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Blogging Nirvana

A few months ago, I updated my ‘About’ page to read:

I came for the writing and stayed for the friends. Who knew the blogging community was so rich and diverse?

On WordPress alone, bloggers produce over 44 million posts a month. My blog is a tiny minnow in a vast sea. Yet somewhere along the way, I’ve connected with a handful of remarkable people scattered across the globe. In many ways, blogging is the start of a conversation. Great things reside in the comments that follow. Like the oft-compared pen pals of our youth, we form relationships through the written word.

Without face-to-face exchanges, bloggers rely on words and pictures. When you’re first starting out, you hunger for comments. It’s a way to validate why you’re here and what you write about.  In a short time, however, relationships are born. They grow and strengthen and before you know it, you’re logging on every day to connect with like-minded and interesting people.

For me, it all started with ‘Boomdee’. I can still remember the first blog that caught my eye, a beautiful transformation of her front porch.  I love before-and-after pictures and I liked her style.  A little exploration told me she had two rescue cats, and that she lived in Canada, my country of origin.

The connection could have ended there, but before long, we were exchanging multiple comments back and forth every day. Unbelievably, someone I didn’t know just a few years ago, became one of my closest, dearest friends.

Through that connection, I found other bloggers.

  • Dani, at Teddy and Tottie. She writes a slice-of-life blog from a small town in Australia.
  • Julia, at Defeat Despair, writes inspirational posts from her homes in Washington D.C. and Virginia
  • Laurie, at Life on the Bike,  also lives in Virginia. She’s a fabulous photographer and a serious biker and she shares her experiences with both.
  • Pauline, at The Contented Crafter, blogs from New Zealand. Pauline blogs about her process of creating mixed-media art and crafts.

…and we all include our wonderful animals in our posts.

Yesterday, an amazing thing happened. Ms. Boomdee organized a global Skype Tea.She put together a schedule that accommodated five different time zones, then placed the call.  We had a series of technical issues, but it added to the fun.  Each of us read a pre-selected poem, wearing a hat and gloves of course. We enjoyed the novelty of hearing each other for the first time, and our diverse accents on the call. I can’t remember the last time I experienced something so unique and fun.

Special thanks, dear Boomdee, for making this all possible. Fellow bloggers, thank you for reading, writing, photo-sharing and commenting. My hat (and gloves) are off to you.

 Who Ya Gonna Call?

Skype Tea Selfies

Skype Tea Selfies

skype tea

Skype cast of characters

37 thoughts on “Blogging Nirvana”

    • Thanks, Will.

      Trust me, Skype gave us all a run for the money, but we enjoyed ourselves all the same. We could always hear each other, but the video apparently only works on the third Thursday with a full moon.

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  2. You’ve written about our Tea Party so eloquently ((( Alys ))), thank you for being in my life and all your wonderful comments today. You’re such a caring person, I love you. It’s amazing to me as well, how wonderful things have unfolded through blogging. I do wonder if other blogging circles are the same, I like to think we’re extra special. I know you all are, that’s for certain. I’ve also just posted my bit of silliness. It’ll be fun to have a voice to hear while reading comments now. Do you think? I’m really happy everyone was game for something new. We’ll be pro’s next time or maybe even use Google + as Pauline suggested. We’re going to try that on Friday. It’ll be 5:30 for me and now that she’s on DST, only 18 hours ahead (I believe). If you are free, it’d be fun to try a do-over. “I came for the writing and stayed for the friends”, I love that ! It’s so true. Mwaaaa x a million xoK

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    • You are such a caring person. I love you. xoxoxo I’m so glad you’re here and I’m especially glad, too, that we both have the travel bug. Knowing we can connect in person a few times a year is extra special.

      On darn…I just see that I’ve missed the Google hangout. I meant to ask the time, and now here it is 6:15 which means 7:15 for you. I could have joined, too.

      Mwaaaa to you my dear. Must go find out if the G+ thing worked out.

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  3. This is a beautiful tribute to a fabulous idea, Alys. You’ve captured our Skype tea party so well with wonderful words and pictures! Just look at Julia’s gorgeous hat – I didn’t get to see her – but I was so very pleased I got to see you for the whole conversation. Casper was very taken with you and your lovely accent and hat. Wasn’t it so much fun! Thanks so very much for the link to my blog and here’s to many more Skype (or Google) tea parties. xoxoxoxoxoxox

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    • Dani, it really was great fun. I felt such a connection to you that day too, seeing your warm smile and watching your children and the menagerie all around you. Just that little slice of live video was so enriching.

