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

What Would YOU Eat on 50p a Day?

 

Yesterday on a Facebook group that I am in we were set a little challenge.  The wording was:  

So, in the true spirit of this group, assuming empty cupboards, and that means not even flavourings, what would you buy?

Must be full price items and no freebies.

I will start you off with Aldi savoury rice 28p and Aldi spaghetti hoops at 16p. total 44p.

You only have 50p. Not a penny over! Just food for one day for one person.

There were lots of interesting answers, and you know me I just had to have a go.

 I did it in the comment section on Facebook, explaining my plans and using Sainsbury's online shopping site to check prices, and then this morning ...

... I just had to go and see if it was actually possible.

My breakfast.

The makings of my dinner and tea.

I washed and peeled the vegetables putting all the peelings, the carrot top and tail and the inner onion skins into a pan which I then covered with water and left to simmer away for twenty minutes.

Once strained, this 'stock' was poured over the now chopped vegetables and brought back to the boil before being allowed to simmer until the potatoes were nice and soft.

I removed enough of the vegetables and stock to make a nice dish of vegetable stew and then whizzed the rest up to make a mug full of soup for my lunch.

Considering this has no salt, pepper or any other flavourings added to it, it made a very tasty soup and I was pleasantly surprised.  There was a smidge too much soup to fit into my cup so that was added to the bowl of stew.

It was a good job that it was nice and quiet in Sainsbury's while I went back and forth until I found the vegetables that exactly matched my spending money.  I started with the potato as I knew that would be the most filling part of the meals and sadly this meant that the carrot was left with only 3p available for it.  But as you can see it all worked out just fine.

Yes I was hungry, an hour after breakfast, and two hours after my dinner, but it shows that when push comes to shove if you only have 50p in your pocket you can find something to eat.

What would YOU buy with 50p to feed yourself for a day with?

Sue xx