Ten Years

So, yes, I’ve been writing this blog for ten years, as of this week. 

Celebrations have included a bowl of Corn Flakes and de-icing the windscreen of the car, so it’s a complete social whirl here, as you might imagine.

I’m not inclined to get all philosophical about the anniversary. The blog is a low key thing these days, more for my own benefit than for anything else. 

I do always appreciate the people who come and have a read and I’m always keen to re-emphasise that there is absolutely no obligation to do so. I fear most for those good people who drop in weekly. Do they now feel tied into some perceived requirement to turn up? If so, please don’t. Drop in now and again, when you’re passing, and that will be great. If my blog was somebody else’s I definitely wouldn’t read it every week so I don’t see why you should either. 

But I do like to see you coming and always welcome the feedback.

Well. How to mark the ten year milestone?

I went back over my posts and picked out one that I liked from every year. I didn’t mull too hard over it because that might have kept me at it all day. 

Here, then, is a link to a post from every year of the blog. For God’s sake, don’t go reading them all, that would be daft. But, if you have two minutes, you might click one and have a look, for old time’s sake. 2016 (the second last one) is my favourite of these, I think. 2015 proved the hardest to pick, nothing really stood out. 

Here’s the posts. Thanks to everybody who dropped by over the last ten years. I’m quite proud of the 642 posts and the approximate half a million words I’ve amassed here.

A couple of them are actually quite good. 

2008 - Goos-ey Goose-ey - One of my more mortifying true stories. People laughed, which was nice.

2009 - Eavesdropping on the Movies - Lots of posts were about memories from my younger days. This one caught something I like to remember.

2010 - A Shallow Grave for the Dice Man - About books and such. Things I like a lot.

2011 - Naked Ladies of my Youth - Not quite as provocative as it sounds.

2012 - Summer Holidays - If the blog has had minor preoccupations, I would say one of them has been that of being a Dad and being a Son. 

2013 - Getting into Valentino's - I haven't blogged about my writing too much. I think this post has a  good level of honesty in it.

2014 - What Charlie Haden's Song Means to Me - A general point turned into a rather personal memory.

2015 - Draw Rein, Draw Breath - Some thoughts on Yeats' grave and what his headstone means.


2017 - Maggie's Year - My first year in college will be remembered by me as 'Maggie's Year'.


Next week... who knows?

8 comments:

hope said...

I'm glad you're still here. Sometimes it feels lonely in Blog World, but you're like the good neighbor who always waves, even if you can't always slow down to chat.

And your "favorite" story was also mine, for a myriad of reasons. You're a good man and those seem rare these days. Keep being you. I'll keep dropping by to stick my head in the door and wave.

Ken Armstrong said...

Thanks Hope. I really should slow down more to chat. It's one of my failings. I paid a visit, 'glad I did. x

Jim Murdoch said...

So you made it. About ruddy time. And I’m glad to see there’s no talk about packing it in. I look forward to our weekly exchange and, no, I feel no obligation to visit. But friends support friends. And if we feel a sense of duty towards you that’s no bad thing. That sense of duty didn’t grow out of nothing. Duty can be made to feel like a chore and I suppose for some it can be. I think of it was what’s DUe To You. It’s easy to say you’re someone’s friend—I detest how Facebook and its kin have devalued the word—but being a friend, for me, is a significant thing. We tend to focus too much on love as the pinnacle of feelings and true friendship gets forgotten about. Friends put themselves out for each other and, yes, it can take effort and even inconvenience us but none of that matters. Love is something people fall in and out of and a little too easily. When was the last time you fell out of friendship with someone? If a friend from my past phoned me up right now and said he needed to see me I’d stick on my jacket and damn well go and see him. I don’t imagine anyone ever doing that for me but it has happened and demonstrations of friendship like that have often taken me by surprise. It’s a matter of self-worth. We don’t think we’re worth it. We need to get over that.

Ken Armstrong said...

Cheers, Jim. All of these words are greatly appreciated.

Rachel Fox said...

I will read all the chosen posts... one a day maybe...
I've always been a diary keeper (and sometimes reader) and blogs are another type of diary so I like them.
Wonder what you'll be doing in another 10 years time...
x

Ken Armstrong said...

I wonder too, Rachel. :) I still owe you a post and have never forgotten it. 'Turn' is right here on my desk beside me. Not feeling equipped to review the lovely work, I tried, once or twice, to fashion a post of people like us who never quite give up in our creative endeavours. Alas it sounds a but condescending when I try to write that stuff about anyone other than myself. :)

Keep on keepin' on. You're one of the best, you are. x

Roberta Beary said...

Wow, 10 years of such good writing! I hereby decree a celebration is in order. To all members of the Castlebar Writers Group a/k/a
Ken’s that Guy with the Key: put on your thinking caps on!

Ken Armstrong said...

Roberta *Focuses on 'Good Writing'... smiles* (Not too bothered about any fuss)*Looks at 'Good writing' again... smiles some more* #thanks :)