Resurrecting My Blog

Still life with books and primroses by the Finnish artist Marga Toppelius-Kiseleff. 1886

 

 

 

Easter seems like a good time to try to put some new life into this blog again. I have written nothing for nearly two years but recently I had occasion to look back at my posts and wonder whether I could make another attempt to continue.

While many people began to write blogs and share their thoughts during the pandemic I went back to my handwritten diary and wrote much more regularly, almost daily, there. I have also spent much more time on social media, sharing daily art from my Pinterest boards on Facebook and expanding my use of Twitter to include more art, humour and even virtual friends.

The isolation of the past year has, in some ways, been easier for me than for many others. I have not been alone and my husband, the driver, has been the one to make forays into the outside world. As we are both retired we have not had any work worries as we are used to working from home on our various projects. We have adapted our routines to include many more deliveries than before and also Zoom meeetings of various kinds. We have also been able (when restrictions allowed) to see family and friends outside in various locations.

I have wondered why I did not include blog writing in my altered routine but can find no convincing answer except that I have always struggled to keep writing here and the uncertainty and fear underlying everything this last year did not improve my tendency to procrastinate!

As the seasons turn however I have found a new resolve to look again at my research into 18th century Quakers, particularly Catherine Payton Phillips, to identify gaps and fill them where I can and to do some writing with a view to publication in some form. I hope that writing here will help with that and that sharing what I write will also be of some use, both to myself and to others.

So here I go, making yet another new start. I hope to find companions on the way.

Quaker Alphabet Blog 2014 - F for Facebook

Facebook and other social media often get a bad press in Quaker circles and those of us who use the site are told to go out and find some 'real' friends. But I have plenty of real friends on Facebook, both 'Big F' and 'liitle f' and I find it an excellent way to keep in touch. Of course I don't talk to all my 441 Facebook friends all the time but I do 'know' them all, either in person or through their writing and mine.

Quite a lot of these friends are in different countries, America, Canada, France, Germany, South Africa - and Scotland! Without Facebook I would never have a sense of their daily lives, their ups and downs and the great variety of their activities. I value too the insight into different expressions of Quakerism that this contact gives me. Where Quakers in the past might have kept up a correspondence with individuals I can maintain contact with a 'like' or a short comment.  

The links to blogs, websites and other Facebook pages which my friends post can also expand my horizons, even if sometimes I can feel overwhelmed by their sheer volume. I have also set up groups and pages which I maintain and which help to enrich my life - Skipton Quaker Meeting, Friends Historical Society and of course the Quaker Alphabet Blog 2014 project!

Facebook friendship is a two-way street in the same way as any friendship is. Just as I can send sympathy, prayers and encouragement to my friends in difficulty or distress, so they can do the same for me. I have sometimes hesitated to share my own troubles but whenever I have plucked up the courage I have to say that the response has been overwhelmingly positive and helpful.

Of course I also do quizzes, share silly pictures and videos and generally have a laugh on Facebook. After all that too is part of what friendship is all about!