As I mentioned in my last post, DH has been away visiting his mother this weekend, just as he was this time last year. As well as the spring-cleaning I wrote about, his absence last year was marked by a very different activity on my part – my very first blog post. Yes, dear reader, as of today I have been inflicting my thoughts, or what passes for them, on an unsuspecting world for a whole year and it has been such fun! J
Only two months later, I had to acknowledge that I was hopelessly hooked on this extraordinarily enjoyable and fulfilling activity called blogging, and nothing has happened since then to change my opinion. Oh, there have been times of deep frustration at Blogger’s inadequacies and my own lack of technical know-how, but these pale into insignificance when set next to the ways in which my life has been enriched. Blogging has brought me so much pleasure and satisfaction since that first tentative post last February and I don't grudge a minute of the time I spend on it.
First and foremost I love the glimpses of other lives, countries and cultures that I get from reading blogs written by people living all over the world, and I find the interaction with everyone who comments on my blog, or on whose blogs I comment, deeply enjoyable and satisfying. Blogging is a community activity, a reciprocal sharing of insights and experience, which is immensely rich and fulfilling.
I love the knowledge that by writing my blog I’m capturing memories of my own life which will still be there for others to read long after I’m gone. Some people write memoirs. I write my blog and I’m trying hard to make it a legacy worth leaving behind me one day.
I also love the fact that blogging is creative and forces me to think hard and use my intellect and language skills to say what I want to say as well as possible, as well as using my aesthetic sense to choose the best images to illustrate it. I even enjoy the technical challenge of learning to use the blogging software properly, the only computer thing I've mastered without help from anyone, even my very tech-savvy DH.
Blogging in this sense is a very active thing to do, compared to the passivity of watching TV or listening to the radio. In fact I can barely sit still in front of the TV nowadays unless I have some knitting to do - which is why I've already started yet another pair of socks for DH.
I know that I will blog less when the weather is good, as happened last summer in France , or when other activities are on offer, as happens in Scotland
So my heartfelt thanks to you all for reading and commenting on my blog over the past year and for sharing your thoughts and lives so generously with me in your own blogs. Here’s to the next year of this very worthwhile journey.
Footnote: a giggle of bloggers – the collective noun for a group of quirky bloggers
And what a lovely blog you write :-)!
ReplyDeleteHappy 1st blog-aversay!
I've so much enjoyed reading your blog. Congratulations on keeping it up for a year. Here's hoping you'll continue much longer. I also started very tentatively and had a lot to learn about the technicalities, but it is so enjoyable and satisfying isn't it?
ReplyDeleteHappy Bloggy-versary and here's to many more.
ReplyDeleteAt least Blogger's comment facility is (usually) functional, unlike some other platforms I could name!
I love the collective noun!
Hi Perpetua,
ReplyDeleteMay I be nearly the first to congratulate you on the first birthday of 'Perpetually In Transit'. May there be many more! I've enjoyed reading your posts and seeing your photos ever since I became aware of your blog in April 2011 when you started commenting on mine.
I concur 100% with your statement that, 'I also love the fact that blogging is creative and forces me to think hard and use my intellect and language skills to say what I want to say as well as possible, as well as using my aesthetic sense to choose the best images to illustrate it'. Blogging well certainly does force you to do that which occasionally frustrates me as, trying to articulate what I want to say in a clear but concise manner, can be very time consuming.
I have particularly enjoyed some of your posts where you have looked back to past events & have illustrated them with old photos, presumably scanned from the original prints. I did do that a few times back in 2009, comparing my Turkish travels in 1975 with those undertaken nearly 35 years later. But you have encouraged me to think about digging back some more through my archive to illustrate what I might write in the coming year.
Thanks, Niall and Antoinette. I've tried to take my grandmother's often-repeated maxim to heart - if a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing well. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nancy. When I started I don't think I looked beyond the next post - certainly not to a year ahead! I think there must be so many like us, just trying it out and learning as we go and finding it so much worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Catriona. I'm a still a mere beginner compared to the six years you've been writing your blog! I just wish I could comment properly on it, because I do read every word you write.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the collective noun - fun isn't it?
Every word of this rings so true, and I have only been blogging for a few months.... I feel, under the guidance of yourself, and Annie....reading what you have written and illustrated so beautifully has delighted and inspired me. So congratulations on your first year, and keep up the amazingly good work.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ricky. Yours was one of the blogs that first put the idea into my head, though it took me a while to get around to actually starting. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed and still enjoy the technicalities of writing and illustrating posts – very satisfying.
ReplyDeleteYes, the old photos are all scans from the many left behind by my parents and grandparents. DH complied a family archive to mark the Millennium and scanned many photos for that (on a very basic scanner) so I have a stock of ready-scanned photos on my computer, which I really enjoy using. I’m sure your readers would appreciate your including old as well as new photos on your blog.
Thanks, Janice. Having been so inspired myself by the splendid blogs I'd been reading, it's lovely to think that my blog has inspired you in its turn. I certainly intend to continue and hope to keep up the standard and wish the same to you.
