* Happy 1st Blogiversary to me!

Happy Blogiversary tooo meee
Happy Blogiversary tooooo meeee...
Happy Blogiveeersaryyyyy Dear Meeeeeeeeee...
Happy Blogiversary..
To me.

Guess what?

I have managed to stick with something (that isn't a computer game), all be it sporadically... for one whole year. I have stuck gold stars on every evident bare patch of skin (and some not so evident) as reward for my sticking power. Yes. I have stuck stuff to me as a reward for being able to stick to stuff. Read it again. It makes complete sense.

I started this food blog one year ago today, in the hopes of recapturing my love for food and cooking, with the side benefit of injecting a bit more variety into our every day diets.

I've learned a helluva lot in the past year. More about food blogging and what I want from it, than about cooking... I thought when I started out that I would be famous by now, with at least 10 book deals and an autobiography. Move over Jamie Oliver... Abbe Townsend is taking over the building.

So... as Dr Phil would say (yes, we get him in the UK too)... "How's that working out for you?"

"Well, Phil... can I call you Phil? No? Well then... Dr Phil... it's not quite what I expected... "

I had no clue, until after the first week or two, that there are literally a gazillion food bloggers out there already. I thought I was going to be the only one (joke). I've been a part of an online gaming community for the past 10 years or so, that is quite vast and varied... and thought that it was possibly the largest online community in existence. I was wrong.

I also figured that all I'd have to do to maintain a successful food blog, would be turn up a few times a week, write a blog post/recipe, accept the adoration of the world (HUUUUUUUGE Ego. I've considered disowning it) and Bob's Your Uncle...but noooooooooooooooo.... food bloggers have to network. Dammit.

I'm pretty shit at this whole "networking" thing that draws communities together. I refuse to run around asking people to *like* me or *look at* me. Never done it in real life, not doing it online. I have the proverbial facebook, twitter and google plus pages because at the time they seemed like a good idea (not withstanding the whole "crap at networking thing") - but they aren't updated with any regularity because I can think of a million other things I'd rather be doing. They get updated when the blog gets updated, which isn't with any regularity either.

That's the thing. People like consistency when it comes to food bloggers. I'm not a consistent food blogger. I tried it, didn't like it. I tried to earn money from it too, with adverts... and suddenly the place was no longer fun. I spent hours researching ways to increase traffic, to increase revenue... and hardly cooking at all. So had to have a rethink there. Got rid of the adverts, went back to blogging for fun.

Also, there's this whole thing with photographs. I didn't realise that taking a photograph of food was so bloody complicated. When I started, I was cooking in the evenings, turning the kitchen lights on and photographing whatever I'd just dished out. Looked good to me. Apparently not to everyone else though. This is still my biggest problem, even now. I have a little point and shoot digital camera, that I've had for a few years now and because I am well aware of my personality defects and inability to remain interested in projects/blogs/books/plants/the upbringing of my child etc for very long.... I have thus far refused to purchase a DSLR (DLSR? SRLD?) camera or much in the way of *food props*.

So... so far we have a huge community of food bloggers already in place, an aversion to networking, inconsistent blogging, a lack of interest in funding and hit and miss photography...

However... I love it.

I'm fumbling my way through the networking thing and have a made a few friends along the way. I'm never going to be a consistent blogger because although I enjoy food and cooking, it turns out that I quite like doing other stuff too. I don't mind that I don't have 10 book deals and an autobiography in hand, but my own TV show would have been nice (DOWN Ego, DOWN!) and I'm finding the photographic side of things adds another facet of enjoyment, rather than just serving a purpose.

I've discovered a deep and abiding love of spinach. I now know what to do with a bunch of chard. I bought a slow cooker. I've made gnocchi for the very first time (coming soon). I've won the war with pastry. Anything with the words "pasta bake" in the title is an instant hit. I like creating vegetarian recipes. I'm lazy. I no longer feel the urge to spit chickpeas at random passersby when discovering them in my food. I really like beans, plurals of them... and I still have a shit ton of marshmallow fluff that I don't know what to do with.

There's more... but that whole *attention span of a rabid gnat* thing is starting to settle in...

Just one last thing... thankyou, to everyone that takes the time to leave a comment  and helps to make it all worthwhile. It's been nice to meet you all.

I shall see you anon, or not - depends on which way the wind is blowing ;-)

One Year Ago: Enchiladas