I'd ... I'd ... I'd like to thank ...

the exceptionally wonderful DawnInWonderland for my award!

I am so overwhelmed I almost shed a tear (think Anna Paquin, Oscars 1993).  Honestly, it’s totally made my Friday!  And if there were one person I could’ve picked to nominate me it would be the lovely Dawn, whom I’ve never met but whose blog I absolutely adore.

Before I go on, however, I’d like to nominate the following for the ABC Award, as I love all their blogs.  Obviously Dawn would be on the list too but she’s already won it and for good reason!

So other blogs I love are … in no particular order …

Sarah Does Fitness 

The Weight Run Down

Coach Crystal’s Padawan

and

What Vanessa Does

 Honest, go check them out – they’re O for Orsum (see below!!).  Funnily enough they’re all about sports and fitness, except for Vanessa’s blog.  I started reading that one ’cause I know Vanessa, and it was her lovely blog that inspired me to start taking blogging more seriously.

The deal is that when you get the award, you give an alphabetical run-down of YOU … so here goes(yay, an award AND I get to talk about me!!):

A:  Auckland

Yup, I’m a JAFA … and who wouldn’t be proud with gorgeous views like this one from my back window (okay, from the beach at the end of the road):

Rangitoto Island

B:  Burlesque

I was lucky enough to be taught burlesque at Polestars and now teach it myself.  But it’s not just the classes, it’s the awesome fun nights out, such as those at Belle Epoque, where you get to dress up!

C:  Cayman

Where I used to live!  It’s pretty awesome.

 

D:  Dancing

I am absolutely terrible at this.  True story.  Even though I teach, I am only really able to dance when I’ve got a pole to hold onto, courtesy of my truly appalling coordination.  But shhh, don’t tell my boss at Polestars …!

Often when I try to dance I look like this:

It’s best to save the public from myself and therefore I spend most of my time sitting out any dancing action!

E:  Elizabeth

That’s me!  I’m Elizabeth.  Also called Lizi, and Lise.  And Liz by stupid people who want to die.  Oh and Helen.

F:  Friends

I love my friends.  Especially here in London where they’re the family I chose!  I would post pics but there are too many, apparently I have exactly 347 friends (thanks Facebook) so I’d best not even try.

G:  Gymnastics

One of my favorite ways to spend time!

H:  Horses

I loves them.

I:  Iceland

One of my all-time favorite countries, together with Greece.  I’m not sure if these two countries could be any more different … but I love them both.

J:  Judson

My family surname.  Really.  Here’s the family …

 

K:  Kensington

Where I live now, where I bought my first flat (which is still where I live now) and where Princess Diana used to live.  It’s pretty awesome.

L:  London

This may be very similar to the entry before, but with fewer pictures of my house.  I can’t imagine living anywhere else … we have thousands of tourists a year to prove that it’s pretty fantastic here and every time I see a tourist I’m smug that while they may get to visit, I get to live here.  Yup!  Uh-huh!

    

   

   

M:  MacDonalds

One of my work’s guilty pleasures.  Now and again we have MacDonalds Tapas … ie we buy practically the entire menu.  And then we eat it, tapas-style.

N:Nights out

I like these a lot.  Also nights in.

O: Orsum

Non-Kiwis pronounce this awesome.  We say orsum.

This is thanks to David Tua on Wheel of Fortune, way back in the day.

P:  Pole-Dancing and P90X

Pole has been my passion for the last nine years (admittedly on and off because of time, availability and finances) and one of most life-changing things I ever took up.

However I can’t leave out P90X because that’s the other thing I have a passion for and which changed my life immeasurably.   Now I’m doing P90X2 which is possibly even more O for Orsum!

So we have a double-P!

Q:  Err … the Queen?

I like her.  And I can’t think of another Q.

The above is not a picture of the Queen, but it is of my gorgeous friends Beverly and Louise with me at the Royal Wedding party I had at my flat last year … please note the Red, White & Blue!!

R:  Running

Running was my first real foray into the fitness world (before even P90X) with the Asics (as it then was) British 10k.  I still do this every year – this year will be year 5!  Sadly running is my all-time least favorite fitness activity, but at least I give it a go.  Reluctantly.

S:  Silks

An aerial skill which I’m completely awful at, but which I wish I could do!

T:  Trapeze

My latest love, as per my last post!

U:  United Kingdom

The UK is a pretty magical place … I haven’t seen nearly enough of it but what I have seen has been A.MAZ.ING.  My friend and I undertook a 37.5 hour, 713 mile round trip last year from London to the Lake District and back, stopping off at 13 destinations all round.

   

   

It was freaking cool.

V:  Vegetables (and fruit)

I’m trying hard to eat between seven and ten servings a day.  It’s surprisingly difficult … I’ve decided it all comes down to snacks.  Nom nom nom.

   

W:  Whoopee cushion

I attended the last dress-up party I went to as a whoopee cushion.  Uh-huh.  Fact.

X:  X-ray

I break things a lot and I have a lot of these.  The last one was just two months ago … but luckily showed I didn’t actually have a break!

Y:  Yankee candles

God, my total obsession.  I work in an old Georgian townhouse, and in my office there’s a fireplace.  To keep it real, I have a fire in my grate every day … kindly provided by Yankee Candle!

Z:  Zoo

I absolutely love love love the Zoo.  Any zoo (as long as the animals are well cared-for, obviously). I grew up reading Gerald Durrell which gave me a life-long passion for animals, and so I’m a member of ZSL now so that I can go whenever I want.  And that is a lot.  Here are some of my favorite ZSL buddies:

     

So that’s it!  All about me in A-Z.

Thanks so much again to the lovely Dawn – I’m about to head out with a massive smile on my face due to my nomination!  Have happy weekends everyone!

xxx