I have a confession. I almost ditched this blog a few weeks ago.  Not because I didn’t enjoy doing it, I actually love doing this, but the big WHAT FOR question started to crop up after about the fifth or sixth post. Staring a blog can be a solitary pursuit; it’s quite a bit of work which pays nothing, and when friends coyly admit,

“Ah your blog! Well, yes. It’s great, it was about tomatoes right?”

“That was the first one back in September, there’s been five or so since.”

“Oh!! Well, you know, um, well like, I plan to read it, but it must get lost in my newsfeed.”

Not that I get upset about friends not reading my blogs, I actually really like catching them out with the SPRUNG card, but I figured, if I silently stop blogging, nobody would really notice that miragoestomarket has gone.   But as it turns out, the other week I got stopped in the Chinese grocers by an acquaintance who had shared a recent post of mine and who was told by several persons “They love the way you write.”  Then there are the faithful followers who never fail to comment, share or write back to me personally, to them I am really grateful. Most recently, I began to exchange with other bloggers from all around the world, which has probably been the most rewarding thing about it all. Today, one of these bloggers, Acorn in my Kitchen nominated me for WordPress.com Versatile blogger award.

I found Acorn in my Kitchen only just recently, after having seen a link to a video on the markets in Madrid posted on his blog.  He also has some of the most exquisite recipes I have seen on a food blog. Thank you Acorn, I am really very touched.  When nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award, bloggers must follow certain rules including:

If you are nominated, you’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger award.

Thank the person who gave you this award. Include a link to their blog. Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly, and nominate bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award. Include a link!

Finally, say 7 things about yourself.

Here are my fabulous 15:

1. A Writers Larder
2. The American Way of Eating
3. Lamingtons and Lasagna
4. Big Hungry Gnomes
5. For the love of beans
6. Afternoondlite
7. CharityChic
8. Bread and Molasses
9. Kiss my Spatula
10. The Wunderlust Gene
11. Food to Glow
12. Cook Eat Live Vegetarian
13. Food Safari
14. Australian Food Blogs
15. Semiswede

7 Facts about myself

1. I write about markets around the world, and although I have visited several on four continents of the globe, my favorite is still the Adelaide Central Market, back home in Australia.
2. I love eating Octopus. My friend Dina’s mum who originated from the Greek Island of Kos, first made it for me.  Dina was one of the first people who taught me how to cook.
3. I learnt to read with The Secret Garden.
4. I once left $10 in a poor man’s jacket.  I hope he wore it again.
5. Another person who taught me to cook was my Great Aunt Bosa.  She was a cantankerous old Serbian woman who convinced me that I would be eaten by the Baba Roga if I didn’t behave. Sometimes, she’d serve me chocolate peppermints and blackcurrant syrup with a little homemade wine.
6. I love the beach. I miss the beach. One day, I will live near the beach again.
7. I am disturbed by houses that contain neither books nor music.