I’ve been a LoveAllDads Awards winner for all of 24 hours now, and I can honestly say my life has changed … not one iota. I haven’t been upgraded at the hotel I’m staying at with work this week. (Indeed I got back to my room this afternoon to find myself locked out.) No one has asked me for my autograph or attempted to take a selfie with me. And that elusive seven-figure publishing deal remains just that – elusive.

This sort of thing never happens to George Clooney. (For those of you who don’t know me, imagine Clooney’s younger, better-looking brother. For those of you who do know me, feel free to imagine that anyway but you’ll also know I’m lying through my teeth.)

I’m immensely gratified by all the lovely comments I’ve received from friends and fellow bloggers since the results were announced, including a number of people who have only just discovered Slouching towards Thatcham. (Honestly, where were you before?!?)

So, if you are a relatively new arrival here: hi there.

If you’re wondering why I was voted Best Dad Blog, here are of six of my favourite posts which will give you a taster of what this little old blog is about, the last but one of which was named Best Blog Post of the Year. Just click on the titles below to read more.

1. Rules for dads (March 2010)

Ten basic rules that all fathers should live by. These apply to me just as much now as they did when I first wrote them 4½ years ago.

2. Too school for cool (November 2010)

Our oldest son Isaac, now nearly seven, has always been a bookish, geeky boy who has always had a voracious appetite for learning – more school than cool. I love him for that – it’s just who he is.

3. The end of the innocence (November 2011)

Just before he turned four, Isaac lost elements of his innocence in two distinct ways: ending his love affair with all things pink and dealing with death for the first time. In doing so, he broke my heart.

4. A better dad (June 2013)

Our family of five temporarily became a single parent family of three as I spent nine days flying solo with the boys and learned some lessons that have stuck with me ever since.

5. A letter to myself, from a father of three to a father of one (March 2014)

In the absence of a blue police box, I wrote a retrospective letter to a pre-kids version of myself and discovered that I don’t miss the life I had as much as I thought I would.

6. Five things I’ll miss when you grow up (October 2014)

Kara is nearly 2½ and she’ll never be this age again. Here are five things about her I wish I could hold on to forever.