to the Liebster Blog Award. I have to say five things about me that I've never said on my blog before and I can then pass this award onto five more bloggers with less than 200 followers (but if you're mentioned below and don't wish to continue it on that's fine by me). So here goes:

1) I don't like honey yet I love honey-roast ham and mead.
2) I enjoy doing puzzles such as crosswords or sudoku when I go to bed or wake up.
3) I love singing choral music (I'm a Bass).
4) I love travelling on boats and visiting islands (but I don't fly!).
5) My favourite flower is Ipomoea.

The five blogs I would like to pass on this award to are:
1) Shysongbird who combines her photography, nature knowledge, poetry and prose in such a delightful and entertaining way. She also takes so much genuine interest in other people.
2) Breathtaking - quite simply the title of her blog is the perfect description of her own photography which is unsurpassed by any other blog I know.
3) Karenbruson. Karen is an inspirational artist who has the amazing ability to use colour tones to convey endless subtle or dramatic effects of light.
4) Aaselindart. Her blog is full of such vibrant paintings. As well as her own work, she highlights real gems by completely new artists to me.
5) Annsart. One of my absolute favourite parts of Britain is North Devon and I only have to look in on Anns blog to get a real taste of what it must like to live there as an artist. Ann is such a versatile artist and can produce such beautiful work using sometimes the most surprising tools and media.

Lastly, I'd just like to say that although I visit these and other blogs regularly, I'm sorry that I'm not always great at leaving comments. So a big thanks for your fabulous posts, I get so much pleasure from looking at all of them! Jerry.