blogging dilemma, and winter garden pictures
This feels like the longest time ever between posts. Getting back from 3 weeks in Myanmar (Burma), there was so much to do I felt quite overwhelmed. In that situation the only thing to do was immerse myself in the garden. So the garden got filled before the fridge.
I realize I have a blogging dilemma. I have committed myself to a slow lifestyle - as much as possible. Certainly I'm committed to slow gardening and slow blogging, since they are 'hobbies' that are central to the way I experience and think about the meaning of life.
I used to do a post every week, but lately I don't seem to find the time or energy. The only way to post more frequently is to rush. Rush, fast, speed - the blog is supposed to demonstrate a different way of living. But life can be tough. Sometimes you just have to choose the least undesirable alternative.
The dilemma is:
Posting less often (meaning maybe hardly ever)
vs
Fast posting (meaning less satisfying process for me but at least I get to post more often).
Anyway, this is a Fast Post. It has turned into a reflection on the dilemma of someone who is not very good at multi-tasking, but who nevertheless has a multitude of tasks to attend to.
Current blogging tasks are:
1. Visit and comment in the blogs of cyberfriends. It's so important to keep up the wonderful reciprocity of the blogosphere, and all too easy to fall behind ...
and
2. Sort out my thoughts about nature and gardens in Myanmar for the next post, and cull the 500+ photos I took so I can choose a few of my favourites for the post.
While I'm at it, this post might as well also show some pictures of how the back garden's doing this winter. Some are taken from a different angle to the usual shots - from the tall Willow Myrtle (Agonis flexuosa).
Catmint, I understand you totally! I have the same dilemma, and I blog very rarely now. Husband, two kids, two dogs, house, garden, travel, volunteering, relatives, yoga... One of my resolution for the new year was to take less pictures... I need more time for myself, books, family...
ReplyDeleteI like your blogging tasks! Good luck!
thanks Tatyana, Lovely to hear from you. I want to share a wonderful website I just discovered. Wonderful for us busy people: http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/
DeleteCatmint, I am inclined to think weekend blogging is the way to go and short posts with photos are always interesting from you. Am looking forward to your Myanmar pics.,regards ian
ReplyDeleteHi Ian, thanks for encouragement. Whatever happens, I will definitely keep the blog going, I have decided.
DeleteHi Catmint. I look forward to seeing your Myanmar photos (of gardens?).
ReplyDeleteMe? I've been at a bit of a tipping point with blogging...I love it, but posts, especially original, interesting ones, can take AGES to get together.
Whatever the difficulties, I like to stay in touch, and regard the blogging world as a wholly different hemisphere to my daily life.
Sometimes it's healthy to turn your back on it though -
dear faisal, balance is all - maybe the purpose of life is the search for the fulcrum?
DeleteI'm also a weekly blogger, but now I have commitments to the wider family ... and there are weeks when I don't blog. Those weeks when my blog is resting, I'm reading and commenting. Sometimes not even that. We find our way to a new normal.
ReplyDeleteI do hope that you will still blog sometimes. We are on the same wavelength gardenwise.
Bring on Myanmar!
dear diana, we do find our way to a new normal - but often it feels like as soon as we get there it changes to another new normal! That's when I plan to visit the website I mentioned in my reply to Tatyana's comment.
DeleteI will enjoy your Myanmar images. I will never visit there so seeing it from blogging is a good thing. I vote posting more. Last post I noted I signed up for email subscription, and still did not get an email for this post. Not sure why it keeps happening.
ReplyDeletehi donna, that's a shame. Is it in your spam? Is there something I should do? Is it the fault of Google? (They say they don't want to do evil but they're not very good at keeping privacy or paying tax). I'd like to post more. I think the rate of posting will depend on what else is happening in my life at the moment. For example, will I get to do a 101st birthday post for my mother? So far, it's looking likely.
DeleteYou must post more often, I miss your posts even if they are in haste. Although I understand it does take a lot of time, precious time when you could be out in the garden, or doing other things. Your garden is looking very restful. Agonis Flexuosa is a lovely tree, I was going to pick up that plant with the red flowers, (forgotten what's called) from Syd wildflower nursery the other day but got sidetracked by something else. Have a nice weekend.
ReplyDeletehi karen, it' called Gastrolobium celsianum, a terrible name that makes me think of indigestion. Thank you for the compliment about missing my posts.
DeleteDear Catmint: I'm thinking it's best to do what feels right for you. At times in life, that might mean posting every day. Other times, you might need to take a long break. I will always find your posts interesting, because you are in a totally different part of the world than I am. Plus, you are a good writer and photographer! And your stories are wonderful! I look forward to reading about/seeing the details of your recent travels!
ReplyDeletedear beth, thank you so much for your positive feedback. Writing this post and everyone's comments have really helped me.
DeleteWhat's the point of blogging if you're not enjoying your life (and really living)? My days have gotten so busy - a good thing - adjusting to retired husband, but I am looking for ways to not rush through everything. I've cut back from my "must post twice a week" blog rule, to posting when ever.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if everyone would post a little less, I could get more done.
hi joy, I try to live with minimum possible routine and 'musts'. That helps to minimize guilt and stress. That's why I've stopped following GBBD and the garden book reviews, because it forced me to think about time, not where I was at. I did giggle at your last para!
