Goodbye Smeagol

Today is a miserable day. This morning before work, I said goodbye to the kittens in my usual fashion while they were all busy ignoring me and playing with each other. I hugged Smeagol especially close because, I was informed last night by my flatmate, today is his last day in our house. He's being picked up sometime today and taken away.

Alright, I'm being very melodramatic. Smeagol is going to a lovely home with two other cats just waiting to be friends with him. His owner is one of my flatmate's mates, and so we'll probably get to visit from time to time.

Even still, I won't have Smeagol's really ridiculously loud purring sending me to sleep at night as he curls up on my chest, against my throat or, his favourite place, in the crook of my arm. Smeagol is wonderfully affectionate. He'll meow, alright, he'll squeak and as soon as you bend down and put out your arms, he'll come running and happily purr as you pick him up for a cuddle. He'll happily purr when you walk passed him. He'll happily purr while he plays with the shower curtains as you're showering....

I'm going to miss him so much. Smeagol and I were close.

Le sigh.

In other, much happier news, I have another award. I've received this from the lovely Anna Walls (Author of A King by Right of Blood and Might). I'm not nearly as excited about it as I should be, as I'm still depressed about Smeagol, but I'm very appreciative!

Here's the award:

Here’s what I have to do:

1) Copy the Kreativ Blogger Badge onto my blog.
2) Thank the person who gave it to me and link to their blog.
3) Write 7 things about myself that my blog readers don’t know.
4) Choose 7 other bloggers to pass the award to.
5) Link to those 7 other bloggers.
6) Notify my 7 bloggers.

Coming up with seven things people don't know is tough. I'm very open about pretty much everything, so I don't know how this will go... but I'll try all the same:

1. I was in Air Cadets briefly during High School. Wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be.
2. I dream of living in a castle somewhere by the ocean... with a private beach.... and a stable full of Friesians..... I'm a dork, I know.
3. Despite three years of Kick-boxing, I really don't like to hit people.
4. I am Australian and Canadian, but wasn't born in either country (I think it's in my bio, but I can't remember, so I'm putting it here anyway).
5. I don't like to be complimented. It makes me suspicious.
6. I have a growing collection of combat steel weapons and intend to continue to grow it.
7. I get intimidated by men quite easily.

These are seven Bloggers I think deserve this award. Alright, fine, these are the only seven bloggers I read. I don't have a tonne of blogs on my following list largely because I fear acquiring so many that I won't be able to devote the proper amount of time for each. So, there are the seven blogs I'm currently following, and they all get this award. I hope it doesn't cheapen the award!

P.S. - there's going to be a lot of cross over and Anna and I share a number of blogs we follow.

1. Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook - She's well and truly above awards at this stage, but she's awesome all the same. A huge hug to her for helping women all over the world realise their own person power through creative expression, and for proving that women can work together and support each other rather than claw each other's eyes out for the prettiest accessory (read here, hang on = boy). Thank-you Leonie for restoring my faith in my gender and in my species!

2. Marshall Buckley of Publishing Dreams - They have recently acquired the services of an agent for the first book of a series (The Long Second) that sounds simply incredible. Though they don't blog often, when they do it certainly is worth the read!

3. Genevieve Hopkins of Horse 'n Hound - My wonderful sister who is blogging about the animals in her life. We share a love of horses... well, of all animals actually.

4. Jenn of Don't Publish Me - While I find myself sometimes disagreeing, Jenn's voice is one that needs to be heard. She doesn't mince words and there is no double meaning to what she says. Forthrightness is something people seemed to have lost, and we find ourselves trying to navigate 400 different possible meanings for every word. Jenn's style is refreshing!

5. Paul Mitton of Dark and Secret Writes - already given this award by the lovely Anna, with a title that is such and enchanting play on words, how can he not be given this award?! His is a must read for authors who are still struggling to find their style of writing.

6. Carter Martina of C.C. Chronicles - this is well and truly deserved. Her Blog Opera is a fabulous idea and absolutely creative! Big hearts Carter!

7. Anna Walls of A Writing Obsession - not just because she is the seventh on my list, not just because she gave me the award, but because she well and truly deserves it... twice! Of the snippets she posts on her blog, I am thoroughly convinced that she's a fantastic writer and therefore, "Kreativ"!