Seeing differently: my first century

It’s quite a few (6? 7?) years since I first became aware of and began reading blogs, via a chance find of a copy of Jane Brocket’s lovely book ‘The Gentle Art of Domesticity’ one day in a Bath shop.  I was looking for something nice to send a good friend who was off work ill for quite a while, and hoped the book might cheer her up, or at least distract her.

In fact I had to go back to the shop and buy another copy to send her, because I ended up reading and then keeping it myself.

From then on, reading blogs has been part of my life.  Through blogs, I have learnt so much about lives and ideas in all sorts of places I will never visit, from all sorts of people I will never meet.

I’ve watched them come and go, I’ve watched them develop and grow, I’ve seen them reach their limit and change.  It’s been an education.

I’ve (re)learnt to quilt.  I’ve learnt to crochet confidently.  I’ve read things that have made me laugh, made me think, made me question, made me reflect, made me sad, and sometimes made me wonder if they’re true.

I’ve read books I wouldn’t otherwise have known about, I’ve had ideas I wouldn’t have thought of, I’ve been inspired to grow and cook and make things.

I’ve enjoyed the words, the pictures, the colours.

It’s about three years since I first thought about writing my own blog. For two of those years I played around in my head with what I might write about.  Malcolm constantly encouraged and nagged nudged me to make a start.

It’s almost two years since I was finally persuaded by said good friend and Malcolm to have an i-phone – bought by Malcolm for me for my 58th birthday.

My first i-phone photo

It’s a long, long time since Malcolm first began trying to interest me in taking my own photographs, and many years of his nudging and nagging encouraging me to actually get on and do it (“the best camera to have is the one you have with you” – not his original idea, but no less true for that).

It’s just a few days over a year since I set up this blog and hit the ‘publish’ button for my first post.

This is my 100th post.  I can hardly believe it.

I’ve enjoyed writing this blog more than I could ever have imagined.  I’ve enjoyed taking photographs for it much much more than I could ever have imagined.

Detail of bottle-top mosaic, Spitalfields (“go in closer” he said).

I’ve enjoyed learning how to write and use and do things on a blog.  I’ve enjoyed learning little by little to take better photographs.  I’ve enjoyed meeting people (both in this virtual world and in the real world) through my blog.

I’ve enjoyed exploring new themes and ideas, and revisiting some old ideas.

My blog has helped me to ‘see differently’.

I plan to carry on learning, and trying out, and reading and writing.  And all those lovely ‘ing’ words.  I hope I can make it worth your while to come along with me.  And maybe, just maybe, you might find just the thing that inspires you to ‘see differently’.  I do hope so.

Thank you so very much for reading, and for ‘liking’, and for commenting, and for coming back for more.  I can’t begin to tell you how much that means to me, truly.  I am very, very grateful to you.*

 

• and most especially to you Malcolm, on this our 37th wedding anniversary. You’ve definitely helped me to ‘see differently’, and it’s been a great adventure.