Sunday 2 June 2013

Sunshine Award ... and other snippets

Oh my gosh, I am so late with this post!  My apologies to the lovely ladies who nominated me for this award.  Before I get into the award, I thought I would share a couple of snippets with you.

Things have been going fairly well here since my last post.  We have been feeling connected and I have managed to keep to the no electronics in bed rule (which for me is no easy feat!).  Of course, I certainly haven't forgotten to wear my collar since either!

It's Queen's Birthday weekend here which means a 3 day weekend.  Hooray!  So far the weekend has been fairly quiet and it has been so nice to just slowly potter around home, sleep in etc.

Given that we are in autumn and rapidly heading into winter the weather is not co-operating.  It's pretty dreary with gale force winds at the moment and generally cooling down.  We had some very icy cold spells last week.  Well, for us anyway. Nothing compared to what our friends in the northern hemisphere encounter!

Today, being another dreary day, Rick and I headed out to a mall that I love.  It is choker full of all my favourite clothing stores.  We had afternoon tea at a cafe in the mall where we devoured yummy chocolate mud cake and raspberry cheesecake. Yeah, I know.  Pretty bad huh?  But I don't care LoL.  Afterwards it appeared that my very subtle 'hints' during the drive and afternoon tea had worked and I was allowed to buy some more clothes - yippee!! I did need to get some more warm tops that I can wear to work.  I also came away with a really cute skirt.

Now onto the important part of this post ...


I am honoured to have been nominated for this award by Ami of Ami's Star Song, Sara of Quiet Sara and the StrongMan  and Viola of Purple Explosion.  Thank you so much ladies for thinking of me.  I am truly touched.  You have all encouraged me, given me such amazing support and advice as well as much to think about with your wonderful, thoughtful comments and posts.  I have really enjoyed our email 'chats' and getting to know you.

Ami - I enjoyed working with you on our companion posts and would love to do it again some time.

The idea is for bloggers to present the sun-loving flower to other bloggers who "creatively and positively inspire others in the blogosphere".

If you want to join in the fun the rules for the SUNSHINE AWARD are to:
  1. Thank the person who gave you the award in your blog post
  2. Complete the Q&A below in your blog post
  3. Pass on the award to 10-12 deserving and inspiring bloggers, inform them and link to their blogs
Favourite colour:  I love pinks, purples and blues

Favourite Animal:  I love all big cats .. and the little ones too :)  They are so majestic.  I also love wolves.  That may have something to do with the fact I used to have Siberian Husky dogs.

Favourite Number: 7

Favourite Non-alcoholic drink:  Tea without a doubt .. and in copious quantities! LoL

Facebook or Twitter:  I'm not on either but I think out of the two it would be facebook.

Your Passion:  Rick has a passion for astronomy and it has rubbed off on me.  I love learning everything I can about the night sky ... and I have an amazing teacher :)

I also love medicine and learning about the human body (should have studied harder and become a doctor or nurse).  I'm a sucker for most medical shows and doco's  and drive Rick nuts correcting him on the correct terms for body parts etc and offering my own self diagnosis of any ills (usually garnered from TV!)

Giving or receiving presents:  I love giving gifts and thinking of and finding the perfect gift and then seeing the reaction of the recipient when I get it right.  Of course, I would be totally lying if I said I didn't enjoy receiving gifts too :)

Favourite Day: The best answer I've seen to this question is from Sunny Girl - "every day I wake up".  I also love Rick's birthday because I enjoy spoiling him :) 

Favourite Flowers:  Too many to choose from.  I love roses, carnations, chrysanthemums and gardenias. I also love lilies for their scent.

Nominations: I am going to break the rule here and not nominate specific people because honestly, you all inspire me and I learn from reading all of your blogs.

This is such a wonderful community and I am constantly amazed at the wealth of support, companionship and advice I receive from all you. I have made so many wonderful friendships here.  You all mean so much to me and I am very blessed and grateful to be a part of this community and to be able to call you my friends.  

47 comments:

  1. How fun to shop with Rick! Glad you got some stuff.
    Congrats on the award. It shouldn't come as a surprise for you to be nominated. :)
    Hugs

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    1. Thank you so much Sarah :)

      The shopping was great - and it didn't end there. I got the clothes on Sunday then Sunday night our washing machine decided to give up the ghost so Monday we went out and purchased a new one! I was struggling trying to get the blasted thing to work and finish a cycle while chatting to Willie the other night!

