As I remarked before, I see this blogging stuff as an occasional foray into trying out longer pieces of writing, about little "domestic incidents" (NOT using police euphemisms here, I am talking more about daft stuff that happens that makes me laugh, and by extension might make others smile a bit as well) and the audience I have in mind are the half-dozen or so members of my virtual village not on Facebook. I suppose it's my answer to "What's new on the Rialto...?"
In the old days this was about 250 souls. Nowadays with texting, e-mail and social networking, I think most people's villages have had a a couple of largish modern housing estate built on their margins. We long-term village dwellers all know some of the new people and speak when we meet in the shop or pub, or walking the dog, but we don't know them as well as the ones we went to school or university with or those who came to our wedding. We aren't entirely sure which house they live in as we haven't asked and they haven't said. But they seem like nice peeps, so we have them on Facebook or in our phones.
My blogging audience, as I said before, in my mind's eye when I am typing, are the half-dozen people I used to know really well and see a good deal of, and have fond memories of many happy times spent in their company, who have gone to live abroad. And of course, since The Husband and I retired to our country fastness and sold the Herts House, there are few dear friends we left behind there and miss. And who purport to miss us. In a nice way.
And so I blog. A bit. When the fit is upon me.
Does that seem a reasonable arrangement? Beacuse I'd like to stick to it, if it's all the same to you...
Hari Om
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting. Did you know that you can opt for a limited viewing audience even in Blogger? I am wondering if that is more what you are after, rather than extending your "circle" as it were. I am clearly one of the 'incomers'to your village. Eventually villages come together and become a town.
That's what constitutes most of London.
What happens then, is that within the cities, smaller communities re-form. Networks pertaining to the new type of territory. These do not negate the pre-existing bonds. But they become very necessary for healthy participation in our new situation. I am honoured that you opted to add me to your connections.
It is also amazing, because I have been pondering writing a post along similar lines. I resist all other forms of "socialising" for exactly the sorts of reasons you are alluding to here. Blogging is different though - this is not the networking part. That comes through the choices made through acceptance or not of comments - as you are clearly doing.
If however you need the blogging equivalent of your country fastness, do use the fencing provided within Blogger's services. No one will think ill of you for demarcating territory!
Trusting you had a peaceful and renewing Easter weekend. Regards, YAM
Good Day, Yam,
ReplyDeleteTo continue the village/town/city analogy, I don't want to live in a gated community. I have met half a dozen or so nice new peeps on here, from all over the global village. If the "audience" (not a word I favour...) grows gradually by two or three peeps, who have a refreshingly new slant on life, per annum I am happy. It is such a tiny little blog. Even I can't sustain and interest in it in good weather. I'd much rather be communing with my personal deity and increasing my crop of freckles! And tending to our outdoor spaces, or swimming in the sea.
If anyone ever wanders into my garden and cocks a leg up against my favourite lilies I may take your advice. Meanwhile...
How was your Easter in the ashram? You do have some chickens there, for eggs at least?
Don't feel you can't write the post you pondered, please. Continue to mull it over...
Hari Om
Delete&-> heh heh loved the "garden visional"! Glad too that you have confirmed what I had originally thought - a gentle reaching out, as it were, and not after all a desire to lock yourself in the bedroom.
I admit that I have perhaps also missed somewhat your intention and it was more about frequency of presence, so forgive any misunderstanding there. (That's one of the hazards of being limited to the printed word). As to the post - your great little cartoon there relates somewhat to what has been rolling about this inner space...
SShhhhhh! Sattvic diet does not permit eggs. But since we're talking privately here - if I could I would. But after nearly two years, I am not missing them.
The reason I am so up with comments today also (and thanks for response to the previous one BTW) is that everyone but myself has headed for the Himalayas on a two week yatra (pilgrimage). I made the heart-rending decision not to go as the itinerary would have been punishing and this arthritic body may not have survived the ordeal. I will of course be attempting to get the 11 remaining essays out of the way, plus the text in hand and get started on the dissertation... today though I played! 8~0.
