Sunshine Blogger Award

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Sunshine blogger

Julie Krupp from Enhanced Perspective has been sweet enough to nominate me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. As a relatively new blogger I’m so grateful to Julie for this, as it has been a significant confidence booster.

Please visit Julie’s blog – her posts are both inspiring and uplifting.

The Sunshine Blogger Award is peer recognition for bloggers that inspire positivity and joy.

The Rules are:

  • Thank the blogger who nominated you.
  • Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
  • Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
  • List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award in your post/or on your blog.

Julie has asked me the following questions. Why does this feel strangely reminiscent of the game Truth or Dare?

The best present I’ve ever received?

Strangely it was a beautiful white and gold Christmas card my husband gave me. Written across the front and three other pages were the words: “For my wife. When I see everything you do for our marriage and all the loving ways you make Christmas merrier… I realise how many moments just wouldn’t happen and how many special things would be missing if not for you… I hope you know how much I appreciate you and how much of a difference you’ve made in my life… I’ll always love you for the beautiful woman, the amazing friend, and the incredible wife you are. Merry Christmas!”.

Ladies, you’ll understand when I say… SWOON!

Men, no pressure, but I got a diamond necklace the following year too!

Three small sources of joy for me?

Firstly, my darling little cat, Evey, who makes me laugh and smile ALL day.

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Secondly, daisies! As Meg Ryan explains in the movie You’ve Got Mail, they are the “friendliest flower”.

Thirdly, all the cool things my husband makes for me –chook house, flower press, bird feeder, carved runes, and pretty much whatever I want! (… SWOON!)

The last place I travelled and why?

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This is a little embarrassing, but it was New Plymouth – located on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, somewhere on the way to nowhere. Why? We’d never been there before, we managed to rent a cute house with a fireplace and free cookies, and it was actually a really nice town!

My dream vacation?

Tough question, but having never been to Europe, I would say Italy. It just looks so damn pretty and the food, oh the food…

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What I wanted to be when I was little?

At the age of eleven I announced to my mother that I wanted to be an author. There is not enough space in this blog to explain how I ended up going to Engineering School and eventually becoming a land surveyor. Now I’ve finally thrown caution to the wind and am focusing more on the author thing.

My first book was The Little Bullying Book, which is available through Kindle (and other eBook stores) for about $0.99US. But I’m most excited about the book I’m currently writing, Time Management for the Tired and Overwhelmed, which is the book I needed, but could not find, when I crashed in a screaming heap with burnout. On the side, I seem to also be writing a strange Gothic horror puzzle book, which came from nowhere but is horribly fun to write!

On a lighter note, I remember my brother wanted to be a “Garbiologist” when we were kids. I think that explains why he’s usually at the rubbish tip when I ring him on Christmas day.

A time when I felt that what I said or what I did really resonated with my soul?

Every time I write, of course. It’s who I am. It’s what I do. It’s how I process my thoughts. It’s how I express all that I have.

Something I’m afraid of or a fear I’ve overcome?

I’m afraid of dying before I have done what I came here to do. Public speaking in second place, naturally.

One of my favourite books?

PrinceThe Tale of Prince by Bianca C Staines. I’ll be honest with you, Bianca is a friend of mine, and to support her I bought her book. One night, generally discouraged with the books I had been reading, I picked it up and started reading… then couldn’t stop. I ended up emailing her at 1am (so that I could get to sleep) to thank her for giving up her career to write and for writing a book that made me feel like a kid again. This book is not just a story about a dog on an adventure, it is totally hilarious and packed with the most lovable characters including a hamster with a head injury that replaces words with the names of food as he speaks.

The book has won a Purple Dragonfly Award, so I’m not alone in my enthusiasm for this book. And don’t be fooled, it might be a YA book, but kids of all ages will love it!

My favourite type of cuisine?

Every morning I have a slice of sourdough bread from our local farmers market, made into French toast with eggs laid by the chickens in my back yard, sprinkled with cinnamon, then smothered in pure maple syrup. It’s the highlight of my day!

One of my favourite songs?

I’m really enjoying listening to Rob Thomas at the moment – the lead singer of Matchbox Twenty, who also does solo work. I rather fancy his album The Great Unknown, and I’m grooving to his single I Think We’d Feel Good Together today.


One of my favourite movies?

We watch a lot of movies, and I’d love to say something trendy like Guardians of the Galaxy (which IS awesome), but when I look at our collection of DVDs the one that has stood the test of time is Saving Grace. Brenda Blethyn and Craig Ferguson star together in this warm and funny movie from almost 20 years ago. It’s about a widow in a small English town who is left with enormous debts after her husband commits suicide. She utilises her green thumb to grow drugs to fix all her financial woes. A lovely British comedy that won a Sundance Film Festival Audience Award. Watch the trailer on YouTube.

