Blog on blogs

Lousy weather and suffering from a prolonged bout of flu make this a good time to stay in the warm and read other people's blogs.

I wish I had the discipline to blog more.  Being stuck at home with flu has rejuvenated my enthusiasm to add to my own blog and also given me time to read those by others.  I like to write, I find that it calms me and I enjoy it.  In an ideal world, I would like someone to pay me to write, but I am 50, I have never done anything to make that happen, so it is unlikely to ever be the case.  Nevertheless, I am happy wittering away on my blog.  I quite often have an 'idea' for a novel, and write a chapter, sometimes even two, they rarely get much further, so the blog is a way of finishing a piece of writing and asking others to read it.  

I once took part in a survey for the local journalism school on why I write and whom I write for.  I wasn't too sure how to answer that, because I never consider a target audience and was hesitant to admit that I just write for me.  I don't know what will or won't appeal to others, so I write for my audience of one.  But it can get a bit insular so of late I have been taking more of an interest in the writings of others.

I have long been a fan of two bloggers, the first of these has disappeared but her blog still remains. She is a Seattle cookery writer with an interest in science and an OCD approach to perfecting recipes (Not So Humble Pie).  This is food porn at it's best.  I have tried a few recipes, but feel I can never reach that level of perfection.  She wrote with a wit and verve not often found in a recipe book.  

The second of my long-term blog interests is Tim Holyoake.  When I was studying for my OU Psychology degree, I came across his blog (Just One More Ten Pence Piece).  Tim is a lifelong student, a lovely phrase, we should all be learning all the time.   Tim had taken the same course as me and had, very generously, shared his notes on his blog.  He was so much better at note taking that I incorporated his blogs into my studying and revision.  He played a significant part in helping me to achieve my degree.  He also blogs about politics, education policies and general interest subjects.  His blog is well written and his writing always provokes thought.  

I have added some new blogs to my reading list.  We are becoming inundated with political campaigning already, with still nearly three months to go to the election, which really irritates me, but one of my favourite blogs of the moment is a blog about the local elections by two 'armchair activists' (Jennings & Keevil's The Centre and What's Left).  It is insightful, informative and very, very funny.  I am their first groupie, or as my friend Julian terms it, 'stalker'.  

Being a fan of Twitter or as some might see it, being a fan of finding 'yet another way to waste time on the internet', I follow quite a few bloggers, one of whom, Johnny Spacey, writes poetry for adults and for children.  He and his partner, Trish, have very entertaining arguments via Twitter.  I think of it as a service for the terminally-single, a soap opera of a real-life relationship.  They also both blog and I love the poetry as well as Johnny's guide for being happy - be kind (Enjoy the Little Things - A Kind of Magic).

The last blog I found this weekend is by a train driver and amateur photographer, Driver Potter (Trains and Fings).  Some of his pictures are stunning, some scenic views and some everyday views from a different perspective to the average commuter.  There is one of Waterloo station just after rush hour, you can almost feel the calm descend when you look at the photograph.   For me, this blog is almost a lesson in living in the moment, enjoy what is around us, because we will all miss it when it goes - the scenery, suburbia, our working life.  

In summary, I blog and I read blogs. I would be interested, if you have the time, in your feedback on this and of my other written pieces and also of any great blogs you’ve found/written.  I spend a lot of time on trains, and, as well as taking more time to view the scenery, always need more reading material.