I guess it was about time I took a break from blogging, I have been hanging on here just because I didn't feel I could let go - but I have decided now. I am taking a break. Not quitting. Just taking a break. So please don't delete me if you have me on your list, you never know, I might decide to write a post again now and then, but I won't continue with any regular updates.
I have felt for a long time that I have been neglecting my visitors, and blogging is a give and take - you have to put in a lot to receive a lot. I so appreciate all the lovely comments I get on my posts, I have said it before and say it again - every comment is like a nice hug to me! So it feels a bit sad when I can't manage to visit everyone back, and I have sadly neglected a lot of people the last year. I have visited some of you and read your posts, but I haven't left many comments. But I have been thinking of you :-)
I will try to continue to make my garden movies on YouTube, but they might not come as clockwork on the last day of the month - I struggle with deadlines and it is going to be refreshing to no longer have that hanging over me. I want to make a movie when the weather is nice and my body is feeling up for it, not when the calendar demands it.
Last year went in a blur of bathroom renovation and health issues - my bathroom was finally finished on the 6th December. I started the process the week after moving into this house in May 2015. Things move slowly when done through the council, despite me pushing and shoving, ringing, emailing, writing letters - whatever means I could think of - to move my case forward. But it's done now, the bathroom is finished and looking good. I am still waiting for a small job to be done in my kitchen, they are going to replace the shelves in one of my cupboards with drawers so I can reach better. I have only waited since May 2016 for this to be done.
This year I want to concentrate on getting my garden fitted with a watering system and sort out my shed with a clear plastic roof so it can become part greenhouse. I also have some projects I have been thinking about for a long time which there never seem to be time to sit down with. I haven't made a book since 2014 and I have hundreds of photos of roses from my garden that I wanted to make a book about. Maybe I can find time to do that. And I have some more movie projects I would like to do too. If only there were a few more hours in the day :-)
I will still be posting photos from my garden on Facebook so if you are not on my friend list yet please send me a request. And if I could find an easier way to post photos on Instagram I will start that up again, but I am not happy with the photos from my phone and saving my camera photos to my PC and then transferring them to my phone to upload them to Instagram is seriously cumbersome. There must be a better way to do it!
So this is not a goodbye, just a -See you later some time :-)
Helene
My latest garden movie, filmed yesterday, with music from the movie Millers Crossing.
Hej Helene!
ReplyDeleteSå mycket som blommar hos dig, här är det ett vitt snötäcke i rabatterna. Sol och fint, ett riktigt vinterlandskap.
Ser fram emot ditt nästa inlägg.
Ha det så bra /Marika
I think the secret of blogging is just not to feel under pressure to post. After all it isn’t a job. Many of my posts are fairly short and rely a lot on photos so there is less effort than to write the lengthy posts that you create. I blog because I enjoy it rather than worry about any sort of timetable.
ReplyDeleteI echo Sue's comments HELENE. Unfortunately I am so addicted to the process that I can't stop!
DeleteYou will certainly remain on my list.
Hei Helene,
ReplyDeleteHåper du fortsetter å blogge når du har tid og ork til det. Jeg liker å lese blogger, og er ikke så opptatt av videoer på youtube ;)
Jeg blogger mye for tiden, og drømmer meg bort i roser og andre blomster for å fortrenge vinteren. Det er ca 70 cm med snø her nå :(
Men jeg har camellia i kjelleren med store knopper, og det er hyggelig å se på.
Vakre camellia, blåveis og snøklokker hos deg!
Vi "sees" igjen!
Klem, Marit
I agree with Sue. The pressure to post on a schedule can take a lot of joy out of blogging. I've struggled with that myself - and I haven't faced the added challenge of uprooting a garden, moving, renovating, nor health challenges. I'm not on Facebook (I don't need another rabbit-hole!) but I'll be happy to see your blog posts if and when they pop up. Best wishes with your garden plans, Helene!
ReplyDeleteHi Helene: Taking a blog break can be a healthy thing. I've only done it for a couple of weeks at a time, but it felt very freeing. Your friends and followers understand. Take as long as you need, and we'll be here and happy to visit your blog when you get back. Enjoy your time in the garden! :)
ReplyDeleteYour garden is always interesting me
ReplyDeleteHi, Helene!
ReplyDeleteI understand your plans, it's great you want to fit watering system in all tubs and pots, especially in hot summer days. It's a pity you take a break and will post in FB only. I'll try to come in there to know your news and to see your photos and videos.
Enjoy the break.
ReplyDeleteI've taken breaks now and then - sometimes just because my camera or computer have broken. I wake up feeling free for a few weeks - then suddenly have something to say or something to show people and rush back to the keyboard.
So however long your break . . enjoy it.
I am very sad to see that you are taking a break. I hope you will come back. Your garden is so beautiful with so many unique flowers -- I could only identify some. That blue Hellebore (I am guessing it's a Hellebore) is absolutely stunning. I want that plant. So, I have to look around now. What are those white hanging flowers at the very beginning of the movie? Huh! it seems like similar things are sold in both the USA and the UK -- that bird feeder that you have in the tree (where there is a human-face), I have the exact same one.
ReplyDeleteHello Helene, as I wrote just for myself on fb: there is certain discrepancy between loved activity and blogging about loved activity... I feel that most important matter about the life is " you yourself" and experience of doing, percieving with concentration and ideally with no pressure. Yes I am a bit sad because you are the first person from the virtual world I have been following and your blog really inspired me, I learned a lot and got to know a lot of very interesting people/gardeners through you. And I simply love your tiny garden. But I do understand, everything has its timing... Take care! Hela
ReplyDeleteHi Helene. I always look forward to your posts and will miss you while away, but will think of you often. Don't feel bad about getting back to everyone. There's an old saying that says, "Friends are like stars. You don't always see them, but you know they're always there." A blogging break could be good for you so that you can get other things done and enjoy your own garden, without feeling any pressure. Enjoy your time off and take care of you. See you when we meet again.
ReplyDeleteThank you to everyone for responding to my blogging break post back in January, lots have happen since then - too much to go into here - but I just want to let you know that I am still around, although not writing blog posts yet.
ReplyDeleteI have upgraded my phone (got my son's old iPhone 6) so I am now posting on Instagram again - not as happy with the photos as with my Canon camera, but better than my old phone camera.
You can find me on:
https://www.instagram.com/heleneut64
I will continue to make garden movies, you can find them on my own YouTube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/heleneutaylor
And my Facebook page is almost exclusively about my garden, with the occasionally photos of the neighbour's cat when he visits me:
https://www.facebook.com/helene.u.taylor
(Please copy and paste links as they won't work here in this comment field)
So I am still around on the web, talking about my garden - but I find taking photos with my phone and uploading them there and then a lot easier and saves me a lot of time in front of the computer - which is becoming increasingly difficult for both achy back and hands. It's all about adjusting - thank goodness for all the gadgets we have today :-)
There is a new garden movie on my YouTube channel today, filmed yesterday with me dodging the showers - and despite the garden being very, very late this year there's lots and lots of flowers.
Finally, a Happy Easter to you all :-)
Sorry to get here so late Helene. You will definitely remain on my list and I look forward to catching up even if i do arrive late.
ReplyDelete