Posted in the Daily Photo series
Poetry & Photography
“To have my cake and eat it too?… hm… eat it!”
Chocolate Cake 
It’s just a cake
Nothing fake
Some sugar and spice
All the things nice
And do not forget
The best ingredient
What is it?
What else for a ‘holic
But dark chocolate
“I blog, therefore I am”
900 Post Celebration @ Rantings Of A Third Kind
Today is a great day and certainly a time for celebration!
I have posted my 900th post on Rantings of a Third Kind.
Thanks to all my followers and readers for keeping me going!
Keep calm and keep on blogging!
Gun
Posted in A Quote a Week Tuesday
& In honour of the month of December
“Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower” Hans Christian Andersen
Quote a Week Tuesday, 2015-12-08
Today’s quote seems quite apt for the time of the year, especially for us living way up North, in the land also known as Finland.
During this period, we usually spend our days in total darkness, starting from October and ending only in early spring months. But, for what ever reason, today, we had a beautiful sunny day and clear blue skies as far as the eyes could see.
Odd indeed, but also an excellent photo opportunity for us pic-snappers and a good chance to soak in a few rays while hanging outside (naturally, in the freezing weather 😉 ):
Related posts:
Black Friday Finland Style
Posted in the Fabulous Friday series: “Black Friday Finland Style”
Humour, Dialogue, Poetry
In honour of the month of November
“I hope your Black Friday injuries aren’t so severe that you can’t click a mouse on Cyber Monday.”
Black Friday Finland Style
“Bright light, bright light!”
“Oh my God, what is that?”
“Holy hell, is it a flying saucer?”
The masses had come out from their homes and workplaces staring and pointing up at the unidentified bright light high up in the sky. Some rumours had circulated, stating Finland had fallen under attack by UFOs.
In the corner of the street, a lonesome believer was preaching:
“The end of the world as we know it, is upon us!”
That day, was the first day of the month March.
Several months earlier
It was the beginning of October. The land had fallen under darkness. As if an evil warlock had cast a spell. Sour faces all around, no expressions, as if away blurred. Hardly any sound could be heard. People on the streets, dragging their feet. The lust for life, all sucked out.
First of March
An unidentified source of light had appeared in the skies.
“The sun”, someone said, as the onlookers stood before her, bewildered.
“It is called the sun” she stated again with a smile.
But the other just shook their heads in disbelief.
Still, turning their collective faces towards “the sun”. And, as by a wave of a magic wand, the crowd closed their eyes in unison and enjoyed that sacred moment. A collective sigh of content was the only sound heard.
For who knew, how long this would last…
Writing 101, A Poem A Day, Day One: Magic
Poetry & Photography
“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work” Colin Powell
Magic
Like a flick
Of the light switch
Like scratching
A really bad itch
I had started writing
Once more
Just like that
Just like magic
I found my muse
And I did it
Writing 101, A Poem A Day, Day One: Magic
Poetry & Photography
“Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace” Eugene O’Neill
Writing 101, A Poem A Day, Day One: Magic
Day 1: Magic
It’s the end of the year. Nature is already entering its revolution phase: hibernation in the Northern Hemisphere, burning heat in the Southern. It’s the magic of life. Like Mother Nature, you too can give your life a new beginning.
What magic have you accomplished in the past year? Be it small or grand, it’s worth celebrating in a poem!
You can write about something you did that made you feel young again, or maybe about that difficult undertaking you finally completed. (I, for example, mastered French lemon meringue pie; as we say here, “it wasn’t cake.”) You might also take inspiration from a dream that came true, or from a difficult situation resolved in a fairytale-like ending. Of course, everyday magic (or even failed magic) works too!
Bio: Frédérique (a.k.a. La duchesse d’Érat) lives and writes in Lyon, France. She started her blog hoping to connect with an audience and ended up sharing every aspect of her writing life (stories, accounts, tips, pictures of her cat and of her tiny tired laptop) in both French and English.
Frédérique is a regular Daily Prompter, Blogging U. course junkie, and an avid NaNoWriMo participant since 2010. Cooking is how she procrastinates. You can also find her on Twitter @laduchessederat.
Blogging 201, Branding and Growth, Day One: Set Three Goals
“Blogging isn’t about publishing as much as you can. It’s about publishing as smart as you can.” Jon Morrow
Blogging 201, Branding and Growth, Day One: Set Three Goals, Part Two
Day One: Set Three Goals
Why do you blog? For notoriety? To get a book contract? To self-publish? To establish yourself as a leader in your field? To gain followers? To connect with others? To clarify your own thoughts?
All of the above, but then again, none of the above. Confused? Good! That means I got your attention 😉
Why did I ever start a blog you ask? Well, there really is a very simple explanation to that. In the prehistoric blogging ages, you know those, when the dinosaurs roamed the earth… Ok, so maybe not that far back. Let’s go back some ten years, before the times of today’s so called social media and blogging. People actually wrote and published on the internet, but those days it was more personal and tight knitt groups who wrote and followed each others’ writings. I used to be one of those people.
In the here and now, everything is easy and you can post your thoughts, life and pretty much anything your heart desires and there are others who either a) read and enjoy what you have to offer or b) read and hate it. Simple as that.
