I knew I had something to write about when I opened Blogger to create this post but I can't remember what it was.
Oh yes, Memory.
For the blogger, it's not the fame and the adulation that keeps us going. It's not the millions we make from endorsing boat shampoo or the prospect of a Nobel prize for Literature. It's a couple of simple things.
1. To let family, friends and followers know what we are up to, and sometimes pass on useful information or sometimes simply to entertain,
and
2. To keep a diary so we can remember what we did and how and when (and sometimes why!).
Some years ago I had a number of printed books made from the hundreds of blog posts I had written. I used a service called Blog2Print, now sadly out of business but competitors offering the same service remain. (e.g Pixxibook) It's dead simple, you just send them your blog /instagram/ wordpress etc link and the required start and end dates and pay them a lot of money( at my current rate of posting an A4 colour hardback book covering four years would cost £75! Bloggers who post more often and longer posts would probablly only get a years worth for that), and they create and print the book. It's only money. You could spend that on a meal out for two.
So when some fiendish Russian hackers delete the internet, or Google gets fed up and cancels Blogger, you still have hard copy. You can see it's not cheap but I think mine have been worth it.
This week I've been re-reading the 2010 Herbie blog book. 177 posts, 232 A4ish pages! Here it is.
I could of course have just read through all the posts on screen using the dated links on the right hand side of the blog page (if you are reading on a tablet of computer rather than a phone), but the book is so much handier and browse-able.
When did we last install new batteries? (2019 apparently, actually that's not too bad), How old is our first solar panel? (15 years!) Which was that other year when the canal reservoirs were very low? (It was 2012). When did we move to Crick marina? etc
You get the idea. Of course the blog page has a handy little search box to help with finding the answers, but what about the non specific stuff you have just forgotten. The reminiscences and all that. Browsing the pages of a book brings it all back.
We're back at home now and reading through the 2010 book I was astonished to discover how much thought and preparation -and angst - I had put into planning the repaint of Herbie - the infamous Paintfest of April 2010. I had remembered all the work we did in the wet dock but I had completely forgotten about all the lead up plans and preparations. I'm doing more paint planning now so lessons learned back then are coming in handy.
Then of course I browsed on past the Paintfest, remembering the Little Venice cavalcade, past boat journeys, seeing photos of toddler Grace, remembering seeing the Severn bore . . . Aah those were the days.
Hmmm, I think I might look into getting some more books done of more recent times.