Thanks to Hugh for his explanation of how to use, and get the best out of, the new style comments box. Unless you are self hosted, this will soon be coming to your blog, as it is being rolled out by WordPress.
Here is the link for great tips, and a clear guide. (I am unable to reblog the whole post)
Since it is new year, and I have a lot of new followers, I thought it was about time to explain my blog name once again.
My first name is Pete. (Well, Peter. But I prefer Pete.)
Beetley is a place, a village in Norfolk near the town of Dereham, in the east of England. Here is proof.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beetley
Beetley is not my surname.
It has nothing to do with beetle insects, Volkswagen Beetle cars, or the English band The Beatles.
It is derived from an ancient Anglo-Saxon word, ‘Betel'(also ‘Bietel’), meaning a wooden mallet or hammer. This area was known for the production of Oak hammers and mallets during the Anglo-Saxon period. (410AD until 1066AD)
So when I started this blog in 2012, I chose the name of where I live, and my first name, coming up with ‘Beetleypete’.
Not very exciting or inventive, but there you go.
I had an unexpected phone call from one of my oldest friends today. Someone I have known for almost 58 years, since we started senior school on the same day, in 1963.
Since moving to Norfolk, I haven’t seen him, and we have only spoken a few times. So a very long chat of three hours or more was needed for a good catch up.
Much of the conversation was about our teenage years in South London. The people we knew, the places we frequented, and the pubs we used to drink in. Family members on each sde that we were familiar with, a few notorious characters we used to come into contact with. Many are long since dead of course, and others have moved away and dropped off of our radar.
Family chat featured too. Who is doing what, who is living where, and memories of those family members now departed. He keeps himself busy with an exercise regime. Running around the quiet lanes in the East Sussex hamlet where he lives, or cycling long distances around the South Downs. He didn’t want to get a dog, as he was reluctant to be upset when it died. He has a long history or riding horses, and being involved with Racing Stables, so that is still part of his life too.
He was interested in what I fill my time with, and surprised that I spend so much time every day blogging. He remarked on that. “You do it every day then?” No fan of social media, he doesn’t have any accounts on those platforms, and their undue influence on modern life makes him angry. But he got back to blogging, something he has little knowledge of. “What do you write about every day then?”
I told him the gist of the blog. Ollie, dog-walking, fictional stories and serials, and occasional serious pieces about things on my mind. It felt strange to explain it like this, and it made me think about the fact that so many people have never even read a blog, let alone written one.
We live in our blogging community, where this activity seems not only desirable, but completly normal. We know that there are tens of millions of bloggers all around the world, churning out stuff on a daily or weekly basis. I realised after chatting to my friend today that the blogging world is a complete mystery to equally as many people. I had forgotten that, after eight years of blogging almost every single day.
Lesson learned.
But that didn’t stop me emailing him links to some of my fiction stories. 🙂
I am delighted to say I have had a great response to the book promotion offer.
To those of you who have contacted me, I say “Thank You”. But please be aware that I will be publishing them in the order received, so there may be a delay until you see your promotional post on here. Though never fear, it will appear!
This is not time-limited, so if you are not quite ready yet, send me the details when you are.
Best wishes, Pete.
beetleypete 