Still not convinced?
Well, I like to write so, there. Simple truth, now written “out loud”.
Guess a book deal, a script deal or similar wouldn’t hurt either 😉
If your blog exceeded your wildest dreams, what would that look like? Would you have a different design? How many followers would you have? How much traffic? What sort of community would participate? How often would you post?
I would actually pay good money for someone with similar vision and time to revamp my site. With the limited time I have for this “night job” which I like to call my blogging, I barely have time to write and snap photos, never mind the outlook of the pages. The knowhow is there, the time is not. I rather spend the precious time I have for writing and leave the admin to someone else.
As my blog states, everything and nothing for anyone and no one, so the net is cast wide and as far as dreams go, well, I would like the world to enjoy my offerings, both written and visual. I would prefer to post eight hours a day, have it as a full time job. The good deyeties know I have enough material to last a few lifetimes. However, the reality is, after some full ten hours on the paying job, my night shift on the blog takes only second priority before sleeping and eating of course 😉 However, that being said, I am currently posting every day at least a poem, photo and a theme per day. I am also taking part in quite a few challenges and of course, Blogging U courses!
So to summarize (or to make a promise):
1) Never miss a day of blogging
2) Keep in touch with the community
3) Try on new things (for the blog) ;P
Keep Calm and Keep On Blogging Everyone!
Blogging 201, Branding and Growth, Day One: Set Three Goals
“Don’t procrastinate. If you want to blog, then blog.” Fritz Chery
Blogging 201, Branding and Growth, Day One: Set Three Goals
Day One: Set Three Goals:
Welcome to Blogging 201: Branding and Growth! We’re excited about what we’re going to cover over the next two weeks, and we’re glad you’re joining us for the ride.
Today we want you to do a bit of thinking about your blog, so you can focus the next two weeks effectively.
Today’s assignment: consider what you want to accomplish with your blog. Write down three concrete goals.
Why are we doing this?
* Because writing down goals forces you to think carefully about what success means to you — “success” is different for everyone.
* Because having goals helps you focus. If something you’re doing isn’t helping you achieve your goals, ditch it.
Here are some questions to mull over to help you uncover/refine what’s most important to you about your blog:
Why do you blog? For notoriety? To get a book contract? To self-publish? To establish yourself as a leader in your field? To gain followers? To connect with others? To clarify your own thoughts?
If your blog exceeded your wildest dreams, what would that look like? Would you have a different design? How many followers would you have? How much traffic? What sort of community would participate? How often would you post?
Answering these questions helps you create a vision for your blog. Next, translate that vision into three specific goals. You can articulate your goals however you’re most comfortable, but we recommend making them simple, concrete, and time-based to create laser-like focus, like:
* Gain 20% more followers by January 15st.
* Increase average daily hits 30% by the middle of 2016.
* Publish three times each week during December and January.
* Spend one hour each week visiting my followers’ blogs, reading, and commenting from now until February 1st.
* Establish a new weekly feature on my blog by January 1st. (Throwback Thursdays, Wordless Wednesdays, Soup Sundays), and publish that feature each week through 2016.
* Create an editorial calendar for the next 90 days by December 31st.
* Gain 100 new Twitter followers by February 15th.
* Publish posts from three guests over the next three months.
* For bonus points, write a post detailing your blog’s goals and publish it. Making your goals public ups your accountability. Your readers will cheer you on, and might even find ways to help you achieve your goals.
Create a private page on your blog to keep track of your goals, or just write them on a post-it note — whatever works for you.
Stuck on what to pick for your goals? Not sure what’s actually reasonable? Head to The Commons to bounce ideas around with fellow challenge participants. You know the old saying: 1000 heads are better than one!
Poetry and Photography
Photo challenge for PhoTrabloggers Mundane Monday
“This is a challenge created to find beauty in almost everything. The challenge is simple : find beauty in everyday mundane things, capture the beauty and upload the photographs.”
MUNDANE MONDAY CHALLENGE #36
“I have always tried to live by the ‘awe principle.’ That is: Can I find awe, wonder and enchantment in the most mundane things conceivable?” Craig Hatkoff
Mundane Monday, 2015-12-07, Part Two
Looking out the window
Cannot find a rainbow
Closing all the curtains
Feelings of uncertain
The weather I cannot bend
But at least I can pretend
Turning on all
The colourful lights
In my mind
It is white and bright
At least before it’s time
To make my way outside
Poetry and Photography
Photo challenge for PhoTrabloggers Mundane Monday
“This is a challenge created to find beauty in almost everything. The challenge is simple : find beauty in everyday mundane things, capture the beauty and upload the photographs.”
MUNDANE MONDAY CHALLENGE #36
“I have always tried to live by the ‘awe principle.’ That is: Can I find awe, wonder and enchantment in the most mundane things conceivable?” Craig Hatkoff
Mundane Monday, 2015-12-07, Part One
Looking out the window
Cannot find a rainbow
Closing all the curtains
Feelings of uncertain
The weather I cannot bend
But at least I can pretend
Turning on all
The colourful lights
In my mind
It is white and bright
At least before it’s time
To make my way outside
Rantings Of A Third Kind 