How Not to Respond to Criticism

It all started with a Tweet from @MandyPandy. I went to look at the suggested link and found myself on Big Als Books & Pals Blog . I found the comments so funny I couldn't resist moving on over to Jacqueline Howett's Blog.  


I'm not going to make any comments. I'll leave you to judge for yourself.

If you don't want to visit her Blog but are interested in her book, here is a

"DESCRIPTION TO THE GREEK SEAMAN NOVEL

What is an eighteen year old doing traveling on a massive merchant ship anyways, hadn't she gone to Greece on tour in a ballet as a dancer? These are questions Katy asks herself while traveling the high seas with Don, her chief officer who she marries. However, little do they know, a smuggling ring is also on board for this ride, on a blue diamond exchange, and when explosions and threats to sink the ship also happen, they must try to save themselves. True story."

I found her art work of interest and particularly liked this: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtlyHi3NQogJRJUI7GjVIlCi2M0ufQ-wHv4b32fFPFjKwZ-eCROX8sktq1xfqHJpNCKv5WDJNA_fqiVFr3fAk2O-qLNX0OlGUFj4FZ3NXzYH9aSvlLcKH-L01HktY9V-8CnQ4UuaEt_c/s1600/jacqsoilart.jpg

You'll have to go over to her Blog to view as unlike some other artist's that I've admired I wouldn't dare to copy my favourite of her art work here.

Book Group Whethering Heights

We had a rest from reading for the book group. We had been promised a much trumpeted 'BBQ Summer' as forecast by the Met office. Considering the Met Office is only located a few miles away - as the crow flies - just how could they get it so wrong? And considering they are unable to correctly forecast the near future then just how wrong can they be when warning us all of Global Warming??

Anyway - getting back to our Book Group. As it has been wet windy and cold we are going to read Judith O Reilly's book : 'Wife in the North'. At the beginning of September I'll find out what the rest of the group think of it. I still believe it is funny, touching, sad, funny again but nowhere near as good as her blog. If you happen to be new to Judith's blog be sure and read 'Strife in the North'. It's bestto read each of their posts in chronological order: first WITN then SITN as per these examples from May 2007.

Haemorrhoids in t' North

Meet Emma Royds here.

Rilly Super of 'Strife in the North' meets Stinking Billy here.

Thank Heavens for Football

Thank heavens for football. MyMan is watching Man Utd and some Italian team kick a ball to and fro on some pitch somewhere. As he is happily absorbed in the game I have chance to come onto the blogosphere and cast around to see who has written what and when. I thought this rather charming new blogger - seems to be very youthful techie wise for an 'oldie'.

We've hauled some furniture around and made a wee slot for myself and my computer in the entrance hall under the stairs. I can be seen from the front door but if anyone calls unannounced I going to pretend I'm deaf. When I have a few spare minutes I'm going to make a sign that will tell callers I'm not the 'lady of the house' but the secretary.

I'm looking at all manner of ways of saving time. I now tell the charity shops that I'm a non tax payer just to save the few minutes from completing the tax reclaim form when I drop off donated items. I'm considering showering at night fully dressed so my clothes can be laundered at the same time. I read my book for the reading group while I stir the dinner on the stove. I read the daily paper while I'm on the toilet - after all it's crap news nowadays.

Friday Funny

A now for something a little funny - well it tickled my fancy anyway ..

Northern Rose and Woes

Here is a little something to cheer you all for the next few weeks - this will have to do till the book is out.

Just Good Friends

What a lovely surprise. I popped in to check on emails, my bank balance, update anti- virus and firewall and then a fast sneaky look at the blog world.

I popped in on Merrydaze and then over to Stinking Billy. And what do I find? Why I find that St Billy left his word processor to go out to meet up with another woman. Crystal and he have had a meeting - well a cuddle to be precise. I rushed over to Crystal's Palace and find the meeting included a photo shoot.

Award for Being a Gossip

Retired and Crazy has very kindly given me an Award. I haven't yet had chance to find who I'll be passing it onto but will be back soon to nominate some other chatty bloggers.

BAFTA Awards

I Present The BAFTA Awards or The Bloggers Are Funny Talented Artists Awards. And The winners are:

[1] Strife/Wife in the North [like the horse and carriage, you can't have one without the other]

[2] Merrydaze - short but sweet - [may be unable to attend in person to collect her award].

