The Blogging Break is Permanent

 

I have decided that my blogging break will not be coming to an end.

After just over a month without writing a post of any description I have discovered a freedom and a freshness to life that I did not expect.  There has been no more reaching for the camera to photograph something that I am doing or something that I think other people may like or want to see ... I simply enjoy it in the moment for myself, and in that simple action of not reaching out, enjoy it all the more.

No one needs to know what I am doing or eating, where I have been or where I am going, and just this simple mental letting go has been truly liberating.

I did briefly consider shutting down all but one of my blogs, but then after checking the daily reading figures on all of them, having a good look at the statistics over the last month when they have been left to fend for themselves, and seeing the daily traffic that uses them to access other blogs I have decided that I will leave them online for the foreseeable future.

Thank you for reading my writings over the last 15 years I hope it has been interesting for you.  

If on a rainy day you want to have a read of the ramblings of girl who moved from town to country, from farm to smallholding, from smallholding to caravan and then a settling down in a small town by a canal, the pages of the blogs will be there for you to find through the links on the sidebar.

Wishing everybody that reads this, all the very best for the future.

Sue xx

A Little Trip Down the Memory Lane of 1st September.

 

1st September 2022

I was talking about how chilly it was at night and thinking about starting rationing!!

I went into my photo files to start a post for the first of September ... and found it empty. 😞 

I need to take some photos and fill it up.  Do more, go more places and take more photos.  In the meantime I will leave you with the images and the links to the posts of the beginning of September over the life of this blog of mine. 

 Just click on the dates to be taken straight to the post in question.

There was no 1st so here's the 3rd September 2021

I told you my courgette plants were so much better last year! 

 This year with the rhubarb in the same place, it was as big as these courgette plants from the year we moved into this house.  I told you that I cut right it right back to the ground only two weeks ago didn't I ... it is already growing again!

 

2nd September 2020.

Again I didn't post on the 1st of the month, but here's what I wrote on the second.

Me and Suky living in the caravan and enjoying our early morning walks around the caravan park and along the river.  Oh, and she did love to go for coffee and cake at the local garden centre ... her favourite walk.

1st September 2019

It seems I did a bit of my life history on this day in 2019.  😀

3rd September 2018

At first I read this one as 'everyone loves a terrier' ... well they do but it doesn't say that.  😂

A little trip down memory lane, you don't have to read all the posts, but they are there if you would like to.  I'll take some photos over the weekend so I don't have to subject you to that again.

Promise. 

Sue  xx

Oh WOW!! ... Thank You

 

Oh wow ... really wow!!

Thank you so much for the responses to yesterdays post, I did not expect to receive so many immediate answers to my questions or such detailed ones, but they REALLY helped me and I thank you for taking the time to join in with what turned out to be a bit of a survey.

This morning over the cup of coffee you see me making in the photo above, I sat and read all the responses that came after the first two that I had replied to last night.   The photo was taken for a completely different reason but boy has it come in handy to head up this post.  I am now sitting writing this over a bowl of Weetabix ... a proper multi-tasker. 😄

It seems that we are indeed a community of like-minded people that dip in and out of each others lives, sometimes regularly and sometimes more intermittently, but that's just like real life isn't it, we see some people regularly day-in day-out and there's always that friend that we don't see for months or even years, that once we do get together again it's as though no time has passed at all.

This meme sums it up really well, blogging gives me and fellow bloggers a way of entering into peoples lives all over the world and and we find that borders, languages and ways of life do nothing to stop true genuine friendships developing ... and I will always write about everything that is 'good and true and real'.

Don't worry if you can't get into the new blog that is linked on the sidebar, I am currently tinkering with it's layout and 'pages' and while it is flashing around and changing it will remain private.  Once I start my rationing journey it will ... I have decided after reading all the responses to my questions ... be public and available for all to see and comment on and Follow. 😄

Something that came up in a few comments was the inability to see the sidebar when reading on a phone.  What I do to visit people's sidebars when I'm on my phone is scroll to the bottom of their post or page and click on 'View Web Version'.  This will bring up the same page but as though you were on a computer, hence everything will then be visible.  Hope that helps.