DeleteI look forward to your posts but am happy to see them whenever it works for you to do them. I'd miss you if you just disappeared from the blogosphere altogether. Blogging/Gardening should be fun! If it feels like work, take a break or do less. I often think of slowing down my own posting frequency.
ReplyDeletedear og, thank you for your wise words. I primarily blog for my enjoyment, for sure I would stop if it stopped being fun.
DeleteI think it's the best way to do as you feel. Post when you feel like that and have a break when you need it. Well, it's easier said than done, I know.. Happy Sunday, Catmint!
ReplyDeletehi Satu, thanks for the visit and comment.
DeleteIt is so hard to sometimes to juggle it all. I have committed to posting once a week and that is plenty...it has to be at a pace that feels right for you...we will savor your posts whether they are often or only once a week...what a great vacation...can't wait to see your pictures.
ReplyDeletehi donna, thanks for the encouragement. I'm dying to show you the Burmese pics.
DeleteI would rather read higher quality posts less frequently, as I have limited time for reading blogs anyway. I feel guilty if I don't post about once a week, but I often don't anyway. It's a hobby, do what makes you happy. Your winter garden looks nice and restful. I'm madly working in mine to make up for lazing around all autumn.
ReplyDeleteYour winter garden looks really good, much better than ours do in the winter! Only bog when you feel like it, I slow down when there is so much gardening to do, also I feel there has to be something interesting to write about. We have been having a heatwave for the last month and everything is taking much longer than usual, my garden and I are wilting!
ReplyDeleteCatmint dear, I just got back from Myanmar on Sunday! I was at Pyin Oo Lwin, a hill station in Mandalay Division. It was wonderful and the botanical garden was amazing. In fact I have just uploaded some photos (I took plenty as well haha...) into my My Green Finder Fb. Take one step at a time yeah. Gardening is life long passion hehe... Cheers, Stephanie
ReplyDeleteI'm having the same dilemma. It's a good thing that blogging can be flexible! But your garden is looking quite beautiful. I really love that view through the willow.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid that I don't have a definitive answer to your dilemma, but in my opinion you should not feel forced to blog. Writing in your blog is for you as well as for others, and it should not feel like just a chore and a burden. (Sometimes it may be a little bit of a burden, but even then it should be something enjoyable as well.) I've been thinking about starting up my blog again, but if I do I probably won't feel obligated to post on a regular schedule.
ReplyDeleteSlow gardening and slow blogging. It sounds so nice. I would like to read more about it. I don't use electrical tools in the garden because of the noise they make. I prefer the sounds of nature. Is that slow gardening? Or do you mean something else?
ReplyDeleteOh, I found in on the web. I never heard of the slow gardening movement. Only slow food. I should have googled before posting my comment.
Deletehi denise, it doesn't matter - I find blogging is a way to keep learning new things. And I think ideas like slow gardening are fairly new, and still developing, and open to interpretation. I take it to mean not using electrical tools. I hate the sound of leafblowers. I think why don't they just use an old fashioned broom?
DeleteI love how much you travel. Were you on vacation? Blogging should never feel like a job. I'm not a slow blogger but only because I love to write and blogging is my outlet for that. Do what works for you. :o)
ReplyDeletehi Tammy, it was vacation, but I have friends there, my husband has work there, and I know I will go again.
DeleteI'm in the very same boat, Catmint. Juggling study and some freelance work with a full-time job has made it really difficult to keep up with blogging. I've opted to slow down the pace over the Aussie winter, while the garden is quiet anyway. Hopefully, come Spring, I will have packed the books away and be able to dedicate more time to blogging, and visiting and commenting on blogs I love.
ReplyDeletehi Marisa, your life sounds amazingly full! You sound very good at deciding what to prioritize at what time. lovely to hear from another Aussie.
DeleteThere was a time when I blogged 2-3 times a week. Now I try to make it once a week but don't always succeed. I am staggered by the thought that some bloggers post nearly every day! Perhaps blogging is their main job. Like you, I am not particularly good at multitasking, but it is something we have to do. I look forward to your posts on Burma!
ReplyDeletedear deb, Maybe for some people blogging is their main job. But I guess they're our blogs, and it's up to us how often and what we post in them.
DeleteHi Catmint,
ReplyDelete"Someone who is not very good at multi-tasking, but who nevertheless has a multitude of tasks to attend to" - aren't you talking about me?
I say: Blog as often or not as you feel like - just leave a note on Facebook when you do!!
dearest bubbles, I was wondering whether that was a good thing to do, now you've answered the question.
DeleteLOL!!! Yes, I face the same dilemna.....write less! I now post about once a week....maybe twice if I'm moved. It takes me forever to sit down and focus. And like you, I'd much rather be outdoors than locked behind a computer screen. There's nothing wrong with that.....so don't stress. Go according to your own pace....AND I'm glad to know you are okay:)
ReplyDeletethanks for that, Chris, it's good to know it's a shared dilemma, and somehow writing about it and sharing it took away the stress. I'm resigned, now, to just blogging when I can.
Delete