ReplyDeleteNice work, Perpetua, and long may you continue. I hope I manage to keep up, because you're right! It's fun!
ReplyDeleteHi Perpetua, happy anniversary. Your blog is a delight to read so I look forward to reading it for some more years yet.
ReplyDeletePeople blog for all sorts of reasons, to get something off their chest, to promote a business, to keep in touch, to entertain....and so on. My favourite blogs are those like yours, written from the heart.
Thanks, CB, I hope to. :-) I did warn you that blogging is addictive, but you wouldn't listen and look what happened. ;-)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on a year in which your blog has continually offered posts which make me think, remember and react....quite apart from the sheer fun if it all.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jean, what a lovely thing to say. That's exactly what I try to do, so I'm glad it comes through. I'm glad you enjoy reading it as I certainly hope to go on writing it for the foreseeable future.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Fly. I'm glad it's worked so well for you as it was your French Leave blog above all others, I think, which first sparked in me the desire to try writing one myself. See what you unknowingly started.....:-)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Perpetua. And many thanks for all the great and informative posts that you have written -- many have inspired me and led me to discoveries I would not have otherwise made. You are an absolute joy to read and I am always pleased to see you pop up again on my blog roll.
ReplyDeleteThe collective noun is sheer genius!
Thanks, Broad. Compared to you I’m a rank newcomer but it’s lovely to know you’ve enjoyed and been stimulated by my posts. That sense of discovery from reading other people’s posts is one of the joys of blogging and I love following up the links given and ideas shared. No wonder it takes up so much time, but it’s worth every minute. :-)
ReplyDeleteI so agree with all that you say here, and I am happy I've found your blog. It is a bit of an addiction isn't it? Happy Blog Birthday!
ReplyDeleteYou are quite right - time really does fly when you're having fun. I've loved reading every one of your posts, Perpetua - your personality, ideas, concerns and stories just beam through and your words really warm my heart.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to have met you, however virtually, and look forward to many more lovely posts - you are much appreciated in the world of blogging.
Axxxxx
Many congratulations and happy birthday etc Perpetua.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog. It is so varied and interesting and I keep learning new things from it, not least, some of your philosophy of life.
Keep going and we'll keep reading.
Congratulations and thank you, Perpetua. Your very enjoyable blog is one of the ways I can explore the world from our little farmhouse near our small town in southern Manitoba, Canada.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rubye, it certainly is, but thankfully, as I tell my DH, this addiction costs nothing but time. This finding of blogs we enjoy is such fun. I found yours because you popped up as a new follower and I had to check you out. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Annie. I'm glad you enjoy my blog as I do yours. We met early in my blogging journey and it's been lovely to have your company. You're right about how much we can learn from blogs about what makes people tick, one of the things that makes blogging endlessly fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ray. I'm nearly a year behind you in blogging terms, but I'm learning. :-) I'm really pleased to know you find my blog varied and interesting and not the ragbag I sometimes think it is. I'm afraid you'll have to keep reading as I definitely plan to keep writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, poetreehugger. You've just encapsulated one of the things that so enthralls me about blogging - this connection with people who live somewhere very different and far away. What else could have made a link like this between a farmer's wife in Manitoba and a retired priest in Wales? It's so rewarding.
ReplyDeleteHappy Blog-versary, Perpetua! What a pleasure it's been to get to know you here!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Penny. Getting to know people is the great joy of blogging and it's been such fun getting to know you too.
ReplyDeleteLet me add a 'happy bloggie birthday' to the ones above too. I so enjoy reading your posts and hopefully will continue to do so for years to come.
ReplyDeleteHappy 1st Blogging Anniversary! I am so happy I stumbled across your very friendly blog. I cannot wait to retire in June 2014...Then I will have more time to blog and read. I am looking forward to more posts from you!
ReplyDeleteHappy blogging birthday, Perpetua. Isn't it interesting how we start out on this blogging adventure and find it is am amazing experience? You have expressed this so well. I'm so grateful to have come to know you a bit through your blog and look forward to your inspiration, insights, reminisces and all you bring to the blogging community.
ReplyDeleteHere's to many years of Perpetually in Transit.
Congratulations on your first blogging year! It also amazed me to find so many people reading my blog and it made me quite happy. I thought that when I’d retire I would have a lot of time, and be a bit lonely too. Well – blogging keeps me busy and just as you say – it has been so enriching. My daughter placed a little map on the side of my blog – you can copy the link – it is fun to see who is reading my blog, and from where. Have a great second year of blogging!
