Confessions of a lapsed blogger

It's been a while. I've had stuff going on that just isn't suitable for everyday blogging. Not bad stuff or personal stuff, but stuff that probably isn't of any interest to anyone else. My mother always told me that if I didn't have anything nice to say I shouldn't say it at all. 

I'm not sure that I totally agree with her, but she's dead now, and well, it's one of those things I like to remember about her.

So, what has been going on? Since January (well OK mid-December but that was only two days), we have had the builders in. Anyone who has ever done this will know that the whole process, from architect through planning permission to lying in your new bath, is fraught with emotion. Fragile egos, diva strops and broken nails - and that was just the plumber!

We've had some excellent people working here, and some stinkers too. In fact, one of the stinkers still owes me half a bathroom suite so I'm not naming and shaming just yet. One of the pitfalls of ordering from an overpriced independent retailer.

I do have a long snagging list (Mr B thought it was a 'shagging' list), but as the renovation project draws to a close, the Boxers and I sigh with pleasure at the thought of having our house back, clean and quiet, peaceful and tidy. Bliss!

Liebster award

Thank you to Dawn at Me, Myself and I for the Liebster award. I started blogging to raise awareness of end-of-life care options and the grief that one goes through on losing a loved one to a terminal illness like cancer. Blogging has given me an outlet for my thoughts, and brought me in contact with many positive and inspirational people. Blog awards are part of the joy of blogging. They mean that your blog is connecting with others.

Here's what you have to do when you are nominated for a Liebster award

1) List Eleven facts about yourself.

2) Answer the Eleven questions asked of you.

3) Ask Eleven new questions of the bloggers you nominate.

4) Choose bloggers to nominate with 200 or less followers.

OK, but Eleven is way too many, and is not an auspicious number. 

Little known acts about me

I can wear children's shoes

I swam the Midmar Mile

I am not a tongue-roller

Questions from Dawn

1) When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Boring - an English teacher

2) Dogs or Cats? 

Dogs

3)What is your favorite TV series?

CSI

4) Sandals or shoes?

FitFlops

5) Trousers or skirts?

Jeans

6) Do you have a guilty secret?

No - and if I did, I wouldn't tell

7) Tea or Coffee?

Earl Grey please, a little milk and no sugar

8) Do you hate your job?

Not any more

9) Ice cream or hot dessert?

Pistachio ice-cream

10)Who is your favorite author?

James Patterson

11) If you found £200 in the cash machine, would you hand it into the bank or keep it?

Hand it in, there's bound to be a hidden camera somewhere

Now, fellow bloggers. It's over to you. If you read this blog, you get a Liebster award. Answer the following questions and pass it on. Let me know if you're playing along, so that I can read your answers.

♥ Have you ever ....?

♥ Do you know someone who has ....?

♥ Given the chance, would you ....?

Have fun.

Where does the time go?

Time flies when you're having fun. The older you get, the quicker the time goes. I've run out of time. And my personal favourite: time thief. I have been pleasantly indisposed of late. Not much time for blogging. Which is a shame, really. It seems that the last six weeks have just whizzed by; a whirlwind of Themba's diagnosis, the Jubilee celebrations, our wedding anniversary, not to mention a certain dog bite and a bee sting! Add to that Dad's surgery, work, and family visiting from Australia, and well you can see why I'm struggling to find time for blogging.

I'm not complaining, though. While I was recovering from the infected bee sting episode, I had time to catch up on reading some lovely blogs. I tried to comment on every one I read, so thank you for keeping me company.

The NGS open gardens for charity came to Shackleford at the weekend. It was a wonderful opportunity to see how the garden at Norney Wood has developed over the last year. It is also another chance to show some community spirit. The garden looked splendid, especially the new veggie garden, and the cakes were outstanding (even if I do say so myself).

Boxer back-chat

The Boxers meanwhile think all this activity is just fab, that us humans sign up for all these things for the sole purpose of dog entertainment. They are such lucky, happy dogs, trotting along where ever we go, hopping in the back of the car, ready for the next adventure. They had an especially happy walk yesterday evening. After a grey day and on-off showers, the sun came out, so we put on our welly boots and set off across the farm. The 'girls' were in the top field, grazing and lazing. The farm border collie ran across to make sure the Boxers stayed away from her sheep. We crossed two more fields, climbed over three stiles. I loved the way that Themba's tail could just be seen, bobbing above the top of the meadow grass. The happiest dog in the world.

And the time thief? There are plenty of demands on my time. I am learning to say 'no' to some things. And I don't need to make excuses, either. Time is a resource too precious to waste.

Skipping through the blogger-sphere?

There's a funny thing that happens on the internet. You read something and you think you know all about it. You see a small snippet of someone's life, and you think you know that person. Well, I think I can safely say, that you don't know me. How could you? I've lived 99.9% of my life outside of the Twitter-and Blogger-sphere. But now that I'm here, I want to share more with you, and I would like more of you to share with me. My profound Blogger observation of the day: blogging is interactive. There was recently a discussion on the Mumsnet Bloggers Forum about this, about how we Bloggers paste a link to our latest blog post, and run, without even looking at the entry above ours. I have to say I have done this, mainly because at first, I did try and read a good half dozen or so, and comment, and almost never got a comment back. I still read the front page of Mumsnet Blogs, as they roll over, and I do like the Featured Blogs, and I comment on most blogs that I read, because someone has taken the time to write something original. 

But the best way of connecting with like-minded people, not just Bloggers, does appear to be on Twitter, the micro-blogging platform (see my new Twitter local heroes here). Clever people can say a lot in 140 characters, or less!

With another hat on, I write a blog about life in an English village with two Boxers (dogs not fighters, as one Twit said). My latest blog post is about locally sourced and produced food, and why I think pubs and restaurants should be proud to use local ingredients when designing their menus.

In my most recent past, I was a scientist. I love Science. I am and always will be a Biologist, one of those traditional scientists who wants to understand the basics of Science, and teach others all about it. Now, I use writing to interact with others about Science, about how Science is all around us, and how we all use Science everyday. I have recently written about the use of Mind-body interactions in chronic illness, a subject very close to my heart.

And in (almost) another life, I dabbled in the art world, a world I felt so at home in, although not a very good artist myself. But I connected with people through their art and mine. Painting and drawing have always been part of my life. My doodles are legendary, they unlock my inner self, much like a meditation. I have always felt strongly that more people should be encouraged to create; it is a way of expressing yourself even if you can't find the words to say how you feel. 

So the next time you are tempted to just gloss over someone's blog, stop, read and interact. People are amazing, and each one of us has an important story to tell.

Follow @Shackleford_LB