The Liebster Awards ’14

Last week the most spectacularly awesome Sonia from SoniaStyling.com nominating us for the Liebster Award.

A bit like a players’ player sports award – or the Screen Actors’ Guild Awards – the Liebster is a way for bloggers to pass on a bit of online love to their peers and friends.

It also allows everyone involved to give shout-outs to some blogs you love.

Most of all though, it’s a bit of fun, as we get to ask and answer 10 questions posed by the one who nominates us. Although I’ve written all our answers, Mrs Romance was next to me the whole time, so this was still a collaborative effort.

Thank you, Sonia! Here are our ripostes to your 10:

1. Which song do you consider your Personal Anthem and why?

Probably our wedding song ‘We have all the time in the world’ by Louis Armstrong. Sums up so much about us.

I was thinking perhaps the ‘chase’ track from the Benny Hill show for me… I can sometimes hear it playing in my head as I bowl about the place!

2. What is the kindest thing anyone has done for you?

For both of us, we could only think of what our parents have done for us. The sacrifices they’ve made, the generosity they’ve shown, the unconditional love they’ve given us… we’re both very blessed to have come from four of the greatest people this world has ever known.

3. If you could only wear one colour for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

Easy: blue. Pretty much my gang colours from when I was a boy.

Mrs Romance’s colour is orange. I thought it might have been because she was either in an American state penitentiary or a Buddhist monk, but I think it’s just cos she likes orange! However, she’d prefer to wear black because it’s easy and chic. Nice answer, Mrs R!

4. If you were invisible, where would you go?

I used to dream about being invisible when I was a kid. I really wanted to be invisible. I didn’t really want to go anywhere specifically. These days I reckon I’d sneak onto planes and travel for free!

Weirdly, Mrs Romance had a very similar answer – except she was all about sneaking into first class.

5. You’ve just won the lottery. What would be your first money-is-no-object indulgent purchase?

Also travel related, I’d buy a luxury villa over the water somewhere like the Maldives or Seychelles.

Mrs Romance is on the same page – she’d buy first class round-the-world tickets and some fancy hotels.

6. What are you famous for in your group of friends?

Taking it too far… by some accounts, I live over the line!

Mrs R’s all over knowing the latest places to go and things to see. She’s also a mad maths nut, a pretty bloody good photographer… and she knows a thing or two about hair, of course!

7. What is the one thing that should be taught in school that isn’t already?

Mr R: Aagghh! English grammar! I think they’ve started teaching it again, but I think English should be taught the way foreign language students learn it – much more interactive and communicative. In fact I think every native English speaker should be made to take a test and punished if they fail…

Mrs R: Life skills like financial management, and entrepreneurial and creative business skills.

8. Which restaurant would you most like to dine at – anywhere in the world?

I left Mrs Romance with this one:

“I was thinking about somewhere fancy like Per Se in NYC… but then I started thinking about some of the little hole-in-the-wall places we’ve been to. I think if it was a choice between silver service and sardines on a beach somewhere, I know what I’d go for. Memories of the best vongole with Mr R and my mum and dad in a little shack on a Portuguese beach will always be with me.”

9. If you were a cocktail, which one would you be and why?

Mrs R: Some kind of passionfruit mojito: vibrant, flavoursome, a little tropical and alcoholic!

Mr R: I’d be a good scotch: neat! Either that or a very full glass of something: very difficult to dance with!

10. How do you want to be remembered?

Mr R: For me, being remembered is enough; being forgotten would be the saddest thing I can think of.

Mrs R: I want to be remembered as someone who lived life well.

Here are our ten questions for you!

1. Would you rather: be stuck in a prison cell for a year with someone who talked incessantly day and night or someone who said nothing but stared at you all the time – as in they’re sitting at the end of your bed when you wake up?
2. If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
3. What’s your greatest fear?
4. When was the last time you had a good belly laugh?
5. What’s your earliest memory?
6. How did your parents meet?
7. What’s your favourite meal to cook when you’ve got the place to yourself for the evening?
8. Have you ever broken a bone? If so, what happened?
9. Who did you have your first kiss with… and was it any good?
10. What do you have planned for your retirement?

In no particular order, the 10 bloggers we nominate are:

• Sam, The Annoyed Thyroid
• Matt, Dad Down Under
• Kimba, Kimba Likes
• Dee, Mama Stylisita
• Steph, Lipstick & Cake
• Rachel, Nourish
• Cheri, Ms Critique
• Carly, Smaggle
• Natalia, Ma Nouvelle Mode
• Rachel, Redcliffe Style

What to do next:

• Link back and recognise the blogger who nominated you.
• Answer the 10 questions given by the nominator.
• Nominate 10 other bloggers for the award.
• Create 10 questions for nominees to answer.
• Notify your nominees.
• Get an award button and display it proudly.

What would you do if you were invisible? How would you spend your winnings if your Lotto numbers came up? Do you have a signature drink? Tell us in the comments!