Friday 14 December 2012

Blogged Off

Here I am again with my last blog post of the year or possibly ever. I am beginning to feel a bit disillusioned with blogging. Here I sit, typing away whenever I can fit it in, when I am not sure if anyone ever reads this or is interested or even why they should be. I rarely get comments (except for the lovely Heather whose blog is one of my favorites) so maybe no one is reading it -so why should I do it? I don't know what I should be including on my blog now.

I like hearing about peoples lives and reading their blogs but I do tend to get a bit disheartened when I read some of them - a bit like those round robins you get at Christmas . I used to love catching up with what people I knew but didn't get to see very often- but now the only ones I get are the sort that say things like 'Tarquin has just been promoted to head of ICI and Jacincta has had her first birthday and has finally finished reading Lord of the Rings. Her nursery teachers think she is a prodigy and have requested she should be made ruler of the universe' . Whereas mine used to  include news like 'the cat has died and my main achievement this year has been to find out how to FedEx a parcel to Canada and the kitchen's falling apart'. Mind you I did get one the other day which said that she hoped the grandparents didn't die before her daughter's summer wedding as it might upset the seating plan. She was joking......I think. I've just given up sending letters in Cards.

Then there are those blogs that feature everything they have cooked - you know '50 ways to serve a courgette' . I couldn't do one of those blogs as I don't think people would be interested in '50 ways to serve a ready meal'. I have never seen the point in slaving away for hours when really my family only likes things that are in a pie or a burger and half the time don't even register the difference as they wolf it down. It took me ages to introduce pasta without them prodding at it superstitiously. I can cook (I even made my daughter's 21st cake which was completely demolished in 10 seconds flat) I just find it boring.

I would like to produce a lovely arty blog with quotes and deep discussions as there are lovely ones out there. But sometimes that makes my brain hurt and I can't stand too much 'pretentious artspeak' and quite frankly I just don't get the time to keep intellectualizing things - How do people do this? Do they have longer days than me? As I type I should really be tending to my daughter who has been sent home from work with a nose redder than Rudolph's and a cough that shakes the house like a mini earthquake, there's a pile of ironing threatening the record for England's highest peak, a whole block of paperwork to be sorted and the cat needs hauling out of the Christmas tree at 5 minute intervals . On top of that I really,really need to get on with my exhibition work (and that's what I really want to do)

 I started the blog to track my degree course so really I should perhaps just use it as an addendum to my website as it costs so much to update that regularly. Perhaps after Christmas I'll have a rethink, perhaps I can come up with a solution (and NOT facebook Miriam! I can't cope with anything else ,I am not computery clever like you).

I know you need 'a web presence'. That was how our Arts Officer got on  to me and asked me to place my work in our Arts Center Craft shop. (Yes I am now shopped full time in a proper commercial shop!!!!) but how to create one worth looking at, how to get the time to do it? Perhaps Santa will bring me the solution for Christmas.

 The Christmas Picture is of one of the decorations I made  - handmade felt and embroidery , they have sold quite well along with my mini Christmas trees. I would have liked to post one of the animals looking suitably festive but the Dog's developed a phobia to tinsel and keeps hiding and a cat hissing  with a mouth full of Christmas tree doesn't work somehow.So For now Merry Christmas to All- if anyone is actually out there- and if I do get left a solution under the tree I might be back in 2013.

9 comments:

Miriam Weaver said...

Oh dear! Why do you think no one reads your blog? I read it and Heather does obviously as she comments on a regular basis. I don't always leave a comment, one thing I did find on my blog was that when I started leaving comments on blogs I read then they responded by leaving comments on mine. But of course it does depend on why you want to blog, I think people blog for various reasons, some to promote their business, or their craft, others to promote themselves. I blog as a way of keeping a record of what I do in my life and my craft, I enjoy on the occasion looking back and reading what I did or felt about something. We all have or own reasons..... it was you Chris that introduced me to blogging in the first place! Well I'd better stop Twittering (get it?) I have so much to do checking Facebook and making sure my homemade soup doesn't boil over!!!!!!

Gina said...

Guilty of always reading but not often commenting! So I thought I would stop by and wish you a Happy Christmas. I too started a blog to chart my (unfinished) degree but as you know it does tend to feature quite a lot of the '50 ways with a courgette...' type of post but then I love to cook whether anyone eats it or not. Been meaning to email and say thank you for your lovely comment after Barley died but seem to have lost your email address. Anyway... this long comment has made up for all the times I don't comment and whatever you decide I'll be here reading! Happy Christmas Chris.

Heather said...

I love reading your posts but can sympathise as I have been finding it difficult lately to post about anything remotely interesting to anyone else. Do hope your daughter soon recovers and that she'll be ready to enjoy Christmas. I like eating so also like to read cookery posts but have never studied much past C&G and am in awe of those with a degree!! Blow your own trumpet and play your favourite tune - very loud!! Happy Christmas and please come back in the New Year.

Heather said...

I've a brain like a seive and forgot to say that I love your little bird decoration.

Miriam Weaver said...

A little update, the homemade soup wash delicious!

Beverley said...

Oh Chris it depends on why you want to blog... personally I try to keep mine arty, mainly cos for me dealing with my life is enough, I dont' need to inflict it on others!! I'm not sure the cat sitting in the pond this morning in the rain is amusing to anyone else? I'm not prolific either, but that's not the point for me. Once a week it makes me sit back and think... plus there's a saying "what gets recorded gets done". So I use it to state what I intend, cos I feel the world will find out if I've not done it.. and if I don't do it, it makes me ask myself, why? Also the end product its good to be able to see exactly what's been achieved. My notebooks don't always have the thoughts behind the item, but the blog often does. And nowhere else is the excitement (or fears) of joining in a project or exhibition noted.
Its all about making it work for you, to fulfil your needs, and no-one else's.

I too like the birdy, though you can go off people, making their own deccies, tsk!

Miriam Weaver said...

Oops that should have said 'homemade soup was delicious '!!!!! šŸŽ…

stitching and opinions said...

I blogged in similar vein once, and got lots of replies like these.....that peeps do read, but don't comment, which is annoying but I like to keep my diary, so I have carried on. Agree with Miriam, if you leave a thought on my blog, I will be more likely to do the same for you. Facebook is easy and quite fun if you have mates also on it, but not as thoughtful as blogs, mostly pics of cats.

Nuvofelt said...

What an interesting comment! This was the very reason I moved from Blogger to Wordpress. The community there is far more aware of the effort that blogging takes. Comments are much more frequent, statistics are more user friendly, and the ability to 'like a post is so quick and easy it gives a much better idea of how many people have visited you.

Oh yes, and the templates are so much more professional looking! Forgot about the most important reason.....