Trophies and Awards

Last week was a good week. Three awards in a row! And I got my new car! More about the car later..... onto the awards:

I love awards!

Many thanks to EddieBluelights at Clouds and Silvery Linings, Retiredand Crazy and Amy at TheGreenBathtub.

I love you all to bits!

So, in line with the conditions of the award, 8 things about me, here goes:

1. I love chocolate. Ok, I know you all know that one, but no harm to say it again.

2. I'm allergic to bananas. Can't eat them at all.

3. My grandfather was born in Argentina. My Mum used to tell us that, but we didn't really believe her, it seemed too far-fetched until we saw it when the 1901 and 1911 census went on line. My great-grandfather had emigrated there during the Great Famine (what was great about it?). He returned to Ireland when my grandfather was about 10. Two of my grand aunts went back there, so I still have relatives in Buenos Aires. I'd love to visit that city, and some day I will.

4. When I was 8, I was very sick. Got measles, followed immediately by mumps, followed by jaundice. Ate practically nothing for 6 weeks. Was so thin afterwards, and had such a bad appetite that my mother brought me to a specialist in Dublin (that was a big thing in those days, "a specialist? In Dublin? She must be very sick"). He instructed that I drink a pint of milk every day, so at break time in school I had to drink milk, lukewarm, from a brown sauce bottle (lock-nlock hadn't been invented!) ; the nuns made me stand at the top of the classroom to make sure I didn't just give the milk to someone else. Seriously! Like there was a queue for brownsaucebottlelukewarmmilk!!! You can imagine how much I like to drink milk now? I do still eat brown sauce, though, on rashers!

5. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I wanted to be a dentist. Loved the idea of wearing a white coat, and driving a fancy car. So mature!! Didn't get enough points, so decided to do science. The white coat features again!

6. Hated science. Lectures every morning, including Saturday, at 9am. Lab every afternoon, always got the wrong results in chemistry substance tests. Stupid white coat! Now hating it!After 4 weeks, I couldn't take it any more, and decided to take an offer of a bank job.

My mother refused to let me quit college, and made me seek a transfer to another course. I chose Commerce (Business) cos the people I knew on that course were having loads of fun and afternoon lectures. Yay!

7. I loved Commerce from day one. Even though I had never studied those subjects in school, I settled in straight away, and have loved it ever since. I love the world of business, love teaching it, loved working in it when I took a break from teaching. So many years, and I've never tired of it, not for a single day. Thank you, Mother, for your unwavering faith in my ability, and your ambition for me to be the first person in my family to get a college degree. And thank you for funding me through college- my father didn't believe in educating women because "they just go off and get married"! Seriously!

8. We're not at 8 already? Wow!

I'm afraid of dogs. Iwas bitten by a dog when I was 3 (sad life!!!sob, sob!!). It gets worse! We had just had a car crash, and we went into the yard of this house to ask for help, their dog bit me! Not a good day for Mimi!! If a dog rushes towards me, I lose it. I try not to, but a primal instinct takes over. Once I know the dog well, and it doesn't run at me, I'm ok with it, but not otherwise. And when someone tells me "Oh, he wouldn't harm anyone" that just makes me mad!

Now comes the fun part of the award! Passing it on.

So, in no particular order, I'd like to nominate, for the trophy of your choice,

Stephanie V at Hookin'Knittin'and Livin', love your current knits

Gaelikaa at Out of Ireland into India, I always have a great read when I visit here

Lisa at The Long Road to China, you're almost at the end of the road, so exciting!

Ciara at Milkmoon, who has just celebrated her 3rd birthday

Zuzana at Life Through Reflections - I love your beautiful pictures and words

Linda Lou, Live from Vegas, you're so funny

That Ridiculous Girl, any chance of a few more classroom posts?

Mr London Street, oh, what fabulous writing

Catherine at Dispatches from the Deise, fellow Irish blogger and 50th follower! very entertaining posts, always

Kerri at A Little Piece of Me, exquisite photography, lovely quotes, an inspiring blog.

And here are the pictures of my new car, well, new-to-me, car- I just love it!

It took sooo long to find it, I can't believe how much time I have now I'm not spending it all looking around garages and websites.

But I'm so happy with it! It's smaller than my old one, but I don't need a big car any more, now I'm doing less and less ferrying around.

It's got one of these, which I've never had before, and longed for, but the only trouble is, i don't want to dirty the nice, shiny new car by maybe spilling tea or coffee in it!