Friday 23 September 2011

I'm Versatile (or maybe just unfocused!)


Thanks to Carina Press author Claire Robyns for nominating me for "The Versatile Blogger" award! That sounds much better than being an "unfocused" blogger - my blog reflects my eclectic tastes and therefore, so I've read, breaks all the good blogging rules.


To claim my award I must share 7 things about myself you may not know:


1. I've wanted to be a writer from about age 12, but never had the confidence, so I only started writing in my 40's!

2. I'm always on diet but never seem to lose weight (maybe all those chocolates have something to do with it?)

3. I prefer a mild temperature - one of the reasons my parents left Zimbabwe was because I was always getting sick from the heat in the hot months.

4. No matter how many extra language lessons I take, I can still only speak English. In a country where there are 11 official languages, and most people speak three or four of those official languages, I feel embarrassed at my complete inability to learn another language.

5. I'm a terrible procrastinator. I put things off as much as I can, especially starting new things (like a new novel or a new diet)

6. I'm cat mad (maybe this should be number 1?) I was 6 months old when I got my first cat and have had cats ever since. Husband had to choose between a dog or me and my cats! He said it was a hard decision, but luckily me & my cats pipped the canines at the post!

7. I'm addicted to blogging and social media. It's very sad really, but what can I do?



I also have to pass this award on to new blogs I've recently discovered:


Positive Letters...Inspirational Stories: Hilary talks through a variety of topics, and always in such a positive, happy way I leave her blog smiling!


Frances Garrod: Author Frances Garrod has a way with words. Her blog posts are short, sweet and often hilarious (and sometimes serious)  


Tabouleh: Lana's blog is full of wisdom and culture from an unusual part of the world. 


40 and Loving it (well, mostly): Follow Canadian Barbara on her heart wrenching journey of grief

Simon Hay Soul Healer: Magical. That's all I can say. Magical.


Meandering in a Field of Words: Jennas's blog meanders through a variety of topics on how life can be an inspiration for writing


Cold as Heaven: For keeping me reading about everything from trips to Moscow to tales of Winterland.


One Stoned Crow: His blog makes me appreciate how lucky I am to live on this beautiful amazing continent, Africa.


And there we go. Have fun browsing. And, if you get chance remember to visit Claire's blog - she's launching her new novel "Second Guessing Fate" on 26 September and will be having an orgy of launch prizes - the pre-launch party giveaways have already started!

18 comments:

Lisa said...

Hello Judy, eclectic blogger is a great blogger :) Congratulations on the award. And I enjoyed knowing more about you especially that you are a cat lover. I am scared of cats, who could blame me when they tell me cats have nine lives, can read your soul, etc., etc., :)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Judy .. congratulations on your award .. and I will visit Claire's blog and the others ..

Love the 7 points here .. gosh is that why you left Zim .. I hope all's well with your parents .. thinking of you all often.

I love cats too .. and I'm sure my blog just starts off as eclectic and hasn't changed over time ..

Great selection of bloggers .. some I know and read .. others are new - great fun being introduced to them.

Cheers for now .. I think your hubby made the right choice .. no dogs - but a writing wife with Her Royal Highness Theodora .. what more could he want?! Have a good weekend .. Hilary

JennaQuentin said...

Hey! Congrats and thank you for the nomination! Fun things to learn about you. I have to say I was a cat person, adored our numerous cats growing up, until I married my husband and his cat. She's recently been outlawed from the bedrooms (for the final time) because I found fleas on the baby! I hear you on the blogging/social networking. My husband says if I sepnt all that time on my book that he could quit his job! I'll look forward to checking out the new blogs and thanks again!

Lauri said...

Congrats on your award Judy! Too bad about your husband's dogs. You know cats and dogs CAN live together. They do at my house. It's good if the cats are adults and the dog is a puppy. The hierarchy gets sorted early.

Creepy Query Girl said...

Congratulations on your award and the winners! Don't feel bad about languages- the only way to really learn to speak fluently is to pick up and move to a foreign country with no english speakers for six months or so. Don't let anyone tell you any different! I took four years of french before moving here and I couldn't speak or understand for the life of me.

Frances Garrood said...

Judy, some very interesting points! And thanks so much for the nomination. But I think I've already been given one of those (I keep losing them. I know, I know. They should be impossible to lose, but they never quite reach my side bar...). So maybe I should let you give it to someone else? Two seems rather greedy!

CA Heaven said...

