Happy birthday, blog

Annual performance reviews, appraisals, call them what you like, they're an aspect of working life that I'm not sorry to have left behind. Of course, reviews of progress appear in various forms in all walks of life; for example, there's nothing like a set of annual accounts, to bring home how things have been going business-wise.

Well today is the birthday of my blog. Happy birthday! And today is as good a time as any to review it as an activity. So... why do I do it, what do I put into it, what do I get out, and do I want to continue it?

I started it for three reasons (in no particular order): 1) A friend told me it could get me some useful publicity for the gîte; 2) Some people I knew had one and I was curious as to why; and 3) I figured it would make my posting of comments on other blogs more of a reciprocal relationship.

What do I get out of it? Interesting conversations with people through their blogs, a kind of web-based pen-friend if you like. I also like to read it, to review my posts, look back on the events of the last year. And finally, more subtle, I tend to be more reflective on my day as it goes on. Perhaps I get a little more out of it, if I think about what I might say about what I am experiencing, in a blog.

***Newsflash*** I just thought of another benefit: No need to participate in the dreaded Christmas "round robin" letter. You want to know what I've been up to? Read the blog.

For the coming year? I will continue to use the blog to give my impressions of the day, the things that make me ponder, so it continues to be a personal account of life here. That might mean I post again about the same things as they come round in their annual rhythm, but then perhaps that's the best way to share the pattern of life here with you.

I hope you continue to enjoy the blog.