Inspired and in great company

Lovely Josephine at A Brit In Tennesse surprised us last week with the wonderful Renee Award and, while we were extremely pleased, we were rather unsure about whether we should accept at all because, while the Prodigal is English, he is, well, a he; and this award "honors someone who is incredibly inspirational in her intelligent and witty writing."
Josephine further states, "this award celebrates women's smart, strong and inspirational spirit! It honors women who spread joy and love like an Acorn......a small package growing into a tall and sturdy oak tree which gives more acorns......." So you can see our dilemma. Should Frances alone accept (this blog is her baby, really)? Should we gender bend? Should we decline? Then we thought, why not? If Josephine saw fit to bend the rules a bit, who are we to quibble? Why not accept this great honor, allowing us to pass it along to others who inspire us?
So we humbly pass this award along to:
* Sharon at It's Daffy Cat for inspring us with her creativity (and we love that dancing cat);
* Denise An English Girl Rambles for inspring us to look twice when we walk around;
* Melissa at Smitten by Britten because she inspires us to smile when we think about Britain; and
* Toni at Expat Mum for blazing the trail.
Last but not least, we wish to acknowledge Kate, our very own little acorn, at Softball Whisperer , for getting an early start in her writing career.
Great job, ladies! Keep up the great work! And thank you Josephine--you inspire us every time we visit.
Cyber hugs from Denis and Frances

Another lovely surprise

Afternoon Tea Break , a new blogger trying to help people change careers in these challenging times, has surprised us with the very gratifying (and humbling) "Noblesse Oblige" award. Apparently, we are being recognized for the following:
1) The Blogger manifests exemplary attitude, respecting the nuances that pervades amongst different cultures and beliefs (don't know about this one!).
2) The Blog contents inspire; strives to encourage and offers solutions (if this is true, so delighted).
3) There is a clear purpose at the Blog; one that fosters a better understanding on Social, Political, Economic, the Arts, Culture and Sciences and Beliefs (well, maybe a couple of these).
4) The Blog is refreshing and creative (thank you very much).
5) The Blogger promotes friendship and positive thinking (not sure about this one either, but I hope so).

The Blogger who receives this award will need to perform the following steps:
1) Create a post with a mention and link to the person who presented the Noblesse Oblige Award (done).
2) The Award Conditions must be displayed in the post (done).
3) Write a short article about what the blog has thus far achieved – preferably citing one or more older post to support (well...).
4) The Blogger must present the Noblesse Oblige Award in concurrence with the Award conditions (this one's easy).
5) The Blogger must display the Award at any location at the Blog (OK).

What my blog has achieved so far: Well, we started the blog with the intention of getting the word out about my book, a travel memoir about our trips back to England. Since we still haven't secured a publisher, this hasn't been as successful as we hoped; however, we've made lots of interesting cyber-friends, and we've been surprised to discover you all are interested in English cookery! And of course, the lovely comments and emails (and yes, awards!) have encouraged us enough to continue on that elusive hunt for a publisher. So thanks to all our readers, do hope you continue to enjoy our adventures.

We'd like to pass on this award to several people more deserving than us:
* Brian at The New Author for trying to help poor fools like us get a book published;
* Mike at My Thai Photo for not only sharing his beautiful photos of Thailand but also helping people learn English;
* Josephine at A Brit in Tennessee for her big heart and for moving us to tears with her stories about rescued pets and other furry and feathered friends; and
* Carol at The Writer's Porch and Christine at Scully Love Promo Reviews for giving us hope that someone out there is still reading books.
Thanks everyone!