Thank's for the mention, Judy. It's an honor. I'll need to start thinking about seven things to share >:)

Cold As Heaven

Damaria Senne said...

eclectic blogger sounds lovely:-)
I gave up on diets when I was in my mid-twenties. It seemed to me that every time I declared a diet, my body started demanding more food, richer food and generally, food that should not be part of a healthy eating plan. But when I was just eating normally, I didn't need these rich foods so much. So I gave up and overall, I have been fortunate enough to maintain the same clothes range I had in my late teens ( which was not lean by any means, but not too bad either). Damaria

Claire Robyns said...

I'll swap with you, I'll take the African heat and you can have our mild summers, lol.

LynNerdKelley said...

Hi Judy! Congratulations on the blog award. I enjoyed reading those tidbits about you. I'm pretty random about what I blog about, so I guess we have that in common. And I started writing at age 40. Hey, better late than never, right? Very cool that you love blogging and social media. That's a good thing for writers, so yay for you!

Judy Croome | @judy_croome said...

OCEANGIRL: Scared of cats? Gasp! I’ll have to send HRH Theodorable across to visit you. One look at that adorable face and you’ll be converted (unless, of course, she’s in a bad mood…mwhahahaha, only kidding!!) Seriously, cats are very psychic and mystical creatures – I could write reams about the way my cats have “read” over the years. Lovely, wonderful, special creatures – far more intelligent that so many species on earth (humans included!)

HILARY: Haha! I’ll tell Beric what you said next time he gets all soppy at the sight of a Staffie dog! Hope your Mum’s doing well and you’re having good moments with her. Dad’s recovery is remarkable!

JENNA: Just like a cat to take over the bets place in the house! FrontLine is a marvellous de-flea-er (that is, if you can catch the cat to put it on…) My hubby is also complaining about the social media time – says he wants to retire on my royalties!

LAURI: I know cats and dogs can live together (witness the photos of your Bots sausage dog!!) but I’m bot sure I could live with a dog – too lazy! All that cleaning and whatnot, which cats do all on their own! And even without dogs the hierarchy gets sorted – HRH is on the top tier, followed by husband…I’m somewhere waaay on the bottom rung! (another reason I won’t have dogs, I’ll be so low on the ladder I’ll be underground!)

CREEPY QUERY GIRL: Thanks for joining and a big welcome to the blog!! Looking forward to chats! French…now there’s a language I’m happy not to learn to speak, as long as I can listen to it (or a Frenchman speaking le English, with le accent! Oo la la!)

FRANCES: My side bar is crowded to the point of saturation – but this award was so interesting I thought it deserved its own post! And you have TWO of them – not greedy, but a huge compliment on your blogging skills!

COLD: I’m eagerly waiting your 7 points.,,I’m sure I won’t be disappointed!

DAMARIA: I keep on saying I’m giving up on diets but then I look in a mirror…I started my first diet at 14, and my bio-kinetist niece tells me I was an eating disorder waiting to happen (which it did, in my first year of marriage. Sigh.) It’s been a hard road to learn, as you did, that eating normally is the best way to avoid going into the psychological roller coaster of eating disorder patterns!

CLAIRE: It’s a deal!!!

LynNerd: Loving social media is a good thing for an author (except when it gives me an excellent excuse to procrastinate – refer point 5!) I don’t know about you but I feel starting to write at a later age has added advantages - I’ve got more discipline now, for one thing!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Judy .. we never had dogs as kids .. and it was only when my brother married did they get dogs, and when I married my ex decided he wanted a bull terrier - so we had a white one .. when we divorced I had to give him away .. broke my heart - almost .. I get tears in my eyes for the little devil even now!! So can understand Beric's feelings ..! Cheers Hilary

Judy Croome | @judy_croome said...

Hilary: yes, it would break my heart if I had to give my furkid away.

Judith Mercado said...

Versatile (aka unfocused) is what makes you interesting.

Shelley Sly said...

Hi! Congrats on your award. I just found your blog through a friend's and thought I'd say hi. It was fun learning more about you. (I need mild temperatures too. I get headaches in the heat. Glad your parents brought you somewhere with better temperatures.)

Tabouleh said...

Congratulations on your award sweet Judy and thank you so much for passing the award to me... i am honored...
Loved finding out more about you... loved the cat bit... my childhood dream was to have a cat and a dog that would get along with each other and I got my dream in Malawi... we had a doberman Rottweiler mix and a small cat and they got along so well... the cat wanted constant attention from the dog... so funny!
thanks again Judy!

Judy Croome | @judy_croome said...

Judith: Interesting...or just plain crazy!! :)

Shelley: Welcome to the blog! So glad you wandered over. I've just browsed your blog and it looks great. Have followed you on Twitter.

Tabouleh: My pleasure. A doberman rottweiler mix? Yikes! But I'm sure the kitten had no trouble establishing her superiority!! :)

Birdie said...

Thanks so much. I am not feeling so versatile lately. I will get to passing this on when I can. :-)