Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Forty Days!


Our mountain wearing a shawl today, always a sure sign of wind!
This is probably of no interest to anyone but myself, but I'm going to record it here, anyway...as, to me, it feels like quite a big deal!  For those of you who aren't interested in what I have to say, I'll post plenty of pictures I randomly took while walking around the garden today.  You can just scroll quickly through those and continue on your merry way.  Or leave right now, should you so wish :)
Please click the read more button below to continue...



Ah, looks like YOU at least decided to stay a while longer :)
  Lovely to have you visit, today...SO...ON WITH THE SHOW!

 I posted my first blog item ever on the 18th November, full of trepidation, but also with a twinge of excited anticipation...would anyone OUT THERE even know I exist?


I had been reading other people's blogs for a couple of months and, although initially I'd visited very much "in secret" (no tell-tale trail left behind), I eventually felt brave enough to tentatively leave a comment here and there (this, after I'd eventually figured out how to do so).


Anyway, inevitably, the blog bug snagged me, too. I succumbed (no use trying to extricate myself, was there?) and, it wasn't too long before I started quietly deliberating the possibility of establishing my own...BLOG!
 

My motivation at that stage was largely so I could offer something in return to all those whose blogs I'd been enjoying.  I'd seen so many lovely, lovely homes and gardens and had read so many inspiring stories. I felt I needed to give something of myself in return, lest I forever be an internet ghost!!!

And, so it was that I duly plucked up the courage to share my plan
with my daughter,
who instantly and readily offered to help set me up...
RIGHT AWAY!

Before I'd even fully comprehended what I'd just let myself in for, she'd done most of the groundwork for me and was calling out, "Mom, what name do you want your blog to have?" and "What do you want as your password?" and so on...I'd not even begun to think that far ahead (GULP!!!)


After all,
I was still...
really only...
mulling things over...
in my head...
as I customarily do!!! 
 

  But...
young folk don't work that way, do they?
  They make a decision
and act on it...immediately!  

 No weighing up the pros and cons, no agonising whatsoever...so I thought I'd better come up with something FAST to appease her (besides, she was only home for a short while before heading back to the city, to her own home and busy life...I clearly didn't have time to dilly-dally!).


One or two of my initial choices were UNAVAILABLE  (darn!)
and so...
I had to scratch a bit (a LOT!) deeper...
my single brain cell was working overtime! 

I glanced distractedly out of the picture window, saw my favourite piece of driftwood, the one that my husband found for me during the first year of our marriage, and VOILA...
lightbulb moment, just like in the cartoons! 

  "Driftwood," it was to be...with my daughter quickly adding, "Ramblings" and, shortly thereafter she gleefully handed me the metaphorical keys to my newly born blog, "Driftwood Ramblings," with the injunction...
"Go ahead, now, Mom - type up your profile and set about writing your first entry to post... I'm on my way home...check back later to see what you've done!"



We hugged, kissed, said our goodbyes and off she went, leaving me, forlornly, to try to figure out what it was I wanted to SAY!  After all, you are supposed to have a voice on a blog, aren't you?  Oh, dear!  Perhaps I should have given this a lot more thought...


That is now history!
  My blog (such as it is)
is up and running
and...
 I already have 15 highly appreciated followers!!! 

 Wow!!!
  Isn't that just so exciting!!! 

So, to ALL of you...I really want to say THANK YOU for leaving your inspiring comments...

They inspire me to keep going...
 even though I'm not particularly adept with my little camera
but, hey!
 I'm learning and, most importantly, having FUN!)

 And...neither am I in the hallowed league of knowledgable gardeners (you all know who you are). The Master Gardeners and Would-Be Master Gardeners...those who not only know ALL the plant names, but can RECOGNISE and IDENTIFY them and know all about times to sow seed and when to plant what and where!

  I'm not a writer either, nor am I attempting to be one.
  Far too much trouble and stress to try and compete with
any of the many-truly-gifted-writers out there.
  I for one wouldn't dare!  

No, I've just been quietly having 40 days of fun, gradually getting to grips with this whole blogging thing. My son had to come to my rescue, techno whizz that he is (no, truly!) and bail me out of the mess I'd got myself into, after I'd already used up ALL OF MY ALLOTTED photographic space - in just over 30 days!  I didn't know I had to resize all my pictures, first!!!

I came into this blogging past-time close to the end of 2010 and I'm looking forward to continuing to learn and grow a lot more in 2011.  My husband is already eagerly starting to say he'll need to upgrade my camera...but I feel I'm still learning to use this one, so definitely not leaping about in any keenness, yet (I think he's disappointed at my lack of enthusiasm, but I don't want to leap ahead of myself!)
 
