Happy birthday to my blog

"We should be grateful that we live in a society where creating something from a vast array of possible ingredients is so everyday."

Those words are from my very first post, which was theoretically about the contents of my fridge, but which was actually about improvisation and creativity. Which I guess is what I have been waffling on about over the last few years, and also what I hope I have been doing. There is indeed a vast array of possible topics out there to choose from and with which to create a daily post.

The creativity is a bit limited though. I have said, over and over again, that whatever I choose to write about, somebody else has already written about it and in so much better a way too. Which is always a bit disheartening.

But yes it's two years since I started doing this. I missed the first birthday - I think I must have been just back from France, or in the air, or in France. Anyway - two years. So a modest celebration, like the modest cupcake.

And I'm still here - just. I detect a little bit of falling off in quality and consistency of late, but an anniversary is always a good time to resolve to be better is it not? And besides what does it matter if I miss a day here and there. I'm only doing it for me after all. I'm not trying to make money, get a job or an award, or even millions of readers.

But first of all a big, big thank you to my loyal three regulars, (you know who you are) and the other occasional readers. You are one of the main reasons I keep doing this. I do appreciate your comments. Indeed I should reply to them more than I do. And sometimes I send you an email I think. You see they arrive in my email, which is where I read them, so to reply on the blog, means opening it up. Which is merely a matter of opening the site - but I'm lazy.

Pretty quickly I realised that my own limited brain was not going to come up with inspiration so I invented my fallbacks - the lucky dip - always surprising - and 'A Word From ...' pieces with the occasional piece of art providing inspiration. Mostly though there is always something that crops up from somewhere.

So what has writing a blog for two years - almost every day - done for me?

Well it has given me a discipline, that, now I think about it, has expanded into almost everything I do, although I confess I am still a bit of a last minute operative. But now, for each week, I write a 'to do' list in my lovely State Library diary. And although I hardly ever achieve everything on that list, I do manage to achieve most of it. Because I think I have also become more realistic in my aims.

I have learnt a lot about foodie things. And the range of topics to hand is just enormous. Food is such a fundamental of life is it not and it has an effect on just about every human discipline. I have learnt so much - although I do confess that often I do not remember the detail - my excuse is age. I am also a bit lazy about reporting it all - particularly if it gets really scientific. Short on the detail I know. But I do always try to link to the original information that I find in case you want to find out more.

It has given me lots to think about when I walk, or sit in the car being driven here and there. I observe the world around me in a different way - always thinking how I can shape something that strikes me into a topic for my blog. Not always possible, but if I'm sufficiently touched - like the ducklings falling from our tree, I will write about it anyway. So I suppose the blog has become a focus for my days.

Visiting supermarkets has always been an interest for me - particularly those overseas - but even our own provide endless inspiration about lifestyle, commerce, sustainability, health, fads and fashions, medicine, design - on and on and on. So I think, because of the blog, my supermarket visits are even more interesting than they were when just the idle thought or question would pop into my brain. Now I am actively looking for inspiration - what's new, what's gone, what on earth is this ...?

It has probably been on of the main reasons for me acquiring a beautiful MacBook Pro laptop which enables me to sit outside in the world when the weather warms up, and it also allows me to blog away at will on holiday. For that's another thing that has changed with the digital revolution that we all experience in our different ways. Almost everywhere you go you can find a wifi connection. And lo and behold - where was one of the first places you could do this? Macdonald's!

It's an exercise for the brain. I'll probably find that scientific studies say no, although they did find recently that one of the best things for the ageing brain is to play computer games. Not sure about blogging though. But I reckon if you use your brain - or any other part of your body really - then you will keep it going. Though mind you using some parts too much - the hands, fingers and thumbs required for digital communication can lead to RSI associated problems. Which I try to prevent by doing daily hand exercises whilst waking myself up in the morning.

On the downside I maybe do not do as many active things in the garden as I used to. Part of this is because I am getting old and creaky, but mostly it's because I probably spend too much time on the blog.

And I really should do something about a better name.

And two final thank yous - to Wix, who's website and blog creation software is so, so easy to use whilst looking good as well. And to The Guardian which almost always has something to say of relevance to the topic in hand. I should apologise for using them so often as opposed to The Age, or other Australian sources, and maybe I should make that an aim for the next year. But they are just so good and so relevant. I also recognise that I do have my own favourite cooks whom I refer to for inspiration. If you think there is somebody else I should use, do tell.

I finished my first ever blog with these words:

"Improvised of course from random thoughts that pop in and out of my brain."

Which still applies.