A recent article on SMH introduced me to Dunbar’s Number “the maximum number of friends a human can have at any one time” apparently 150 on average, of which 5 to 7 are intimate relationships increasing in layers of lessening intimacy up to a maximum of 1500 people including all and sundry who we don’t know personally but recognise e.g. fellow commuters, celebrities…
In 2012 I met a whole new world of people via blogging. They have become in effect my virtual neighbours, booting out a whole lot of actual people who took up places in that 1500 without adding much value.
Like everyone I have plans and dreams but they were neglected and didn’t have much flesh on them. They needed a good feed. Gradually I picked my way through WordPress Community Garden, tasting then feasting upon the wonderful produce on offer. Now my plans and dreams are fat and bursting with detail and ideas.
Richard of The Future Is Papier Mâché generously handed out nominations for a swag of awards at the end of 2012, including nominating elladeewords for Very Inspiring Blogger, Sisterhood of the World Bloggers, Gargie Award and Blog of the Year 2012, to which I’m only now happily if belatedly responding, due to a holiday hiatus and back to the real world distractions.
Of those awards Gargie and Blog of the Year 2012 are new to elladeewords. I’m honoured to accept, and pass on my nominations for both awards below with pithy details of how these bloggers over the course of 2012 fed my plans and dreams, and empowered my journey by their posts, and responses to mine. It wouldn’t surprise if me all of them have been previously nominated for Blog of the Year 2012… they’re that good!
Buried Words and Bushwa’s Metan inspires me by radiating love of life and more often than not giving me a laugh.
Clouds moving in’s Roughseas inspires me to be an informed thinker and consumer of life. The Roughseas blog broadens my world by generously sharing eclectic thoughts & knowledge, insights into Gib & Spanish life, and she also has Pippadog, Land Rovers & Pics blogs.
dadirridreaming’s Christine inspires to me strive for the life I want.
Dianne Gray inspires me with her brilliant writing and attitude to life including giving up her day job and old life to move to North Queensland.
East of Málaga’s Marianne inspires me by her gift of sharing the life and colour of Spain.
Fig Jam & Lime Cordial’s Celia inspires me with her flair for living, food, family & friends but her post about empowerment touched me, because she has empowered me.
from the Bartolini kitchens’ ChgoJohn inspires me with food, glorious food prepared with big helpings of generosity and joy.
Kourtney Heintz’s Journal inspires me by sharing her journey of writing and publishing, book reviews, and kills me with Grandma H. stories.
Leanne Cole Photography inspires me with her artistry and persistence in pursuing her ambitions.
Lori’s Lane inspires me with her wisdom.
My Bright Life inspires me by love of the coast, which I share, and insights into life in South Africa.
Paralaxvu inspires me with her compassion, honesty and wicked sense of humour.
Pete Denton inspires me with his dedication to writing, goals and book reviews.
Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge inspires me with her clever interpretation of social and community issues & interests, missives from RC Cat and canine perspectives of Molly & The German.
Postcard Cafe‘s Nigel inspires me with his passion for Sheffield street art.
Robyn Coyle inspires me with her writing skills and comedic flair, and shares tools that assist me to be more comfortable and confident in my writing space.
RumpyDog’s household inspires me by their dedication to animal welfare and rights, and beguiles me with unbearable cuteness.
The Future Is Papier Mâché’s Richard inspires with his enthusiasm for photography, books and music, and appreciation of urban landscapes and its inhabitants.
The Kitchens Garden’s Celi inspires me with her sustainable living & food commitment and her energy, and delights me with the Farmy cast.
The Wanderlust Gene inspires me with her passion for life in Sri Lanka, love of the Misses Kotte, and remarkable archive of images.
Vics Pics and More inspires me with her walks and travels with dogs Jasper & Sal.
Walking with a Smacked Pentax inspires me by taking me to into stunning timeless landscapes, and dark deep places.
