Thoughts Opinions & Memories | But I Smile Anyway...

VOTE NOW! Annual Bloggers Bash Awards NOW OPEN

19 May 2016 42 Comments

Ok Peeps! The voteing is open! !! Please check out the categories and vote. ..
(By the way, little old me has been nominated on the last award… for Best Overall Blog! If you fancy voting. ..😀!)

Sacha Black

VOTE NOW This is it. The waiting is finally over.

The Bloggers Bash Awards are now open for voting.

We had a HUGE number of nominations, over 350, so thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate.

Voting Closes June 9th at 12pm. The winners will be announced on June 11th at the Bash. If you can’t make it then a winners post will go live at 5:15pm on June 11th.

Choose carefully, you can only vote ONCE per category. There are 10 awards, (so it’s a long post) make sure you vote in them all.

Good luck to all the nominees.

Disclaimer: The committee has done their best to coordinate the nominations and to ensure, where possible, we gave nominees a choice of which category they wanted to be in. Due to time constraints and limited resources this may not have always been possible.

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FLASH IN A FLASH – #WRITESPIRATION 89

18 May 2016 30 Comments

by Ritu in Challenges, Fiction, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #Writespiration, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Blowtorch, Flash in a flash

Sacha is testing us again!

flash flash 2

Get a timer, set it for 120 seconds and when and ONLY when you are ready to do the challenge, scroll to the very end of the post to see the one-word prompt. Write hard and fast until your time is up.

Blowtorch

Pulling the ramekins out of the oven, I was really pleased with the results.

Dave loved Crème Brulee and I was determined to make this meal the best thing he had ever eaten. Never having made this before, I was following the instructions to the letter.

Now, what was next? Sprinkle sugar, ok.

Then using your blowtorch, caramelise the sugar.

Blowtorch?! No one told me I needed a blowtorch?!

“Mum! Dad! Have you got a blowtorch?”

“Yes love,” Dad answered, “it’s in the shed, I’ll just go get it.”

Moments later, Dad arrived with his protective mask and an industrial blowtorch. “Right love, what needs welding?”

The prompt word was Blowtorch.

Flash Fiction Foray #33 ‘Sh-Boom’

17 May 2016 20 Comments

by Ritu in Challenges, Fiction, My Writing, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, fff, Flash Fiction Foray, Frankie & Benny's, Sh Boom, The Crew Cuts

I love Matt’s prompt this week! It’s a song I can croon along to!

Neon Music Sign

The The Crew Cuts’ Sh-Boom.

I have definitely used a little creative licence here, there is no truth to this at all… Well, I don’t know, but it’s just how the story turned out!

“Life could be a dream, sweetheart,” Benny said, “you just gotta trust me.”

Frankie looked over the figures in front of her and glanced at him. He had his heart set on this. But it meant their savings being ploughed into something she wasn’t sure of.

He was a good cook, yeah, and she could be the hostess with the mostess, but was he really good? And could she entertain a room fulla folks?

Only time would tell…

Six months later, they unveiled Frankie & Benny’s.

Years later she thought back to that day. Thank God she had trusted him…

The Reception and Other News!

16 May 2016 56 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Family, Football, Proud, Wedding

It was the final part of the wedding yesterday. A reception in a beautiful Manor House Venue in Hampshire. We got there, almost, before the Sat Nav decided we had arrived, yet we were in the middle of a construction site!

A few moments of panic, then we found it, tucked away!

We were lucky, it a glorious day!

Being as it was a fusion wedding, Indian to English, the entertainment was mixed and there was this great moving band serenading groups of people as they mingled, and nibbled on canapes! That’s the Bride’s Sister In Law, having a boogie!

The happy couple. Don’t they look gorgeous!

Lil Princess loved it, running around the manicured lawns, then posing for photos! Oh, then the spinning round on the dancefloor until you got dizzy bit! And there was a liquid nitrogen ice cream stall, where you could order your ice cream and it was made and frozen in front of you! Cool!!!!

There were also the obligatory peacocks roaming around the stately home grounds, and we happened upon this albino peacock!

2016-05-15-23.03.08.jpg.jpeg

And here is me, in my blue garb, ready for the party!

Oh and in other news, A very proud mummy here!

Hubby Dearest and Lil Man didn’t go as it was the football season’s last match and the end of season team presentation.

Well, what a way to finish it! He scored a goal, and came home with 2 trophies! The one that all players get for completing, and a special one for commitment to the team!

We were late coming home, so once I had scraped Lil Princess off her car seat, changed her and got her to bed, he was fast asleep. I’m off to hug and congratulate him now!

Have a wonderful Monday Peeps!