ReplyDeleteThanks Astrid. I’m glad you enjoy them and I hope to go on providing you with reading matter for a very long time. I still think it’s amazing to have my posts read by so many people, including an Aussie who lives in Hawai. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nerima. It’s fun to have a fellow librarian reading my posts, though I still wonder how you find time with a full-time job and Mr6 to look after. Roll on retirement!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Penny. Yes, it’s an amazing journey of discovery – of other people and, I think, as we recount our own memories, about ourselves. I feel like I’ve learned such a lot over the past year and gained so many friends all over the world. I don’t think I’ll be stopping blogging any time soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Vagabonde. This first year has certainly gone extraordinarily quickly and I am still amazed that so many people have found my blog and go on reading it. Blogging is definitely a time-consuming activity but so worthwhile. True learning with enjoyment. Thanks for the map tip. I’ve actually got one, but it’s down below my bloglist, so a bit out of sight.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know what a blog was until a friend directed me to theirs and then encouraged me to start one. That was 3 years ago and I can't believe I'm still going. It's a wonderful way of communicating, writing (and yes I agree it really helps you think about how you write). I've met some great friends through blogging. It opens up a whole new world doesn't it? I've so enjoyed your blog this past year....heres to many more years of blogging to come xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ayak. You’re so right about the new world that opens up through blogging. I’ve met so many people living in such very different places since I started blogging and you were one of the first, thanks to Fly pointing me in your direction in her comment on my very first post. :-) I certainly hope I’ll still be blogging and reading and commenting for years to come.
ReplyDeleteHappy first anniversary! You have eloquently described here the reasons that I, too, find blogging so stimulating. Your thoughtful voice is most welcome in the blogosphere: I look forward to your posts whenever they come. Oh, and I love your collective noun!
ReplyDeleteThanks, DB. I think there are a lot of us who enjoy blogging for these reasons. It’s wonderful to have an activity which is so interesting, creative and individual, which doesn’t cost anything beyond the equipment we already have and isn’t constrained by age or health or even the weather. I have so enjoyed discovering the infinite variety of blogs out there and high up in my list of favourites is yours.
ReplyDeleteDear Perpetua,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you linked us to your first posting. Now I do understand the name of your blog. I had thought its name came from your always keeping busy doing interesting things and reading interesting books and watching a wonderful movies.
I so agree with you about the delights of blogging. I started just three and a half months after you and I've never looked back! So many new friends--like you--and so many postings that enthrall and make me think and introduce to lives that I've never lived.
Peace.
Good morning, Dee, and thanks. I’m glad to have cleared up the mystery of my blog name. :-) Yes, we do move about a bit at present, but one constant in my life is over the past year has been blogging.
ReplyDeleteI love what you say about blogs introducing us to lives we’ve never lived. That is so true, both of your blog and all the blogs I follow with such enjoyment.
First, THANK YOU, Perpetua for letting me know that W Verification is shut off. Secondly, because of that I had to visit your blog. I randomly selected another posting and found one on being in bed with the measles at Five, and about the Queen's coronation. I am just a scunch younger, but was hospitalized after the measles when I was, yes, 5 and 3/4. My sister, a scunch older than you, created a scrapbook about the queen.
ReplyDeleteMy blog was created to learn to be brave enough to write my story, in peparation to tackle a book. Different purpose; different blog.
But I LOVE learning about other people. Laughing together at issues that seem to cross oceans and cultures. I am often a shut in, but this blogosphere AND the internet in general have opened the world to me.
And now, JUST what I need... another blog to enjoy when I can. You tell stories from the past compellingly AND I get pictures!
All the best to you. Thanks again.
Hello, Jeannette and welcome to my blog. I’m really pleased you came across to visit and liked what you found. It’s so satisfying to find so many examples of shared interests bringing together people from such different backgrounds and from all over the globe. Blogging has certainly broadened my horizons beyond all expectation. Now I must return the compliment and explore your blog. So many blogs, so little time....
ReplyDeleteFollow up here- I rather liked "Autumn Buzzard" myself! Thank you so much for your words. (Didn't know how else to contact you.) I look forward to reading about your travels.
ReplyDeleteFrance... I spent a month in Paris years ago. It lives in me still.
Jeannette, thanks for coming back across with your response to my comment, but no need. I'm now following your blog and will see your replies there. I'll be blogging more about France in the summer.
ReplyDeleteDear Perpetua thank you so much for your comment and help on that dreaded word verification on my blog. I've followed your instructions and (hopefully, fingers crossed) have turned the word verification off,never to be seen again.
ReplyDeleteThank you again, Molly.
That's exactly the sort of thing I wrote after my first year.
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, it gets more addictive and time-consuming as you go on.
Congrats on staying with it for your first year. Lots of people give up very quickly.
You're very welcome, Molly. We bloggers have to stick together. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Friko. I knew I couldn’t be the only person to feel that way. Thanks too for the warning. I’ll let DH and the rest of the family know so that they can be prepared. :-) Oddly enough, even though I started very tentatively indeed, I knew very quickly that this was something I was going to enjoy enormously and I’ve never even thought of giving up.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your blogging birthday! My own experience is that it's been an unexpected pleasure and has provided me with the discipline to write.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda, and welcome back from your travels. Unexpected pleasure is a good way of describing what we discover as we begin to blog. Certainly I had little idea what to expect when that first post was published, particularly not that I would find the writing itself so satisfying.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tech help on my blog and the kind responses through the google forum.
ReplyDeleteMike Habich
www.BSL-info.blogspot.com
You're very welcome, Mike. Wrestling with the Blogger software isn't much fun at times, so I'm happy to share what knowledge I've managed to gain.
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