Virtual v Reality

A friend recently apologised for not visiting my blog. not just my blog, she assured me, but any blog or internet networking site. She preferred the Real World. Firstly I assured her that I was in no way offended at her non-visiting, (I could be blogging into the wilderness and it wouldn't bother me) and then we had an interesting discussion about how we perceive Life, specifically how teenagers seem to spend most of their lives on Face book, rather than being up and doing things. I personally think this is just perception; the younger generation are always doing something that we elders don't understand or approve of, else what is the point of adolescence? One day they will be tut-tutting over something that their children are doing, and bemoaning the fact that in their days they spent many creative hours on Face Book, chatting and communicating with friends, unlike 'today' when their kids are doing - well, whatever kids will be doing in twenty years time...

I digress, or rather, I come to the point. I've found that blogging has changed my Real Life in many ways. Not least of which is that sometimes I get to meet actual human beings, and exchange lovely things with like minded people on the other side of the world, with whom I would otherwise have no connection. Such as the SOSF tea-party in a bag from Fairy Luna, and her beautiful artcard -




And a scrummy little present from my talented friend Maya of Lily Moon - wonderful badges!




Not to mention a flying visit from Higgledy Piggledy, IN Real Life, AT the hovel. For which I made a batch of shortbread using Tara's lavender sugar, which I had been saving for a suitably special occasion.




My camera batteries died just as the requisite group hug photo was being taken, and the shortbread vanished in 24 hours. But I like that in some small way, Tara was with us, in sugar if not in body. Alas, it was an all too short meeting, as we had to be at a cricket match and time, tide and match fixtures wait for no one. Suffice to say that I think we could have chatted all day and still not run out of conversation, although we might have been somewhat hoarse.

Talking of Real Life, we've been taking a lazy holiday at home, thanks to the rain which made our proposed camping trip unfeasible. I actually got to read two books; we have thousands of them, piled high to the ceiling, but it is rare that I sit down and wallow in a good novel. (The Secret of Crickley Hall by James Herbert and Piece of my Heart by Peter Robinson - both excellent if you like horror and murder). So I've been more or less offline for a bit, and have a gazillion gorgeous blogs to catch up on - see you in cyber space!