I missed my blogaversary.
How rude!
But I learnt something.
When your friend is awaiting the arrival of his new baby boy, and has been through a variety of virtual reincarnations and hence changes of email address over the past year, do not, I repeat DO NOT rely on the poor man to remember to register your domain name again.
But oh my Bob it has been so traumatic. You see, I thought we were too late and that someone else had bought www.jobeaufoix.com and that this was it, the end of my 4 years of fun, growth, adventure and hard work. The end of something that I hope one day, when I’m well enough, might just lead to other things with the writing and all that (a girl’s gotta dream.)
I was bereft. I literally sobbed my heart out. Ok hormones may have had a little to do with it, but as my Mum and Dad said, ‘that morning I had waved one child off on her school weekend away, and suddenly it felt like I was losing another!’ Dramatic I know, but nevertheless completely true.
It has made me realise how much I need this place. My blog, my friends, my outlet, my escape. I think that’s why I opted out of the Tots 100, why I duck when there are Award Ceremonies, why I wrote THAT post last year, and why I find myself floating more and more on the edges of the Mummy Blogging world, fabulous though I know it is.
My blog holds so much of my life. There’s Miss M learning to talk, Miss E learning to read, tales of poo, glue, a shoe, a gnu (ok I lied about the gnu). There are daft poems, silly stories, a slow realisation of how pmdd affects me, mine and my husbands separation, a single parent’s evolution from nightlife to flat packed furniture, and it’s all there to look back on, laugh at, learn from and enjoy, and I need it.
It’s the only thing that I feel like I can kind of do well. It’s a way for me to escape the world, explore feelings and ideas and it’s hard to be judged on that because it’s a judgement on who I am and where I am. It’s a big emotional chunk of me, and if you kick it or drop it, I get bruises. Sad I know.
Yes we get cool stuff, great opportunities and holidays and all that, but in the end it’s the other stuff that I cannot lose.
Something really cool did come out of the possible demise of www.jobeaufoix.com. My parents and friends and sister fought for me; for it. They were hurt and angry too. They listened, they phoned friends to get advise on whether or not I could get it back from the supposed evil git who had nicked my domain name. They ‘got’ how important this place is to me. They made me realise it’s important to them too.
My sister’s friend Mel began the calming process by saying it looked like a holding page rather than a new site. My friend Nic made me cups of tea as I sobbed, and helped me devise a plan. Mr B passed on numbers for Big Dave who passed me the numbers for Ashley that I could not find in my tear drenched state, and Ashley stopped the panic and explained that even if he’d missed the renewal date there was a 60 day holding period. It would all be ok.
Phew!
Today my blog popped up again all gorgeous and feathery and delicious. Flowers arrived from interflora and are sitting happily on top of my old gramophone case, their delicate scent filling our sunlit lounge and even managing to disguise the pong of sawdust from the gerbil tank, and all my babies are safe and well. And while two of them matter more than anything in the world, I’ve realised the other one is pretty important too. Tonight I might just sing it a lullaby and rock it to sleep.
Happy Birthday lovely blog. Here’s to the next four years of madness.
And thank you Interflora for the chance to review the flowers. They’re stunning, and they came at the perfect time. It is so lovely it is to stand on your doorstep receiving flowers, especially when the neighbours are just coming home. It’s nice to look popular, hee hee.
Additional Interflora Information:
If you’re thinking of sending flower gifts, whether you’re looking for flower delivery London or elsewhere in the UK, from roses to the simple scent of summer arrangement I received, there really is something for everyone.
Mine came with that gorgeous vase and I have to admit it made me feel pretty fabulous to have something so beautiful arrive on my door step, especially after such a rough weekend.
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May 23rd, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Well Jo, I’m certainly glad that had a happy ending. I know how devastating that would have been if it had been differently. Congratulations to you. I’m very happy for you. Sleep tight and peacefully.
May 25th, 2011 at 1:28 am
Nora it was such a relief. I was a wreck, then an exhausted pile of quivering mush. What a mad day, but blimey I’m glad old Bab’s is safe.
