Everyone's a Winner Baby

What I'd like to win

Here are the things I have won in my life so far:

1. An oven-ready chicken, at the Wellington Social Club, for telling the following joke when I was eight:

"How do you make a snooker table laugh?....Put your hand down its pocket and tickle its balls."  A bit saucy for an eight year old perhaps, but whether out of genuine mirth or shock, the audience applauded heartily.

What I actually won

2. A crate of small bottles of Corona lemonade, also at the 'Welly' and also when I was eight, for dancing to the Can-Can by Bad Manners.  Winning two prizes in one afternoon led to cries of "Fix!!!" which is par for the course at a local social club.  If you've ever been in such a place when someone has won more than two prizes in a meat raffle, especially if they're not a member, you'll know what I mean.

3. Tickets to watch England vs Cameroon at Wembley by ringing the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show and guessing correctly whether it was Mrs Merton or Stavros who would choose the items she read to me off a list - a strange and yet fruitful 5 minutes!

and that's it....but there might be one more.

As you'll know I'm in the final twelve of the Cosmo Blog Awards 2012 in the Next sponsored Best Newcomer Category.  The awards date has been set for 4th October in London and so begins my quest to find a fabulous outfit and try not to gnaw my fingernails into a ragged mess.  My head swims at the thought of the opportunities that winning might present and much as I try not to be carried away there is nothing I'd like more than to grab that trophy on the night.

But even if I don't, and even if I momentarily feel crushing defeat and foolish at dreaming I could win (I am so optimistic that I used 'what if I actually won' as a means to get me round the Reading Half Marathon....) I will remember the following things about this past few months:

* Opportunities that I wouldn't have thought existed for me have become available

* I have met some brilliant people that I am excited about getting to know and spending more time with

* It's brought me back into touch with old friends

* I have made my mum proud

Add that to the fact that my children tell their friends that 'mummy is a writer' and I already feel like a winner - but just in case you're reading this lovely Cosmo & Next judging panel, I'd still like that prize :)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sleevenotes:  Today's title song is, of course:  Everyone's a Winner by Hot Chocolate