MEME AGAIN and NOBLESSE OBLIGE

MEME TIME

I have been tagged by the lovely MIRANDA and LIZZY FRIZZFROCK to do this meme. So, thanks for that and here we go..

what is your current obsession? right now today, here, i am a bit obsessed with trying to find lions and leopards and photograph them. does that count as an obsession?

what item of clothing do you wear most often? day to day, a bunch of ragtag miscellaneous khaki coloured cotton stuff. wish i could think of something more stylish......infact now i recognise this gap i shall endeavour to fill it with something exotic...... any recommendations?

what are you listening to? a yellow billed hornbill that just arrived on the tree infront of me carrying a big fat juicy worm, so is now feeling quite chuffed with itself i imagine

whats for dinner? the rest of the pasta from lunchtime - tomorrow should be bream fillets 

say something to the one who tagged you; hi Miranda! and greetings to Lizzy F - look I am doing the meme you tagged me for :-)

favourite vacation spot, San sabastiao Mozambique - canoeing in mangroves, and strolling coral beaches; dhow sailing to sand islands, snorkelling in sea grass, and coral reefs...........

what are you reading right now? Paulo Cohelo 'The Zahir" - second time round

four words to describe myself   friendly, loyal, childish, dreamer  (there are some bad ones too but you only said four.....hehe)

guilty pleasure? 

snoozing at midday while pretending to read;

How did you spend your last birthday? suprise lunch with dear friends in the English countryside

what do you look forward to? more and more time doing what i love and less time doing what i have to..

Tag eight people - okedokey - 

KAREN from Border Town Notes

True Blue Texan

Thoughts from Botswana

Rob from Inukshuk adventures

Rosaria from Lakeviewer

Pink Dogwood from Wandering Mind

Kristen from Candy Sandwich

Tessa from Aerial Armadillo

T.H.E.N...........

TRUE BLUE TEXAN has given me this amazing award of Noblesse Oblige

This award is one of the more thoughtful ones that I've seen or been given.  It's got a purpose behind it that really makes you think about why you're blogging and who has influenced you. And of course it comes from a blogger whose insights and work are creative and humbling.

The recipient of this award is recognized for the following: 1) The Blogger manifests exemplary attitude, respecting the nuances that pervades amongst different cultures and beliefs. 2) The Blog contents inspire; strives to encourage, and offers solutions. 3) There is a clear purpose at the Blog; one that fosters a better understanding on Social, Political, Economic, the Arts, Culture, Sciences, and Beliefs. 4) The Blog is refreshing and creative. 5) The Blogger promotes friendship and positive thinking. 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. 2) The Award Conditions must be displayed at the Post. 3) Write a short article about what the Blog has thus far achieved – preferably citing one or more older posts to support. 4) The Blogger must present the Noblesse Oblige Award in concurrence with the Award conditions. 5) Blogger must display the Award at any location at the Blog.

Whoa - Thanks so much TBT - I will do my best to live up to it. By the way, True Blue Texan has the most amazing blog site that could keep me busy for days, reading all the links and postings. The more I look at it the more amazed i am to receive this award. TBT writes so eloquently on political and current issues. There is something of the Texas rebel between the lines too which is intruiging.  If you havent been there please go over and take a peek.

Well i am not sure what my blog has actually achieved. I suppose I started as a writing exercise, and for this it has been great.  The freedom of blog writing has really helped me to loosen up  although   there is still far to go; and of course i have learned so much from all the myriad and wonderful blogs i follow, and connect with along the way. Over and above this I seem to have become part of a blogosphere community of friends from diverse parts of the world united by a common gossamer thread. This has really been the first prize of all.

I am really enjoying writing descriptive word pictures of the world around me and the fact that anyone finds them remotely readable is just amazing.  Sometimes I think I am inspired to write more purely by the lovely kind comments that appear on my site. Thanks so much guys xx Who would have thought there were so many ultra cool people out there?

The natural world around me is a constant source of fascination and there is so much to learn; so much beauty in Africa's wild places that sometimes its almost overwhelming; but there is tragedy too, and times when endurance is tested to the limits - drought, flood, feast, famine - its all there and we are just a tiny inconsequential part of the giant drama. A previous post The Nyalla and the Full Moon, was written as the drought took hold last year and we watched a beautiful male nyalla antelope breath his last as evening fell and a big beautiful full amber moon rose between the trees telling of life and death and continuity. Our own mortality is as fragile as this. Despite these reminders we still allow ourselves to think this wonderful thing called life will carry on forever. Live life, love life and each other - is really all we have to do.

Rabbits and Spiders was a post i wrote after we had been out for an evening drive looking for big animals - the superstars - elephants, rhino, lions - but instead all we found were sprightly scrub hares and the glittering eyes of spiders scattered accross the open ground like sparkly gemstones shining in the spotlight.  If the big animals had been around we would never have noticed the beauty of these smaller but exquisite creatures.  Everyone and everything gets their chance to shine and be noticed.  Even tiny spiders add beauty to our world if we take the time to look beyond the obvious. 

Now to pass this award on - and this is always such a tricky part as so many on my blog roll fit the profile.

but here goes : 

Absolute Vanilla gives excellent and eloquent insights into some of the major issues facing South Africa today - most recently surrounding the recent general election; she is a prolific and talented writer and painter, and regarding rescuing ailing guinea fowl chicks is not easily defeated by the limits of the possible!

Letters from Usedom Angelas chatty and confiding style belies her depths of innate wisdom, sense of justice and clarity of vision.  She has the ability to see clearly through tangled issues, take the troubled by the hand and lead them to an open path. Sometimes her advice feels to me like coming home to a home cooked dinner in a cosy kitchen - it just feels good and wholesome and makes perfect sense. You go there - you have to love her!

Fire Byrd deals with psychotherapy on a daily basis. her Blog is warm, frank and funny, and strong enough to be wide open on her own human frailty. She is an inspiration. Her posts on learning to know ourselves better are supported by her own learning curves - this is a journey we take together.  

Ngorobob House; Life on the Hill a romping rollicking rollercoaster of magical heart opening joy and wonder. Janelle and her three beautiful children, living on the side of a hill in Africa, with a cast of animals and spotty horses. This blog never fails to lift my spirits.

The Gold Puppy  Reya's daily postings from Capitol Hill;  subtle abstract imagery and sensitive thought provoking posts - always inspire and feed the soul;

Lori Times five beautiful posts from California's lovely coastal area - travelogues, journeys, walks, views, all bathed in golden light that shines from the lovely Lori;

Holey Vision  this blog always kicks my butt. The writers vision is disappearing in chunks yet she writes and observes and photographs and communicates the world around her with such upbeat humour and bravery, she makes it often  easy to forget just how difficult it is for her to achieve some of the things we take for granted.

Thanks again True Blue Texan for giving me the chance to highlight these special blogs.

PS. incase i havent got all the links quite right - please follow the links on my blogroll

oh and i cant seem to get the award pic to upload....please find it on True Blue Texans blog