May 24th, 2011 at 1:28 am
Holy moly Jo Bo. That is traumatic. You don’t know what you’ve got until you’ve lost it eh?
Welcome back lovely x
May 25th, 2011 at 1:29 am
Tara it was mad, but all is well now. It is good to be back.
May 24th, 2011 at 5:04 am
So glad you are here and we did not lose you. I am realising more and more how important my blog is to me. I keep wondering about opting out of all the awards and rankings because every now and then an ugly thought pops up in relations to them. I am shortlisted for MAD at the moment and trying not to dwell on it too much.
Keep doing what you do best Jo.
Mich x
May 25th, 2011 at 1:33 am
Thanks lovely Mich, and well done n your MAD shortlisting. Rewards are fab, I just struggle sometimes with expectations they might set up and stuff. When I get a surprise one like the Cision thing then that’s lovely, but otherwise I choose not to put myself through it. Cos I’m a bit pants.
May 24th, 2011 at 11:22 am
Hurray for a happy ending! I feel as you do about my blog. I look back on its/my journey and I am just really pleased this bits of my life are documented. The whole professional blog/competitive blogging thing really intimidates me (hence the scrappy nature and overall look of my blog in general – I have no idea of how to monitor traffic or update widgets or be anything resembling technically efficient) But that’s ok. Because my blog is for me. So glad your blog is still for you. Huge relief x
May 27th, 2011 at 4:43 am
Thanks Nicola. I am technically a big pile of pants but my friend Ashley luckily isn’t. I’ve learnt a few bits over the years but now a lot to be honest. It just all sort of panics me. I don’t check stats or anything unless asked to for a PR, and I’m glad to be out of ‘the charts’, hee hee. My blog is definitely for me and I’m glad yours is for you.
May 24th, 2011 at 1:52 pm
Oh, goodness… I don’t think I have EVER acknowledged my blog’s birthday!!
See? This is why I should never have children!
May 27th, 2011 at 5:12 am
You should young lady. Yours is at least as old as mine, possibly more so, and it’s kind of fab.
May 24th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Oh my, what a scary thing!
Frankly I found the recent injunction scandals more transparent and less confusing than last years, er, fun and games. But I’m so glad your blog is healing. Maybe you almost *needed* to nearly lose it to help realise it’s value again?
Hugs and kisses and looking forward to more of your brilliant posts (can we have a poem when one comes upon you? Love your poems)
Cxx
May 27th, 2011 at 5:16 am
Thanks my lovely gorgeous friend. I was looking at my poems and thinking I need to write a few more. I have a ’sort of’ one lined up for all us Hadrian’s Walkers. Well it’s more of a song really… Ack you’ll see.
May 24th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Phew indeed!! Glad to hear you got it sorted
May 27th, 2011 at 5:12 am
Omg it was so traumatic.
May 24th, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Happy Blogaversary!! Love you – and your blog. xoxo
May 27th, 2011 at 5:13 am
Awwww love you too my sweet. Will be over soon to say helloooooo. xx
May 25th, 2011 at 2:14 am
Oh Jo! What trauma! You poor thing – I’m so glad it all resolved itself. I have been one of your blogmates for yonks – I even remember the first post I read of yours, and I remember thinking ‘ Aha! Here’s someone on my wavelength!’ It was a post about a woman who had blocked up her toilet with bras and pants…Do you remember that little gem?
Mya xxx
May 27th, 2011 at 5:14 am
OMG Mya I do. Mad woman. Hope sprog is ok and that your garden is a growing all the way over there in France. Mwah xxx
May 25th, 2011 at 9:59 am
Phew – sounds like the tumultous ending to a dramatic year. Great post, and lovely to read some of our highlights of the year.
May 27th, 2011 at 4:38 am
Thanks Sarah. It’s been a mad few weeks but all good.
May 25th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Thank goodness for that! Now, please make sure you don’t misplace it again.
May 27th, 2011 at 4:22 am
I will do my best not Supermum, I promise