      Thank you for your kind words re this post. It was a pleasure to write, then to read all the others.

      Casper is a sweetie. I loved how they all wanted to be close to you. Your warmth shines through.

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  4. We have given a whole new meaning to the phrase “Mad Tea Party” 🙂 ! In a good way of course. Next time I hope to see Casper and all the other fun sights!

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  6. Alys, I read about this party on Boomdee’s blog first. I’m so impressed at her (and the rest of you, too!). What fun and thanks for sharing. I know what you mean about finding friends through blogs; It’s been the best thing for me, whether I meet anyone in person or not. Finding kindred spirits is not always easy face-to-face, so I’ve been very blessed.
    The hats, gloves and special tea cups were so great. So far I haven’t heard what everyone was drinking, though . . . ~ Linne

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    • Linne, funny you should say that. I was just saying something similar about kindred spirits to my husband this weekend. I’ve always felt different and as such, found it hard to relate to people at times. Its been amazing to find so many like-minded souls via blogging.

      I agree, too, that even if you never meet fellow bloggers face to face, the rewards are priceless.

      I forgot to even get a drink I was so excited. At least one of the tea cups had wine in it, but I’ll never tell. 😉

      Fun, fun, fun.

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  7. Pingback: International SkypeTea Party! | Life on the Bike and other Fab Things

  8. Alys, you have such a gift and have written about our party so beautifully! Thank you so much for that. I’ve just posted about the great skype event and added a link back to your blog.
    I feel so blessed to have met all of you, and am so glad to have been included.

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  11. Pingback: Still NO ART – Just More Life | The Contented Crafter

  12. Ms Teddy/Tottie appears to be manipulating that cat much like a ventriloquists doll if I am not mistaken! I hope she wasn’t throwing her voice?! 😉 I love your chutzpah ladies. I love that you got all dolled up and had an international tea party when some of you were in the dark and the rest were in the rain. A gorgeous idea full of wonderful friends, good cups of tea and the best things that make social media worth bothering with. Lovely post and I am sure a gorgeous day 🙂

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    • Thanks so much, Fran. We really had a good time, the effects of which are still with me.

      LOL on Dani’s lovely kitty. She was on screen most of the time, but I didn’t think to take a photo until then end. The kitty is awfully cute though.

      You make me laugh!

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          • Not all that sure about “great gardener” at the moment Alys as most of our garden is dead. I am thinking of changing my name to “windswept and interesting” like Billy Connelly is 😉

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              • Lol every hebe on the property sucumbed to our long dry summer this year. It wasn’t particularly “hot” per-se, just endlessly dry and no rain from October till recently certainly showed us what will and won’t be surviving on the property. We are in major plant reno mode including completely rethinking what we are going to plant here. Posting tonight about autumn cleaning. Like spring cleaning but upside down (like we Aussies are 😉 )

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                • Endlessly dry for months doesn’t sound like much fun. It’s also a huge gardening challenge if you want to grow food. Native plants for flower and shade will work nicely, but it seems most vegetables need lots of water to grow.

                  I’ll watch for your autumn cleaning post.

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                  • We decided to get “real” and there are some alarming spiderweb covered shoe images that needed to be outed ;). I am researching perennial vegetables like artichokes, globe artichokes and more interesting varieties like yacon and skirret etc. They tend to be drought hardy and do well in bad conditions (most of them come from South America) and grow and expand like topsy. I don’t have a small property so I don’t care if they run amok. I would rather have Jerusalem artichokes going mental all over the place than spear thistles and blackberries to be honest. Lots of honesty in todays post. I might have to take a nice “view” shot from over the deck or I might scare most of my dear constant readers off with my honest images 😉

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  13. “I came for the writing and stayed for the friends” sums up my blogging experience too. It is a wonderful way to express it ! I am sitting here, catching up on lots of blogs, not wanting to miss a moment in the lives of my blogging friends.

    So pleased that your Tea Party was fun for all of you. 🙂

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