It is only just beginning….
Last night I had a long chat and catch-up with my school pal. She is a busy woman these days running round the country visiting her offspring. Four sons, three daughter in laws and grandchildren that sprout like mushrooms, so many I have lost count.
Having covered all our family updates we came to plans for the new year. I warned her that 2013 would be short since I had cancelled September. We laughed and then she thought she should cancel January - the month she has found most difficult in the past with illness, death and other complications visiting without invitation.
So we eventually finished our conversation with the reminder that it was now February. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could change the months like that to suit ourselves?
Well, as normal I woke this morning to the sound of my radio. It was around 5.30 am, the shipping forecast on BBC Radio 4 was in progress:
Viking; North Utsire; South Utsire; Forties; Cromarty; Forth; Tyne; Dogger. Fisher; German Bight; Humber; Thames; Dover; Wight …
Soon it was time for ‘Today’ the morning news and current affairs programme. Presenters this morning were Justin Webb and Sarah Montague. I got the surprise of my life when the pips went and I heard Sarah say that it was Wednesday, the second of OCTOBER! Goodness, I know I was looking forward to a short year, but October already… Do you think I should begin my Christmas shopping?
Now I have a little problem and need some help.
In recent months I noticed that comments I leave on some WordPress blogs seem to evaporate into thin air. I let it go, thinking that the owners may have introduced moderation.
Lately I decided to check it out, it had gone on far too long. I could not have my Toyboys thinking I had deserted them.You know I wouldn’t offend them for the world.
A reply to yet another email was in my inbox when I opened up with the the message
Stuck. You didn’t even make it to pending.
I make a habit of checking and clearing my spam bucket each morning when I open my blog.
Do you? Maybe you should make it a resolution for this very short year. 
Mike said,
January 2, 2013 at 12:34 pm
I don’t clear out spam every day as I don’t get very much. Karen, on the other hand, was getting tons on her blog (http://karensquilting.com/blog/). The differences? She gets a lot more visitors and I had CommentLuv Premium. I installed it on her blog last week and the spam trickled down to… zero in the week since I installed it. (She still gets a ton more visitors than I do.
Rummuser said,
January 2, 2013 at 1:57 pm
Sarah must still be recovering from the festivities!
I check the spam box every day. Your comments in my WP blog don’t disappear!
Grannymar said,
January 2, 2013 at 2:36 pm
Mike - You will just have to take up quilting!
Ramana _ You cannot get rid of me that easily!!!
gigi-hawaii said,
January 2, 2013 at 4:02 pm
I check my spam every day and find just spam. It’s nice to chat with a friend over the phone. Hope you all get together for lunch some day. Happy New Year! Make it count!
The Old Fossil said,
January 2, 2013 at 4:33 pm
You never drop into the spam bucket at my location, but I no longer have Wordpress nor very many visitors at my new blog. However, I am surprised that even a filling spam bucket would cause your comments to evaporate. Were they going to spam and remained unnoticed? Outside of that, I would expect them to still post.
The only person consistently going to the spam bucket at my location is shackman and I was digging him out daily. Once you get spam on a new shirt or pair of slacks, it is so hard to get out!
Celia said,
January 2, 2013 at 4:34 pm
Sometimes those phone calls are like a visit. Lovely to hear someone’s real voice,
Dianne said,
January 2, 2013 at 4:34 pm
Checking the spam bucket is important. A pain neverthe less. I have found the odd comment there on occasion. Love your update. If I could cancel a month it would probably be August. Its hotter than hades around here. I like February. Cold, but bulbs beginning to emerge. Dianne
Grannymar said,
January 2, 2013 at 8:38 pm
Gigi - My pal & I do manage to meet up a couple of times a year, but in 2012 our plans clashed for all my visits south. No doubt we will make it work to meet sometime this year.
Fossie - So far, I was in the bucket of swill!
Celia - Too true. Nowadays we gravitate to online written chat and FB likes. Such a pity.
Dianne - Yes February is a good month with a stretch in the days and the promise of better weather.
Maxi said,
January 2, 2013 at 10:38 pm
October? Omg, I missed my birthday. Thanks GM, I haven’t aged a day this year. Now that’s a great b’day present.
Blessings ~ Maxi
Barbara said,
January 3, 2013 at 1:13 am
I would cancel January too, it s my least favourite month, and far too long for my liking. Most people get paid early for Christmas making January 6 weeks long for some, and many have already spent far too much extra at Christmas. February would be a much better way to start te year, and if any army has to go anywhere, put it in between August and September so summer can get its teeth in before winter tries to come back!
I check my spam most days, and Marie you are in there occasionally waiting to be fished out, with Ramana and other blogs that have their own names rather than a /Wordpress one. Also a lot of pingbacks get sent here along with NFL Jerseys and people who think I need a SEO to improve my blog…
No idea why some comments go there, and others don’t. I wish I could mark some commenters as ’safe’ and others as ‘block permanently’ would save a lot of time…. Maybe I’ll suggest it to WordPress
PS Peter & I discovered a way if disappearing January a few years ago, and we do it as often as we can. We go somewhere warm for 2 weeks in January, and when we come back we are radiating good health and happiness, te days are longer, and January is nearly over… We are hoping Egypt this year… Watch this space…
Barbara said,
January 3, 2013 at 1:15 am
Oops… Posting from my iPad, it makes some silly corrections!
I meant to say ‘if January has to go anywhere’ not ‘army’ lol
Grannymar said,
January 3, 2013 at 8:10 am
Maxi -
If it was October, quite a few of us here would miss the opportunity to blow out the candles, but Sarah made no mistakes this morning, so we are back in January!
Barbara - I find that if folk add two links to a comment, it goes straight to spam, otherwise it is only an occasional diversion. Egypt…. now that sounds tempting, and you do NEED an exotic location to test the camera!
Ursula said,
January 3, 2013 at 10:44 am
If it’s any consolation, Grannymar, I NEVER find you in Spam. I believe there is a very simple reason for it and wordpress cannot be held responsible.
The first time I checked spam (and even now I keep forgetting to do so - mainly because I never find anything there) was when Ramana was aggrieved that his comment wasn’t published. Since I don’t have any jump through the hoops barriers to my blog’s comment boxes I was bemused. And there he was: Our very own Ramana, all pale in the pink.
I myself find ‘blogger’or ‘blogspot’ or whatever it’s called impossible. What to do they want before you put you half penny’s worth of verbal spouting through to the recipient? Blood? A ransome? Proof you can read the unreadable? Come to think of it, Grannymar: Imagine you visiting someone and being met with that many obstacles before being allowed past the front door. Well, I’d say, I’ll be in the garden.
U
The Laughing Housewife said,
January 3, 2013 at 11:12 am
I like the idea of removing months BUT we will grow old even more quickly if we do.
I check my spam folder every day. I only have to approve the first comment and then all comments after that are automatically approved. Sometimes, however, approved commenters still find their way into the spam folder. Weird.
Grannymar said,
January 3, 2013 at 11:55 am
Ursula - Blogger blogs can be very trying, at times it can take great patience.
Tilly - I am getting old as it is without the help of a shortened year, but the weather out there today would put years on the most patient soul: Leaden low skies with rain so fine you cannot see it!
Barbara said,
January 7, 2013 at 12:54 am
Egypt trip booked! Off on Wednesday! Back on the 23rd. Janary will be nearly finished by then
Grannymar said,
January 7, 2013 at 8:17 am
Barbara - I hope your camera has a very busy holiday in Egypt!
I look forward to the results when you return. Enjoy.