A couple of weeks ago I wrote that I was done blogging. Well here I am, I’m back!
I’d like to thank those lovely people who reached out to me. They gave me some much needed support and made me think on a few things. (And it wasn’t just family, but thank you Aunty Mary and my editorial team!)
Much of my uneasiness arose from the expectation or even an obligation of having to write every week. It was a goal of my 60 before 60 challenge and with that done I wasn’t sure of how to progress. One writer suggested I just post whenever I wanted to rather than sticking to a rigid schedule. (Thanks Pete!)
And I’ll do that; write when I feel the need. That may be every week, that may be once a month. But I will write. If nothing else has happened over the last four years that this blog has been in existence, is that I have come to realise that I like writing, and I’m getting good at it! More importantly, sometimes I even have something to say that may interest other people.
Another source of discontent is chasing perfect SEO. (Search Engine Optimisation) When I started writing I didn’t worry about it. I didn’t even know what it was. I just wrote. More recently I have been analysing my posts more carefully. Making sure I use the keyword the requisite number of times. Ensuring I have the right ratio of passive vs active voice. All in the hope of pleasing the algorithm and hence improving my ability to be found in random internet searches and increase my reach. This has caused me to write in a less spontaneous way. It has made me use subheadings where I found subheadings intrusive or unnatural. It has made writing less fun.
To remain true to myself and continue to write; I’ll pay less attention to the SEO and if I grow my reach, it with be organically. Much like my quest to grow veggies and have chickens!
Thank you dear readers. More soon.
PS: Next week is a Furious Fiction post, then on with the voyage into intentional living or whatever the hell I feel like! One idea I’m thinking on is longer, more analytical investigative pieces. But then again it might just be fluff about making pickles and jam while in Week 8 of lockdown with potentially another four to go!!! (at least!)
Thanks Ing, your not so random act of kindness was the tonic I needed.
Folks, I’m getting close to the end of this here blog project! I have a bad case of the blogging blues. A few weeks ago I started the From the Vault Series as a way of putting place keeper posts in play to help buy me some time. You may have noticed my struggle.
I had a post prepared for today. About living in lockdown and emptying my freezer. It was well enough written but it was still crap. A self-indulgent bit of fluff from a privileged white person who had enough food in their freezer to last 6 weeks.
Woop-di-do!
Not that it’s my intention for this blog to be an esoteric deep thinking tome. Rather, as it says on my About page, a fairly lighthearted collection of observational jottings through the eyes of a 60-year-old.
This place was not meant to be all about meper se but rather about what I see happening in the world. While not a diary or a substitute journal it will, of course, reflect what I’m doing, thinking and feeling.
It’s come to the point where I am resenting the time it takes me to get posts prepared and published. Not that it’s a big chunk of time to do the physical part but rather the mental energy of thinking of something to write. That’s the tough bit. To be truthful the resentment comes from the lack of feedback. I’ve been slogging away at this for 4 years and have around 500 followers. (THANK YOU!!) I have written at least one post every week for that entire time. (363 posts including this one) I rarely get comments and usually no more than 30 views. As far as I know, it’s coming into your inbox and going straight into your trash folder.
This image is here because the Yoast SEO told me I needed am image! But I guess i could say it represents my journey into the future! Main Range loop Track
Last weekly post
To alleviate these blogging blues, this will be my last weekly post. I am going to revert to fortnightly or monthly posts that will concentrate on my move to intentional living and joining my family in Armidale.
In the meantime, help me out folks! Who am I speaking to? Who are you? What do you want to hear?
(sound of crickets!)
Anybody? Apart from my Editors! Thanks, Mum!! And don’t reply if it’s your aim to sell me something! If you’d actually read any of my posts, you’d know I’m not into that kind of stuff. I’d like to hear from genuine sincere people. Let me know the types of posts you enjoy from my back catalogue and comment below.
Be selfish and make it your random act of kindness for the day. Just don’t say travel, because I can’t leave home – did I tell you I’m in lockdown?
