Half a million!

Well, I just noticed that we have topped half a million page views (since Blogger put an automatic counter thing on, which was, I think, after about five years of blogging, but oh well...)

503,954 pageviews.

and exactly 4700 posts. This makes 4701 since September 2005.

Maybe I'll do a retrospective, if I've got time.

I know we get about 500 regular Picnickers a day, which is fine by me. Every now and then we get a spike when someone famouser links to us, like Kathy. Her last link, (to the post about Gay Sex!!) caused us to spike to about 1500 that day. I was so horrified at the thought of all those strangers tramping through my living room that I wanted to shut down for a few days go make them go away. Fortunately, they all took a short look around and went chattering off somewhere else, so we're back to our regularly scheduled tea and biscuits hour.

Really! Who do these grubby people think I'm writing for? Them? Huh!

Nope. It's you lot. My regulars.

I started writing blogs about nine years ago, experimenting with styles and topics, titles, templates and tone until settling on this. I switched for a brief while to a different hosting site, which really didn't work out. Did very Catholic religious blogging for a while, but ran out of holy steam, and finally couldn't stand my own pretentiousness. I swung round to being very political for a while, but became equally nauseated by my own cynicism. But things seem to have settled down and we all seem to be pretty content in our little club. I have come to think of the 'blog as a parlour where my nice internet friends can come round and have a chin-wag and a cup of virtual Darjeeling.

It's a funny thing but in all this time, I think blogging has helped me, yes I'll say it, grow as a person. And without doubt it has made me a better writer. And this is to no small degree because I have had a lot of interesting comment and conversation, advice, feedback and even fights, with readers. Some of whom I have even met in person.

Y'all have read me, criticised me, agreed and disagreed, offered suggestions and information. You've sent me lovely presents, books and things, and donated to help out in my various difficulties. You've followed all my philosophical ramblings and tried the recipes and I know that at least one has taken up art classes. I kept writing all through cancer and out the other side and you lot just kept right up along side me. It might not seem sensible, since the likelihood is that we will never meet, and I know writers and people like that are always saying this and it sounds soooo fake, but my readers actually mean a lot to me (and I mean that not in a horrible narcissistic ego-y way).

You've put up with my rambling, my periodic bursts of ill-temper, my fleeting enthusiasms, and even my steadfast love for William Shatner. This blog, in various forms, has exsited since 2004 and I've come to feel kind of responsible in a way, to keep writing and posting. This is because I know you're going to come back every day to check it out, whether I'm posting or not, and I'd feel bad if I didn't offer something in the way at least of entertainment in return for this loyalty. Every time I've had a little blog-cation and shut things down for a week or two, usually to throw off the extra people who will accumulate, you've always come back.

So, thanks. Here's some flowers for y'all...


Bonus recipe for spicy squash and carrot soup to follow.

(And we'll have to talk some more about the Youtube cooking show idea.)



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Many thanks

to reader Katherine Altham who writes on the little note accompanying my new book,

"Dear Miss White, Your blog has on several occasions been to me a light in the darkness. With wishes for a peaceful Advent and a Christmas of "comfort and joy".

The note was on the paperwork accompanying my shiny new copy of



Lessons in Classical Drawing; Essential techniques from inside the atelier

Really, I can't say enough how much I appreciate the kindness of my readers who send me nice things and say helpful stuff.

Things are going to develop with me and the Art Thing. I've got a plan, and I'm going to need help from y'all. I know I can count on a lot of intelligent input from my chorus.



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