Just when you wonder why....

...you bother writing a blog, someone comes along with an award.

....and all the way from Russia, no less! Thank you Victoria!!
Victoria is making a traditional Russian village and describing the process on her blog. Take a look!

Several years ago I spent a few days in Russia. This was shortly after the borders were open for tourists and we came via a Scandinavian cruise ship to St. Petersburg. This city was built by Peter the Great when he was tsar, modelled after the great European cities of his day. What makes it all the more spectacular was that the land he used was the very worse kind....very swampy!
St. Petersburg has canals just like Venice that wick the water away from under the houses. And what magnificent houses there are! Here is where you can visit the last Tsar's winter palace, now turned into a museum. The grand staircase is all gold & white...extremely impressive.
At the time that I was there, my choice of day excursion was either shopping or an art gallery visit. As shopping was almost nonexistent then & I didn't feel like looking at dusty old pictures, I snuck away from my group & tagged along with a different one, some American doctors on a convention. We all got on a bus and travelled to the Tsar's summer palace. In this way I got to see some of the Russian countryside that I would otherwise not have. The summer palace is every bit as gorgeous as Versailles.

I just wished I could have spent more time exploring it's beauties! But we did stop at an 1800s dacha which had been turned into an arts and crafts cooperative and when I got back to our ship, my other fellow travellers were moaning about their boring day!
Anyhoo,......

Here are the award rules:
1. post the picture of the award and publish the rules.
2.Post the links of the winners
3. Give the award to 10 other bloggers.
4. Notify the winners;)

В такой дождливый день нет лучшей новости,чем получить награду!:) (Victoria, I assume this was your thank you to the person who gave you the award. So in the hope that I'm right, I've posted it here as my thanks to you!)

I'm passing this award onto:
1. Deb, at http://debbiestinytreasures.blogspot.com/
(Consider this as my contribution to the get-well package that I didn't add to as I didn't have anything home-made that was good enough to send.)

2. Nancy, at http://nancycroninminaturedolls.blogspot.com
3. Jain, at http://giddykipperdolls.blogspot.com
(because both are impressive dollmakers)

4. http://grumblerandpoppet.blogspot.com
(just because, it's a great read)

5. Nell, at http://nell-miniminis.blogspot.com and
6. Karin, at http://karincorbin.blogspot.com
(both these ladies are fab at their craft of building dollhouses)

7. Mags, at http://mags-nificentminiatures.blogspot.com
(she makes the most incredible food....all calorie free!)

8. Elly, at http://ellyinamsterdam.blogspot.com
(she takes needlepoint commissions with payment made to worldwide animal rescue agencies)

9. Jodi, at http://creagerstudios.blogspot.com
(she is still the lady, I'd most love to learn sculpting techniques from)

and last but not least, to
10. Ara, at http://murderatbentleymanor.blogspot.com
(keep those fantastic swaps coming!)

Now comes the hard part, notifying all ten people.....



P.S. No good deed ever goes unrewarded. When I went to mail out my notifications, I discovered that I have another award waiting. But more on that another day, Ken is waiting for his afternoon coffee...