Click on the above for Laughing Horse Awards background music. With apologies to the hard of hearing, you are humbly requested to play the music as you read the following:-
History: "The Laughing Horse Blogging Awards" were launched way back in the mists of time following a random meeting between the author of this blog and Larry Page - one of the founders of Google. Back in the summer of 2007, Larry was enjoying a seaside holiday in Withernsea, East Yorkshire when your genial host literally bumped into him causing Larry's vanilla cone to tumble to the pavement. Larry was most displeased but they made up over a few pints of Tetley's best bitter in "The Spread Eagle" and that's when the idea of annual awards for excellence in blogging was conceived. Incidentally, Larry is now worth an estimated $76.5 billion whereas the host of this blog is worth peanuts. How did that happen?
Previous Winners: Each year there are several sub-awards but of course the most coveted prize in the international blogging scene is to become the overall Laughing Horse Blogger of the Year. Here are the twelve esteemed recipients from past years. Some of them are still very much active in the blogosphere and you may recognise their blog titles but others have fallen by the wayside - unable to cope with the stresses of worldwide fame:-
2008 – Arthur Clewley for “Arthur Clewley”
2009 – Daphne Franks for “My Dad’s a Communist”
2010 – John Gray for “Going Gently”
2011 – Ian Rhodes for “Shooting Parrots”
2012 – Kate Steeds for "The Last Visible Dog"
2013 – Tom Gowans for “A Hippo on the Lawn”
2014 – Meike Riley for “From My Mental Library”
2015 – Lee George for “Kitchen Connection”
2016 – Steve Reed for “Shadows and Light”
2017 - Keith Kline for "Hiawatha House"
2018 - Mary Moon for "Bless Our Hearts"
2019 - Jenny O'Hara for "Procrastinating Donkey"
2020 Arrangements: Tragically, this year's ambitious awards ceremony arrangements have had to be curtailed because of some pesky virus. The event was going to be held in The Royal Albert Hall in London, hosted by Paul McCartney with live musical contributions by The Rolling Stones and Lady Gaga. Invitations had already been accepted by Prince Charles, Princess Ivanka Trump, Dame Judi Dench and the world's best footballer - Cristiano Ronaldo. Nominees from around the world were going to be flown in with their travel and accommodation generously funded by the aforementioned Larry Page. There was to be free champagne and thousands of golden Yorkshire puddings in beef gravy.
Sadly all of that had to be cancelled. Instead, the awards will be announced in this humble but strangely awardless Yorkshire blog on New Year's Eve. I bet you can't wait...
We walked the dogs on Colwyn Bay Promenade and ate sausage baps thick with brown sauce, followed by large plastic cups of strong hot tea at one of the little kiosks at the Rhos On Sea end.
A woman waiting for her tea fell into conversation with us about the dogs and presumed we were a couple.
We played along because it felt nice to do so
Small pleasures now rank as high ones in this new world.