      As Rick says, I ended up with new clothes, and a new machine to clean them in LoL

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  2. Sounds like a great weekend! Sometimes those dreary days are the best. We had some last weekend and it was perfect for cuddling on the couch under a blanket. Congrats on the award and HOORAY for new clothes!! ;)

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    1. Thanks Rosie :)

      I think Rick would have preferred to cuddle up on the couch rather than shopping LoL. As I said to Sarah above, it was definitely a shopping weekend. Poor Rick. He has the patience of a saint when it comes to shopping.

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  3. I so wish we had afternoon tea here in the USA...I loved it when I visited.....congrats on the award!
    hugs abby

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    1. Thank you Abby :)

      Perhaps you could start your own afternoon tea tradition:)

      We don't do afternoon tea quite like our British friends do. Although there are a number of cafe's etc that do serve it. We tend to use the term more generically to simply refer to an afternoon coffee/tea and cake/biscuits.

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  4. I think Rick spoils you no end! Glad you had such a good long weekend. So many similarities to me!

    You certainly deserve the award Roz!

    Hugs

    Ami

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    1. Thank you Ami :)

      It was a good weekend, and as I said to Sarah above, the shopping didn't end there (out of necessity). I am rather spoilt, and very lucky :)

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  5. Oh Roz, we're so glad you are here with us too.

    Hard to think your into fall and winter and we are just going into summer. Glad you are enjoying a long weekend and shopping too. WOW.

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    1. Thank you so much Sunny :)

      It was a great long weekend, and the shopping was awesome! :)

      It's crazy isn't it, being on the opposite side of the world and in opposite seasons. I find it hard to get my head around. Time zones even harder!

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  6. I agree...it is so hard to wrap my head around it being fall and winter there.

    Brice and I are also tea drinkers. Our dear friend Willie was teasing me this morning when I told her I was making our tea....her exact words I believe were, "Are you 80 or something" lol.

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    1. Just a flippin minute here! You said, " I am going to 'fix' our tea" That is what in sighted the comment not so much your beverage of choice! I have been known to drink tea, especially with amaretto and Grand Marnier in it, with a sugar rim, and top with whipped cream!

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    2. Now now ladies, please play nicely :)

      You two crack me up. I'm glad I am in good company with my tea drinking Betsy.

      What is wrong with 'fixing' tea Willie? If you think that is old I must be positively ancient since I'm usually having herbal bedtime tea when leaving you comments/reading your comments LoL. (Yes, I know it was the 'fixing' bit, not the tea bit that prompted your comment :)

      Gotta be gumboot (regular) tea for me I'm afraid (I tolerate the bedtime tea).

      Hugs
      Roz

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  7. Ooh I always love shopping. Sounds like things are good! I'm glad you and Rick had a really nice time :) And I'm a tea drinker, too. Cael's been trying to get me into coffee but tea is really where it's at!

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    1. Thanks Riley :)

      Things have been pretty good and more connected ... since my previous post!

      It was a good weekend and the shopping was awesome! I ended up by the end of the weekend with the new clothes, and a new washing machine to clean them in LoL. The old one just happened to pick this weekend to give up the ghost.

      Oh yay, another tea drinker! I'm afraid I will never be a coffee convert either :)

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  8. Happy you are in a place where you can publish a fun post! After the book review worry, and the 'fun' of last weekend, it is nice to see you a little more carefree !

    More importantly now, what is your favourite beverage WITH alcohol in it?

    love, willie!

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    1. Awe, thank you so much Willie :)

      It is good to be able to publish a more light hearted post after the previous two (I am so glad THAT is behind us! - pun intended).

      Hmm, my favourite drink with alcohol? I'm a vodka girl - vodka/lime/lemonade, or various berry juices. Whatever - as long as there is plenty of vodka! Oh, and submission wine too of course.