And now it's only fair that I answer my own questions, just so that you can see how I view things in blogland.

So, the questions:

1.  What makes you want to read a post on a blog?

A good title can grab my attention and if you are on my sidebar I tend to read your posts most days.

2.  What makes you decide to click on the Follower button?

I always Follow a blog that I read more than a couple of times if I like the content and want to visit regularly.  I see it as being like the Subscribe button on YouTube, it lets the person creating the content know that you are there and appreciating their efforts.

3.  What stops you from leaving a comment?

If the same answer I would have left has been said over and over, or if I have nothing nice to say.  I hope I would never say something that would upset someone.

4.  Do you prefer a blog that you can't comment on?

I don't 'prefer' it, I don't mind it, but it does surprise me sometimes if people don't want to engage with their readers.

5.  Do you like getting a response to your comment when you leave one?

I always check back to see if there's a reply and sometimes to see if my comment is still actually there.  Blogger is being strange these days, sometimes I have left comments on other peoples posts and they just vanish.  I always check my SPAM folder as comments on my blog that have previously published suddenly revert to there, even my replies to other peoples comments.  It's bloody annoying!!

6.  Does being a Follower and a Commenter on a blog help you to feel part of it's community?

Yes.  It shows me that I have found a blog or blogger that I can relate to.

7.  If you are a fellow blogger how do you see your Follower numbers, Comments and interaction with your readers?

Yes Joy I know HOW to check, but thank you!!  😉

I don't check my Stats very often, just occasionally out of interest and they are always surprising.  The statistics on my old blog Our New Life in the Country for example are amazing, it is still drawing visitors from all over the world and each post has now had millions of unique visits ... I had no idea.

It's nice to see Follower numbers rise as it means I must be doing something right to engage with more people, THANK YOU to everyone that joined our little community yesterday.

It's nice to see Comments under a post as it means people want to have a voice on something I have written, give an opinion, offer advice or something similar.  I think we all want to be heard and it's nice to hear other people too. I know I sometimes get stroppy with an reply to a comment, I try my best to be 'nice Sue' most of the time but occasionally 'what the heck Sue' bursts forth.  Those of you who have read way back (like Linda from 2008 and Lavender's Blue ... ) just get used to my at times unique ways and take no offence, others run for the hills and are never seen again.  And Karen ... hold your head up high and comment whenever you want to.

Interaction with readers is part and parcel of blogging and in my opinion is what keeps me and many other bloggers going, gives us inspiration and at times can even be vital for our well being.  It's a shame I have no click here if you've visited  button.  (I will check to see if there is something similar available.)  I remember the post I did when we lost our little dog Charley and I couldn't bear to hear of other losses or even read comments for a few days and I asked people to leave 'two kisses for Charley', that post had 307 comments and meant so much to me then and now.

So to round all this up before I set off to Mum's for the day, I just want to say once again a massive THANK YOU to each and everyone of you who took the time and answered my questions yesterday, it was a really useful exercise and I'm sure lots of other Bloggers will have read your answers and found them useful too.  I didn't realise how long it would take you all, sorry!  The post is still there if you didn't see it yesterday and would like to take part.

It's brilliant that we have such a wonderful community of like-minded souls to bolster each other up, laugh with and at each other on a regular basis and well, to just be friends.

Thank you. 🎕

Sue xx

Some Questions For You ...

 

If you don't mind, today I would like to ask a few questions.

I am in the process of setting up a new blog ... it's header is the photo above and it's link is on my sidebar ... for my new and ongoing challenge to eat more simply, and eat fresh and local using wartime rationing as my guide.  Back in the day foods had minimal ingredients we knew what we were eating and we ate simply but well.  It's a well known and proven fact that the population of the UK was at it's healthiest during the war years, and I want to tap into all that with the knowledge that I have picked up over the years.