PS: I have decided to publish the aforementioned post anyway. In my tradition of reducing waste, it would be hypocritical of me not to use the embodied energy that the post contains. 🙂
Well accountability partners, it’s the end of September already and time for my 3rd quarter review of the Year of Zero. This year is simultaneously dragging on at a snail’s pace and flashing before our eyes like a racing car. COVID19 remains in the headlines and continues to cause massive disruption.
It’s hard not to become complacent about hygiene and social distancing restrictions. However, it is obvious the impact will be long-lived and wide-ranging.
My Year of Zero and the resultant frugality has given me some stability and a focus for my energies which have (as I have reported) been waning. I am on track to achieve my savings goal.
Repurposing fridges as letter boxes
My self-report in the declared categories follows:
No overseas travel
Once again nope! None! I couldn’t if I had wanted to! An easy win!
Score: 10/10
No extended travel within Australia
I have had some short intrastate trips this quarter.
Twice to visit family on the mid-North Coast,
An overnight stay on Cockatoo Island
A weekend jaunt to Armidale with family
When this post is published I will be in Broken Hill with a friend.
These trips fit in with my allowed short adventures category and have been within the budget set. Plus I can add that I have been helping the economies of our struggling tourist sector.
The Old Leyland p76 in a scrap metal pile!
Score: 10/10
No new stuff
My goal is to buy no new items and only replace things that have broken or worn out. I have done better this quarter than at the half-year review.
Allowed items:
I did some more wardrobe decluttering and bought a couple of new-to-me items from the op shop.
I had to buy another new car seat for my Grandson because the other new one I got was not suitable and a bit uncomfortable.
Items not on the list:
I bought three new books. I did originally borrow them from the library but ended up deciding to buy them as reference books.
Some silicone muffin cases to cut down on using single-use patty cases.
A replacement for the travel cup I made before and then smashed 🙁
Score: 8/10
Reduction in expenditure on groceries
After a big hit last quarter, I made some really good savings this time around. I was able to live from my pantry and freezer for another 6 weeks. I managed to use up everything this time and I did very little cooking. I bought some fruit and fresh green veggies and that was it. It wasn’t the most interesting menu BUT I feel good that I wasn’t wasting stuff.
Score: 10/10
Side Hustle Happenings
I may as well just copy what I wrote last time. Except for one course at the community college, all my earnings came from the day job.
Score: 2/10
Only sign up for free courses
I only did one course this quarter. A Mindfulness in Schools course. It wasn’t free, but my school paid for it so, theoretically it was free for me. I didn’t sign up for any other courses, not even free online ones. I am not sure whether that means I should give myself 10/10 or 0/10 for not doing anything new?
On reflection one of the books I borrowed was about how to meditate so this was almost like a course….
As I wrote in some earlier posts, my motivation has been running pretty low. I watched a lot of Netflix this quarter.
Score: 6/10 (as a compromise)
Sell some of my stuff
Once again not really possible.
Score: 1/10
Concentrate on free activities
If you count Netflix as a free activity I aced this one! I’ve watched SO much telly this quarter. Some new (to me) series like Schitt’s Creek, Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid Heat. (Amazing!!), Line of Duty Season 5. Crappy movies, re-watching some old favourites like Offspring and so much more I can’t remember. I didn’t even have the energy to be inventive in the vein of my Hugh Grant Film Festival. I just vegged!
Score: 10/10
Rewrite/revisit my 60 for 60 goals
I can cross off Broken Hill road trip and astrophotography this quarter. Not free but it’s two more items off the list.
Score: 6/10
Zero-waste-eco-warrior
I am maintaining a steady course with this goal. My zero-waste kit has come in handy several times now. I have stopped using tea bags, and single-serve coffee mixes replacing them with loose leaf tea and ground coffee. A double win here as it tastes better as well as saving on waste. My goal is to continue to find more ways to reduce plastic packaging. I have found a way to recycle the plastic blister packs from my contact lenses locally.
Score: 7/10
Year of Zero Booze
Winner winner chicken dinner! Still going strong with no booze and on 30th September it will be 276 days. Kombucha, the occasional zero alcohol beer and herbal tea are still doing the trick.
Score 10/10
This quarter my score on the frugal-o-meter is once again 67%! It certainly seems like I’m a glass three quarters full person!