      Love and Hugs,
      Roz

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    2. Ohhhhhhhhhhh I love vodka. It really brings me out of my shell! *wink*

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    3. LoL Willie, yep .. me too ... that's one of the reasons I like it! :) Rick on the other hand, isn't always such a fan of its affects on me LoL

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  9. Congratulations Roz! You know you are an inspiration to me!!
    Enjoy your 3 day weekend! :)

    ((hugs))
    Cali

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    1. Thank you so much Cali,

      I mostly feel as though I am just rambling when publishing a post or commenting on other peoples blogs. Even when chatting with and emailing blog friends so if at least some of my ramblings are helpful to others I am thrilled.

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  10. 3 day weekends are always nice. Tm and I just had one as well last week. :)

    I have to agree completely with your favorite animal choice, could have written it myself, well except for the having Siberian Husky dogs. I have never had any sort of dogs, a completely cat person even though I like wolves as well. Only thing I would have added is I like snakes as well lol :)

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    1. Hi Mischief,

      Long weekends are always great aren't they? The best part for me is having no alarm clock to wake up to and being able to sleep in.

      I'm really more a cat person. My ex wanted the dogs, but I absolutely fell in love with them and gained a new appreciation for them. Being Husky's too, it also gave me a new found appreciation of the wolf. As for snakes, I would have to agree to disagree there. They give me the shivers.

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  11. Ooohhh, Roz... sigh. Autumn heading into winter. Sigh. Sigh.

    First, congratulations on your well-deserved award! I really enjoy your blog, too. I like all your answers, and resemble many of them. That's cool about you and Rich sharing a love for astronomy.

    I read Willie's comment about you needing to "fix" tea, with "fix" and not "tea" being the geriatric identifier. Wha?? "Fix" is an old lady word? If that is the case, I've been ancient since I could talk and ever since then. I think we need to hear more on this. Lol!

    So, back to my sighs over your autumn/winter weather... May I come visit for a few months? I'm really quiet and don't eat much. I'm a fairly decent cook, don't mind cleaning at all - especially someone else's house. I rake leaves, tackle weeds and vines, shovel snow, scrape ice off windshield. P-p-p-please?! Lol! I want to live fall and winter all year round (but I would like to visit spring and summer).

    Enough rambling. Very nice post. It sounds as though things are going well for you and Rick. I'm happy for you!

    Irishey

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    1. Yup...get on the trousers, brassiere and slacks train granny!

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    2. Lol! Yes, I'm guilty of riding the trouser train and have slack in my caboose - ahem. But, I'll have you know the brassiere club disbanded before my day! ;-)

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    3. Sorry have to hijack Roz's post here to reply to you Irishy haha

      Ok you like the cold??? Rain and wind? You like to cook clean and take leaves??? Oh my oh my, please come and visit me, we have lots of rain, and cold and overcast days. I have a garden with trees and lots of leaves, and a house of full of kids and dogs, so you'll be busy haha

      Sorry couldn't resist that, but if you have nice warm weather all year round, maybe we could swap for a while ;)

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    4. Sheesh - what is it with people hijacking my blog today!! LoL

      Irishey - Thank you so much for your lovely words. Yes I agree. What is wrong with "fix"? Now 'slacks' is old lady speak! LoL.

      You want to live autumn/winter all year long? Irishey - we would LOVE to have you come and visit .. any time of year and you would love the scenery NZ has to offer.

      Unlike Missy, there are no kids and dogs to contend with and where we don't get snow so you will have extra time to relax and explore and enjoy - once the house and grounds are tidy and meal cooked of course :) just kidding!

      I do have to agree with Missy on one point though. Perhaps we could swap for a while if you have nice warm weather all year round.

      Missy - Oh no you don't. You are not hijacking Irishey away from us! Besides, I've already spoken to Rick and he has agreed (just quietly, I think it was probably the gardening and cooking that won him over LoL).

      Hugs,
      Roz

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    5. Ah, Missy and Roz, alas (do you like that word "alas," Willie?), no year-round warmth here. I have four distinct seasons. Strangely enough, they tend to hijack each other's seasons. It's often said, if you don't like the weather, just wait a few days (often only hours) and it will change. But thank you both for the invites!

      "Slacks" is old lady? Says who??!! Lol! ;-) Just funnin' with ya.