[3] Richard Madeley - just because he's a Clever Dick

[4] Ramblings - naturally interesting

[5] Three Beautiful Things for inspirational and uplifting posts

[6] Mark Wadsworth - Gordon Brown' s prudent hairshirt

[7] Winchester Whisperer - a classy classical intelligent writer

[8] Celebrityblogspot - a writer's guild - well known celebs confess their innermost thoughts

[9] Mutleythedog - most original mind - thinking man's dog/thinking dog's man

[10] Vaguetarian restaurant - like the restaurant at the end of the universe - diverse n different

They are all Excellent Bloggers and I hope they keep up their Good work and pick up their awards soon.

Smutty MeMe

I don't know how many of you pop along to look at Mutley's blog (link's on the right under 'Some Amusing ... etc) but when I called in today I did find his latest post on a Smut Meme very funny. It made me laugh out loud. I recommend it.

How Old?

Now for some of you bloggers out there this is a very interesting site where you can place your blog for increased exposure. Older bloggers in particular may be interested in the ageless project.

Blogs As A Memorial

I found a lively interesting and diverse blog a few days ago. But I was so sad to see from the final entry the blogger had died. I'm grateful that her daughter had taken the time to post a final entry informing all her mother's blog readers what had happened to 'Daisy'. I'm still trawling through reading some of her earlier entries. She was a very prolific imaginative poster. Beautiful photographs, stories, country and personal facts. Well worth a visit.

There are so many abandoned blogs out there. I can't help wondering what happened to their once keen creators. Hopefully bloggers will think about leave some way of allowing thier exectors to post a final notice when that day does come.

And also thanks to the bloggers such as MerryDaze who leave a postnote if they suddenly stop posting. One final message saves all your readers or friends on the blogosphere from wondering what happened to you.

Queens Speech

Well fellow bloggers and blurkers welcome this festive day. I've found a Queens Speech for you to read if you want an alternative to listening Queen Elizabeth 2 address the nation this afternoon.

A Merry Christmas to all

A Merry Christmas to all who call in here over the seasonal holiday. I would like to send you all greetings of the season and to wish you a happy New Year. All I can do by way of sending you a card is to ask you to have a peer inside here and imagine it was sent to you direct to collect. But if you are a non dog lover and prefer the traditional Christmas tunes then this rendition of the 12 days of Christmas may suit you. You will need Flash Player to view the animated cards and the sound turned on.

If you are interested in finding out more about the designer of these cards then Jacquie Lawson is the lady you need to meet.

The History of the Guest Blog Spot

Teeni recently asked me about the origins of my 'Guest Blog Spot'. Well, it started with a wish to celebrate on reaching my 2000 visitor. Now I know from looking at the stats and the referrals that some of this blog's visitors are transitory fleeting migrants landing briefly after a Google search. They don't even stop long enough for the site to register any amount of time. All that is left on sitemeter is a nano of a second footprint. On the other side of the coin there are visitors who stop and read for 2 to 30+ minutes. Many of them do not leave a comment. They just quietly leave. A few make return visits - silent visits.

I came up with the idea I'd offer a prize of a 'Guest Blog Spot' for the first NEW commenter on the site meter hitting the 2000 visitor. Once I realised some people leave comments as a means of self promotion I then assumed that every reader would be a blogger and would have a site to 'promote'. I've since found there are what is known as 'blurkers' - they only read blogs. Now I only started to read blogs after I'd started one. In fact originally, I'm rather embarrassed to say, that I didn't even know how to leave a comment. I assumed the purpose of comments was to let the blogger know their entry had been read. I admit I would only choose to leave a comment if I found the blog of interest. If it didn't attract me in any way then I would leave silently. I would not return.

My first virginal comment was actually emailed to the blogger. I thought I'd made a mistake by clicking on the little white envelope and not on the comments link. But now looking back at my archived emails I think I may actually have sent her a 'link' to her post. (Blush) Everything was by trial and error. I slowly realised that when leaving a comment the blogger often visited my blog and finally someone left me a comment. An exciting moment. Until that point I had made one or two comments anonymously on my own blog. And persuaded a close friend to visit and leave a short sharp remark. I wanted it to look as if I had readers. I can't quite remember when I found sitemeter and installed it.

I've mostly found out how to blog by the sink or swim method. I've enjoyed jumping into the deep end and finding my way around the system. I sometimes sneak off to use a friends PC or one at the library so that I can check how my blog looks on other page set ups. I've recently read this book which has introduced to me some other ideas on blogging and some blog slang terms such as blurker. There's much to improve on in the future.

Now to return to the initial point I had a great deal of fun choosing the Guest Blogger. I was reluctant to close the slot at the end of the month. I also liked the idea of promoting blogs that I might not have found very easily by just surfing the blogosphere. It also encouraged bloggers who may have been shy of leaving a remark previously. I'm aware of a couple of regular readers who did eventually rise to the bait and leave a comment. I don't want to promote every guest to my blogroll as it would just grow and grow. But if I become a regular reader they do attain that sort sought after position. Lucky people.

