366 #52

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And then there were…

?

In the last week of project 366, how many of us are still going?

A year ago, people began asking me if I was going to be doing my project 365 again. Between the period of Christmas and New Year's Eve, I had conversations with about fifteen different bloggers who expressed an interest in joining in on the project; that's when the idea came about to run a weekly linky. My only ambition for it would be to provide support to those completing the photo project as it had felt a very lonely task to undertake at times by myself.

In the weekly linky, bloggers would choose their favourite photo  of the previous week and link it up. They would then visit a selection of the other linked-up photos and comment on them, to help bolster the morale of that 366 photographer. Support through commenting was always the aim of the linky.

We started not with the 15 anticipated bloggers, but 366 #1 saw 83 people join in. 83! I was shocked, overwhelmed and so pleased to see others joining in. The linky peaked in week 4 with 89 bloggers taking part, before slowly trickling down to a steady 30-odd in the past few months.

It's a hard project to undertake and I'm proud of every single person who's managed to see it through. I'll be honest that I'm really surprised by some who dropped out, not disappointed you understand, just surprised. I also did battle earlier in the year with someone (not in the community) who had delusions of grandeur and accused the people doing the project of demeaning the art of photography. Knob!

Yes, there have been days where we've taken a photograph for the sake of it just so we haven't missed a day. However, I know that I have taken some truly beautiful photographs of my son this year, and captured moments that I may have otherwise ignored. Most days I just snap away, but I know that when I try hard and I take into consideration composition and lighting then I can actually manage to take a technically good photograph. And I've seen so many of the other '366-ers' grow in their ability to take a photograph, and it makes me smile.

Although the primary aim of the linky was commenting, I have found it a joy to be allowed to peak into your lives each week. To see pregnancies develop and babies be born, to be in awe of newborn babies who have taken their first steps, to witness toddlers learn new skills and become their own people. I've visited countries without leaving the sofa and seen daily life from all over the globe. For that I thank you for including me.

So it leaves me to say, for one last time on this year's project:

You know the drill, join in with your favourite photograph of the week and show some comment love to everyone else in the community.

  1. Choose your favourite photo from the past week and link it up below.
  2. Please add the badge to your linked-up post so that other people know how to find all the other fabulous entries.
  3. If you can spare five minutes to comment on just a few other entries I know they'd appreciate it!
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And will the linky be back next week?

You bet'cha it will!

(My own project will only be posted once a week as a collage, I've lost the will to live posting daily after two years!)

I Feel Flat

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This is a departure for me to write this on my blog but I feel the need to.

This post might not stay for very long but sometimes 140 characters on twitter just aren't enough.

I'm well aware that this blog has been review after review after sponsored post after craft after review posts lately but I really want to clear the backlog that I've allowed to build up.

I hate that I haven't done a Country Kids in weeks. I hate that I haven't written any posts about our life and the silly things my son does. I hate that I haven't posted anything to get conversation flowing.

I'm having a bit of a 'meh' week.

Finally after three and a half years I'm getting somewhere with my issues surrounding The Boy's birth. I don't want to blog about it because it's a deeply personal thing and not particularly positive, this blog is my happiness and light place. Problem is, that a week before Christmas, I'm struggling to find the happiness and light.

On Sunday I met with a midwife practitioner who went over my birth notes in detail for me. She helped me process the timeline of events, helped me understand why I have felt that I blacked out after pethidine (I didn't, I just have an adverse reaction to opiate based painkillers) despite my husband always maintaining that I didn't, explained the reasons why they didn't do an emergency c-section. She also agreed that two or three incidents during my ante-natal and post-natal care were (and I quote) 'piss poor'.

That helped me a lot and I walked away feeling positive about the whole thing and my inner self was happier. I'm no longer angry about his birth. I'm angry at one GP and a couple of other folk, but I understand why.

Yesterday I had my first counselling session to help me combat the issues. It didn't help going over everything again with another new person so close to having done it on Sunday. I came away from the session exhausted and confused. She asked me one or two questions that left me feeling bamboozled and actually a little outraged. I discussed this with a friend last night and she helped me think more rationally, but today I'm flat.

I've lost my mojo and I don't like it.

Oh bugger, I wasn't going to write all of that.

