Yes, indeed, Hastings Battleaxe has been up and running for four years!
Us bloggers are supposed to celebrate these Blogiversaries, so let’s do it.
I won’t bother yarning on about the past – here’s the link to the first ever post, written on 31 December 2011, when we had only just moved to Hastings.
Sometimes, Battleaxe wonders why she carries on. Can only be because she enjoys it. I don’t make any
money from blogging, and although the blog does quite well – it has had
105,500 page views – and has a band of loyal readers, it is unlikely
ever to be a viral sensation. I think that is partly because Battleaxe chops and changes topic areas too much. It’s partly a travel blog, partly a ‘lifestyle’ blog (whatever that is….), partly a fashion blog, partly about arts, food or whatever grabs her attention.
The most viewed posts with the wider internet over the four years have been mostly local ‘review’ posts – antique shops, coffee stops etc., but also random accounts of treatment at the Conquest Hospital, a tour of Ore Village (now why should that be so popular?) and meeting the Queen at the 2015 WI AGM.
So, nearly 2016!
We’ve had a good Christmas – lots going on. Our friend Shaun went home yesterday, saying we had done everything required for a ‘proper’ Christmas – stockings, masses of presents with paper all over the floor, then turkey. Actually, ours was alarmingly stringy and tough, despite being Sainsburys finest free-range bronze-feathered etc. No, it wasn’t the cooking – I have cooked enough of the bloody things. It was a ripped, muscular creature, all six-pack and sinews. I intend to complain to Sainsburys. Will report back.
To continue – excellent Aldi Christmas pud, scrabble, jigsaws, including this 3D St Basil’s Cathedral, constructed by mostly Shaun, a bit by Philosopher (who also learned and performed some magic tricks).
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| Paper all over the floor…. |
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| St Basil’s Cathedral |
Then there was telly including Downton Abbey, and a cinema visit for ‘Star Wars’ at the Kino in Rye – which we really enjoyed. I’d only ever seen the first one about a million years ago but it didn’t matter.
Bracing seaside walks – look at these waves…..
Finally, a day foraging in the sales in Tunbridge Wells. Phew.
Yesterday, Anna and Gareth came down – lunch was a little challenging because Shaun does not eat tomatoes or dairy, Gareth is veggie and I am still on a low-fat diet….
Weather has been bizarre – still incredibly mild but very windy. It has been howling round the house in an alarming manner. At least no floods like the poor folk up North. We may get blown away, but floods will never feature. You’d need a 400 foot tsunami coming up from the sea, and the hill above us is never going to support a raging torrent rushing down.
I don’t know what the nation is going to do about flooding – I read yesterday that our defences only cater for estimated once in a hundred year events. However, we have thousands of rivers and miles of coast – once in a hundred year events happening at different times in thousands of different places means that every year, we will have loads of floods. In contrast, apparently, Dutch flood defences are designed to manage once in 1250 year events – and they have far fewer rivers and less coast.
Folk have to take responsibility for their own places, too. Move stuff upstairs, put the electrics half way up the walls etc. You see the interiors of people’s ruined homes on telly and many of them have done nothing. It looks like they ignored flood warnings.
Today, Philosopher was at the Jerwood and Anna and I went down to join him after a thorough scouring of the Old Town shops. Typical, Anna bought nothing but I acquired a Pear’s print from the junk yard in Courthouse Street and yet another WI Presidential 60s laydees suit from Betty B Vintage.
The waves viewed from the Jerwood cafe were incredible – sorry this photo is a bit blurry…
Whoa! Sainsburys up-date!
Went in today and complained about the stringy turkey and they gave me a full refund plus an extra £10 for any inconvenience suffered. No questions or quibbling. That is what I call good customer service!
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| Well done Sainsburys! |
Happy New Year!
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