I am promoting this article from the daughters of our fellow blogger, Felicity Harley.
It is on Medium, with no reblog button, so here is the link.
Blogging
Making The Most Of Classic
With my illness seemingly past its peak, reduced to an occasional cough and a feeling of exhaustion, I am back in the swing of blogging. Still able to use the Old Editor thanks to the numerous tips I received, I feel that my blogging mojo has been restored. Even allowing for some mildy irritating WordPress glitches going on, my current experience of blogging is identical to the one before it all fell apart with the imposition of the Block Editor.
So you can expect more posts in the days to come, and I will hopefully get back to adding more film reviews as well. If I carry on being allowed to still use the old system, fiction will make a comeback in the near future too.
For now, I am upbeat about blogging again, and not thinking about the old v new systems.
As long as the Classic option remains, I will be making the most of it in the time available.
New Followers: Thanks And Apologies
This is by way of information to all the people who have recently followed my blog.
I no longer get notification of new followers by email, only in the sidebar. Then the sidebar does not allow me to comment about that at the moment. I usually visit the blog of anyone who follows mine, and leave a comment thanking them. Due to recent glitches, that is no longer possible.
So if you have recently followed this blog, please be aware that it is appreciated, and you have my thanks for doing so.
WordPress Glitches
Just to let you know, my blog has been suffering from some WP glitches this weekend.
Some followers have been appearing as ‘Anonymous’ when they have left a comment.
Using the notification sidebar to reply to comments has made those comments disappear, though my reply has appeared on the blog.
A few comments from regular readers have been found in the Spam or Trash folders.
I have been asked to approve comments from people who regularly comment, even if they do not contain links.
So if my replies are delayed, or your comment is missing, you know why.
Missing Twitter?
I haven’t had access to my Twitter account for some time now. They wanted to send a verification code to my mobile, and that wasn’t working.
I have been informed that the phone is now repaired, and ready for collection. Unfortunately, I cannot collect it until I have had a result of my Covid-19 test, so I remain phone-less. (That is not good grammar, I know.)
Other than the occasional personal message, I only ever used Twitter to publicise my posts, and those of other bloggers I follow. I gave some time over every day to quickly scroll through the fast-moving timeline, and retweet as many posts as I could, before being overwhelmed by the duplicates, and the constant flow of new tweets. I know some people appreciated that, so I kept on doing it.
But since my absence, I doubt I have been missed. The ‘Twitterlanche’ of constant tweets has gone on without my presence, and not even noticed I wasn’t there.
Thinking about it, do I really need to bother, once I have my phone back?
The jury in my head is out.
Welcome, Burundi
I have had 38 views of my blog today, from the country of Burundi. I know the name of course, but very little about the country.
Here is a map showing where it is on that vast continent.
Some countries just tend to get overlooked. If there is no war, no catastrophic disease, and no contentious political issues, they are easily tuned out of our consciousness.
In my case, that has surely happened to Burundi.
I looked up a few snippets of information about the country.
The Twa, Hutu and Tutsi peoples have lived in Burundi for at least 500 years. For more than 200 of those years, Burundi was an independent kingdom, until the beginning of the 20th century, when Germany colonised the region. After the First World War and Germany’s defeat, it ceded the territory to Belgium
Burundi remains primarily a rural society, with just 13.4% of the population living in urban areas in 2019.
One of the smallest countries in Africa, Burundi’s land is used mostly for subsistence agricultural and grazing, which has led to deforestation, soil erosion and habitat loss. As of 2005 the country was almost completely deforested, with less than 6% of its land covered by trees and over half of that being commercial plantations. In addition to poverty, Burundians often have to deal with corruption, weak infrastructure, poor access to health and education services, and hunger. Burundi is densely populated and many young people emigrate in search of opportunities elsewhere. The World Happiness Report 2018 ranked Burundi as the world’s least happy nation with a rank of 156.
Sadly, it doesn’t sound like the greatest place to live, far from it. But it is now back on my radar, thanks to blogging, and a resident who viewed my blog today.
Blogger’s Books: Jim Webster
Jim’s tales of Port Naain and the poet Tallis Steelyard are always a delight. He also includes so many memorable characters and their escapades, that it is very easy to become invested in them. His latest book features the delightful Maljie. At only 81 pages it is a short and easy read, costing just 99p in the Kindle version.
It is available from Amazon of course, where you can find more of his books to delight you.
If you would like to see more about any of the Port Naain adventures, here is a link to Jim’s blog. https://tallissteelyard.wordpress.com/
Had To Get Tested
After feeling ill with flu symptoms for some time now, I was up all night with a very bad cough, and what felt like a chest infection.
Checking with my doctor to see if I could attend to get antibiotics, I was told that I can only be examined at the surgery if I first have a negative Covid-19 test.
So we got online and booked a test for 4 pm today, in Norwich. Julie drove me there, and we have not long returned. Until the results come back, Julie is not allowed to go back to work, and we are supposed to both self-isolate until either the negative or positive test comes back.
Times are changing indeed, as before I could have obviously had my chest listened to by the doctor, been prescribed suitable medication, and hopefully have been cured within seven days. As it stands now, if the test is positive, I am not supposed to leave the house for fourteen days, and will not be able to see a doctor. That means if it is just a chest infection, then I am going to have to suffer it lingering on for two weeks, potentially.
As a result, I have not been online to look at anyone’s posts, and will not be able to do so tonight, as I need to eat something, and go to bed early.
My apologies for missing out on your blogs, I will hopefully get a negative test result soon, and get back to normal.
No More Mister Blocky
After all the posts, all the grief, the debates, headaches, and everything and anything to do with the cursed Block Editor, you will be pleased to know that I will no longer be posting about this scourge of the WordPress Blogger.
I have found what seem to be two effective ways to create posts still using the Old Editor, and very soon I will be back to normal blogging, without a Block in sight.
At least until the end of 2022, when they are supposedly stopping all access to anything but Mister Blocky.
The Dummy Is Back In The Pram
(Translation for American readers. Dummy = Pacifier. Pram = Stroller. )
When a baby or small child has a temper tantrum here, we say “Oh he/she has thrown their dummy out of the pram”. That carries on into later life, whenever anyone has what some perceive to be an unreasonable outburst, or unexplained fit of annoyance.
As regular readers will know, the last few days have seen me rage at WordPress for forcing the Block Editor down my throat. This culminated in me leaving the world of blogging, with a sad farewell. Prompted by my unexpected departure, some members of our great community decided to send me the simplest of tips that my flu-confused and age-addled brain could actually cope with. I have already thanked them, in a previous post.
As a result, I am able to post this, and barring any sabotage by WordPress in the near future, I will soon be back to blogging in the old way, at least until the Classic option is no longer available after 2023.
So my dummy is back in my pram, and securely in my mouth.
For now.