ShowOff ShowCase: The One That Should Have Done Better

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It's been a while since #SOSC last made an appearance.

However, having noticed a distinct lack of interaction in the world of social media lately, I thought it might be time to dust off the cobwebs, bring out the polish and jazz up the badge again. Let's see if we can get people showing a little blog love again, shall we?

This weekend is your opportunity to link-up a post that you wrote that filled you with a sense of satisfaction. It wasn't a review post or a competition, it was an original content post which really spoke to you. You typed that last full stop, pressed 'publish' and thought "yes, this will be a good one!" and waited.

But no bugger actually bothered to read it, or if they did they certainly didn't comment on it!

Why? I can still hear you shouting it.

Heaven only know why. They didn't deserve it, they were good posts. It's not their fault that they were published on a Bank Holiday or when people were experiencing blog-apathy. They don't deserve to feel inadequate, not when they've done nothing wrong.

This weekend, I'd like you to help that post to hold its head up high! Brush them off, stick my badge at the bottom of the post and show them off for everyone to see. Don't be ashamed of them, help them shout at everyone:

I SHOULD HAVE DONE BETTER!

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£20.46!

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One vodka and coke, one kahlua and coke.

In a hotel in London.

£17.90!

In a well-known supermarket anywhere else in Britain.

And at that rate, MammyWoo and I had one drink.

Just as well that the rather fantastic Sally Whittle (Evil Overlord extraordinaire) had arranged free wine on each table in the MAD Blog Awards to help us enjoy the celebrations of the blogging world. Seventy bloggers, all female bar one, in pretty, bejewelled dresses with swit-swoo hair and make-up at a three course meal in a London hotel. Lots of high heels, squealing, underwear adjustments, photographs, hugs and a lot of blog love.

I had a great time meeting up with some of my real-life blogging friends (The Five Fs, Not My Year Off, The Crazy Kitchen and Coombe Mill) while having a brilliant time with the one and only inimitable MammyWoo.

I didn't win, she did. And I screamed because she did.

(To be fair I also screamed when Coombe Mill won).

This is my 24 hours in Londinium.

Thank you to every single person who felt that I was a good role-model for photography in the blogging world and nominated me, and then went on to vote for me. I'd be lying if I said I am disappointed that I didn't win, of course I wanted to! However, I'm not lying or being insincere when I say that being there as one of the top five has made my year when it comes to blogging. Thank you.

366 #32

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We've had a busy seven days, exploring many adventure parks, conquering new challenges and meeting up with good friends. Best of all is that my birthday was on Friday and I took one of my favourite photos in ages… which had no comments!

So you know the drill people, join in with your favourite photograph of the week and show some comment love to everyone else in the community.

Don't forget that the linky is open until midnight on Monday during the Summer season.

  1. Choose your favourite photo from the past week and link it up below.
  2. Please add the badge to your linked-up post so that other people know how to find all the other fabulous entries.
  3. If you can spare five minutes to comment on just a few other entries I know they'd appreciate it!
ShowOff ShowCase



366 #31

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Rubbish. It's been a rubbish week for me with photography. I don't think I've picked up my dSLR once and we haven't seemed to do anything that has generated any outstanding or interesting photos; they've all just been snaps on my phone or the iPad. I suppose it makes up for all the lovely blue skies photos from last week?

Anyway, you know the drill by now! Don't forget that the linky is open until midnight on Monday during the Summer season.

  1. Choose your favourite photo from the past week and link it up below.
  2. Please add the badge to your linked-up post so that other people know how to find all the other fabulous entries.
  3. If you can spare five minutes to comment on just a few other entries I know they'd appreciate it!
ShowOff ShowCase

366 #28

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This time next week, we will have passed Day 200 of the project. How cool is that?

I've been taking inspiration this month from the Instagram #PhotoADayJuly prompts run by FatMumSlim. With such foul weather at the moment, and me lacking time as the end of term looms near, it's been good to have an idea of what to take my photo of each day.

