Saturday 6 August 2011

I'm about to rant...

For the most part I love blogging and I super love reading blogs but sometimes I see things that make me go a bit red and misty. One of the things really gripping me at the moment is the constant argument over whether we should be able to share other pictures, tutorials, ideas from other people's blogs. I think this depends on the content. And the re-poster's intent. There's a fairly large divide between sharing a tutorial with your readers and, say posting up a tutorial and claiming it as your own. There's a definite right and wrong there and I think most of us have enough integrity and intelligence to know the difference. I'm well aware that there are some that don't but I do think they are in the minority. I rarely see pictures around the blogosphere that don't link back to the original source or at least give credit to the owner.

I recently saw a blog post from someone who is upset about someone 'taking' her pictures and pinning them to Pinterest despite the fact that they gave full credit and when you clicked on the pics they sent you straight back to her blog. I don't see how this is taking?! Pinterest for me in an online scrapbook and saves me hours of printing off, cutting and sticking but I'm wondering if going back to my old methods might be less agro. And what about if I see something I love and stick it on my desktop to show my Mum? Is that allowed? What makes me laugh is that the biggest culprits are often the ones that constantly hold giveaways, sell ad space and sponsorship and are constantly trying to draw in more readers. You'd think they'd be kind of pleased and flattered that people are promoting the good things they do at no cost to them, surely? Or am I totally wrong here?

I also have a big problem with people that write shitty posts and then use a bad day, week, month as the reason behind it. This, to me, is akin to texting when drunk. I have had some bloody awful days recently but did any of you lot know how awful? No, because I don't feel this is the place to air my dirty washing. I pick up the phone for a good whinge. I don't hit out at the lovely people that take the time and effort to read my rambling (that would be you gorgeous lot) so to drop a shit bomb every time I feel a bit crap.... not fair, really is it?

When I use images in my blog I credit them. If I can't, I put a shout out to anyone that might know the original source and I never claim them as my own. Same with tutorials. If I had to write and get permission from everyone whose pictures I use I'd never have time to blog.... or hoover.... or sew.... or crochet. It's all got a bit silly really. There's a severe case of Princess-itus going round if you ask me. Not that you did. Just saying.

End of rant.

Cartoon by Cox and Forkum

Thursday 4 August 2011

The One Where I felt OLD....

On Tuesday we celebrated my baby sister's twentieth birthday. Twenty! When did that happen?!  Friends and family gathered in our garden for a BBQ in true British style..... flash downpours, thunder, 30 people crammed in to a gazebo fit for 10..... and Baby Sister opened her presents with Bruno Mars serenading her quietly in the background.



About every ten seconds she suddenly looked up and exclaimed 'OMG! I'm 20! I'm like really old now. I gritted my teeth trying not to bemoan out load the fact that I turn 31 next month. Old indeed!

Saying that, I remember 20 vividly. I had a ten month old baby who, on the positive side, could melt my insides with one toothy grin, but, on the negative, wasn't really in to the whole sleeping thing. I was about half way through an 18 month language course which meant studying every night and I could regularly be found in the early hours pacing the living room floor flashcards in one hand, grumpy baby in the other. I remember 20 being exhausting. Enlightening but exhausting. Thirty one's not so bad. And I really feel like I'm getting the hang of this adult thing. Better yet, I have an 11 year old...... who sleeps through the night! Yeah, baby! Take THAT, 20!



Happy Birthday Bob Bob. Love you lots like jelly tots.