To share the happiness, my Nominees for the Sunshine Blogger Award are shown below. Some produce images or photos that brighten my day. Others contain wonderful stories or advice. Some are seasoned bloggers, while others are just beginning. I hope you’ll enjoy their blogs and positivity as much as I do…

I realise that some of you may not participate in awards, so there is no pressure to join in 🙂

I have 11 Questions for my nominees:

  1. Who is your loudest cheerleader?
  2. What was your first pet?
  3. Where is the most breath-taking place you have ever been?
  4. If you were going to be stuck on a deserted island with one book to read for years on end, what book would you take?
  5. What is your favourite appliance or tool?
  6. What is your favourite dessert?
  7. What was the most embarrassing moment of your life?
  8. What is the closest you’ve come to being famous?
  9. What is the strangest thing you’ve done?
  10. What is your most precious possession?
  11. What is your favourite emoticon and why?

Let the fun continue…

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Photo Credits:
Pizza photo by Eneida Nieves from Pexels

50 thoughts on “Sunshine Blogger Award”

  3. Thank you for that great post! I’m so glad you to have met you in this forum! I too began adulthood as an engineer, that seem so many lifetimes ago now. BTW, I’m headed over for breakfast, it sounds amazing! 😉

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    • What an amazing coincidence! I’m very glad we have met here too 😀 Thank you so much for the Sunshine nomination. It was such fun writing this post! Breakfast time for me now too… YUMBLES…

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    • Breakfast it is then! 😀 I’m sorry to hear you have fibro. I have pyroluria/CFS so get some minor fibro symptoms too, so I understand how limited time and energy can be. Keep smiling 😀

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      • I have not heard of pyroluria. I hope you are making the best of your life. I find it a constant juggling game. I have CFS/FIbro, still unsure if both or just one but I have a mix of symptoms, 20 years now. Smiling & gratitude for what I can achieve! Le grà, Marie

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      • Perhaps you should look into it, as it causes both CFS, fibro and a whole lot of other issues like mental illness, gut issues, anaemia etc. It was the underlying cause of my CFS and other symptoms, and can be managed by a trained holistic GP and supplements. A simple urine test can determine if you have it. Some people think it’s a fake illness, but I believe I’d be dead now if I hadn’t got the treatment. CFS and fibro are not illnesses, just a group of symptoms so that doctors can tell you what you have and send you out the door with no treatment. Look for the underlying cause, whether it be pyroluria, toxicity, allergies or whatever. It may be something as simple as the chlorine on your shower water! Sorry, I get carried away on this topic. It hurts and angers me that others might be feeling as bad as me. Stay strong! Fight for answers! I’ll shut up now. I’ve had my rant for today… 💙 Good luck!!!!

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      • Thank you Wendy for sharing so much information. We don’t have trained holistic Gp’s to my knowledge but I will copy and print your reply and make enquiries. I have used accupuncture for years and health food supplements for gut issues but that’s about it. Thanks again. Xx

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      • I’ve been thinking. I needed a book to write during NaNoWriMo in November, and I’ve been meaning to write a book about the treatments for my pyroluria and CFS, so I think I will do that. So keep an eye out for it next year, and I’ll probably post some excerpts on my blog too, so you can see if it might help you 😊

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      • Yes it has. Thank you! It’s hard to find a suitable non fiction topic where I can manage to write 50k words in one month.

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      • I guess that fits the brief perfectly! That’s a big challenge, 2.5k per day…wow! I see we are synchronised in our messaging! Happy Sunday morning Wendy, just 5.55am here on a bright, sunny morning.

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      • Yes, it’s hard. Haven’t managed it yet, but one year I will 😀 It’s 5pm Sunday afternoon here in New Zealand. It’s cold and winter is taking hold. What country are you in?

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      • Irish? How cool! I have a good streak of Irish blood in me, so I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland. Although my friend tells me it’s just like being in NZ. I’ve had a quiet, easy day. It’s been a big week and I needed a rest. I hope you have a wonderful, warm, restful day 😀

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      • Maybe you will travel with your book and if you do decide to include Ireland just let me know. I’d be delighted to help in anyway. You should try and trace your Irish connections if possible. I’m glad you practiced self- care, I have a similar day lined up…hopefully! Thank you for chatting. X

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  5. If I wasn’t in McDonald’s to get wifi, I would let myself cry here 🙂 for good reasons though, and being nominated in the end by you is not even the star of the list, although I’m deeply honoured – thank you. Reading your answers made me feel lighter, connected. You’re a writer and you too understand what it is like to end up burned out by ‘safe’ decisions we make, sometimes, out of fear. I so understand your favourite christmas present… my best christmas present was a poem, last year. The story didn’t have a happy ending, but I can’t deny how happy and ‘seen’ I felt. I will be delighted to read your book once is out. I’m also putting some pieces together for a book around stress, burnout, and all the other friends of a chaotic modern life 🙂 It’s nice and comforting to meet you here, thank you for sharing your stories and words ❤

