Sorry, No More Regular Posts.

My dear readers, 

Well I tried to continue  for a bit longer but I have finally decided to quit regular blogging after 8 1/2 years.  I have read a lot of blogs where writers have just stopped with no announcement, but that's not my way. 

 

Some of you have been with me since day one, through all the trials and tribulations, overseas holidays, garden changes, illness, hobbies, even I am amazed at what I have accomplished and pushed through, as I have read back old write ups. 

Thank you to my 14 followers and 17 who are on an email list (but only 10 opened the actual email, this month, this is pretty normal.)

I roughly get between 25 to 50 hits on average per subject, it depends on the subject and google search, some readers will read 2 or 3 or more at a time as well. Occasionally some posts just take off like the Homemakers Forum  at 2764 hits, over time...Why??? if all were like that I probably wouldn't stop lol.

30 readers looked at last month about the October Garden Roundup, but in that time during the month, 310 looked at something on the blog. Could have only been several readers, looking at other subjects or actual 200 or more individual readers. 

It is amazing at the plethora of subjects investigated with no rhyme or reason. Some months it could be 700 or more, so I guess google is part of that. These numbers are very, very,  small compared to popular blogs.

They say getting rid of the old ways leaves room for something new and hopefully exciting, I hope so.

 I am also stepping down as moderator from the homemakers forum, later this month, which I helped from the beginning 7 years ago. Time for someone new with fresh ideas.

 

The garden is going great which is so unusual, for by this time of the year, as it is usually very hot and I close it down till Feb/March, but I just planted bean seeds, and picking all the salad veg. still, which is lovely.

 

Lots of small vases of flowers from roses, snapdragons to a large vases of hydrangeas, especially my white ones, have been picked twice a week. This year I planted a lot of flowers amongst the vegetables and it certainly spruces things up.

We have had 3 attempts to try and get landscape people to tidy the back yard, the last one saying 3 guys could easily do it, seemed keen with suggestions etc., to then tell us by SMS that he is booked out all of 2024!!!!!

I don't get it, we were in our 60s, when with the help of 2 young guys, did it all.

 

With all the nice rain, followed by warm weather the weeds are outdoing me, so I have encouraged John to organize the concrete landscapers at the bottom of our street, to do the driveway, entrance path and side paths in fancy stone embedded concrete. 

They are all paved that John originally did in the 1980s, and with the weeds coming up between, and left for too long, just getting too hard, and so untidy. John has sprayed them with chemicals this week,  but my garden is organic, so only the driveway and one side path was done. 

We saw the concreter's wife last Wednesday, who does the quotes and books. They are the same people who did the concrete for the community gardens, and I cannot see any problem in this being done and at least it will be a start. 

Thank you for all those who have commented over the years, and sticking with me. I may do a few updates over time if something exciting happens, like the concreting, or a major holiday, but it will be random. Basically every year in the garden is roughly the same so plenty to re read.

Enjoy your 2023 Christmas with hopefully your families, and if taking holidays for a  break. I think it is going to be a fairly quiet Christmas here, as far as I know two of the children will stay here about 5 days, and I have put out a limited amount of decorations, so that means a small amount to put away, not like the old days when the kids would help.

Time to pick some rhubarb.

I am looking forward to 2024, our youngest daughter and husband will be coming home from the USA in April for 2 weeks, we haven't seen them since 2019. 

I will do more decluttering, a little bit of door painting in the kitchen pantry, more art, embroidery, knitting, crotchet, quilting, scrapbooking projects, and the never ending gardening.

Life is always busy.

May 2024 for you be filled with many blessings,

 Happy New Year........... Chris 👋