Even if it takes me a while to get to them I like to find time to respond to award nominations because I value the nomination and the effort that has gone in to passing it on. Roughseas recently shared a link which makes a good technical point about awards and possible flow on benefits if you find such things useful.
Come On In Patsy Cline
“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” Ruth Reichl
Gargie Award Rules:
1. Display the award badge as prominently on your site as you are inclined.
2. Publish a post to inform the world of your great achievement… in your own good time.
3. Nominate fellow bloggers… who you have great bloggy affection for.
4. Indicate to your nominees that they have received the award… by whatever means is most convenient.
Blog of the Year 2012 Rules:
1. Select another blog or other blogs who deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award;
2. Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award;
3. Include a link back to this post ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award at the Thought Palette and provide these ‘rules’ in your post; (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!) link lost in transition
4. Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them;
5. You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience; link lost in transition
6. As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars. not for me but if you wish…
(italics indicate elladee variations)
daleleelife101.blog 
an honour to be in your Dunbars Number Elladee !!! I love your blog because it is so unique, only you could do it, always tempting, quirky, honest and fun 🙂
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Thank you… I’m happy to have you there… it’s great to be able to count virtual numbers 🙂
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You are always so kind, ED, thank you. I’m honoured and touched, and look forward to meeting up one of these days! xx
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Thank you… I’m looking forward to that coffee as well. I’ll email you 🙂
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Thank you very much as ever for your kind words. How lovely to think that I have inspired someone in whatever – positive – way. Can one inspire negatively I wonder?
You’ll know I have the blog of the year one from my recent awards post. As I never post the actual awards up, I’m not likely to get any stars on mine either. I mean imagine if you only stayed at one. How embarrassing. Far too competitive for me. It’s a bad as trying to get Freshly Pressed. Although all these things can be worked around I suppose – get a bunch of friends to all renominate each other and shazzam – six stars. Get same bunch of friends to nominate a gripey post slagging off WordPress and shazzam – no chance of getting Freshly Pressed 😀
I like your blogs because I just do. But on top of that I like the variety, I love the photos of Aus, the countryside, the beaches, Sydney, your insight into the amazing street art you seem to discover on every corner, and I like your words – you publish interesting posts. There, I managed to say which I like your blogs after all.
You mentioned Marianne’s which is an interesting inclusion. She doesn’t live far from me in Spain. So although I follow her on and off, I rarely have anything to contribute, probably because to me, I’ve invariably either been there, know about the local custom, etc etc And there’s not much point saying that because it doesn’t add any value. Two other blogs in Spain I follow are in Asturias (where I haven’t been), although one of those is usually travelling elsewhere (currently in Hanoi) hence the title of her blog, Barbaraontheroad. The point of this comment, stemming from your inclusion of Marianne on the list, is that some ‘niche’ blogs attract other bloggers on the same topic eg vegans, feminism, art, writing, cycling – and others don’t attract people with anything in common at all! That was a bit wordy. Think I’m off to make a blog post about it before I write any more on here!
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There’s those “If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning” actual people 🙂
Oh, I’ll add the award icon as part of the process but no, not the stars…
Thank you so much… I’m reading Barbara Kingsolver’s The Lacuna and a quotation from it reminds me of the bloggers I’ve experienced “Because nothing wondrous can come in this world unless it rests on the shoulders of kindness”.
I thought the same thing – it’s a mixed list of blogs, which is why I added the details of how they inspired me 🙂
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I’m honoured that I have inspired you enough to be included on your list, EllaDee. Thanks for the mention.
As you know, whilst I do blog solely about the area where I live, east of Málaga, I am at present in Australia (Melbourne actually, but soon to return to Sydney for a couple of weeks) – but blogging about that wouldn’t really fit in on a blog with the title mine has! I have considered expanding to include my many travels but, of course, many of my followers do so because I blog about Spain. Maybe I should have given myself a broader scope and, who knows, maybe I shall in the future. Watch this space 🙂
I love to follow other blogs, whether in niche areas, or not – and we all have our favourites, don’t we? If it’s got EllaDee in the title, I know it’s going to be a good read. I always take something away from each of your posts, and your award nominations are thoroughly well deserved.
