Liebster Award 2016

The Liebster is doing the rounds again and I've been lucky enough to be nominated by two of my favourite blogs - Tricky Wolf at Fast-SOS and Kirsty at Rural Retreat Restoration.

Here's what it's about -

The idea of the Liebster Blog Awards is to discover new blogs and here's what you need to do to take part:

• Ensure you thank the person who has nominated you and include links back to their blog, after all it's important you share their lovely blog too!

• Include a photo/badge of the Liebster Blog Awards logo on your blog post to show you've taken part. 

• Answer the 10 questions asked by the blogger who has nominated you

• Nominate 5 bloggers that you want to share with your followers and blog viewers

• Create 10 new questions to ask your nominees - have some fun!

• Ensure you make your nominees aware that they have been nominated so they know to answer their questions!

So I've got two sets of questions to answer! Here's are Kirsty's:

1. If someone threw you a surprise party would you love it or hate it?

Depends who was there!

2. If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

Rest is for the weak.

3. Do you have any fun family traditions?

Too many traditions to list! Most around Christmas and enforced by my sister! 

4. What’s your favourite book of all time?

A really tough one I have no idea really, there are so many. I guess one that really sticks in my memory is The River Cottage Cook Book as I read it at a time when I was thinking about how I wanted my life to be and I think it helped me make some decisions that meant I ended up here. 

5. What’s the best holiday you’ve ever been on?

I guess I'd say the last one, because having children makes it so special and the focus of it all changes. 

Before children it would be our honeymoon to Thailand - We stayed in an Eco Friendly hotel and it was nothing short of amazing. 

6. If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would you change?

Nothing at all. I think time travel would be dangerous, what with the butterfly effect and all, but then I guess any changes would have already happened so it wouldn't matter! 

7. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

I often say that I think I had the best childhood possible and that's what I'm trying to emulate with my own children. I guess I wish money had been easier for my parents so they didn't have to work so hard, but then again that's shaped us all into the people we've become so I can take real positives from it. 

8. Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be?

Hard drive with my photos on it, but then I have a backup at my parents house. 

9. If you could live somewhere else in the world, where would it be?

New Zealand, Canada, France or Italy, I think I've looked at living in them all! 

10. What makes you really angry?

I'm sure I'd share the same one as Kirsty on this - people. Not my friends or family but people in general! I think misanthropy is the word! 

And Here are Tricky Wolf's:

1. If you could remove one thing from the world what would it be?

If it's just one thing and to be selfish my hayfever! 

2. What's one thing have you not done that you really want to do and what's stopping you?

Write a book, one day I'd love to write a book. I guess knowledge and experience (and writing ability) are the things stopping me as well as time and dedication! Maybe one day I'll see my name in print. 

3. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

Anything on my homestead, with my children. When I get home and they're desperate to come outside with me and help it just makes me happy. 

4. When was the last time you REALLY laughed?

I laugh all the time, but I guess, rather cruelly, when I tickled one of my girls so much last night she wet herself! I felt so guilty but it was pretty funny! We both had to jump in the bath!

5. What is your greatest fear?

I try not to worry about too much if I can help it. I guess the health of friends and love ones is something I'd never want to loose.

6. What are you most grateful for?

My health and the health of my family

7. When was the last time you felt out of your depth?

Delivering my son on the bathroom floor. Little bit more involved than I wanted to be I guess, luckily it went well and we can laugh about it now! 

8. What are your values and are you being true to them? 

I think I have strong family values and try to be a good father, husband, son and brother.

9. What do you want your life to be in 5 years?Like it is now, although no mortgage would be nice...

10. If you could wave a magic wand and do anything, what would you do?

I'm going to be sickly sweet here and say remove all childhood illness and diseases, it just breaks my heart to see it. 

Okay now the five blogs that I nominate:

Annie at Annies Journal

Liz at eight acres

Michael at Nails and Sawdust

Dc at Frugal in Norfolk

Practically penniless 

And the ten questions I want to ask them (I've pinched a few questions here but thinking of ten is hard!) - 

1. If you had a big lottery win what would you do with it all?

2. How do you think you'd fair in a zombie apocalypse?

3. If you had six months warning do you think you could grow all you needed to feed yourself and your family.

4. What's your perfect night in or out?

5.If you had to pick a different career what would you do instead?

6. What advice would you give your younger self?

7. What's your most hated food?

8. The last thing you really laughed hard at?

9. Is there a time you've made a massive fool of yourself in public that you laugh about now?

10. If you had a warning label what would it say?