Tenth blogaversary and How I blog
by Diana Studer
- gardening for biodiversity
in Cape Town, South Africa
A strange experience, as I look back over ten years of life,
then I choose a single picture as a token for each of those years. Starting
from the better pictures which I had winnowed out for blog posts.
 |
| 2010 Elephant's Eye window |
Sandblasted glass is the luxury I gift to my home. Back to
the first Elephant's Eye in Porterville. (False Bay has Celtic knots, circle of
life)
I remain with Blogger
/ blogspot. Updating the look to Soho
theme in 2017.
 |
| 2011 wagtail bathing in Ungardening Pond |
We miss Ungardening
Pond, where we could sit on the sheltered verandah and watch our flock of
birds taking it in turn to bathe.
I check with StatCounter each day - which site
did my readers come from, which link did they click, what did they download?
 |
| 2012 Jürg and telemetry with the Cape Leopard Trust |
From Porterville the Ungardener volunteered with the Cape
Leopard Trust in the Cederberg.
Blogging, social media, is a tango for two, where I use Feedly
to follow about 100 sites.
 |
| 2013 for Google Authorship my RL face and name |
I invested a chunk of my time in Google Plus, where I was
tricked into using my real name and face for the fleeting benefit of Authorship
in Google searches.
Since the City Nature Challenge it is iNaturalist which devours my online
time!
 |
| 2014 Groot Winterhoek July sunshine Leucadendron salignum female |
We hiked in Groot
Winterhoek, across the forehead of the elephant head which we saw, again
from that verandah.
I process my photos using Canon software. Picasa (which
survives on my laptop) for collages. FastStone to watermark, then compress images for fast loading.
 |
| 2015 Flying Dutchman at False Bay |
A new chapter when we moved to False Bay.
For good housekeeping, Avira
opens a red umbrella to protect my laptop.
 |
| 2016 St Katharine Dock |
Holiday flat at St Katharine Dock in London.
Each month I check Feedburner
for new subscribers (and nag gently if they have forgotten to verify their
email)
 |
| 2017 drought |
A year of blog posts dedicated to three
years of drought. Now our water consumption has settled to 80 litres pp pd
(only 30 litres are municipal thanks to our off-grid rain tanks)
Since loading speed is important, I check monthly with page speed insights (but am frankly mystified by their advice)
 |
| 2018 bananas in May |
Our first bunch of lady finger bananas (none this year)
Final monthly checks. Coverage and Performance with Google Search Console. Using Google Analytics to see who uses mobile
(28%), tablet (12%) or desktop. How many pages (one and a half) and seconds
(about 40) per session.
 |
| 2019 Elephant seal Buffel before moulting 28th January |
Buffel
the elephant seal rested on our beach for his annual moult. Will this become
- remember that year when...?
My camera is
still Canon G9 X. Compact, light and with a large sensor. For convenience when
hiking, he mostly uses his cellphone.
I invite you to join us at Elephant's Eye on False Bay.
Please subscribe as you prefer
via Feedly,
or Bloglovin,
Teal blue text is my links.
To read comments if you are in email or a Reader,
first click
thru to the blog)
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.
Congratulations on 10 years of blogging, Diana! I enjoy all your posts, which provide me an opportunity to see flowers and plants that would otherwise exist only in my imagination. I love the wide shots of your beautiful scenery as well. Your water conservation strategies challenge me to do more too.
ReplyDeleteWe are now comfortable with 80 litres a day - including a bath this evening - much appreciated in winter.
DeleteCongratulations on this anniversary, that is such an achievement to have continued blogging for so long. Your posts are always so enjoyable to read and it is fascinating discovering where you live. It was interesting to also read all the facts above so helpful! Here's to the next 10! Sarah x
ReplyDeleteThank you! Tomorrow I can concentrate on photos for the June Garden Gate post.
DeleteCongratulations! I hope you will continue sharing your fascinating world for another ten years. I can see why INaturalist devours your online time. So interesting. Thanks for all the interesting links.
ReplyDeleteAre you on iNat, Denise? Your bird pictures?
DeleteCongratulations Diana. Hours of dedication, and a generous nature willing to share with the World your knowledge and the beauty of 'The Garden of Eden'.
ReplyDeleteI remember with gratitude the people who helped me - at the very beginning when I was floundering, and along the way when I stumbled.
DeleteSending you congratulations on your 10th year of blogging, Diana. From fellow gardener on other hemisphere, but sharing some common challenges. The way your water consumption is going down is such an exemple for all us gardners dealing with drought conditions. Also, thank you for sharing the amazing flora of South Africa.
ReplyDeleteAll of my commenters are northern. It is lonely way down south in blogland.
DeleteVery hearty congratulations on your 10th blogaversary! I've been following you for many of those years, and have enjoyed every visit to your blog. That's a good idea to choose a photo from every year. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI think Stasher is the only newish commenter here. The rest of us trace our roots back to Blotanical.
DeleteCongratulations on your 10th year. Love seeing your garden and plants I am so familiar with as they traveled to Oz in ballast, (and in other ways) sailing ships and passengers.
ReplyDeleteSharing your winter weather today - rain driving in from the Atlantic with a few rays of sun breaking thru.
Deletewell done! You've brought us so much pleasure in your posts, you're so good at what you do, the time and dedication , planning and consideration is admirable, I wish I had your skill ! I have enjoyed each and every post! Best wishes for the next ten!
ReplyDeleteYour gift is with your painting and the memory water.
DeleteOh my goodness! Ten years blogging! You have accomplished quite a bit. I often get lost on your site, clicking around and around. Thanks for all the hard work.
ReplyDeleteJeannie@GetMeToTheCountry
I've been puttering in your huge vegetable garden - pink celery sound delicious!
DeleteI will let you know how it tastes when it is big enough to pick.
DeleteHappy Blogging Anniversary, Diana. We share the same roots (Blotanical) but blog differently: you are more devoted to statistics than I am. You have helped me along the way and I appreciate it. Your postings are delightful; I hope to enjoy your blogging journey for many more years. P x
ReplyDeleteIt's not a numbers game for me, but I like the information. I need to remember that chunk of readers on small screens (not ideal for the collages I prefer)
DeleteHappy Blogaversary, Diana. It has been quite a ten-year journey, hasn't it? Like you, I still use Picasa for photo collages and am still with my original blogging platform (in my case, Wordpress). BTW, I live in a rural area and don't have very high-speed internet, but I never have any problem loading your pages.
ReplyDeleteGood to know - as I wait for iNaturalist to load again ...
DeleteCongratulations Diana - 10 years takes some doing :)
ReplyDeleteYou and I have blogged together since I saw you as a mentor when I started. Kind and helpful - thank you!
DeleteBelated congratulations Diana - it feels like I have been enjoying your garden(s) for this amount of time - ever since Blotanical - and I am always pleased when I see you have left a comment on my WordPress platform (which I prefer though I was once a Blogger) As Pam says, you are more of a serious devotee of blog stats than I am but either way we can link hands across the continents as it were. Long may you continue
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your 'town then country' photos and poetry.
Delete