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I am reading Lacuna at the moment too! Snap! You and I have such a book thing going.. books.. love them!! Thank you so much for nominating me.. as you know life is wildly busy at the moment so i hope to return and comment more in the not too distant future. Take great care honey.. celi
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Thank you. The Farmy book list is gold! I have to borrow from the library – my book habit would bankrupt us 🙂 I imagine you’re enjoying The Lacuna as much as I am… HS draws you into his world, but it’s a miracle you find the time.
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I read every night before i go to bed, in fact I have done this since I was a child so i don’t think I could even sleep without reading first.. I do know about that habit!! c
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Thank you… Your Spanish blog has style and integrity so I’d be amongst the followers if you expanded, knowing you’d apply the same. The community aspect of WP blogging appeals to me. I’m not in it for the chance of fame or fortune. I like seeing comments from the bloggers I follow on the blogs I follow, if you know what I mean!
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Your blog(s) are very deserving of the awards and thank you so much for including me in your happy list, you have made my day! 😀
I’ll have to go and have a look at those other blogs on it who have so far slipped under my radar.
The sense of community and friendship I have got from blogging never fails to amaze and delight me. It is wonderful to have that connection with people far and wide, and some days people like you are my sanity savers!
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Thank you. You often make mine… I’m still humming ‘I want to break freeeeeee’ 🙂 As a few commenters have pointed out the nominee list is varied but I enjoy a read through other’s BlogRolls, award nominees and also commenters – that’s how other blogs I follow have found me. I like that it can be 6am, a lull in the office at 11am, or 10pm and I can have a cup of tea or glass of wine, sit down and escape into someone else’s world for a while.
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Thank you so much ElleDee, I too am very honoured to be mentioned, and also to know that my walks inspire you.
I initially started my blog to record my new found freedom of my retirement years, if I can lift someone’s spirits in the process and show them some of the UK’s beautiful places, well that’s even better.
I don’t have a long list of blogs I read or comment on, but the ones I do, I look forward to with enthusiasm when a new post appears. Yours is one of those. 🙂
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Seeing how much you enjoy life is what inspires me… and is the antidote to a few actual retirees I am acquainted with! I aspire to similar: travel in a caravan, lots of walks and eventually a new fur family 🙂
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Thank you EllaDee…I am flattered …I live in a beautiful part of the world and I just want to share it with everyone…so glad you like the blog…I have had a good read of the blogs in your list and I am honored to be counted in amongst them. Thank you!
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You’re welcome… the sense of timelessness and history of the places you share and your images, are unique in my experience, not to mention your experiences and stories 🙂
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Congrats and well deserved! You blog always offers gorgeous pictures and a peek of life away from here – always a great vacation each visit.
I am so honored to be included in this list of excellent blogs – it always surprised who else is reading the very same groups of bloggers. Keep bumping into old friends – and always glad to be introduced to new ones.( love recommendations – there are just so many blogs, good ones sometimes get covered up)
I love this: “WordPress Community Garden, tasting then feasting upon the wonderful produce on offer.” That’s so much what it feels like.
Like Roughseas, I’d better clip this off before rambling on.
Thanks again for the honor ( and I will get to an awards post before long)
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Thank you. I love it when I’m reading through comments and see bloggers I follow. When I started blogging I thought I would be tapping out some thoughts in a kind of self psychotherapy… I had no idea it would open the door to a whole world 🙂
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Congrats on your awards! I’d never heard of the Gargie before but I love the relaxed rules you added. 🙂
Thanks so much for nominating my blog for both of them. I will definitely pass them along to deserving bloggers. It’s great to be part of your 1500.