The reason for starting this next month is to eat more healthily and even simpler than I have over the past few years and in a steady and reliable way, help me save money on my shopping, and to get ready for my retirement having as much money in the bank as possible so that I can retire a year early to coincide with Alan's retirement date.  I have felt just recently that all my previous Challenges have been practice runs for just this scenario.

I have been looking at the statistics for this blog A Smaller and Simpler Life and the figures make for fascinating reading.  I get over 1,000 unique hits each day but I have just a smidge over 300 followers, of the readers of each post recently only something like ten or so people leave Comments.  Over all the posts on this blog ... and there have been lots over the five years it has been running ... there has been an average of 17 comments per post, and considering that around a third of those would have been my responses that's quite low.

So, the questions:

1.  What makes you want to read a post on a blog?

2.  What makes you decide to click on the Follower button?

3.  What stops you from leaving a comment?

4.  Do you prefer a blog that you can't comment on?

5.  Do you like getting a response to your comment when you leave one?

6.  Does being a Follower and a Commenter on a blog help you to feel part of it's community?

7.  If you are a fellow blogger how do you see your Follower numbers, Comments and interaction with your readers?

*** *** ***

I ask because I tend to be a Follower of all the blogs that I read regularly, I leave comments (when Google and Blogger allows me to), and always check back to see if they have been replied to and love being involved in the blogging community.

There's no wrong or right answers to my questions, I am just asking as I am deciding whether to keep my new blog private for just myself, have a limited number of invited readers, or open it for public reading.  

Your answers could really help me reach this decision, thank you.  😀

Sue xx

Do I Carry On ....

 

I've been wondering over the past few days if I want to carry on blogging.  😐

To be honest I am feeling that Blogland is on a downward turn, the negativity on quite a few of the blogs that I read and the downright nastiness of some commenters on a few of my blogging buddies posts leave me with a sour taste in my mouth.  

There's just no need for it.

I find if I read too many negative blog posts and their accompanying comments before I write a post on my own blog, all creativity and even the desire to write words of my own leaves me in a flash of sour coloured smoke.  

It's really frustrating.

I'm far from perfect myself and there have been times when I've been a bit of  Debby Downer myself (apologies to my readers, and especially to the two regular commenters called Debbie/Debby).  But hopefully that has been on only a few posts over the last fifteen years.  Maybe it's just me running out of steam that you are reading about right now.

We'll see!!

As for nasty comments on my blog, these are easily dealt with and rarely bother me if they pop up every now and then.  I deal with them either with a few words in print from my potty mouth or a sharp press of the 'Delete Forever' button. 😏

We are going to visit our Welsh flat over the weekend and have a chat with our letting agents in Llandudno.  We will be staying in a caravan in Rhyl for a few days, as obviously the flat is completely empty now that our tenant has moved out.  Hopefully this will give me some time to think about things and come up with a plan for life, the blog and just things in general ... I always find a change of scenery works wonders.

  The dogs will be coming with us, but Ginger will have the pleasure of my son's company.

Maybe I just need a break, we'll see.

Sue xx

Choppy Salad ... and Hands Up If You're Reading This

 

The other day I realised that I hadn't made myself a big bowl of 'choppy salad' for a while.  It used to be an almost weekly thing, chopping up all the salady things from the fridge and having them ready to add to meals all through the week ... and then suddenly I just stopped doing it.

So I set too, chopping.

I used three peppers, one red, one yellow and one orange, two large tomatoes, a whole cucumber, about five sticks of celery and a large red onion.  They were all chopped into similar sized pieces and stirred around before being tipped into my round glass container.

I kept out enough of the bits to add to a couple of sandwiches for lunch stirring some mayo and vegan grated cheese through the mixture.

And it reminded me just what I have been missing.