The guest bloggers will always be there in the archives. Anyone who is interested in finding out previous guests will only have to click on the tag 'GUEST slot' to see all the previous posts. I hope to figure out if it will be possible to eventually link the tag to the monthly slot in the sidebar. But that will be for the quieter days of the New Year.

Finally, on writing this I have had confirmation of what I long suspected. Regular readers who read an entry via a feed RSS or Atom may not appear in the stats. So to all of my fellow bloggers who allow site feed - you may have more readers than your stat counter shows.

Famous Flowerpot on West Country TV

While I was away I found out that Flowerpot had been on a local television programme. I was sorry to have missed it as I feel that fellow bloggers are rather like PenPals and I'm always curious as what they look like. So when I found out I could watch the TV programme on the web I did so. Flowerpot is the lady who speaks out on SEX and Mary Wesley.

Thanks Flower - it's been good to meet you.

Update: to get it to load properly you must allow cookies other wise it tells you rather rudely that cookies are not enabled and then refuses to load.

December Guest Bloggers Will Be .....

For December the new visiting bloggers to leave comments have been many. Thank you all for visiting and leaving your footprints. I haven't had chance to visit each blog to read all your works. So this month - as it's the month of 'Christmas and Good Cheer' to all men and all that, here are a few bloggers - not already on my blogroll - who left comment(s) during November: -

1. Eurodog training


2. Iota - experience of Brit woman living in Mid West USA


3. I Am the Diva


4. Kami's place
   
5. Kaylee's blog - a teenager who recently had a heart transplant


6. Robert - his wife has agoraphobia


7. Diane - a blogging mother


8. The Swearing Mother - don't all mothers swear?

I am sure you will find some interesting reading here - do explore them.

It's Elementary that I'm a High Achiever

I recently found a new blogger I like the look of. This time I followed a link from the comments left on St Billy's blog. Almost American (AA) recently talked about how were the Blogs Reading Levels determined. I've also picked up this little widget recently from Mark Wadsworth's site. Like AA I input various favourite blogs in to assess their reading level. I can only assume that it is measured on the number of long complicated, unusual or erudite words used in posts. One of my favourite well written blogs has an Elementary school reading level. I was initially rather ashamed that my blog only scraped in at the High School level but to see a high profile writer at 'Elementary level' I was somewhat soothed. I'm still trying to analyse how some bloggers achieve genius level. I did run their URL through the widget to check some of them aren't cheating but no - they are Genius level. I'm obviously a suspicious cow as well as being paranoid.

One interesting strange anomaly I did find is that on this blog I am High School level yet on Careless Carer I only attain elementary level. What do I have to do to attain a higher level so that I can proudly display a :-

I'm a Thieving ....

I'm a thieving whotstit's ... This was such a fabulous picture of Autumn I looked, I saw, I drew breath (well a gasp) then I pinched it ... and brought it home. Like cat carrying something proudly home through its cat flap. I present it to you to enjoy. I wish I could take the credit for it.

If you want to read the very interesting post that accompanied it then you'll have to nip over to Flowerpots blog. Do so - anyone who can produce an image like this deserves that everyone reads the entry that went with it.

Guest Blog Spot for November

It's Guest Blog Spot announcement time again:

It's really amazing how quickly it's time to wipe St Billy and Mark Wadsworth off their position at the top of my Blog side bar. But I've enjoyed having them around so have promoted them to my regularly read links list. I really should get on and sort this list into some kind of order soon.

My choice of Bloggers to take on the now vacant Guest Spot are:-

1. Toby - he has 2 blogs available [a] and [b] which is a work of fiction. I know that [a] may also be entirely fictional account as well but I preferred [a] to [b] ! Please go on over and check them out for yourselves.


2. Winchester Whisperer's blog which is called Winchester Whisperer.

I hope you'll find them interesting and enjoy reading their work.

For readers who are unaware of how to join in the lottery of guest blog spot then all you need to do is leave a comment on a 'And - Who Cares' posting during November. Following a visit for me to inspect your blog - on the proviso it is not too vulgar or blush making I'll choose to link you the Top Slot for the month. After that if I become a regular reader you'll be added to my links list otherwise it will be 'farewell and nice meeting you' kind of thing. Do join in it can be quite fun and interesting for other bloggers to get to meet you.

Meanwhile thanks to everyone for thier comments on entry Personal Experience. I will be replying and posting later but may not be today - as we have the builders in again.