L is for Labels

Another tricky one today. Labels are a feature that allow you to attach keywords to your post. That's about all I know. I don't know how much they actually aid in the search process (perhaps someone who does know could pass on the knowledge please!?). Even though I'm not entirely sure of their importance, it doesn't hurt to get into the habit of using them. I think of them as Instagram hashtags - how would I label this if it was a photo on Instagram? It's a bit more tricky when it's a blog post, but there are always keywords available if you have a good think.

For example, what can I label this post with? 

• a-z blog challenge, challenge, labels, labelling, hashtags, keywords, searching, search

J is for Joy

I find a lot of joy in stupid little things, but how do you get across that joy in a blog post? So many times I've found inspiration in the tiniest thing, and thought "that'd make a great post for today!". But when I start to form the words to describe it, they seem to sap all the joy away. If it's something that can be written about in less than 140 characters then I'd tweet it instead, or if it's visual then an Instagram photo would do. Plus, there is often such a delay in actually finding time to write something down that the moment is passed. You don't want to end up sharing everything immediately either as that might detract from real life. Perhaps the key is to simply write it as if you were telling a friend. 

I had an idea a while back for a project called something like 'it's the little things', where I share and collect all those simple things that make me smile. Seems like this might be the perfect time to start.

I is for Interviews

Interviews don't have to be with someone else. You can also interview yourself.  There are lots of quizzes and fun questionnaires you can share on your blog. Your readers can find out more about you, and you might just enjoy finding out about yourself a bit too. I personally love filling in questionnaires or making random lists of things I enjoy or things I want to do. 

Once I've found a good set of questions I'm definitely going to interview myself for my blog. I might even combine it with a 30 day or photography challenge.

F is for Followers

I have 152 followers as of writing this post. Most of these came from the first couple of times I completed the A-Z blog challenge. Some were from flickr groups and online courses I took. They were all from before I changed my blog title from ‘fur will fly’ to ‘flailing DORIS’, and I don’t even know if any are still active followers. It would be great to get some more followers, but for that I need to write more regularly. Perhaps then I can start actively looking for more. 

Then the question is, how do I get more followers? My brainstorming has come up with these ideas so far…..any others are very welcome!

• Host a giveaway (entry is by following blog)
• Link to new blog posts on social media – build up those followings first/as well. It’s easier to gain twitter or Instagram followers than blog followers
• Follow and comment on other blogs
• Post regularly
• Label and tag posts with common keywords
• Write about popular topics
• Make it easy for people to follow you
• Guest posts on other blogs or get other bloggers to guest on yours

E is for Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm goes a long way. It’s so nice to read a blog and really get a sense of how passionate the writer is about their topic. Of course it can be difficult to get that across, and more often than not something that sounds so much fun in your head doesn’t come out that way on the screen.

On my own blog, the fact that I have lost enthusiasm for blogging itself probably comes across. I need to get back into so many of my fun creative hobbies, that blogging has taken a backseat. Perhaps I need to see my blog as a good tool to encourage my creative outlets, not to take time away from them.

D is for Design

When I visit a new blog I can be very judgemental. If it doesn’t look visually appealing then I probably won’t stay long, and I certainly won’t return. The design is very important. Obviously everyone has different opinions on what they like, but for me……

• it should look full but not cluttered,
• clean and fresh,
• have big bright photos or images,
• have a readable font in a normal size (nothing too fancy or small),
• definitely not have white writing on a dark background,
• it should be simple to navigate – I especially want to find the about me section, the follow button and the blog archive easily

I can see I need to improve my sidebar areas and make sure navigation around the site is easy. My blog can look a little cluttered sometimes, but I like the double sidebar layout for now. Perhaps it looks cleaner with one sidebar and a larger blog post area, but then I find too many things listed in the sidebar so it becomes a longer process scrolling down to find things.

I’d be interested to hear what you think are the key design elements, and what changes you’ve made to simplify your own blog layout.

X is for The XX

Intro by The XX

Blood Red Moon by The XX

Crystallised by The XX

W is for Women

We're always being told that women are really bitchy and jealous towards other females, and to a certain extent that is true. However, we also like to celebrate members of our own sex too. I've chosen a few women celebrities that I either admire or are just drawn to or inspired by (and a little envious of too, but in a positive way).

Zooey Deschanel - cute, beautiful, quirky and incredibly talented. She is a contributor to the HelloGiggles blog which is well worth a read, and New Girl is one of my favourite shows too. Might stick on the DVD tonight to cheer myself up.

Lisa Faulkner - winner of Celebrity Masterchef a few years ago and a presenter and actress. She came across as a very friendly, lovely person and a very endearing winner. I need to buy her cookbook when I can afford it.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (well, Buffy Summers) - I don't know much about Sarah herself, so I guess I'm really listing Buffy Summers herself. A strong, beautiful, independent woman. I totally love her. Shame she's not real. Although Sarah is probably just as great. I am halfway through the first and only season of Ringer - shame it was cancelled, I think it's great. 