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Thank you. I’d never heard of the Gargie either but I Googled it, and initially the blogger gave it out pretty much in the essence of what I was doing with the 2012 Blogger of the Year, so I thought why not include it, 2 awards, if you do it my way are no more effort than 1 🙂
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That’s nice how they overlapped. 🙂 I’d have googled it too. Gargie sounds like something that must be googled. I love how you played with the rules, making it much easier to spread the awards onward. 🙂
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First of all, congratulations to you, EllaDee, for these rewards, so well-deserved, and to all of us for having found your wonderful blog. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you through your words and images. And thank you so much for using some of those words, kindly, on my behalf and for including my blog is such great company. Although I no longer participate in them, it doesn’t mean I am any less appreciative of the honor of being nominated.
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Thank you. I like to participate in the awards but on my own terms and I understand if others don’t. I’m happy to do the giving and let it be. You are in good company. I found you & Celia via Celi and the 3 of you have particularly contributed to how well we eat today, and to future plans I’m making around food and lifestyle 🙂
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Sweet Ella Dee . . . you always make me smile.
I love how you included a description of each of your nominees. Beautiful job. I know how long it takes to put together award posts. You did this one with a loving hand and open heart.
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Thank you… you mostly make me laugh out loud which is a little awkward when I read your posts at my office desk…
I’d had the idea for the post and the awards running around in my head for a while, and when I read Celia’s empowerment post, it gelled. I took my time in putting the post together because I wanted to reflect how they inspired me not write a synopsis of their blog content 🙂
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Do your co-workers give you strange looks while your read my posts? “There goes that wacky Ella Dee again.”
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I need a mute button on my laughter!
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Thanks very much, EllaDee – for the mention and also for the nomination. I’ll have to put together another awards post.
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You’re welcome 🙂 I couldn’t leave you off the list! If you have nominees up your sleeve, I’m sure the awards would be well received.
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I am so chuffed to be part of this, my friend (and I can call you friend because I truly see you as one) 🙂
Congratulations on the awards. I love your posts and look forward to reading every one of them so please keep the good times rolling! 😀
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Thank you. You may 🙂 I started blogging to prove a point to a friend that WP wasn’t technically challenging… and thought it would be a great form of self therapy via a keyboard… I never anticipated meeting so many great people and being part of a loose community. My nominees may appear disparate but there are quite a few who follow each other, which makes the comments lounges cosy 🙂
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Congratulations for the awards, all of which you greatly deserve! And thanks for adding my blog as one which inspires you. And also thanks for the new reading list of bloggers I wanna visit soon! A comment from you will make me read them all!
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I was happy yo see you back in the blogosphere in usual good form after your hiatus… Other bloggers blog tastes can be a lucky dip… you find something you like, or not. It took me a year to arrive at a consolidated list of these gems!
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Congratulations! You put so much work into your blog, no wonder you raked in those awards. 🙂
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Thank you – that’s lovely for you to say. It feels I have very little time lately but WP bloggers are so generous 🙂
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EllaDee, you are ever so kind and thoughtful. Thank you for thinking of me, my dear blogger friend. Blessings to you.
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I love the way you share and inspire. You’ve been particulary sage in light of your current life events 🙂 I’m looking forward to your novel.
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My blog too has been nominated for several of these same awards, and due to LIFE, I have never gotten around to doing much with them… but you have encouraged me to at least say a public thank you, and to continue acknowledging our blog family connections!
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Wonderful 🙂 The awards take some time to put together, and can use up what blogging time I allocate… hence the loose adherence to guidelines… I’m pleased you’ve been inspired…
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Congratulations on your awards and thank you for the nominations. I will add both of these to my next awards post. As you know from the ABC it takes me a while 🙂
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Thank you. Same for me 🙂 I enjoy the award process when I have time, and inspiration strikes, and dont’t worry about too much else.
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No, I hadn’t caught up at all! That I inspire YOU is strange and mightily generous – I’m honoured to be included among such a group of bloggers – thank you 🙂
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You’re very welcome 🙂 It’s a great group, many of us being common followers and commenters – it’s been an enlightening year 🙂
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