Thursday, or Thereabouts - August 20, 2015

In the moment, and on the day!

As Wednesday yielded to Thursday, a musical flourish rang out. The screen on my cell phone lit up the midnight darkness. And I smiled. This is the day!

Okay, so perhaps an electronic triplet of tones does not a fanfare make,
still for this common blogger, today is a day of jubilation.

              

                              Blogpost #250!

"What I'm thinking today - A collection of random thoughts, worries, celebrations and memories" debuted on August 11, 2011 with the piece "Opening Gambit" I was off and blogging at full tilt, posting almost daily for three weeks, before running low on fuel. Posts then slowed to an intermittent trickle and sometimes dried up altogether for months on end, with not even so much as a single photo.

The approach of my 60th birthday in 2013 put a pen back in my hand along with a renewed commitment to regular blogging. "Monday Moanings" first appeared on March 18th, 2013. Three days later "Thursday Thermals" appeared with a reflection on "Ready or not, here comes 60." Three months later during the Stanley Cup hockey finals, "or Thereabouts" replaced "Thermals" in the weekly lineup. And the rest is history, or perhaps just a legend in my own mind.

With the exception of those times when I'm travelling with my love out of the country, I publish a post to this blog twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays. Almost without exception, each one is written on the day. I've tried writing them earlier then scheduling publication to the blog, but that never seems quite right. Clearly I prefer to be in the moment, on the day. Some days it's a struggle - ideas refuse to gel and words come slowly or not at all. Some days I have to leave it to my photos to do the job. But some days ideas, words and images come together as though they were a well rehearsed piece. Those occasions, though few, always surprise and amaze me.

I no longer write each piece out in longhand as I did when I first set out on this blogging expedition. Most posts are keyboarded at my desk computer. Rest assured this does not mean that my beloved fountain pen now lies dormant. It is pressed into service on special occasions, such as this one.

And I do always enjoy what happens, what flows across the page, whether it is to a place I intended from the outset or to some place I never imagined. So I'll keep on blogging, sharing my thoughts, worries, celebrations and memories in words and pictures with all of you.

I am grateful for all my readers and followers. Thank you for taking the time to read my posts. Thank you for the likes on Facebook, 1+'s on Google+ and blog comments. Bless you.

Life is about doing the best I can, enjoying each day as it comes.
And at the end of the day, it's about being content with what I have done and what I have not done,
so that I can look forward to a new day, new joys, new possibilities.

(first written March 21, 2013)

See you Monday!



©2015 April Hoeller

Thursday, or Thereabouts - May 14, 2015

So I've been told...

I've been sitting here in front of the computer for nearly 2 hours and still no blog post has emerged from the ends of my fingers. Lot's of possibilities, lots of flapping around but not a single idea has taken flight.

I would like to give up fretting about this lack of words, BUT I've been told that it's bad form, very bad, to just up and leave an empty spot where a post should be.  Apparently it suggests to followers that they have been abandoned. So I've been told.

Well I truly wouldn't want anyone to feel that way. Will two short paragraphs and a few pictures from last year's Spring gardens suffice? Sure hope so.

The sun is shining, the temperature is 18°C and I'm going out to mow the lawn.
Wanna come with me?


©2015 April Hoeller

Thursday, or Thereabouts – April 10, 2014

Leavin’ on a jet plane…





It’s less than 24 hours until take off and I’m actually quite relaxed. I wonder what I’ve forgotten? I’ve tidied the house but a full Spring cleaning will have to wait until we get back. The house-sitters have moved in and been fully briefed, not just by me but also by Sophie the resident canine.

She has made sure that they know where find the bickies, treats, bones and kibble – several times! I know that she will pine for us just a little; mope around for a week or so but then motor on.  I will miss her morning greeting, a cold wet nose nudging my cheek accompanied by a little whine, “Mom, are you in there?”

My love and I will be far away on another adventure. I will not be posting on this blog, no “Monday Moanings” or “Thursday, or Thereabouts”, until sometime after May 11. BUT – I have launched a new blog for our travels: “Where in the World are We?”, the globe-trotting adventures of Schwartz vonBear and his two Sherpas. For those of my readers familiar with my “Photos du Jour” emails, this blog replaces those photo laden emails of the past.

I spent the better part of a weekend learning how to use Windows Live Writer. Now I can compose and format posts, including photos, entirely offline and then upload to the blog either in draft or publish directly. It seems to work pretty well! This is a huge accomplishment, and it works for a number of blogging platforms, not just Blogger. To quote my love, when it comes to Internet in faraway lands, “It may be slow, but it sure is expensive!” This offline strategy should limit connection time. Here’s hoping.

Take a moment to visit my travel blog, and please consider signing up for the email subscription so you won’t miss out on an Asian Adventure. Schwartz and the two Sherpas would love to have you along!

Take care! See you back here in May.



©2014 April Hoeller