Awards

Leaving Heathrow

I am blogging to you live from The Virgin Airlines Laughing Horse World Superjet. For the past twenty four hours, it has been circling the planet picking up bloggers and blog visitors from across the globe. Thanks so much to Sir Richard Branson.

There has been no need for the huge aeroplane (American: airplane) to land. Heralding a new era in aviation, Laughing Horse Awards guests have been ferried up to the huge superjet on smaller planes. A big corrugated tube has been repeatedly attached between the two aircraft and guests have been suctioned down into our midst. They arrive unceremoniously with legs akimbo in a foam rubber landing box at the back of the VALHWS  before the corrugated tube is then retracted.

All has been going well though we did lose a bunch of Californian bloggers over Los Angeles. Ah well! With innovation in flight technology there are always going to be a few casualties. I hope they were insured.

Party Deck on the World Superjet

The lower deck of the fuselage looks more like a concert venue. It does not contain any regular aircraft seats - just bistro tables with bamboo chairs and a small glittery stage with a microphone and a massive robotic model of this year's laughing horse.

Over the sound system, The Beatles' greatest hits are playing on a loop and the champagne is already flowing as grinning bunny girls bring round hors d'oeuvres - including ricotta and roasted grape crostini.

"Got any Newky Brown Ale?" yells Dave from "Northsider".

"A small dry sherry for me please," says JayCee from "Diary of a Nobody".

It seems that everybody is now assembled and it will soon be time to move on with the subsidiary awards - known as the special awards.

⦿

RICKY GERVAIS  Order! Order! SHUT UP AT THE BACK! Welcome! Welcome everyone to the fifteenth annual Laughing Horse Blog Awards!

(Whistling. Whooping & Wild Applause)

⦿

Later...

The show is now over. Bloggers and blog visitors are making their way back up the spiral staircase to the upper deck where their assigned airline seats await them. Some of them will need to sleep off their alcohol-fueled party excesses - including Bruce Taylor from Arizona and John Gray from North Wales who engaged in an ill-advised drinking competition with lady blogger encouragement. Oh dear, those guys are going to have sore heads when  they are sucked back into the collection jets!

And there's Meike Riley heading up the staircase with Kylie Tai. They have been chattering all night long in their sparkly cocktail dresses about philosophical matters and cake recipes. I might have reported on the sights I have just seen by glancing up from the bottom of the open steel staircase but I am a gentleman.

Owing to a technical hitch, the overall "Blogger of the Year" for 2023 will not be announced until tomorrow but what can be reported right now - hot off the press - are the three "special awards" announced so far:-

Bruce Taylor "Oddball Observations " - BEST SENIOR AMERICAN BLOGGER. Blogging from Prescott Valley in Arizona, Bruce is actually from North Dakota where he grew up close to the Canadian border. Every Friday, regular as clockwork, Bruce brings joy to the planet with his "Friday Funnies" - a clever collection of cartoons, memes and other silliness - just to put smiles on visitors' faces. He also blogs about his wife Judy, his life, cookery and memories that include the time he interviewed the iconic American film actor - John Wayne. Bruce has been blogging since 2008 and this is his first international blogging award. Many congratulations Bruce!

Elsie River  "Drifting Through Life" - AUSTRALIAN BLOGGER OF THE YEAR.

Blogging from Adelaide, South Australia Elsie has been been working on her blog since May 2010 when she decided to stop being just a reader of blogs but a producer too. She is a feisty lady who speaks her mind truly when commenting. Her blog has some regular features including "Wednesday's Words on a Friday" and "Sunday Selections" which is mostly concerned with photo imagery. Elsie is good at responding to comments showing that she values her visitors. Diplomatically, she is a fine representative of South Australian womanhood. Well done Elsie!

Pat Weaver "The Weaver of Grass" - BLOGGING LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Blogging from Leyburn in North Yorkshire, Pat is much respected in the blogging community. The Laughing Horse organising committee  received solicitations from four bloggers urging that she should be honoured. One of them, who wished to remain anonymous,  said this: "Pat is 91, near-housebound, and is now very ill, but throughout the year has consistently produced thoughtful, intelligent, inspirational posts about the state of the world, occasional days out, her carers, memories of her Lincolnshire childhood, her garden, and what she sees from her window, full of the joy of life even in the most limited circumstances. Until very recently she wrote every day. Comments show how she inspires so many people." What more is there to be said? Blogging since July 2008, Pat has shown how blogging can enhance an older person's life. It provides a window on the world, making connections, making friends and taking us away from the four walls that surround us. Richly deserved Pat!

Bruce, Elsie and Pat are now permitted to copy one of the 2023 widgets shown below and to paste it into their sidebars or into  new blogposts. Best wishes to all three of the special award winners!

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 

TO ALL YORKSHIRE PUDDING VISITORS!