Don't know if you are... certainly nothing against it, for others ;)
...but I'm not in the habit of "setting myself up" with new year's resolutions.
 I tried that a long time ago,
failed abysmally
and thought,
"Why do I need to stress myself?"  

 There's certainly enough other stress going around without adding to it.
  I'd rather just quietly get on with the business of living my life,
which I mostly do quite happily and contentedly, 
just the way I am...
 

Raucous Toad agrees wholeheartedly with my sentiments.
  That's him, peering from the cover of his pondweed today...I wonder if he knows he's being overlooked by an owl???? 


 Fortunately for him,
the owl is a frozen moment in time,
a driftwood creation ;)

With the OLD YEAR on its way out and the NEW YEAR on its way in, I thought I'd leave you to ponder on this...



"There are times to cultivate and create, when you nurture your world and give birth to new ideas and ventures.
There are times of flourishing and abundance, when life feels in full bloom, energized and expanding.
And there are times of fruition, when things come to an end.
  They have reached their climax and must be harvested
before they begin to fade.
And finally, of course, there are times that are cold and cutting and empty, times when the spring of new beginnings seems like a distant dream. 
Those rhythms in life are natural events.
  They weave into one another...
as day follows night,
bringing not messages of hope and fear,
but messages of how things are."

~ Chogyam Trungpa ~

  I WISH YOU ALL A SAFE, HAPPY, PROSPEROUS
& HEALTHY 2011

24 comments:

  1. Hello Desiree....i blog almost one year now ......and o my it filled my life with such a nice friends.....because we have a shop the Dutch blogging girls come and visit me often.......blogging is such a fun...and with almost 500 !! followers.....it sometimes make me scared really...i am who i am.......what you see is what you get...you know what i mean...i am also glad that i found your blog....your pictures are amazing !!! everytime !!! and what i also find nice......that it is summer their....and here their is so much snow !!...yes i am so glad with you as my blogging friend from far away......i hope we do that a long time being friends !!....lovely evening......warm hugs from me.....

    EEN HEEL GOED EN GEZOND 2011 !!!...

    LIEVE GROETJES VAN MIJ....

    ★ ┊    ★ ┊┊   ★ ┊  ★ ┊    
    ┊   ┊ ☆   ☆┊ ┊     ★┊  
      ★ ┊    ★ ┊ ★ ┊ ★ ┊
    ┊   ┊ ☆   ☆┊    ★┊ ☆ ☆ 
    ☆┊   ☆   ★ ┊    ★ ┊┊ ☆   
    ┊   ┊ ☆   ☆┊    ★┊★┊ ★
    ☆┊ ☆   ★ ┊    ★ ┊ ☆

    A REALLY GOOD AND HEALTHY 2011 !!!

    WARM HUGS FROM ME ........

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  2. Delighted to be 'in' almost from the beginning; I enjoy visiting and wandering round your lovely garden especially as I haven't one of my own. That fern frond unfolding is just so neat, I love it.

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  3. Kudos to you. You are doing a great job and I enjoy your blog very much. take care, Gina

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  4. What a lovely post! Like you, I well and truly caught the blogging bug. I started off intending to post 'from time to time' and before I knew it, a month had gone by and I had posted every day; so why not carry on?!

    Towards the end of this year, I bought myself a new camera because it seemed worthwhile now I was posting photos online (plus I was becoming frustrated with my old one which had minimal zoom and was low res).

    Think about that new camera, but most of all, carry on enjoying your blog (and I'll carry on enjoying reading it).

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  5. Well, Desiree, Thank Heaven for your daughter! I am so glad she set you up and you started contributing to the blogosphere. I discovered your blog just in time for our winter, and I always eagerly anticipate everything you post. The pictures, the words...there is always something of substance here (unlike my own paltry little mutterings).

    And you have absolutely no cause to feel inferior to the Master Gardener set. You have created something absolutely beautiful in your garden, and it is obviously well-cared for and tended with love, and that's the important thing. I wish I had your eye for design. And despite what you think, you are very good with the camera!

    Keep doing what you're doing, please! Have a wonderful new year too!

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  6. Love pictures !!!
    Nothing is random...it's gardeners delight to see it all,well at least amodeswith this gardner.
    So nice not to see snow !

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  7. Oh my! I have just logged on to check my blog and what a WONDERFUL surprise - 5 amazing fellow-bloggers have so very kindly left me the nicest, sweetest (& dare I say, even flattering!) comments!

    Thank you to ALL of you, Alison, H, Gina, Jenny and Ria - sending each of you a great big hug in return!

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  8. Hello Patsi!

    This is the first time you've visited me, I think! WELCOME! I'm so pleased you enjoyed what I had to share :)

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  9. Proud to be a follower of such a beautiful and inspirational blog! Your daughter must be one clever girl indeed ;-)

    Keep up the good work!

