A Retrospective, An Award, and a Baton to Pass

2011. What a year! Last January I had no more idea of starting a blog than I had of sprouting wings and learning to fly - but the second seems to have followed upon the first, and I've flown all around the virtual world in the last 9 months: making new friends, learning new things, admiring, marvelling, commenting (often at too great a length), being inspired, connecting.

Why start a blog? For me, the surface reason was a severe cutback in (paid) work hours, resulting in idle hands and mind seeking a creative outlet. Beneath that was the desire to give back some of what I'd been enjoying for so long from others: recipes, patterns, tips - the free and generous exchange of ideas. And so Mr. Micawber's Recipe for Happiness was born, and became so much more than I ever dreamed it could.

As iron sharpens iron, the rubbing of so many virtual elbows and the contact with so many talented minds sparked my creativity, and I found myself doing things I had never done before (or done but rarely): composing haiku, designing crochet, writing. Writing! How much fun it was, and still is, to sit down and pour out my thoughts like seeds; to water and hoe and weed the words; to thin and pinch back and leave only what is best, hoping that in the end a pleasant posy of ideas or some wholesome dish of the mind might result, to the enjoyment and benefit of all. What a joy it's all been, and how the year has flown.

Back in November (B.C. or Before Christmas, which now seems part of the dim and distant past), Annie of Knitsofacto very kindly bestowed upon me a Versatile Blogger Award - which lovely button has since been decorating my sidebar.

On the topic of blog awards, I can do no better than to quote Annie's excellent words:

"Contentious things, blog awards, not welcomed by some.
Validation arriving hand in hand with obligation. The obligation
to post a response that might require you to dance to another's tune,
the obligation to pass the obligation on."

With the award (thank you again, Annie!) came the option to "bin it, merely bask in the glory for a while and move on, or bestow it upon others you believe to be worthy...."

Basking done, it's time now for bestowal. Many of the bloggers I most admire have already won this or similar awards, but here are six talented women I simply must honour:

Anne at Andamento
Astri at Apple Blossom Dreams
Deb at Snowcatcher
Ginnie at Becoming
Lolly at This Domestic Life and Look for a Lovely Thing
Regula at Babajezas Wundertüte

Crocheters, cyclists, poets, cooks; knitters, photographers and patient dreamers; all amazingly talented and creative; all (again amazingly) my friends, thanks to their own generous natures and the cobweb magic of computers.

Ladies, I salute you. Take the button (or not) as you please. Wear it, pass it on, or decline if you prefer - the choice is yours. Thank you for all that you do and give.

And a Happy New Year to everyone!

P.S. Previous bloggers have, upon acknowledgement of this Award, indulged in the revelation of a few personal idiosyncrasies. While the practice is not mandatory, it seems to add to the general mirth. So here are some of my own quirks:

I like to drink my hot tea out of a pint glass jar. (Like C.S. Lewis, I can never get a cup of tea large enough to suit me.)

I crochet in public. Who wouldn't?

I carry a stash of New York Times Sunday crossword puzzles in my purse, against times of tedium while travelling or standing in line. (And for the times I forget to bring crocheting along.)

I have never sent or received a text message, and couldn't tweet to save my life. (My pay-as-you-go cell phone only gets turned on when I travel. I like being unreachable for large chunks of time.)

Although I love flowers, I can't bear to pick them. (But I gladly accept bouquets from others.)

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