Monday, May 18, 2009

Palabras Como Rosas

Last night, I came home from dinner at the Fox and Hounds, and found that John Hayes of Robert Frost's Banjo had bestowed another award on me, the Palabras Como Rosas. I am very flattered. Here's what John had to say:

Amazing Voyages of the Turtle: When I awarded Sandra Leigh the One Lovely Blog Award, I was kind of shocked that someone who’s been blogging for quite some time & at such a consistently high level had only been picked for one of these. So to remedy that, here’s the Palabra Como Rosas, which richly fits the excellent writing at Amazing Voyages of the Turtle. Sandra also was the creator of Original Poetry Sunday, a grand idea that I believe will attract more folks as time goes by. In addition to my contribution, please check out Sandra’s poem here & René Wing’s poem here; René’s blog Yes is Red is also very much worth repeated visits.

I want to join John in recommending René's beautiful blog, Yes Is Red. I am honoured to be numbered in such company. René posted two poems yesterday for the inaugural edition of Original Poetry Sunday, and their beauty left me nearly speechless.

I am particularly grateful for the award because it came at a time when I was feeling very insecure about my writing. I needed a boost, and I got it. Isn't it great when that happens? I've given Palabras Como Rosas a place of honour on the sidebar. If this keeps up, I'm going to have to hire someone to come in and dust my trophies (because I know I'll never get around to it!)

While that was happening, I had a lovely dinner (spinach/feta quiche, Caesar salad - how quintessentially British!) at the pub. I'm hoping that you can click on this image (with the Union Jack) to enlarge it and read it. Just in case you can't, though, this is my favourite line:

"All food is cooked to order, so please be patient if we are busy - Our chef is getting on a bit and his wife nags him enough as it is! Our son works weekday lunches and some nights, so service may be a bit quicker then! If you are in a hurry, please let us know...We'll do our best."

It's a delightfully friendly place to eat, and the food is good. As a non-drinker, I miss out on some of the pubbishness, but they do have a few non-alcoholic drinks for the likes of me, and everybody else gets to choose from a wide variety of beers and ales, both British and local.

So this is the skinny - If you're ever in Nanaimo, The Fox and Hounds is one place you shouldn't miss. (It's hard to miss, actually. It's the place with the British phone booth out front.)





7 comments:

Reya Mellicker said...

I love places like the Fox and Hound. Restaurants with a sense of humor, where you'll never feel rushed, are so much more welcoming than fancy restaurants with stiff service.

I, too was a recipient of John's award. His descriptions of the blogs are fantastic. I saw my own blog in a new light, based on what he said. He is so cool.

As are you! Congrats!!

Unknown said...

Hi Sandra:

I see you caught my misspelling of the award name! That sounds like a delightful eatery-- by the way, both your Bishop poem yesterday & today's Auden selection are great. The Bishop poem is a long-time favorite, & I thought seriously about posting that Auden poem when Bush left office.

René Wing said...

You and John are just too kind! I came by to wish you congratulations and saw your mention of my site. thank you for that... and I agree with John completely that you deserve many awards. You always amaze me with your vibrant, humorous and interesting posts. And now I have to go back and find the Bishop poem John mentioned as I missed it and I love her.

I hope you're feeling better now that you've had some good pub food. See, nothing's ever perfect.

Sandra Leigh said...

Reya, I know. I want to turn and look to see whether he's talking about somebody who's standing behind me. Congratulations on your well-deserved award. Your blog is a must-read for me, too.

John - the plural came up when I copied the award over, so I made the adjustment. As for the Auden poem, I know just what you mean. Thank you again.

Sandra Leigh said...

René, I'm sorry - the poem was on the sidebar, so it is no longer up. I'll find it again and post it in the body of my blog, because I really like it, too. Congratulations on your award.

And yes, thank you - feeling much revived this morning.

mouse (aka kimy) said...

kudos on the award!

john is a total sweetie.... and the care he takes in writing his descriptions is so thoughtful and impressive.

I wonder how many places have the name fox and hound(s) about!

keep on keeping on!

Sandra Leigh said...

Thanks, Kimy - Yep. We'll have to design a Total Sweetie Award for John.

I love pub names - also English house names - I've seen some called Thistledew and Yer'Tis, and of course the classic - Dunroamin'.

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