Just over a year ago, I read this post, written by Lucy of Attic 24. I'd been thinking about writing a blog for a while, but when I read her words, it suddenly seemed like something that I'd enjoy, something worthwhile.
I still wasn't exactly sure why and what I would get out of it, and in fact that's something I ask myself a lot. But I thought, well, I'll just do it.
And I can honestly say, it's been a blast. I've so enjoyed writing it, and doing something with all of the photos I take.
But most of all, it's been amazing to meet so many like-minded people. People who like the same things that I do, and people who are kind and generous and encouraging and helpful. Blogland is a place of friendship and inspiration, and I often find I am pushed to try something new, to go a little further, to be a bit more adventurous, and to live life a little more fully. I examine my life and the things around me more than I otherwise would. And there is always support for anything you might want to try.
So I just wanted to say a huge thank you, for stopping by here, for reading and commenting and connecting. You've totally blown me away. I did want to have a little giveaway, but the thing I ordered hasn't turned up yet, so I shall wait and see if it does first, just in case.
You may have noticed the header has been changing in all sorts of odd ways. I'm not hugely confident (or at all able) when it comes to the technical stuff. I naively thought I'd change the top picture, so I deleted it, and from there on in it all went wrong. The new pictures were miniscule. Then I couldn't get it back to the way it was before. You think there'd be a button for "Go Back To How It Was Before I Meddled With It", but there isn't. And I couldn't find the original photo or remember the font or anything. Then I made the pictures too big. I finally got them to an okay size, so I think I shall leave it for a while. I want to change the photo of me and a couple of other things, so if it all looks wrong next time you visit, you know why.
Wishing you all a good weekend, full of adventures and expeditions and also some cosy happy at-home time. I shall be missing the middle boy who has a Beavers sleepover and watching a little football as usual and wandering around with my camera looking at the world and wondering what I shall write next on my little blog. Thank you again for visiting. CJ xx
Congratulations on your first anniversary, I don't always comment but I do enjoy reading your posts about family life.
ReplyDeleteBlogland is such a friendly place and I too have found it to be a life enriching and inspirational space.
Long may it continue!
Lisa x
Happy blog-o-versary! I just found your blog a short while ago, but I've really enjoyed the pictures, especially when the guinea pigs happen to make an appearance.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend.
Happy blog anniversary!!!! I am SO glad that I found your beautiful space here! You are so right...blogging makes you look at things differently. As we all seem to really appreciate the beauty that surrounds us in our everyday surroundings! You have such an inspiring and honest blog and your photos are always so amazing! Wishing you a wonderful weekend as well dear friend! Nicole xoxo
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your blogiversary!! I am so glad you started writing a blog, because I have truly loved getting to know you and connect with you. You are such a voice of support and reassurance across the miles--it means more to me than I could ever express. I also love reading what you write and how even though we live in different countries, the way we think about things isn't all that different. I wasn't sure what I would get out of blogging either, but I really value the friendships I've made. That's what makes it so wonderful. I hope you have a great weekend, CJ!
ReplyDeleteI also love your new header! The technical stuff drives me crazy, too:)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, CJ. I'm so glad you decided to blog because I was able to connect with you, and that has been wonderful. I think your blog looks great, for whatever it's worth. I'm thinking about adding some tabs for pages on mine too. I hope you have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteHappy blogiversary! This is one of my favourite blogs as it's always really enjoyable to read and has terrific photos, so long may it continue.
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend. Flighty xx
Wow only a year somehow I assumed it had been a lot longer despite the fact that I could tell for myself from your blog archive.......here's to many more?
ReplyDeleteAww, congratulations, CJ. It has been SUCH a pleasure getting to know you and your family through this space. My son is now 19 and all grown up (almost!) but your posts always remind me of when he was little, having adventures and doing stuff together. I wasn't sure about keeping going with my blog but then read that so many people give up after the first year and that was enough of a challenge to keep writing - and here I am 6 years on! I wondered whether writing about my community garden would get repetitive but so loved writing about it that I pushed myself towards new challenges so my blog has made me grow as a person. And then there's the connection with other like-minded people, another plus in the blogging world.
ReplyDeleteI love your new header, it's fresh and gives a real flavour of what your blog is about - and change is good! Keep writing, we love you for it! Have a brilliant weekend! Caro xx
happy blog birthday. you do know you have to have cake! I love your first paragraph, it sums up perfectly how I feel about blogging. wishing you many happy years of blogging to come, and hope you have a lovely weekend x
ReplyDelete(oh and yes, I've often needed that "go back to what I had before button.............."
Happy blogiversary.
ReplyDeleteI have set up a test blog where I try out anything that I', not sure of before changing things on my main blogs - this way you can experiment freely
Happy Blog-Day CJ. I couldn't agree more with you on everything you say about blogging - it's fab isn't it ?
ReplyDeleteLoving the new look to your blog,
Have a good weekend,
Kate x
I have found you on your Birthday! I'm looking forward to sitting down with a cup of tea over the weekend a reading some more! Thank you for visiting me on my blog. Sarah xo
ReplyDeleteHey CJ,
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to your lovely blog. I have so enjoyed reading your adventures with boys and plants. It's great to meet someone who gets being a mother of three of them! Your blog is honest and and a true reflection of you and your life, and I love that. If you ever get to St Ives, please let me know. It would be lovely to meet for real.
Here's to more of Above The River! Have a lovely weekend,
Leanne xx
My blog was down a week when I started meddling with the theme... now I don't dare touch it!
