Blog love -long overdue

It's Saturday night and I am enjoying a glass of Australian - Murray River Shiraz and reading blogs for pleasure, as you do.

I blog for work now over on irishautism and while I feel incredibly privileged to be paid to blog; reading other blogs connected to autism or not-for-profit-marketing, can feel a little bit like Research.

It's like having to read wine magazines and articles when you work in that industry or the financial times if you are a stock-broker, ahem.

So on Saturday night it is lovely to sit down with the ole lappie and scan through all my favourite fashion and thinking blogs and just enjoy the pretty cleverness.

To this end I am going to pass on the above award which was given to me by the wise, good and beautiful Seeker, many many moons ago (sorry to be so tardy my darling.) Seeker is an exotic bird in a flock of little brown wrens and grey sparrows. I imagine she charms and delights her co-workers every morning as she arrives in to work in her fine feathers. And I am sure that hubby feels very lucky to have such a fine mate in his nest.

The first award goes to the first one I look at every morning - Skylark and Son.

I love this chick because she's a mum of a little dude and she still dresses beautifully. Not in expensive and bland designer gear but creatively thrifted, bargained and adapted treasures.

She is clever, witty and a great writer and I wish I could have gone to school with her. She would have been in first form while I was doing my School Certificate but she would still have been about 11 times cooler than me

Then, I usually check out the fearsome and fearless Sister Wolf to see who she is using the C-word about today. Again, I wish I went to school with Sister Wolf. I could have avoided so much bullying and angst about who I was; and been a lot less used and mislead by horrible feckless straight boys - thanks to the good sister's esteem boosting wisdom and love. One good reason for me to visit Venice C.A. one day.

We have four unusual things in common. bet you can't guess what they are.

After that it is north to snowy Toronto for a little bit of "smart, pretty and not afraid to show it" K-line.

I think I would have been in awe of K-line in school. She reminds me of the Loreto Convent girls I met in my after-school job at McDonalds who were enjoying the benefits of learning without being judged or jeered by adolescent boys.

However she is most un-convent like in her appreciation of sexy and body flattering fashion, and a little bit inner city arty too. I think K-line might be the other Gwenyth Paltrow in my Sliding Doors alternative life. Substitute " just getting delayed on the stairs down to the platform and missing the tube" for well, my wacky childhood.

Next is Sal of Already Pretty-: now there is a phrase for women to tattoo on to their abdomen or lower back.

Apart from being a fellow recovering shopaholic; Sal is on a mission to convince us to appreciate ourselves just as we are - but with the best possible packaging. Between K-line and Sal I have actually stopped hating my arse.

If only I could go back in time and be 16 again, I could have a best friend in Sal. One who actually told me what I did look good in, and what never towear again; rather than one who just wanted me to be pretty enough to attract boys when we were out together, but about 3/10ths uglier than her - so she would always get first pick of the cute ones.

Now I read all these on the iPhone browser before breakfast and it is a pain in the arse to sign in and comment, so forgive me girls for not commenting everyday! I am lurking and enjoying very much.

There is another significant lady I read in the morning; but she takes so long to load on the iPhone browser that I fit her in to my quick scan of the lappie while eating breaky, before I have to go and make the lunches and wrangle some childer off to school.

Imelda Matt - The Despotic Queen of Shoes.

I can only approach her after coffee as she is made of pretty strong stuff, and guess what? I really did go to school with Imelda's other half: the lovely but blogshy Imelda Mike.

And boy were we some pair of bitches!

Now I really want you to go and read these blogs, if you haven't already; so I am going to pause here before showing you the rest of my blog shelf, see you in a couple of days.

xx