      Roz, I do apologize for mangling your wonderful award post with all my nonsense. I'm going to take these shenanigans over to Missy's blog. Does Willie have a new post up yet? Bwahaha! ;-)

      I also apologize for my phone changing Rick's name to Rich. You can let him know I'm heading out soon to rake algae off my pond. Drool! Lol!

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    6. LoL Irishey. Definitely no apologies necessary, on either count :)

      Wait a minute. You have a pool? Can I come visit you over you summer instead?

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    7. Pool? I wish! Did I typo that somewhere? No, it's a spring-fed farm pond, with fish, frogs, ducks, snakes, muskrats, crawfish, heron and other residents. Snakes in water make me nervous, otherwise it's plenty big enough to swim in, if you don't mind a muddy bottom - errr, oh, nevermind. ;-)

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    8. Oh my oh my, you two had me giggling so much H had to come and look to see what's going on lol

      Thanks for laughs ladies x please come and visit anytime, no babysitting or dog sitting required, just yourselves and lovely sense of humour x

      Hugs to both of you x

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    9. Oh my goodness Irishey, I just about wet myself reading your reply! Um ... no, you didn't typo pool, that was my mistake. I re-read your comment again after I had replied LoL. Err, think I'll pass on swimming in the pond!

      Glad we were able to entertain you Missy :) Oops, I hope H saw the funny side as well!

      I would LOVE to visit both of you. Think I will give Irishey's pond a wide berth though, especially with the snakes!

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  12. Replies
    1. Thank you Terps,

      I always enjoy reading your blog. You inspire me with your positivity :)

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  13. Hey honey, sorry so late to this.

    Congrats on the award, you deserve it.

    Oh shopping, I do love it and so nice of a rick to let you buy more clothes :) weird you're going in to winter, when I talked to Callie one morning when I was walking the dogs and was covered up really warm and it was freezing, she was sat in a nice summer dress, lol but I have to say, I didn't think you guys have a cold season, you just ruined my fantasy of a all year round sunshine lol

    You sound happy, I'm glad x

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    1. Hi Missy,

      Thank you so much :) and you are not late. Never too late!

      Dang it - I didn't mean to ruin your fantasy of all year round sunshine. Tourism NZ would have my guts for garters! LoL. Of course, our autumn and winter wouldn't be a patch on yours.

      The weekend was great, and the shopping awesome! As I said above, I ended up with a new washing machine to wash the new clothes in as well LoL - the old one decided to give up the ghost on Sunday.

      It is so strange isn't it? Being at opposite ends of the globe and in opposite seasons. I find it hard to get my head around. Not to mention the time zones!

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  14. Glad you had a lovely long weekend the weather sure is turning. Great post thanks for sharing this - I'm jealous of your huskey - beautiful dogs. I love wolves too I have a collection of ornamental ones.

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    1. Hey Kiwi,

      I hope your long weekend was good as well. It sure is turning now isn't it? I hope you are fairing ok where you are with no flood/wind damage etc.

      As I said above, getting the dogs was my ex's idea. We trained them as sled dogs and raced them. Of course, NZ is not exactly idea for this sport. Most of the racing is actually done in various forests around the country on three wheeled rigs. There is a series of snow races annually though.

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  15. We can see the stars so well at our house. I want to learn more.

    This was fun Roz.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it Susie :)

      Oh lucky you! We don't have the view that we would like, but it's not too bad certain times of the year. I constantly drive Rick nuts with my astronomy questions.

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  16. I'm so very late Roz! Thanks for playing along, I loved reading your answers :)

    Hugs

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    1. Never late Viola,

      Thank you so much again for nominating me :)

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  17. roz, i'm sorry i'm late to the party and i'm so glad they nominated you for the sunshine award. you deserve it! i LOVE it when you stop by my blog and leave me comments of kindness and encouragement. they make my day! :)

    happy saturday, friend.
    m.

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    1. Hi Maryanne,

      Thank you so much, you are so sweet.

      Please don't apologise, never too late. I too look forward to hearing from you as you also give me so much support and encouragement. Thank you :)

      Hugs,
      Roz

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  18. You deserve it. Thanks for all the encouragement you send.
    Bea

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    1. Thank you so much for your lovely comment Bea :)

      Hugs,
      Roz

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