It's my anniversary!

A year ago today, I wrote my first post on this Blog. I actually set up the account on the 7th June but it took me 6 more days to pluck up the courage to write anything!

In the beginning my posts were short and without any pics cos I hadn't worked out how to do it but I soon learned through sheer trial and error.

After a few weeks I plucked up the courage to post it to Facebook and I got my first comments on the 16th July in response to something Holly had said.  There were only 2 but I was so so chuffed! It was another month before I got my next comments, mostly cos I wasn't continually posting to Facebook, just periodically because I was still unsure that people would be interested in what I had to say.

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I originally started this blog as a way to have a voice and to test the water to see if I could write. As a carer, you have so little help. Cuts are made to vital services without barely a thought, respite is cancelled at a moments notice, fighting for everything you need to help you care for someone takes up a huge chunk of your time, then there are the endless multi agency meetings, hospital appointments, school reviews and the list goes on.  Then there is the caring.

Saying that, there is so much more to me and my life than caring. So yeah, there have been many posts where I have vented my frustration but equally there have been some posts where I have laughed my ass off at something that has tickled my warped sense of humour. My darling daughter Holly was often the focus as she was just so damn funny!

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It amazed me when people started to Follow me and before long I was celebrating the fact that I had 10 followers. God I was so excited!!! You see, I am easy pleased. I now post on Facebook regularly and friends comment or stop me in the street to chat about it and I am always surprised that they have read it! Most of all, I am secretly delighted!  It was on the advice of Joanna, Jack's therapist that I added a subscriber button because she wanted to get it in her inbox but didn't want to open a Google account. A year on I have 95 subscribers and 90 Followers and that doesn't include the lovely people on Facebook who read it too.

You've no idea how much I appreciate you all.

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I have had the pleasure of meeting so many people on Blogger from all over the world. Many I wish I could meet in person cos I think it would be a total scream! I have been given awards, nominated for Blogger Awards and have even done a few guest posts on other people's Blogs. It has been so much fun.

To celebrate I have a Giveaway planned which I will tell you about tomorrow because I have to be at Jack's school in half an hour, to show them how to put on his flying jacket....a what you say? Yeah well suffice to say there will be no Peter Pan impersonations done by Jackyboy today! Pics on the flying jacket to follow.

So Happy Birthday to The Giggle Fest, one year old today.