...and I'm with you on the sun and sea. Distant memories now. But I love your banner piccie!
namaste - YAM
The banner piccy is The Dog's favourite beach, and that is the little chap paddling front right. It is the flat damp sand with no pebbles he loves best, and there are miles of it. He gallops like a racehorse in training across it, or did when a mite younger. Now it's more a quick canter and aaaah - REST! It is also a very sociable beach for doggies. They have such enormous fun.
DeleteEssays? Eeek. Haven't wroten one of they them since my PGCE (my postgraduate teacher training) in 1990. What is the training you are doing? It sounds demanding in all sorts of ways, as well as a spiritual voyage.
Hari om
Deleteaahh that is hard to explain in simple terms - it can likened to novitiate training as a nun, or seminary training as a minister, or PhD in philosophy. Vedanta is the path of knowledge in Hinduism (like Gnosticism and Church of Christ Scientist - yet not)... anyway. I will eventually be getting a blog or website up and running based purely on that. These four are my "testers" (per earlier conversation) as well as release valves to prevent hyperventilation and brain coddling. @:|
Please do provide a link to this planned website when it launches. I am so intrigued. I have a friend who has studied Buddhism very seriously in recent years, and he says it was harder and much more intellectually demanding and rigorous than anything in his medical training - and he is an NHS consultant!
DeleteGood luck with the eleven essays...
Seems reasonable to me. I'd like, as you do, to post to my blog only when the fit is upon me, but It's better for me if I post on a fairly regular schedule. I know I've a few regular readers - it is to them and for them I write - and so I post at least twice a week. I even have several essays stockpiled in case I'd really rather be reading than writing that day.
ReplyDeleteI follow one or two bloggers who write every day - a lengthy post on many days - and many more who post only when the spirit moves them. I enjoy them all. So keep on keepin' on with whatever whenever you think to write for us - we enjoy it to the nth degree.
Laura Lee, you are too sweet for words, thank you.
DeleteI have popped by your blog and can see you are a happily inveterate collector of ill-considered trifles, with a penchant for ephemera.
I used to volunteer in what you call stateside a thriftshop, over here the charitable nature of such shops is more emphasised, they are fundraising ventures. I worked one afternoon a week for the Red Cross valuing the bric-a-brac and collectables and arranging the windows. Did it for five years, and then gave it up as I was sneaking FAR to much into the house that I had fallen for and bought!
As you remarked at the time, the sudden surge of interest was a nine-days wonder and has gone the way of all such. Now you're blogging again regularly your blog is back on my blogroll which will garner you a few enquiring visitors from time to time, as will your comments on any blog your visit. Your blog is, as you say, very much an adjunct to your more regular activity on Facebook and as such will potter gently along in its subsidiary position.
ReplyDeleteIn my case blogging is my only public form of social networking, if it can be called that, and as such is much more significant in my life than it is in yours. Each to her own, say I, and no-one should feel obliged either to blog or read others' blogs if they have better things to do. :-)
PS My email address book has almost exactly the population of the quoted small village. Texts, what are they?
I don't text either< Perpetua. I am, whatever our mother may have said on the topic when I was young, no good at all at "just sitting there twiddling [my] thumbs".
ReplyDeleteI put only about £10 per annum's worth of credit on my phone (which is not switched on so should I need it for an emergency - MY emergency, no-one else's - it will just maybe have some juice) nor do I give out the number to people or businesses that ask for a mobile number.
It doesn't take photos or videos. I have a small point-and-shoot handbag camera for that.
Mobile phones have passed me by. But then I rarely use the landline either. It's just there to hook us up to broadband, mostly, and take calls from The Daughter and one or two close chums. Being permanently available and connected would just discomombulate me. If I don't have silence to think my own thoughts in for at least four hours a day I start to feel Very Unusual...!
Snap! You and I are more alike that one might think at first sight, Baby Sis. DH and I both have emergency-only mobiles, and though they do take photos of a sort, we've lost the cables that would let us download them. :-)
DeleteI know we are more closely aligned than a lot of others may imagine. I think a lot of our apparent differences are much more matters of style than content. And in other parts of life, we arrived in similar places by very different routes.
ReplyDeleteThe Husband asked me a year or so ago did I want a smartphone on contract, like he has. I said don't be silly, I'll use yours! It's not like we are very far apart...