thank you bella

Thank you so much to Bella  of The Art of Living Beautifully for this award, my first ever!!  A really wonderful surprise, I am very touched.  Apparently the rules for this award are to divulge 7 things about myself and then pass it on  to seven other blogs.  This has required thought and preparation, believe me!

Here goes:

I wish I had been born about 100 years earlier than I was.  I would have loved to have been a European in Africa at the turn of the century.

I listen to BBC Radio 4 a great deal, mostly in the kitchen and in my car.

I adore painting with children.

I write books for children,  two published so far and more on the way

I love to watch musical comedies

I regret not riding better than I do

I love to throw really good dinner parties

Here's who I would like to pass the award on to.  There are so many to choose from , so many I love to visit regularly and who certainly deserve all sorts of awards, but for this, my first, I wanted to pick out some new bloggers like myself (you all remember what it was like to get going, every new visitor counts)  and some that we don't often see on blog rolls.  I hope this thrills them as much as mine did me, and that it will let you,  regular friends,  discover a couple of blogs you may not yet know. 

lovely Italian Francesca at passionedeco

Celine and her wonderful paintings at celine cholets aquarelles 

Karyn who has just started at the beautiful Hope Island

Dash, a fellow brit and her French Sampler

another brit in France, Sarah at St Bloggie

Aurelia at   dentelles oxydees, a very clever French girl with a serious eye for detail

                                                                                                                                                                         Laeriss at  un coeur en provence,    you don't get more French than this

and of course a huge thank you to all of you who visit me regularly, and make me smile with your kind and thoughtful comments.