Who are your favourite female celebrities? 

V is for Very Special Day

Today is World Penguin Day!! 

To celebrate I thought I'd share a very special penguin with you all. Here he is reminiscing about the olden days. You can see him in pride of place in the photo. That little lady looking after him is my mum, which makes penguin nearly 70 years old. 

These days he takes life a bit easier. He lives in my dressing table and makes me smile every time I open the doors.

U is for Umbrellas

A few years ago I splashed out (pardon the pun) on a great umbrella that wouldn't blow inside out. It isn't the  prettiest umbrella in the world but it does hold up in the wind so I can actually use it. It is the Senz Compact and was around £40 I think. In fact, I think it was a present from my wishlist. I thoroughly recommend it if you're fed up with your own umbrella.

Now, I do like funky umbrellas too, and I also have a duck umbrella (although I haven't used it in public yet) and a summer parasol (we just need a sunny summer).

I've found these other cute umbrellas online from BrolliesGalore.co.uk and I might even be tempted to get one when I have some spare cash.

T is for Television

I do like my TV. And I don't just mean the actual machine (although that is pretty cool - who'd've thought TVs could be Smart?). I like to think I choose my programmes carefully, but I do end up watching a load of rubbish too. Although digital recorders and Netflix have changed that a bit. Netflix has been great for watching whole programmes obsessively right from season 1, even if I hadn't watched them at the time they came out. I record quite a few shows to watch at my convenience too.

My top favourite shows of the moment:

1. The Mentalist - I loooove Patrick Jane and his memory palace. It can be quite a dark show but whenever Patrick smiles it is so infectious (Simon Baker just has one of those smiles). Agent Cho has some great one-liners too. The over-arcing storyline of serial killer Red John has kept me wondering exactly who to trust and who is on the dark side - fabulous stuff.

2. Person of Interest - I wasn't hooked by season 1, but season 2 has been brilliant. I've really warmed to John Reese and Harold Finch, and I feel pretty sorry for old Lionel too. Really captivating stories each week, with hints at the back story coming out too which leaves you speculating exactly went on before we met them. 

3. Sons of Anarchy - I'm a latecomer to this one and might still go back and watch every episode from the beginning as I only saw bits and pieces of the early ones. I've got pretty hooked on it now though. It's weird seeing Charlie Hunnam as a gangleader though - I remember him as a young gay teenager in Queer As Folk! He certainly is playing a very different role now. My favourite character is probably Chibs, but I feel pretty sorry for Nero - he's lost his club, his car, loads of money and his sister since he met the gang.

4. Snog, Marry, Avoid - yes, I realise this doesn't sit comfortably with the rest of the list so far, but I do love it for a laugh. Ellie Taylor, the new presenter, is very likeable and keeps it funny. The amount of fakery some people wear on themselves really is unbelievable.

5. The Ricky Gervais Show - these are repeating on E4 in the middle of the night. Even though they are cartoon based on the original podcasts which I've listened to soooo many times before, I still sit there in hysterics every time. Have I told you how much I love Karl Pilkington? He is hilarious. Worryingly, we often think the same things - I just keep them to myself!

6. The X Files - we are currently working our way through them on Netflix, and on season 4 at the moment. I think this is about where I gave up originally. I remember watching the pilot on TV in 1994 and thinking it was the coolest show ever. I had loads of the trading cards, and the glow in the dark 'X' clock. (And I made the masking tape 'X' on my window too). Eugene Tooms was the scariest villain, and the inbreeding family were the most disturbing.

7. Doctors - I'm still loving this daytime soap opera that I've blogged about before. It isn't particularly high quality drama and the storylines aren't very realistic, but the characters are great and there is plenty going on to enjoy. Zara is my feisty favourite character (go on, get back with Daniel), and I've a little crush on Kevin Tyler. The Harrison killer episodes were the best but it has really had some great storylines this past year too. Shame a few of my favourites have left the show though.

I'm off to catch up on some of these right now..................

S is for Sunflare

This year so far has been extremely rubbish weather-wise, so it has been great, and somewhat weird, to see the sun over the last week. Of course it is due to disappear again by the weekend, so best to make the most if it. I've been trying to get some sunflare shots which have proven harder than I thought, but that's more to do with the angles and trees in my garden I hope.

R is for Rock

When people ask me what type of music I like I usually answer rock. I like all sorts of different types of music, but rock is the main genre. Or so I thought. From my answer I think a lot of people probably imagine that I like Metallica, AC/DC or The Who. But I don't. So I looked up some of my favourite 'rock' artists on Wikipedia to see how they were actually defined. I didn't realise how many genres and sub-genres of rock there were! Apparently I like a bit of rock and roll, some psychedelic rock, lots of alternative rock, a little Britpop, post grunge and post punk, rap rock, nu metal, post-Britpop, emo, garage rock and digital electronic rock. Wow.