It's funny how a habit can drop away and just stop isn't it, but it's always nice when you rediscover it and pull it back into day to day life.

I have always used a container with a well fitting lid as each time I get some of the salad out for a meal or a snack, I put the tub back into the fridge the opposite way up.  This way the moisture seeps through everything at a steady rate, and as you can see in the very top photo I put a piece of folder paper towel in the lid to absorb any excess moisture and keep everything nice and fresh.

The next day I had some of the choppy salad with rice and a salmon fillet for my tea, and then the following day it was back to a salad sandwich for lunch, this time with a cheese slice and lots of extra onion.  A tub of this size will keep me going all week added to various things and if by any chance I do get fed up with it I can tip it into a pan and turn it into soup.

Hands up if you were reading Smiley Ovens ... and Musings earlier today.  

 This morning after retrieving comments that shouldn't be in Spam and putting in the comments that weren't in there but should be, I looked at the blog Stats only to find that a couple of people are reading right back through the blog.  One person is right back at the beginning and another was reading this post.  I do like it when this happens as it makes me go back and have a look at what I wrote.

Sometimes I'm impressed with old posts and sometimes I'm not, but they are all of their age and all valid at the time so I never go back and edit them ... even if occasionally I make myself wonder!!

This one was from when I lived in the flat before we bought our current property, it's nice to look back, especially as there might be some more property news coming up in the next couple of weeks.

Tease

Tease

Tease

😆

Sue xx

To Love and to Startle

 

I love this ☝ꜛ

I love the simplicity of it and the message it carries

I love that it reminded me that I have never said I Love You to my readers.

Some of you have followed me for years, far too many years of waffle perhaps

 On different blogs of various topics containing posts that are short and concise or that ramble on for days.

You have been there in the written word, via comments, emails and Messenger

You have been there in person, chatting over our car-boot stalls, in our home over glasses of wine, dishes of curry ... and lots and lots of cups of coffee on the patio in Wales.

So just this once

I will say

I love you.

Was that startling?

Sue xx

A Blogging Break

 

I'm taking a blogging break for a few days, I'll be back soon.

Take care.  💖

Sue xx

Lockdown Anniversary, Paintings and Green Soup

 

Angela over on Tracing Rainbows mentioned on her post this morning about it being the anniversary of the first lockdown here in England.  So I thought I would look back at a few of my blog posts around that time and see what I was up to when the world ground to a halt, and we were all sent to our rooms armed with toilet rolls and bags of pasta.  

And as usual, I fell down a rabbit-hole of my own making and had a good read of quite a few old posts.  What I did come across was the original post that showed the picture that I fell in love with.  

I had found the image online, used it for that post and then sent it to my son and asked if he would paint it for me for my 60th birthday, of course never realising at that time that it would be over two years until it actually came into my possession.  Yes, thanks to Covid I never got a sixtieth celebration and my older son missed out on his fortieth, but then we all had far more serious things on our minds.

A couple of days after that blog post, on the 24th March, I had to quickly pack up what I could fit into my car and head back to Wales with Suky as the caravan park closed it's gates for the duration and it made more sense for me to be back on the old homestead and us all to be in the same country.

How things changed, and how much we have all come through in the years since then.

Thanks for all the interest in my £3.50 challenge week on Tuesday's post.  Don't worry I will be posting all about it as soon as I do it, I  just need a couple of days to eat up some of the fresh things that I have in the fridge at the moment.

Lots of green things got made into a pan of soup  yesterday.

And it gave me a cup full of soup for my lunch and three more tubs to go into the freezer.

That should be nice and healthy after a week of limited food groups, and we all know just how precious our health is these days don't we.

Sue xx

So, How Do I Think of a Subject for a Blog Post

So I was asked two questions, the first one 'How do you think of a subject for a blog post?' ... most likely the question came up because my posts are here, there and everywhere, bouncing off the walls with no steady theme.   I bet a lot of you wonder exactly what you are actually going to find when you get over here.

