The Purple Lion Awards

"Readers, forgive me for I have sinned."

Looking back over the past few months I find I have neglected to respond to a few memes and honours which have bestowed upon my humble self.

First of all a "thank you" to SwissMiss for awarding me a Purple Lion Roar for Powerful Words most notably for my recent Simple Story Without Words. Seems a bit ironic to win such an award for a post without words, but the old adage "one picture is worth a thousand words" is still often true. Certainly, a photo can often be a lazy way to make yourself heard, but sometimes a photo can say more than all the words in the world.

I love my "Simple Story" post because it does what I think is necessary for writing to be considered powerful. It transports the reader to another world and helps them to see this world through someone else's eyes. All my favourite books have done this for me. And it does it honestly. I couldn't have added anything to that story without distracting from it's honesty.

Now the part I like best. I get to award the Purple Lion to 5 people who I think write good and powerful blogs.

1. Yakima who writes honestly about life in Sarajevo and keeps me well informed about life in Bosnia and Herzogovina, not too far from where I am but quite a different world.

2. Cyndi, not only a beautiful person but a fabulous writer who shares stories of her new life in Italy with her gorgeous hubby The Italian. And throws in lots of historical tidbits along the way.

3. Esben, a great Dane who keeps a detailed record of his life in Indian and other exotic places in the world. He's also a fantastic photographer!

4. Corey, a truly creative and powerful writer who transports me in every one of her posts to Paris, the city that changed my life almost 10 years ago.

5. Carpetblogger,who writes about life in Istanbul with a wry sense of humour and more than a dash of irony.

You all inspire me more than you know. Thanks for writing and I hope you all have 5 friends who deserve this award!