Anyway, time to link up with your favourite photo of the week:

  1. Choose your favourite photo from the past week and link it up below.
  2. Please add the badge to your linked-up post so that other people know how to find all the other fabulous entries.
  3. If you can spare five minutes to comment on just a few other entries I know they'd appreciate it!
ShowOff ShowCase

Tuesday 10th July 2012 – 'Your Favourite Colour' (192/366)

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I've got two many favourite colours to pick just one, I have a favourite shade of every colour. Today my favourite colour is red; the red of the flowers in the organic garden at Yeo Valley, the red of the confit on the cheesecakes that their head chef made for us for lunch, the red of the sweet peas on the table while we ate a delicious meal, and the red of the home-made strawberry jam on the home-made scones for afternoon tea.

What I Learnt At #BritMumsLive 2012

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Last year I decided that I didn't want to go to CyberMummy as, on the surface, it seemed too much like an INSET day for me. When it came to a month beforehand, I suddenly realised what I would be missing out on and decided that 2012 was the year that I would be going. And so on Friday morning with my husband and son in tow, along with our suitcase and bedguard (!), we set off on the train to London.

I had an amazing weekend; meeting new and old friends, learning ways to improve my blog (mainly thanks to Julie Hall's sessions) and remembering how to be me again. Way too many things happened for me to blog it all but I will give a run-down of the things that were most relevant, informative and interesting for me. Basically, what I learnt:

  • It didn't matter I was wearing because no-one cared. Honestly. I think most people went with the philosophy of not having baby sick, toddler snot or ground-in Weetabix on them, and by and large it worked.
  • According to the TK Maxx woman, I need to wear dresses. I did try and let her down gently that it was never going to happen, but she refused to believe me. Poor deluded fool.
  • I didn't win the BiB Snap! award, but for the first time ever I didn't beat myself up about it. The celebratory atmosphere of all involved was so lovely that I genuinely didn't mind. Having got to the finals was reward enough for me.
  • Twitter avatars are deceptive. People you think will be tall (Her Melness, From Fun to Mum, and Kate Takes 5) are actually petite and perfectly formed. Completely took me by surprise. Likewise those that I thought would be smaller in stature were in fact joining me in the lofty heights (The Ana Mum Diary).
  • Jenny from Mummy Mishaps is a fantastic friend that I am lucky to have.
  • You need to take twice as big a clothing recepticle as you initially need. The quantity of goodies that you will leave with, will far surpass the available space in your luggage.
  • I have the attention span of a gnat and was only able to see out the end of two sessions (Accountancy & Design, and Crossing the Chasm). I ducked out halfway through others as they were either of no interest to me or I wanted to catch up with people.
  • Don't sigh out loud when the long-winded stage discussion is opened up to the floor. Especially when so many bloggers (about twenty-thirty in this case) can turn around and smile at you knowingly. And if you tweet about it, be prepared to be retweeted. Quite a bit.
  • I do want another baby. I blame Matilda from Edspire for this; she's too damned gorgeous. In fact, I cried when I held her. Who knew that would happen?
  • I need to label my pictures on my blog with keywords in order to increase my SEO chances. I should also use subheadings with the keyword.
  • Bloggers are genuinely nice people who care about each other and are supportive and friendly. I was especially pleased to get to meet bloggers who I've been chatting with for over a year, some for eighteen months (RedTedArt, Christine Mosler, Michelle TwinMum, Seasider Clare, Two Point Four Children, Missie Lizzie B, Mum On The Brink).
  • You can never have enough wetwipes (goody bag contents).
  • The Hoxton Hotel is not child-friendly and is an extremely expensive breakfast options (£32 for the three of us).
  • When Ruby Wax isn't trying to be funny, she's actually quite funny.
  • Sarah Brown is funny. And honest and humble, courageous and an amazing woman in her own right.
  • The man from Google+ is a very nice chap, but when he says that your personal Google+ profile will not be linked to your anonymous blog page in anyway, he is in fact, talking absolute bollocks. To clarify, Mr. TBaM did a search on me and the profile picture that came up was TheBoyandMe's. Not good for an anonymous blogger. I knew Google+ was evil.
  • London is a very nice place to visit occasionally, but there's no way I could live there.

I could talk about what I didn't enjoy but well, what would be the point in that? Enjoy the pictures!

[slickr-flickr tag='britmums2012']

Many thanks to Toyjeanius who sponsored my ticket to attend.

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