I really do feel very loved in a bloggy way by 'knowing' all of the people who bother to stop by my blog, let alone leave a witty, pithy and caring comment. I mean there are hundreds and thousands of blogs out there and it is very hard to say what draws one to certain bloggers and their output and not to others.
With the exception of willow, I try and steer clear of blogs with a black background because I find it a bit of a strain to read. Also music that suddenly strikes up when I hit a blog is a no no, although there are a few bloggers who I respect so much that I just hit the mute button before their page loads. Another bugbear of mine is too many pictures. I find it slightly tedious to scroll down through lots of computer images to get to the words - although lots of personal photos are lovely to see.
As you've probably worked out by the above I am a picky sort of person. As I get older I seem to be less bashful or reluctant to say what I think and am rather turning into my mother who was known for her forthrightness. A beauty in her youth, she ended up looking and sounding rather like the smaller of the Two Fat Ladies by the time she reached her seventies - haughty, proud and indeed quite bolshy, but with so much elegant charm that people could not help but be drawn to her.
Someone to whom I was very drawn was a blogger who has not been around for a while. Her initial blog was from the perspective of her lovely Schnauzer Henry and then she had a blog in her own right. We have stayed in touch and even though I miss seeing her out here with us, her emails are as delightful as her blogs used to be (the following is with permission, as is the photo above):
Henry comes to work every day and has his own little basket next to my desk and he’s as happy as ever. On the ‘Goliath’ side of things, it is ongoing and unlikely to be resolved soon, one way or another. I feel much less worried now because ‘Goliath’s’ case is WEAK, in my view and I think it is being solicitor led simply for fat fees (because solicitors get paid in cases like this win, lose or draw). It will definitely go into 2010, we’re not even half way through it. I miss my bloggy pals, but can’t get caught up with it again. I’m ploughing all my energies into work and earning money. I don’t even have the internet at home because when I get home all I want to do is relax and steer clear of all things relating to computers, as I’m in front of one all day every day.
So there we are - disappear from our blog world and if you have touched my heart you will always be hearing from me. Schmaltzy or what?
29 comments:
I love it that you say what you think FF! And yes we know you're a softy deep down.
I'm with you on the blackground thing. very hard to read.
You might want to skip my photo led post today. I won't be offended:-)
ps - Henry is a babe.
I'm with you on the black background thing!
Actually, I rarely listen to music either -- in my lazy way I'm a very zoom zoom person.
As regards taking photos of people.....I mostly ask
tell them I'm a visitor (lie)
but less odd to have a foreigner snapping away.
Yes, I really do keep in touch with bloggy friends on and off the screen.
Many have become REAL WORLDS friends
I think I may be heading into FAT LADY territory
they were so lovely and English
and embarrassing
Hope your back isn't too awful?
Oh, you're so spot-on about black background and sudden music!
I love listening to other bloggers' choice of music but at my bidding.
As for photos, I can't get enough. Pix are really easy to scroll through.
But it's all a question of taste and I'm sure I've accidentally driven away scores who find my blog irritating or silly or pointless or whatever. That's the way it is: you can please some of the bloggers all of the time and all of the bloggers some of the time...
Thanks for updating us all about Henry the Dog's mum.
My dear, Henry is a charmer. I want to have a dog (small enough to carry in my Breton bag to work). How civilised he has his own basket!! It's good that some work allows pets. One of my young professors at the university used to bring a golden labrador. That dog licks almost every female students and growls and barks when male students go into the office...esp. male students who want to ask for extension for their essay deadline. He was growling and barking so much that I had to leave.
Re: blogs - I think a little bit of visual aid on the blog is good but I do agree with you that too many images are no good. It depends on what the blog is about. Your blog for example (like mine) is a writing blog. I generally prefer reading a writing blog.
Ah! Harry! Strange that I chose that name for an alias for my stepfather as I couldn't bring myself to actually write down his name...now I see it everywhere and my son and DIL even named their new puppy [a Yorkie] Harry, so now it has sweeter connotations for me.
I don't like white on black, it blurs, and music is a turn off for me too, but the worst of all is when those rain spots or whatever they are drip down the page.
Everyone changes their blog page and I have been tempted by Saz, but I quickly reverted back.
What am I on? You may well ask...here I am blithering on about Harry, when it was Henry all the time. DOH!!!
Hey, I took the splurge and retired the black background! I loved the dramatic way photos looked, but I agree about it being hard to read. Hope the new color is a bit more soothing.
I keep my mute button on while blog hopping.
Yup, with you on the sudden music thing, it also tend to blow my cover when there's other people nearby and I want them to think I'm working on something terribly important.
I hope the drugs are still working
xx
You have such a lovely, soft heart!
And how lovely to hear from Henry the Dog's mum... I still miss her + his blogs! Glad to hear they are fighting on and will win the battle!
Yokki, our French neghbour's dog doesn't speak English but still we communicate well. He knocks me over with sheer excitement every time he sees me, and I, well I try and calm him down.
Thanks for the tips FF.
Discernment is always, always a good thing and the appearance of a person's blog and their use of pictures says a lot about them. I always feel honoured when you drop round mine I must say.
You are sweet. Next time you're in London, we are going to have a cheesy ceramic cafe session.
Please God don't let me turn into my mother!
GG
White type out of black background is notoriously difficult to read - that is why advertisers seldom use it. Though I did once see an advert like this for reading glasses - in six point type as well! I doubt it got much response.