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  10. Hi Linda:

    Oh, indeed she is!!!

    So glad you're enjoying my blogging efforts ;)

    Hugs xo

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  11. I just stumbled upon your blog and love the way you told your story. Putting the pictures in was brilliant! I recognize a lot of them.

    Just write what you feel, don't make it work. When I started, it was just for 'family' back home in the US, but it has grown to more than I could have imagined, all by itself!

    I have a photo blog that is just 'point and shoot' shots that I like. I am always surprised that others like them, too!

    The blog world is full of great moments!

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  12. Welcome, Betty - lovely to have you stop by and leave me a message - much appreciated!

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  13. Oh Desiree what a stupendous photo...I love it. My garden looks nothing like this.:)
    I came by to say hello and thank you for joining the Facing50 followers and for your really lovely comment..I'm so glad that you did...what a find this blog is. You're onto a winner with me anyway because I adore South Africa and would move there if possible. Hubby and I have visited a few times now (twice last year) and fell for it completely.
    Your blog is an absolute delight and not only am I your latest follower but I've put you in my favourites pages so I can come back and get my fix of SA regularly.
    It is such a pleasure to 'meet you'
    Warmest wishes for an excellent 2011.
    Your new admirer...actually Hubby would drool over these photos too...he's keen on nature photography..I might let him look if he behaves himself today. (he's off the alcohol by the way after his outing:))
    Carol

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  14. Hello Carol!

    Welcome to my humble abode :) I'm so pleased you popped by and even more so to have received such a wonderful comment from you! THANK YOU!

    I know I'm looking forward to my regular dose of Facing50Blog.com :)
    Glad to hear Hubby is back to his usual teetotal grumpiness ;) That was by far one of the funniest pieces I've read in a long time!

    Hugs,

    Des

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  15. Desiree,
    I love the picture of the mountain you took on your walk. It is very cool to see what your country is like since I may never have the opportunity to travel there. Often times the photos you see from other country's are very similar to our own area and the people half way around the world are living parallel lives. It's just that our winter and summer are opposite!

    I love your blog and thanks for visiting mine!

    Annie

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  16. Always great to have you visit, ANNIE :)

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  17. Hi Desiree,
    I came here after reading your comment on Grace's blog. You seemed like a nice person.

    I enjoyed this post. I had to laugh at a lot of it. The way you have your posts set up in a two step fashion is more complicated than I know how to do.

    I started blogging because I was in a garden forum, where you could only post a few photos at a time, and folks wanted them to be small. Some there were also bloggers, and invited others to try it.

    I state somewhere on my blog that I don't consider myself a writer, but I like to talk. I also love to take photos, but am not a photographer. I do feel that blogging has helped me to pay more attention and frame some of my photos better. I take so many photos, that I get some happy accidents in photos that please me.

    Blogging does take up a lot of my time. Sometimes I think I should take a break to get some other things done around the house and yard.

    I have so many blogs I follow that I can't keep up with them, but when I come across blogs like yours, I follow anyway, and visit as often as time allows.

    Happy New Year!

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  18. Welcome, SUE!!!

    How lovely to have you visit and know you'll be following in future, when time permits ;) I absolutely know what you're saying, BTW :) I am excited to pop on over and visit you, too - but right now, I'm trying to complete my final post for 2010...and TIME is chasing me!

    Promise I'll get to you SOON, though!

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  19. Leave? Are you joking? I am just getting started... Wow! JUST wow! What beauty!

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  20. Mona, you are too, too kind (and I LOVE it!!!) THANK YOU :)

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  21. I am so glad you left the comment on my blog which led me to yours. I'm also glad your daughter got you started right away, sounds like something I would do.
    I love reading your posts and seeing your gorgeous pictures. I look forward to seeing what you have blooming, especially since right now we still have a layer of frozen snow on the ground.

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  22. You have been one of those talented inpiring bloggers I'd visited early on, Catherine. One of the reasons I'd wanted to give something back! I'd gazed longingly at your pond and path several times, then lost the link and only found you again, later, once I'd started my blog. You're stuck with me from now on, I'm afraid. I'm one of your ardent admirers!!!

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  23. Hi Desiree, I spotted your comment on Diane's (in Australia's) blog and followed you here. Congratulations on starting your own blog. I loved your blog title, very much like mine! I'd also an enthusiastic gardener and photographer and love your garden AND your stunning photos. I'm adding myself as a follower to your blog and would love to see you over at mine. Blessings from Jo (Free State,South Africa)

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  24. Welcome Jo!

    How lovely to meet you! You're now my second South African follower! Amazing you've come via Australia to find me :)

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I would love to hear from you!