Ninth blogaversary

by Diana Studer
- gardening for biodiversity
in Cape Town, South Africa

In June 2009 I began blogging. We'd moved from Camps Bay to Porterville. Our metal kingfisher remembers Ungardening Pond where he was visited by father and son fishing for frog lessons kingfishers!

(Story left, blogging right)

2009 kingfisher on Ungardening Pond
2009 kingfisher on Ungardening Pond

How I blog
Each month I begin with last month's hikes. Maybe a wild card (this post). End with our garden and Ungardening projects (drought related this year!)


2010 August weaver bird tying knots
2010 August weaver bird tying knots

First photos, hundreds from the hikes. Takes me hours to whittle them down to 10 for that post. Collaged with Picasa to load quickly for readers.

Our view was Olifantskop (for which both blogs are named Elephant's Eye). We hiked in the Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Area. Peace, flowers and winter rain harvested to Voelvlei dam for Cape Town. Plattelandse dorpie, country town, among wheat and canola fields.

2011 August Porterville to Piketberg
2011 August Porterville to Piketberg

My photos have names, captions (and Alt Text) for Google's Search by Image - which brings me some traffic.

Japanese flowering quince (Anna and I share July birthdays)

2012 August Japanese flowering quince
2012 August Japanese flowering quince

I use FastStone for transparent watermarks and compressing images to quick loading and adequate quality, as in the last 2 photos. 

In a good winter Groot Winterhoek is dusted with snow. He captured the wind goddess blowing chill.

2013 June Groot Winterhoek with snow
2013 June Groot Winterhoek with snow 

Around those photos I build my accompanying paragraphs. Edit again and again. Read your post aloud to catch typos.

I brought March lilies here, but no flowers sadly.

2014 March Amaryllis belladonna
2014 March Amaryllis belladonna

We write for new and long term readers. For new readers I link back to earlier posts. With plants I link to PlantZAfrica for horticultural info. For hikes I link to the official site for directions, entry fees and opening times. I aim my posts between information and wall of words.

We downsized to False Bay. Red Lachenalia blooms and the tapestry hedge is covering the palisade fence.

2015 June Flying Dutchman
2015 June Flying Dutchman

Engagement is queen. Promote your post. Participate in memes (don't just link dump and run!) Find your tribe, your village, of bloggers where you read, comment, give and find support.

In 2016 we were in London. Travel plans became a dream come true electric car.

2016 July Sir Hans Sloane and the Chelsea Physic Garden
2016 July Sir Hans Sloane and the Chelsea Physic Garden

We choose to blog. We choose to read. If you want to BE read you need to put in the hours and effort producing content, then promoting your blog.

We started weekly hikes with U3A in August last year. The Ungardener up mountains with the Curious and Adventurous. I botanical rambling among fynbos flowers.

2017 September Erica halicacaba on The Sentinel above Hout Bay
2017 September Erica halicacaba on The Sentinel above Hout Bay

You have literally seconds ... to lose your landing reader. Don't wait ... for your bling it on header. Check your loading time with Pingdom.

Henry and Aragon moved from Camps Bay. Henry chose Chocolat from the feral kittens next door, to take his place. Aragon and Chocolat came to False Bay. Thomas stomps up his stairs in furry boots, Zoë floats like thistledown up the tree and leaps to the wall.

Thomas and Zoë
Thomas and Zoë

The blogs I chose to read are a window on the world, let me live your life while I read your post -
I in turn open my window 
to Skye,
to Jersey,
to Portugal,
to a Welsh hill
or the Kent coast,
a poet,
down to Australia,
up to Colorado.

I invite you to join us at Elephant's Eye on False Bay. Please subscribe as you prefer
via Feedly,
or Bloglovin,
or Facebook 

Pictures by Diana and Jürg Studer

Teal blue text is my links.
To read comments if you are in email or a Reader,

Thanks for comments that add value. Maybe start a new thread of discussion? BTW your comment won't appear until I've read it. No Google account? Just use Anonymous, but do leave a link to your own blog. I would return the visit, if I could...

I welcome comments on posts from the last 2 months.

Comments

  1. Congratulations on nine years of blogging. Your blog really showcases the Western Cape and I enjoy looking at the landscape, the flowers, all the plants and your stories about the Cape. Thanks too, for the tips on blogging, and I agree with your comment on engaging with other bloggers and finding like minded bloggers.

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  2. Thank you Diana for featuring my blog, I just now realized that in two years my blog will be 10 years old. Time flies.

    And, Thank you for showing us what is like to garden in simillar climate zone, and how to adapt to drought, a common denominator to us all in mediterranean type of gardens...and specialy, thank you for showing all the South Afican amazing flora.

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  3. Happy blogaversary, Diana! I always enjoy your posts. Despite living at opposite ends of the world, we share a similar climate and many plants yet your posts also include intriguing species for me to dream about, wondering if some may eventually make their way across the ocean into cultivation here. I appreciate and learn from your experience managing under severe drought conditions too. May you enjoy many more years of blogging!

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  4. Congratulations on 9 years. I think I have been blogging for 12. I always enjoy your blog as it shows me the many plants that came here to South Australia from the Cape, supposedly in the ballast during the time of sailing ships but I am sure many people picked seeds and brought them here as did my husband's grandmother in or around the 1860s. Now I am rather full of arthritis my garden is in pots and I can only manage 1/2 hour walks so your blog keeps me connected.

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  5. Many, many congratulations on your blogaversary Diana and for sharing some useful tips for bloggers both old and new :) Nine years is some achievement. Hope that your blog blooms for many years to come.

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  6. Happy blogaversary Diana! It only seems like 5 minutes since we 'met' via Blotanical :)

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  7. Congratulations on your 9th blogoversary! I started reading your blog thru Blotanical the first year, soon after I started my own blog in October, 2009. It has been fun and educational to widen my horizons to your world through your blog.

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  8. Many congratulations on your blogaversary Diana! It's been such a pleasure to learn more about South Africa, visited only once but surely again in the future. Funny, the thing I remember most are the weaver birds. And how the male has to make the nest all over again if the female isn't happy. If only it was always that simple!

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  9. Congrats on your blogaversary, we have known each other for a long time, Diana! Thank you for generously sharing what's going on backstage. I learn a lot from you, this time specifically about Pingdom. That photo of the flowers above Hout Bay is my favourite kind of place. I want to be perched on rocks on which various organisms grow above a wild roaring ocean.

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    1. Thank you to Australia.
      I don't do cliff faces - I like my cliffs safely above me ;~)

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  10. Great post as always, Diana! I have been blogging for 10 years too, hence the need to change it up and start under a new name. I have always loved your blogs from the very start and hope you continue for at least another decade xx

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  11. Happy anniversary Diana! I am so glad I found your blog on Blotanical in 2010. Thank you for sharing your wisdom all these years.

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    1. Thank you to Holland ( and a Japanese inspired garden)

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    1. Thank you to Madeira (and welcome to a new reader!)

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  13. Congratulations on your Blog Anniversary nine years is such an achievement! When I have some spare time I will need to look back and some of your older posts. Reading this through I realised there is many things that I didn't know from the years I have been following you. Sarah x

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    Replies
    1. maybe here?
      https://eefalsebay.blogspot.com/search/label/Our%20Story

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  14. Many congratulations - and thank you for the trip down memory lane.
    So many great pictures that I wouldn't know where to start choosing a favourite.
    All the best for the future :)

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  15. Happy Anniversary and thanks for the blogging advice.
    Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry

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