I am a big fan of blogs but if I have a bugbear it that some of them have so little to say and in fact are little more than social networking - though comments are nice, the best blogs (like yours) still have good content at their heart
I am with you on the music. I prefer peace and quiet so that I can concentrate. It is inevitable that as we get older we become more opinionated. I am trying to morph into my father rather than my mother!
reasons - I do try and think before I speak irl though. However my natural tendency is to speak first and think later. You could never call me a bashful type and sometimes even whilst telling someone something my little inner voice is wishing I would just shut up
Lane - no, people's photos are lovely - it's all the endless images that people stick on from wiki or similar that I find very tedious
Elizabeth - sometimes in restaurants I do feel that I'm talking louder than others and consciously take it down a few notches. I bet your English accent goes down a storm in NY though. When I've been to the States people have asked me to say things a few times because ' we just love your accent' - and of course I become even more British and uber-RP.
Dumdad - sometimes I try to analyse exactly what it is I love about my favourite blogs. See -this is the downside of a creative writing course- you start dissecting everything to find out the secret of what makes something good
ASD - yes I prefer a reading blog. Having said that I do love Elizabeth's blog about New York, one of my favourite cities - it is photo based and the shots are amazing. Owen is another photo based blog I admire very much. Maybe I was wrong to say I don't like too many images because now of course I'm thinking of all the other ones I enjoy so much as well
x
Moannie - that was funny about Harry :). The thing is that my dad's name was Henry but all his life he was called Harry - so what you put was not so odd.
willow - yes, I only just noticed that you have softened the black. It is easier to read and is as beautiful as ever. My, you have so many followers
Lu - I've still not taken the tramadol yet. I keep hearing stories about it and the anticipation is lessened somewhat. I'll see how I get on with Friday's physio
Ladyfi - your heart is soft as well :) I know that. As for Henry and his mum - I do miss their blogs very much but needs must and all that
Ken - I'd never give people tips about blogs - these are all my own thoughts and now I'm starting to feel a teensy weensy bit dictatorial.
Steve - I love your blog(s). In fact everyone on my sidebar is eagerly anticipated - and others besides. I'd like to explore blogland more but it is so time consuming and i can't sit down for long periods any more - I have to keep moving around.
Clarity - I'd love to, that's a date
NWBD - hahahahaha - you'll become like your dad, does that make you feel better?
x
Mark - you get sucked into someone's life through their blog and if I am alreay sucked in I don't mind if they don't have much to relate - I just like to know they are still around, especially if they have been a bit down about something. I think it is because I do not know many people in France that I truly like, ones that I have sincerely bonded with.
If this was my former London life - with a busy career and social life, well I wouldn't have time to sit here blogging.Oh and thank you for the compliment
cheshire wife - I have my mum's 'boldness' and a bit of my dad's pernickityness (sp?) - I suppose we all get bits and pieces from both our folks.
I'm definitely getting more balshy as I get older (God help Chris!!). What age do you reckon you have to be before you can say exactly what you want to say and no-body pulls you up about it?
I am so with you on the black backgrounds and the music and tend to avoid blogs like that.
I love my blog and the people that I have met through it :-)
C x
Hi FF/J...I'm trying to be myself on mine. I know I am not there yet but it is slowly happening. Agree with you about black backgrounds and music. I like the correspondence which comes about through blogs. It really is amazing what blogland brings isn't it? Hx
Lovely, not at all schmaltzy.
Carol - the thing is that these days I more or less speak my mind only to regret it a few hours later. There then follows a 'chat' about how I didn't mean what I said and 'is everything cool with us'? - you know the sort of thing.
Hade - for about three years I didn't explore blogland - I just wrote 'for myself' - and it didn't bother me that nobody visited me. Then one day people just found me and I realised how great it was to have a bloggy bond - then I started visiting other blogs and all of a sudden I found I loved getting to know people through their blogs.
Laura - aw thanks, I do have very schmaltzy moments though - I'm a very sentimental person but I can also be quite hard - bit of a contradiction (as are we all)
Dear French Fancy, I just popped in from Earwig Sandwich - and so happy to see an old favourite blogger of mine Henry and his Mum - thank you for the update! Also liking your blog and will back to explore more! Daisy
I sometimes think about doing things to the blog layout, but then decide that I don't have a spoon long enough to sup with the technology devil...
Hello Daisy - how nice to see you here. hello.
flyintheweb - your blog is lovely - it doesn't need anything done to it. In fact there seem to be so many blogs that take ages to load these days because of all the things that some bloggers have put on to jazz it up.
I was glad to see the comments by A Super Dilettante and yourself about the importace of content, not just social chit-chat, in blogs. Great visuals -- cartoons, photos, sketches -- are fine, but it's even better to have a good read with a good reading blog that has something interesting to say.
Aww, Henry is so cute! Years ago when I was in private practice there was a partner who spent the morning in one office and the afternoon in another and he always had his dog with him. It used to sleep under his desk waiting for him to finish!
Berowne - hello again. One can get really self-conscious about how one is coming across and I'm trying to stop myself from wondering how 'I read' - and just blog for myself - if I get comments it is a bonus. A big bonus
CA - how lovely to have a well-behaved dog like that. Ours would follow me from office to office whining for attention.
F. Fancy: I'm trying to stop myself from wondering how "I read" and just blog for myself. If I get comments it's a bonus.
Yes; I feel the same. It's probably the best way to go.
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