Foody, housey, garden-y, dogs, challenges, decorating ... chickens!!

Well usually something catches my attention the day before and I think 'I could write about that!!'  So the next day I do.  Sometimes I do admit to sitting at my computer and I really do not have a Scooby Do what I am going to say, on those days I go into my photo files and choose a photo ... and away I go.

So the other day in my Facebook Memories I had a wonderful selection of photos that I had shared on Facebook over the years on that particular date.  I though how random and what a good idea for a blog post.   And these photos are the ones.

The top photo shows my three Skyline chickens from back in the day when we lived on our second smallholding in Berkshire, it was from a Facebook entry announcing the death of ... and celebrating the life of ... Enid who was the last of them to die, she is at the front with her sisters Ethel and Dolly behind her.  Their names were picked by readers of my blog who each won a very unusual prize for having their choice of names chosen.  🥚🥚⚘

 

This was another photo that came up in the Memories, and I still feel that it's very true.

And one that I thought you would all love was a memory of Suky in the caravan, refusing to part with her hot water bottles or to get out of bed.  And looking that cosy who can possibly blame her. 💖

So this post was inspired by Facebook Memories and the photos that it threw up.

Other days  it can be day to day life, something I buy, something I see and I bet like all of you who are blogging buddies just something that captures my imagination.  I could never be simply a recipe blogger, or a gardening blogger or a minimalist blogger, I really do feel the need to jump here, there and everywhere between everything that encompasses my life.

So I guess the answer to question number one is, my subjects tend to choose themselves, I just have to be on the ball and notice things  ... and then remember them.

Question number two was 'Do you read other peoples blogs before you write yours or after?'

When I come onto the computer to do a blog post, first I check the previous couple of posts that I have done, reply to comments, answer any questions, check the Spam box, there are nearly always a few comments trapped in there, including some of my own previous replies that initially published and then seem to have migrated, it's all very strange at the moment.  

Next I do whatever blog post I have got on my mind to do ... and only when it is done, checked and set to publish do I go and read what my blogging buddies and other blog writers have written on their blogs.  I always feel that reading other blogs first may influence what I write and I would not want that to be the case at all.

I think the beauty of blogland is that we have all found a way of posting that suits us and we have all chosen what we are going to write about, be that one specific subject or a myriad of different subjects.

I hope you found that interesting, I have no idea what you may find here next .....

Sue xx

Blogmas Day Two - By Request ... Mavis' Story

One of my favourite photos of my darling girl. 💖

There were a couple of comments on yesterday's blog post and then some emails, after me mentioning yesterday on one of the photos about Mavis being stolen.  So, I thought that as there are so many newer readers to this blog, and also lots of you who have never read through my old blog, I would link to the original posts on Our New Life in the Country that tell Mavis story ... and boy does she have a story.

Mavis arrives to start her life with us on 31st December 2013

Click on the link to read the original post.

Mavis a couple of months later, fully vaccinated, micro-chipped and in full health and about to be booked into the vets to be spayed now that she was healthy enough to withstand an anaesthetic.

And then she was taken from our land.

We drove the streets looking for her, informed Petlog, the neighbours, the vets etc etc but she was gone and we had no idea where she had gone.

And then we found out and I wrote THIS post.

After we got her back she was spayed, she was once again part of our little furry family and the most important thing of all was that she was loved and brought back to a good state of health.

Now she's getting to be a little old lady, occasionally incontinent, occasionally distracted and forgetful but always full of life and full of love for anyone that gives her a kind word and a gentle stroke.

Christmas Mavis from a couple of years ago to show you ...

... what I got on the first day of opening my calendars.

I hope this post answers all the questions about Mavis. 

She's a happy dog now and has been for the last eight years since we got her back.  Although she will always be jittery and scruffy, hence her name, she will also always be loved and be part of our family and one of the furry gang, who eat together, play together and sleep together.

