Tenth blogaversary for Simply Joolz!

Ten years ago, I ventured into the world of blogging.  From memory, I found Rhonda Jean Hetzel’s Down to Earth blog  https://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/ when I googled something on the internet.  I soon came to love her blog.  Here was a middled aged woman and her hubby, growing their own organic veggies, keeping happy free range chooks for eggs and living a frugal, debt free, peaceful existence in the Queensland hinterland. She pickled beetroot and bread and butter pickles, made rosella cordial and dried her own loofahs. She made aprons, baked bread, knitted dish cloths (I’ve since made many myself!), mended clothes and made yoghurt and soft cheese from scratch. What was not to love?  

Over the past ten years, I’ve learned so much from blogs and their writers from all over the world. Through Facebook and Instagram, I am in contact regularly with a handful of women who have become my very good blog friends! I have met one Aussie blogger, Tania from http://outbacktania.blogspot.com/ it was lovely to see where she lived and tour her outback garden.  I have also met a US blogger, Robynn http://robynnsravings.blogspot.com/  who lives in California.  We were in LA in June 2017 so we met in the middle and enjoyed lunch in Bakersfield. So much fun! 

Another lovely lady is Kathleen from http://fourmilesnorthofnowhere.blogspot.com/.  Kathleen makes beautiful hand made cards.   I think she and Robynn were some of the first blogs I followed.  Kim at Serendipity Cafe has become a Facebook friend, we share children the same age in common. We’ve had many a long conversation by Messenger - we will meet one day, I’m sure.  Others honourable mentions - Angela (DaisyMum), Mandy (The old dairy), Pip (Rest is not idleness - champion quilter), Granny Loz, Kris (Life at Rosemary Hill) and so many more.  Most have moved on to Instagram and Facebook but some still blog.

Any how, have a read of my first blog post - I’ve kept this post photo free, like my first post -  hey, back 10 years ago, I didn’t know how to upload a picture! But I soon learned and grew to love the blogging world.

PS : I’m proud to say, I’m 10 years clean of smoking, not a puff!!

Cheers - Joolz xx

Saturday, August 23, 2008

My first blog!

I've been reading lots of blogs from all over the world and thought I might give it a go. I am not sure if I have anything interesting to say but I welcome all visitors to this site.

We are nearing the end of our winter and I must say, I am looking forward to some spring weather. Here in the Lower South East of SA we get all four seasons. Our winters are usually cold, windy and wet. September brings Spring with longer, sunny days which meld into hot summer. We are not far from the coast so we get cooling breezes in the evenings. March brings Autumn and the temps starts to cool in preparation for winter again.

I have an area of garden at the back of our house and it is in much need of some tender loving care. We built our new house 4 years ago and the garden areas are still a work in progress. My husband, A is busy with our business 6 days a week so that only leaves Sundays for work around the house. I work in the business as well, so during the week gardening is pretty much out of the question. Keeping up with the laundry requirements of two girls, K17 and B14 is a job in itself.

I am proud to say I gave up smoking (cold turkey with the help of a hypnotist) in March this year and I used to spend a lot of time outside, poking around the garden and puffing away. Since giving up, I haven't paid much attention to the garden and it shows!! In the next few weekends, I must finish pruning a few of my carpet roses and the weeds, aaargh! It has been very cold and wet lately and weekends are spent going to netball of Saturday with my girls and catching up housework on Sundays. 

I am in awe of some of the gardens I have seen on different blogs. I hope one day to have a garden worthy of taking photos of. In the mean time, I will plug away and keep it neat and low maintenance.

Cooking is something else I love and some of the recipes and photography of same that I have found on blogs are just phenomenal. Where do people find the time?

While we are not living very frugally at the moment, I love reading and collecting hints on how to live a simpler life. I know food does taste much better if it is cooked from scratch and my family do appreciate it more.

Well, I hope to welcome lots of people to my blog. I am still navigating my way around and don't yet know how to add photos etc so bear with me. Feel free to drop me a line to say G'day.

Regards,

Julie