Err, yes I am blogging, sort of, but only in my head, nothing has got as far as the screen. I do not really want to stop because over the years blogging has been a balm, a joy and a mostly wonderful experience. I really miss the interaction and companionship. So why have I not published a new post since December ? (YIKES, I truly did not realise it had been that long 😡 🤯 😱)
There are so many reasons, none of which can really be explained. Firstly I guess I stopped feeling I've anything useful, new or relevant to say. I know I am not the only blogger to feel like this, 'Bag End' began in March 2008 and in the intervening 16 years a great deal has changed online and I seemed to be repeating myself with not much new to add to the never-ending stream of internet pages. Not helped by it starting to rain last October and barely feels as if it has stopped yet so there have been very few outings in Blue Bus.
And then there is privacy: something else I cannot discuss is the reason why the Bag End blog has been hidden from view. I think I shared too much - too much house, garden, Daisy, quilts. That metaphorical cat has been out of its bag for too long but I am now nervous about sharing anything very personal.
And then there is: a health issue in Himself's family which I cannot discuss. I am OK (in fact, probably now free from long-Covid side-effects and stronger than I have been in years), but this situation is one which will not go away quickly and lurks at the back of one's mind, constantly, and will affect us more in the coming years. It is tiring & wearing and not something which can be blogged about.
So there you are - a blog post about why I cannot blog?
Last week Blue Bus had a very expensive service and is now pronounced fit and well to travel in the coming months. Evidence of how ghastly the weather has been is that it took until yesterday to find a dry spell during which I could take all the camping paraphenalia back to the van and reload. Psychologically it does feel marvellous to be ready to go, even if I currently have no trips booked. I definitely will not be leaving home over the Easter weekend when the already limited parking in the Lake District will be filled with visitors.
I had hoped to spend the Bank Holiday giving my dear Bus a thorough clean and pre-season detail & polish but (once again) I suspect the weather forecast will not be co-operating with that idea. So instead I'll leave you with a couple of garden photos from the last week when it DID stop raining long enough to do a little weeding.
Lovely to hear from you, yes the rain has drove us up the wall, down here we are drier, but we have even had enough, fingers crossed April will forget the showers and give us sunshine for flowers.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Marlene (and yay - Blogger is letting me reply to comments without an apparent fight).
DeleteLast week I put a hand fork in the soil to remove a weed and the resulting hole filled up with water almost immediately. AND that was at the top of the garden (which slopes) where one might be optimistic enough to think there would be less moisture?
It's lovely to see a blog post pop up from you! I didn't realise it had been so long since you last posted, you're so generous with visiting other people's blogs and leaving thoughtful comments even if you don't have the inclination to post anything yourself.
ReplyDeleteThis never ending rain is such a drag. Even the friends who don't travel abroad are starting to book weekend breaks just for an escape from it. Those hellebores are gorgeous. The foxes decided to dig mine up to make themselves a home, cheeky so and so's! xxx
Aww, thank you, that’s a lovely thing to say. I always try to comment on every blog I visit (even if not every post) because I know how much the comments I receive have always meant to me.
DeleteSorry about your hellebores - I have the opposite problem: mine are now happy enough to be putting out so many seedlings I am almost not sure what to do with them all. Potting them on and keeping them safe until they’re big enough to go to a new place is going to keep me busy.
Good to hear from you. I shall look forward to better weather when you can get out and about and have photos of the lovely places you are able to visit.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue, I think everyone is fed up with the rainfall of the last few months. I seem to have “lost” you off my blog feed, sorry, no idea how that happened so I must pop over for a visit :-)
DeleteNice to hear from you on my blog and see you have a new post up. I very nearly stopped blogging altogether for very similar reasons. I had to find a way to blog about something that didn't include too much home life or too many of the people that I know. They slip in occasionally but in a very controlled way.
ReplyDeleteI also feel as though I am repeating myself far too much sometimes. Perhaps that's why a lot of the readers of my new blog are totally new to me, although there are a few stalwarts that have been there since the very beginning of my blogging journey ... which also was 2008.
Sue, thank you so much. In the current weird world we live in it is hard to know what to write, what to keep to ones self, what is even “allowed” these days (I am sure some of the rants I have in the privacy of my own head would cause all sorts of other if my “outloud voice” ever got hold of them!)
DeleteI do not think you repeat yourself and am loving seeing your current approach to food and shopping.
I was so happy to see your post. I thought the blue van was going on the road again! I do understand about privacy, and wonder sometimes if I too should curtail my posts about home, family and friends. But that would leave little indeed to write about. So I will probably continue as I have been doing since 2007. And it seems that there are a lot of us oldtime bloggers around, judging by the comments above!
ReplyDeleteHi Sue, happy to see you too, x. Blue Bus will get out and about a bit more now the weather is improving (she says, hopefully!)
DeleteI don't believe it! less than 24 hours after growling at the screen coz I could not comment on your blog - voila - now I can (albeit in a rather circinate manner) After my lack of blogging when, like you, writing posts in my head where they stayed, I found reducing what I posted down to a few paragraphs or even sentences, where sometimes the photos did not compliment or even belong to the 'story' certainly helped. I still blog less than I do, I still feel like my words are not as fluid or as interesting as before. However, seeing you writing again made me happy - my only advice? write as much or as little, as often or infrequently as you want - only you can decide that xxxxx
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon my darling. Thank you for yesterday’s wonderful email which I apologise for not replying to - yet, but I promise I will. It prompted me to change the Comments settings to Anyone and perhaps that is why you are able to comment here. Which fills my heart, thank you for bothering, xxx
DeleteI am still not sure what I’ll write about in future - I have rather boxed myself into a corner by setting this up to be a “van” blog when the truth is that I seem to go to the supermarket more often than the fells. Clearly a case of bad planning on my part which really must be dealt with quite severely 🤣
Cheered to find a new post from you!! I think of you and blue bus often, mean to comment, then life hamstrings me more often of late. An email soon…. Hugs. Kris
ReplyDeleteDear girl, what an Easter gift to hear from you, xxx.
DeleteWrite to me and moan about the hamstrings, you know you will get sympathy 😘
It's so lovely to see a post from you, Jayne. I had hoped you hadn't decided to give up blogging altogether. It seems like many have fallen by the wayside for various understandable reasons. The privacy thing I can well understand, as it can be tricky to find the right balance between what to share and what needs to be kept to ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think we are all more than ready for some much needed spring sunshine. Xx
Thank you so much Jules, changing the comment authorisation settings seems to have made it easier not just for Kate 😆 but for me - I can now respond to comments on my desk computer. Having to do everything on the iPad was a pain and that's a big disincentive to keep blogging.
DeleteThe privacy issues - they will never go away, I just think these days we have to continually be aware and become better at handling them and protecting ourselves.
And yes please for some sunshine, right now it is raining hard enough to float the next Ark.