Family ... it's special at any time and can seem even more so during the Christmas season.

Sue xx

Going, Going, Gone ... I Blame the House

 

By the time I managed to get to the front of the table to get a quick photo, some of the best bits had already gone to other stall holders.  We didn't mind at all of course, after all money is money, the general public and traders weren't allowed in until we had all set up our stalls and been able to relax with a free cup of coffee.  Then it was sell, sell, sell for the next few hours.

Virtually everything sold, and even at the very end when the village hall went quiet and virtually all the customers had gone home, we were still selling to the other stall holders once again.  We reduced our prices right down and others who did regular car boot sales and tabletop sales were buying off us ready for their next events.  

We came home with one box of books and one of assorted bits and bobs.  It made for a quick unloading of the car at home, which was good as Alan needed an afternoon nap before hitting the road for Berkshire and a day in the office yesterday.

My little place is looking much neater now, the top of the bookshelves no longer has a basket and bowl to catch my eye, and my lovely Welsh Bread and Cheese cupboard larder is minus its Spider plant and trug ... and I especially like the look of the bookshelves now that the books are all stood neatly instead of being stacked here, there and everywhere.  

Will it last?  For a while at least ... but you know me, I am always acquiring new books ... I do think slowly decluttering is most definintely the way for me and living with what you have and then realising that you can live with less and less and yet somehow get happier and happier for it, is even better.

I like that blogging about my home makes me more mindful of it and what I have in it.  Looking back over the years when we had so much more makes me realise just how much we have gotten rid of.  I blame most of it on moving into a big four bed farmhouse and the need we felt to fill it with stuff ... well blaming a house is better than blaming me for buying the bloody stuff. 😁

I'm off now, I need to see if I can turn two teeny, tiny pumpkins into a bowl of soup ... that waste not want not wartime rationing mentality is and always has been deep in my soul.

Sue xx

You Know Where I Am!!

 

All the up-to-date news etc is still over on my other blog at the moment.

My Modern Wartime Rationing

Sue xx

Lesson from Autumn ... and Apologies

 

Oh, I love Autumn it's my favourite season of the year.  

I mean what's not to love, you can eat all of the comforting food, wear all the snuggliest of jumpers.  Tuck your jeans into your boots and kick your way through the fallen leaves.

I don't mind that I occasionally feel cold, I would much rather be cold and be able to add another layer of clothes than be hot and be able to do little about it. I think I do need to get some warmer slippers as cold feet aren't quite so enjoyable, but it's nice to have my boots and winter shoes back in the wardrobe along with my warmer winter coat.

Oh, and my hot water bottles have already seen daily action ... I do love a hot water bottle. 😃

The dogs don't like getting their feet wet when it rains and they hate being towelled dry after a rainy walk, so I guess now it's time to dig out their little jackets for the wettest of days.  It's okay for Ginger, he just stays indoors on the colder, wetter days and only follows for a dog walk on days when the weather is more to his taste.

I won't be posting as much on here for this month as I've been posting every day on my other blog as my Modern Wartime Ration Challenge started last week and it will be too much for me to be able to keep both blogs going while I am also trying to visit Mum as much as possible in the hospital and keep things going here while Alan is intermittently working away.

So, apologies in advance if you get here and nothing has changed.

Sue xx

So, What Makes a Good Blog Post?

 

I've been a blogger for over fourteen years now and recently a family member asked how I found things to write about and what inspires me to do each post ... it really stumped me at first.  

I guess I am what you call a 'lifestyle blogger' ... someone who writes about the bits and pieces and the everyday aspects of their life and the people and places around them.  I've tried to pin myself down to specific things to write about with various new blogs over the years, but I always seem to bounce back to 'a little bit of this and a little bit of that'.

I guess my readers know to expect the unexpected from time to time ... like this post for instance!!

