Very Inspiring Blog Award

It's all a blur of activity here at Chateau Astrology. I've been seeing a lot of people in the past few weeks. Here's how Dharmaruci over at Astrotabletalk describes a consultation: "a dialogue, a sort of wandering conversation that eventually covers everything." I think my people will recognise that.

For sure, the rush has come because of the seriously powerful planetary energy at work in all our lives.

So what with one thing and another I have not had time to adequately express my utter thrilledness at being nominated for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award – not once but twice. So I am doubly grateful – especially since I am a great admirer of these brilliant astrologers – Jo Tracey and Sally Kirkman, who nominated me.

It looks rather chic. Like a Masonic thingummy. But there are rules to this game.

The rules:

1.             Display the award logo on your blog.

2.             Link back to the person who nominated you. Well I've done that above and truly these blogs are both worth reading. Quite different from each other, but vivacious.

3.             State 7 things about yourself.

4.             Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award and link to them.

5.             Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award's requirements.

I would like a dressing gown like this.

Seven random things about me:

1. I love Paolo Conte singing Gelato al Limon
2. I live with Jupiter in Pisces, his massive shoe collection and his useful (or possibly not) ability to remember even the trashiest song lyrics
3. I dream every night
4. I hate supermarkets and like swimming
5. I choose Matisse over Picasso
6. In 2000, I walked the Camino de Santiago
7. I am ashamed to be addicted to both sugar and caffeine

Here are my 15 favourite bloggers, not including Sally and Jo natürlich. I've decided to choose ones that I also think you will enjoy.

Astrotabletalk - his unique and intelligent take on astrology is reassuringly clear-eyed, cool and broad-minded – and most importantly completely non-conformist

Learning Curve on the Ecliptic - Another maverick astrologer. She's not part of any school and there's no side to her. What's more her interests are wildly wide-ranging.

NewsScope – Michael Wolfstar at Neptune Cafe does the best round-up of the week's news from an astrological perspective. I just wish there were more of it. For example, this week he point out the synchronicity around the number 47...

Big Sky Astrology – April Elliot Kent is a thoughtful and sensitive astrologer and her writing has a poetic cast that often sheds new light on certain subjects

Mystic Medusa – Cool, funny and very visual but founded on sound astrology

Libra Seeking Balance. The sort of honest, properly applied astrology you seldom find on the web. I love the way she leaves things open.

Stellar Insights – A totally excellent grounding of astrology in real astronomy. Very good for those of us inclined to go off on mythopoeic adventures

The Radical Virgo – Joyce Mason is, among other things, very perceptive about Chiron, an asteroid that really needs as much investigation as possible

Ray Merriman's Market Analysis - Personally I have no interest in stocks or shares but his astrology is so sound that I read his bulletin religiously every week. I'm not actually sure it counts as a blog.

Stars and Stones – For the Hellenistic astro-geek in you. I don't understand a lot of it, but it always reminds me that there's a whole other world of astrologers out there.

Marjorie Orr's political astrology - This is not officially a blog but since she posts almost every day I'm including it. If you want a pithy astrological summary of celebrity charts (movie stars, politicians, priests), Marjorie is your woman. I tend not to read her because I don't want my analysis to be coloured, but I highly recommend this site.

And when you're finally sick to the back teeth with astrology:

Woolgathering - I know nothing about this lady personally, but she has one of the best artists' blogs I've seen. She puts up one drawing every day and she has for years and years so it's a fascinating archive.

Carole Marine's A Painting A Day - She does a small still life every day and posts it - neat

Istanbul Eats - As far as I'm concerned Istanbul has the most exciting food culture of any city I've been to. Every meal I've had there has been excellent from a piece of cake off a cart in the street to a slap up dinner in fancy pants villa. But this blog is just a joy because it's written by people who loove food. Read it when you yearn for the exotic, or if you live in Istanbul, read it and feel smug.

Life, CRPS and Everything – My old friend writes like a dream. She's also very funny and very wise and because of her current situation - she's got a strange, very debilitating syndrome – here perspective on life is absolutely unique.