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  6. I am very happy for your nomination on this award, well deserved, congratulations! More so, thank you so much for the nomination too, truly means a lot. Very much enjoyed reading your replies and getting to know more insight about yourself. What a treat of a post this was. 🙂 – Cezane

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    • Thank you. I hope you enjoy writing your own Sunshine post as much as I did. I always look forward to your posts and appreciate you taking the time to visit my blog 😊

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  8. Pingback: 11 Facts About The Wellbeing Blogger – The Wellbeing Blogger

    • Glad I could help. I’m the same – as soon as I see a blogging award post I dive in and try to find other cool posts to follow. I’m constantly amazed at the variety and quality that is out there 😲 Nice to have you on board – thanks for the follow. I’m just browsing your blog now…

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      • I’m working on Uni assignments at the moment – allocating some time to browse some of the blogs you recommended at lunch. If I don’t do that, I look up and find hours have passed 😬🤓 good to connect with you Wendy!

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  10. I just opened wordpress after a prolonged break to catch up on reading blogs and contemplate writing a fresh post. I had quite a lot of catching up to do, as I was in the UK to take care of some unfinished business and then after I returned I was struck down with a 6 day migraine 😦 This is my first day back on my feet and out of my darkened room☀️ I really enjoyed reading your sunshine blogger award post and was thinking how well deserved it is for you, as I really love reading your articles! You have such a knack for writing and the joy for writing is very apparent and that of course translates to spreading enjoyment to others 🙂 Then as I got to the end of this post I did a double take, as I saw the name of my fledgling blog!! Thanks so much 😘this really made my day and gave my confidence a boost, as I was feeling a bit down about not having been able to keep up the momentum due to my trip and subsequent migraine!! I was currently feeling a bit torn between topics I have in mind, which was kind of ‘paralysing’ me from starting to write again. Now, however, you gave me some interesting questions to ponder and perhaps a ‘kick-start’ 🙂 I’m so happy to have found your blog through the internet!! Sending hugs to you from sunny and summery Holland! ☀️🌿🌸

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    • Oh you big sweety, thank you 😀 I’m sorry you’ve had a sucky time lately, and you must be feeling so exhausted and discouraged after a 6 day migraine!! But I’m so glad to hear that you’ve gained the same motivation and confidence that I felt when Julie nominated me for the Sunshine award too. I have complete faith in your blog. Even though you’ve just started, the heartfelt way you write is just lovely, and so needed in this world. I’m so grateful for your lovely compliments and hugs from a warm place 😍 I’m stuck in bed today with a virus, having had a cold last week too, so feeling a bit miserable, but you’ve warmed my heart and made me smile. I feel like we are kindred spirits already, and I can’t wait to read your Sunshine post and learn more about you 😀 Hugs and gratitude from gloomy NZ 💜💫💙😁🌀🍨 Back to my Terry Pratchett audiobook and hot water bottle…

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      • Thank you so much for your lovely words of encouragement! I’m very sorry to hear that now you are ill and stuck in bed😔 It sounds like you are doing just the right thing though by snuggling under your duvet with a hot water bottle and an audiobook. Audiobooks are such life savers when your eyes hurt or you just don’t have energy to read from text. I sometimes also listen to them when chopping veggies or stirring at the stove! I’m unfortunately not ready to post yet, as I had some technical problems today. I had to figure out how to improve the quality of my photos and how to add links. I guess these are teething problems that I just need to deal with in the beginning! 😅 In any case I hope you feel much better very soon and in the meantime enjoy the wonderful world of Terry Pratchett!! 💕

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    • Thanks. She’s my little darling 😁 That’s Mount Taranaki, and they used it as My Fuji in the Tom Cruise film The Last Samurai, which was set in Japan, but filmed here. I’m not a great Tom Cruise fan, but some of his later stuff is actually quite good. The Last Samurai is one of my favourite movies now. It has such a profound spiritual message in it 😁 Well worth watching.

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  12. Now you have me interested! I may need to look out for The Last Samurai as I love movies with a spiritual dimension and I bet the scenery is breathtaking 😊 Perhaps it’s on Netflix or Amazon Prime movies…

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    • Thanks – yes he’s a sweetheart! New Plymouth is not really on the way anywhere, and is nothing spectacular, but it was relaxing and fun, and I’d love to go back again 😊 The mountain is just the backdrop to the entire area and is gorgeous on a clear day.

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