If I'm having a day when I really want to write a post, but I've done nothing that I think is interesting I will let a photo from that month's computer photo file inspire me.  The one at the top of this post for example, it's just Ginger and Mavis listening to the sounds coming through the open doors of Dad making their evening meal in his kitchen.  As the food hit the bowl Ginger's tail slowly made its way over to Mavis' as if he was letting her know that tea was nearly ready ... I quietly picked up my phone and just managed to get the shot before they both headed off for food.

I'm a blogger through and through and I always have either my phone or my camera to hand.  In fact, the camera now lives in the kitchen on the lower shelf ready to snap food and its preparation.  I got this shot because the minute I had slapped rather too much butter on this toast I suddenly had the realisation that this won't be happening in a week or so when rationing kicks in and excess butter might have the Ministry of Food or just my guilty conscience on my back.  😄

So random photos or a nice day out, a recipe that I have enjoyed making, a holiday, a washing line full of clothes blowing in the sunshine, all these sorts of things inspire me to write a post and occasionally take an extra photo to add to a post.  

But what inspires me to read a post written by others? 

 Usually, it is a catchy title, or a nice top photo, a mention of books, or maybe I am going by to see how something panned out for them.  I do know I prefer blog posts with photos, even just one that shows what the post is about.  When you click on to a post and there is just one huge paragraph of long writing it can be hard to concentrate, especially if like me you are reading on occasion at silly o'clock in the morning.

What inspires you to either read a blog post or write one?

Oh, and I do love a question that inspires me to write a blog post!!

Sue xx

Re-Thinking, Re-Jigging, Falling off the Sidebar ... and Rationing

A couple of you noticed a few differences in the blog the other day.  

I've been having a bit of a re-think, a re-jig and generally tidying up the right-hand sidebar.  It's nice to keep things the same but it's also nice to have a bit of a tidy up every now and then.

I changed the blog header picture a few weeks ago after our little narrowboat holiday and with my love of canal bridges coming to the fore I just had to have one headlining my blog for a while.  I just love old stone bridges and it's so lovely that I live so close to so many of them, a five minute walk in either direction and I see three of them, a couple minutes further and there are more.  

Well anyway ... stop rambling woman, stop rambling ... after changing the header I thought I would look at other aspects of the blog that needed updating.  It's a good job I did, a few of the blogs on my sidebar Blog List are just no more.  I do read some blogs regularly and comment most times I visit, some I just visit and quietly slip away and some I hadn't been over to for quite a while ... and some of them had gone.  How long have you been gone I wondered and pulled my sad face 😞 

So I knocked them off, I also knocked off a couple that have just turned into advertising opportunities, I don't need to be sold things, kept up to date with things yes, sold things, no thank you.  And when escaping the flashing adverts take up more time than reading a post does it gets to a point where I say 'no thank you' ... and quietly leave.

I'm currently working my way through my YouTube list of subscriptions too and deleting most of them.  One of my ex-favourite ones, a proper career YouTuber is now just a walking advert and it seems her only content is showing what she eats, what she wears and if I have to fast forward through her showing us how she washes and curls her hair once more I will literally go and shave it all off for her.  Then when she advertised for an 'editor and content creator' for her channel it was just too much.  Her career is 'content creator' if she is going to pay someone to do that for her and just carry on washing her hair live on camera ... well I have no words!!

Anyway I have to stop waffling and sounding like Victor Meldrew and get back to my neatening up of my own blog ... or maybe should I pay someone to do it for me?

I did find something on my Blog List that I thought I had already deleted and I was really pleased to find it there.  Back in December of 2020 I started a blog called A Year of Modern Rationing and I was all geared up to follow it through in the New Year, and then Covid. lockdown and life threw me a curveball and it was shelved as quickly as it was begun.  

Maybe it's something for me to think about once again.  What better way to keep food and fuel costs down than to go back to rationing, and non-wartime rationing is a lot safer than wartime rationing.

Something for me to think about for sure.  Is anyone else thinking of something like this or similar for the near future?

Sue xx