Here are a couple of my alternative rock (or is that post-Britpop)  favourites to get you through the day.

Feeder - Insomnia

My Vitriol - Grounded

Q is for Queen Amidala

My favourite character from Star Wars is R2D2 (obviously - since he is the saviour of everyone time and time again), but if I were to go to a Star Wars fancy dress party I would go as Queen Amidala. I loved the outfit and lipstick from the film:

You can actually buy the official fancy dress outfit (this is so great):

And the headress:

I did share my urge to buy the Queen Amidala Lego Star Wars minifigure on my L post the other day, but I think she is worth showing off again. Priced at £32.95 from FireStar Toys means that she will be staying on my wishlist for some time to come. 

Then I got to wondering what else is out there............(click on the pictures for the links).........

If you spot any others, please let me know - I might start a Pinterest board!

P is for Photography Challenge

I decided to do a 30 day photography challenge this month, with it being a 30 day month and all, and I finally settled on this one:

I am a little behind on processing the shots, but I'm up to date with taking them each day. A few were a bit tricky. These are a few of my favourites......

From a high angle.....

From a low angle......

Something Blue......

Apologies for the lack of words today. 

O is for Origami (revisited)

Last year I rediscovered origami, and found that the models could make great photography props. I hadn't made many for a while but having very little money to buy props at the moment has spurred me on to make my own instead. I'm hoping to use more origami, papercutting, modelling clay and sewing to make my own props, so I just need to work on some ideas. I did manage to create a calorie free breakfast last week - not all that tasty though.

To gather some new ideas I've been eyeing up some books on Amazon, and these ones made my wishlist:

And for something a little strange, why not try............

N is for News

When it comes to reading the news, I stick to a chosen few websites and have my favourite sections to scour too. By no means, do I visit all these news websites every day - I'm not a news junkie. I usually read the BBC new website for the main stories of the day, for local news, sport and the Science and Environment section. The Telegraph website is also a good choice for world news and science, but the best section is the Weird News. You can find all sorts of funny stuff there. I'm not really one for celebrity gossip, but I confess I do often look through the stories on the Femail section of the Mail Online (sshhh) - although I often don't have a clue who they are referring to - Honey Boo Boo, Frankie Essex???? I think it's probably better to be in the dark about most of them.

Today I thought I'd share a couple of the weirder stories that caught my eye. The first one is the rather unsurprising news that men take six months to do 'little jobs' around the house. Apparently, a study by Homebase (a DIY store) found that men regularly put off these little jobs for six months or more either because they don't know how to do them or they lack the time or enthusiasm to do them. The top 5 jobs on our to-do lists are: marked walls, blown light bulbs (I have a few of these - oops), squeaky floorboards, stained carpet and peeling paint. I am definitely guilty myself of putting things off round the house, so I don't think we can only blame men.

The best story by far though was that of Sydney the tortoise, who went missing 10 months ago. His owners spent 2 weeks looking for him last June, and even resorted to calling in a gun dog to sniff him out, all to no avail. But lo and behold, when they started digging up their garden with a JCB for their new extension, there was Sydney laying in a pile of the rubble - alive and well. They think he was so disappointed with the rubbish summer we had last year that he mistook it for winter. I think a lot of us did that. He is absolutely fine and back in his heated vivarium. Phew.

Does anyone else like reading these weirder stories for some light relief? Any suggestions for good websites are more than welcome.

L is for Lego

I already run a feature every Monday combining Lego with Bench Monday, imaginatively titled Lego Bench Monday, and so I'm often on the lookout for some new minifigures or Lego items to use. I've found that Firestar Toys is the best UK website (apart from eBay) for finding rare and unusual Lego bits and pieces, although it can be a little pricey. I have a wishlist on the site and often add various things to purchase when I have the spare cash. Here are a few of my favourite items that are currently on my wishlist:

Iron Man

Tony Stark

Bane's head

Campfire

Bench With Flowers

Keyboard

Sparrow (really?)

And the best of all, Queen Amidala!

K is for Kosheen

I found it tough to think of anything beginning with K so I went to Windows Media Player for inspiration! If you've never heard of Kosheen, then you are hopefully in for a treat. I wasn't quite sure how to describe them but according to Wikipedia, they are a British trip hop, breakbeat and rock group. Hmm. I don't think that makes things any clearer. Best just to share with you a couple of their songs so you can hear them for yourself. 

Wish 

Hide U

Wasting My Time

J is for Jing

I recently discovered the marvellous Jing while trying to create a screenshot to use in a blog post. I was so frustrated - I mean, how hard could it be? Turns out it was impossible until I installed Jing. It is a free program that allows you to create a screenshot, and then crop it, write on it, draw over it, and most importantly upload and use it as any other jpg file. It sits at the top of the screen patiently waiting to be called into action. Jing really is so easy to use too. If you want to find out more I recommend the following tutorial on YouTube, and then go here to download it from TechSmith!