Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear blo-og!
Happy birthday to you!
Yes, on 1st June 2009, This Growing Life came out of my head and into the blogosphere. And we're still here. And I'm still having fun!
Some facts from Blogger and Statcounter (see the counter at the bottom of the page?)
- in the first year there have been 4740 visits, from all around the world (but mostly Australia and USA)
- I have 14 faithful followers (ok, admittedly one is my mum...)
- the most popular single post (and most searched for) is The Cardboard Box Kitchen, with the (now finished) Frankston Sand Sculptures, Consuming Passions' Bean Feast, and two posts about earwigs and earwig traps also consistently bringing in new visitors
- my most commented on post was Lazarus of the Garden, with 6 comments, from 6 different people (5 of whom weren't me!)
I enjoy posting, but what I really enjoy is when I know someone has read my post- like you!
Now that I've been around for a year, I'd love to meet some more of you.
So I'm declaring June to be Delurking Month! That's right, pop out of the shadows and click on the comments box. As a delurking incentive, This Growing Life will be having a birthday giveaway...
... this handy, *postable* packet of seeds, sponsored by Yarra Trams. (No, we don't have a big budget for prizes here at This Growing Life...)
Inside are 10 cardboard seedsticks with Weeping Bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis), a "small weeping Australian native growing to a height of around 5m. Flowering with masses of bird-attracting red brushes in spring."
So the deal is, every comment left in TGL in June will be entered into a draw, and I will post the seeds to the winning comment writer.
(Each comment will be given a number based on its order, and Random.Org will randomly select one)
So you have to be in it to win it: start those comments!!
And I'm looking forward to another year of This Growing Life!
Posts
9 comments:
Hello Cousin V
Have been meaning to comment for ages but have been too lazy to set up a Google/LiveJournal etc account so that I can. I really enjoy reading your blog, especially now that I am home with E. On my list of things to do is buy some baker's flour so that we can try the sourdough bread you mentioned - had a look in Coles and could only see it in 5kg bags which seemed to require an unreasonably large commitment - is there someone special you buy it from? Or do you just go the whole hog and buy 5kg at once? I also enjoyed the Laura Ingalls Wilder reference in that post - I am tempted to buy The Little House Cookbook off Amazon, have you come across that?
Cousin M.
Hi M, thanks for the message! Nice to know you're following (yes, the gmail-blogger world is a bit of a closed shop...)
So I buy 1 kg boxes of "Lighthouse" brand bread and pizza strong bakers flour, from Coles. But maybe out West the mining boom means everyone buys extra big bags? ;-) More boutique grocers (eg Italian) might stock something, if you (and E!) can be bothered; the other option is to add "bread improver" (=gluten) which makes regular flour into strong flour.
I have the Little House Cookbook! It's a good read, though I haven't used any recipes per se. I actually have half a post written about it, which might finally get finished for delurking month...!!
Waves...
I have a question for you too. Tell me about vTg!!
ANB - we buy the Wallaby baker's flour from Coles, but yes, by the bag. It goes quickly though. Just wait until you've made the bread - you will be hooked anyway!!
PS - I just checked on my first anniversary and it was on May 2nd!! No way!
LOL, yes, you are practically a web heritage item!!
So did you want to know about the origins of the name? ....Not me personally?
V - found the 1kg box of Lighthouse flour at the Coles near Mum and Dad's and first batch is busy doing its 12-18 hour thing on the back of the stove even as we speak (type?) - shall update you tomorrow as to how we go!
Excellent! Look forward to hearing about it!!
Yes, the name. I know you :)
A success! I left it on the bench in a glad wrapped bowl overnight and not much happened rising-wise, so it then had most of the afternoon on the outside table, and rose a bit, but not much. Stuck it in the oven anyway and it came out beautifully brown and very tasty! A bit more like ciabatta than sourdough, but still completely edible and definitely worth refining on the next attempt!
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