Following on from my last post I would once again like to thank Tracey at Yarn and Pencil for her nomination of The Homemade Heart for the Liebster Award.
Part One continued....
...where I answer Tracey's questions.
Tracey: What was your main reason for starting a blog?
Penny: I wanted to share my love of baking; improve my photography (clearly still a work in progress!) and write regularly, with purpose.
Tracey: What is your favourite colour combination?
Penny: Easy! Pink and green.
Tracey: Do you have a favourite herb that you couldn't be without growing on your windowsill or in your garden?
Penny: I have some rosemary growing in the garden, but it's not necessarily my favourite herb; I just like the combination of rosemary and lavender growing in the garden.
Tracey: What tool could you not do without?
Penny: This one gave me some pause for thought! I am quite resouceful, so I could probably improvise quite a lot of tools if necessary (I always think I'd do quite well on a desert island, apart from the lonliness and lack of John Lewis....!). However, the tool I cannot imagine an effective substitute for is my trusty toothbrush!
Tracey: Would you rather go out or stay home in the evening?
Penny: I am a home-body, and like to spend the evenings pottering about the kitchen, usually with my much loved Roberts Radio keeping me company.
Tracey: What would your perfect all day outing be?
Penny: It would be either in Argyll, or the Yorkshire Dales. We would have a long walk with the dog beside a sparkling river, followed by lunch from a generously filled picnic basket in the shade of a rustling oak tree. After lunch, Derek and I would have tea from a flask and watch the boys kicking a ball about. In the late afternoon we'd head home to find the table set with vintage crockery, the kettle whistling on the hob, and a freshly baked Victoria sponge made by my mum, filled with my one of my nan's home made jams. Bliss.
Tracey: Name three wild flowers that you would be happy to see growing in your garden.
Penny: I am fortunate to have one of my favourite wild flowers growing in my garden already; my lovely snowdrops.
I have also recently planted another wildflower favourite; foxgloves, and am looking forward to seeing them flower next year. One of my most favourite wild flowers is the lovely Dog Rose; I would love to have one of them growing in the garden.
Tracey: What was the last magazine you bought?
Penny:
Tracey: Do you have a favourite film?
Penny: Hard to choose just one favourite. When I was young, single, and living in Edinburgh, I went to the cinema at least once a week, usually to the Edinburgh Film House, a habit I slipped out of when I met Derek and moved to Glasgow. I absolutely loved 'Betty Blue'; the soundtrack as much as the film.
I loved 'Paris Texas' too, again the soundtrack was amazing. Probably my favourite film, though, was 'One From the Heart', and once more, I loved the soundtrack as much as the film.
Tracey: What is your favourite food?
Penny: Bread! I rarely make bread at home, for the simple reason that I could eat a whole loaf standing in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil!
Tracey: What will your next project be?
Penny: My next project will be preparing my entries for the Dalmally Show, which is an agricultural show in Argyll that we go to every September. I enter baking; preserves and handcrafts. The boys do some entries for the Under 16's competitions.
Part Two.
This is where I pose 11 questions I would like my Nominees to answer:
1) Who or what inspired you to start your blog?
2) Describe your ideal Friday evening.
3) Which is your favourite room in your house, and why?
4) Do you have a 'signature bake'? Describe it and why you love it.
5) What is your favourite fashion era and why?
6) What is your favourite piece of music?
7) What was your most loved book as a child?
8) What is your least favourite household chore or task?
9) Where and when do you like to read?
10) Do you harbour a secret ambition that would surprise your family and friends?
11) Are you a make-up-every-day girl? Or do you prefer bare faced beauty?
Now the moment when I reveal my Nominees. I have chosen blogs I really enjoy reading, and follow on bloglovin. I am nominating 5 blogs, as I wanted to choose those I feel a genuine connection with, rather than simply plucking randomly from the Blogsphere to make it up to the 11 recommended in the Liebster Award rules.
I have chosen these bloggers because I enjoy every post they write. They write with honesty and integrity, and all have, as far as I can see, less than 200 followers.
So, in no particular order, my Nominees are:
Christina at A Colourful Life. Christina writes about her busy life in Glasgow with her family.
Cathy at Patchy Details. Cathy blogs about her gorgeous pottery and textiles.
Pat at Sunshine and a Sewing Basket Pat blogs about her crafts, family and garden.
Karen at A Quiet Corner Karen writes about her home and family in Bristol.
Katie at What Katie Wrote Next Katie writes about her life in the North of England.
To Tracey at Yarn and Pencil, thank you again, it has been fun! And to my Nominees; Good Luck! I very much look forward to reading your answers to my questions, and getting to know you all a little better.