ReplyDeleteHappy Blog Birthday CJ. It's been great to find you, love following your adventures, always written with style and humour. May there be many many more. Jx
Such a lovely post - congratulations on your first year - and like your other comments I couldn't agree more - blogland is a lovely thing to be part of. Hope you have fun with the shortbread x
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your first year of blogging. I have missed quite a bit of this first year and what a shame it is, too! It is not quite the same going through the archives but I do when I have time. I enjoy visiting you space because you are a woman of my heart. Come and visit one day, when you are passing. I have just received the Green World Cookbook you have recommended, £2.81 including postage and I look forward to cooking new exiting dishes. Cx
ReplyDeleteP.S. I think the technical stuff is tedious, just trial and error for me. I like your new header, particularly the photo with the stained glass art.
Congrats on your first Blogiversary! Changing a blog header can be a nightmare. I like what you have now! I am wanting a completely different look for my blog and am waiting for some help from my techy son-in-law. I'm hopeless. :-)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your anniversary! You have lovely photos and your header looks fine to me. I look forward to another year through your eyes.
ReplyDeleteHappy blogiversary CJ , I always enjoy reading your posts and seeing your lovely pics. I think the blogging world is a huge support network too, that wasn't something I expected to get from joining but I have. Have a lovely weekend x
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on one year! I remember Lucy's post - it was one of a handful of pushes for me to get back into blogging, too! I think your header is lovely, and I completely understand about the technical stuff, and wanting to be completely satisfied with it all! My 10 year old son helped me with mine, and I'm pretty sure I'll be changing it again when I have time. Also, thank you for the comment on my blog, I'm enjoying getting to know people from all over - I sure wish blogging (and the internet) had been around when I was in my early 20's!
ReplyDeleteHappy blogiversary CJ :o)
ReplyDeleteYou always have such lovely photos on your blog.. and it's always an enjoyable read.. Enjoy the rest of the weekend :o)
I like your blog very much CJ, and you. Your voice and personality come across so well, I'd like to have a coffee with you someday. I think your new header looks fantastic. x
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your first blog anniversary. It will be my fifth anniversary this coming week, time certainly flies when you're having fun. I'm not technically minded at all so I tend not to touch anything on my blog, I can't mess it up that way. I think your header looks great how it is.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!
ReplyDeleteI've been following you for a few months but I didn't realise you had been blogging for less than a year!
Keep going!
Happy Blogaversary, I had my first one at the begginning of Feb like you say blogging is a blast so good to meet like minded people
ReplyDeleteClare xx
Congratulations! You have a lovely blog and all the photos are fantastic. Thanks for visitng mine and for your comment. I only started blogging a few months ago and still finding my way round the technical stuff as well as what to write and all that. But I'm enjoying it and it's always inspiring and encouraging to visit lovely blogs like yours.
ReplyDeleteMarion x
Happy 'blog' birthday! Your blog is lovely and I enjoy reading it too.
ReplyDeleteI also have a 'test' blog like Sue (above) to try things out if I am at all unsure ...and there are lots of things I am unsure of lol
Congratulations on one year of blogging! I've loved reading your stories and look forward to reading many more. The photos are all terrific!
ReplyDeleteHi CJ, thanks for popping by my blog. I love your photos - particularly the one of the giraffe! Congratulations on your blogiversary. x
ReplyDeleteHappy blog-anniversary! I think I found you almost at the beginning, and I have thoroughly enjoyed every post! Your new "top" looks lovely even if it wasn't what you had intended. Keep going, you're doing great, reading your blog is my special treat time and again.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is wonderful - I thought you were doing this for longer than a year! The new header looks great - that stained glass picture is an eye-catcher. And the giraffe one in your collage would look great in a square picture frame. I always love your blog posts - looking forward to sharing year #2 with you!
ReplyDeleteHappy blog anniversary, hope you will continue visiting each other, it's a very enriching experience.Your header is fine,I like it!
ReplyDeleteHappy blogaversary to you CJ!! I thought that you had been going for much longer than a year. I look forward to reading more from you as time goes on. Your header looks great, I know what you mean about the "put it back to how it was before I did that" button, I have felt as though I would like one of those quite a few times!! Here's to even bigger and better things in the future - and the hope of that button!! xx
ReplyDeleteWishing you a Happy Blogaversary. I have discovered your place recently and it has been a pleasure to read you. I love your new header. I am not at all able to deal well with those technical aspects and many around me can't understand it as I work in ICT (but not in a technical area)... I wish I could talk to the software that make my blog, that would make it, may be, easier...
ReplyDeleteHappy bloggiversary sweetie, and now I know the photo is new and yes I will say it again, you look gorgeous my dear!!! I have so enjoyed stumbling across your blog, it really is such a delightful place to visit and I have really enjoyed getting to know you a little over the months. I am so looking forward to our next year of blogging together. Sending you much love and wishes for a happy second year of blogging xoxo
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your first blog anniversary and the first hopefully of many to come. I'm glad Lucy inspired you to start your lovely blog. I too found I gained some much when I started writing mine, It is so lovely to make friends with so many with similar interests. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteOnly a year and so many lovely followers who wait patiently for each story. You are a natural! Xxx
ReplyDeleteIf I didn't know it was only a year I would never believe it. You are good at this, really good. I do hope you'll be blogging for a many years to come xxx
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming you've sorted your bloggy problems as the header and pic of you look fab to me, but if you ever need any help on that score just shout m'dear ... the tech stuff is something I'm kinda okay at.