The Blogging Condition

Since starting this blog I have been reading a lot about what it means to be a blogger. During my research, I have been reading a lot of other people's blogs. To be fair, I read a lot of blogs even before I started my own one. I find the blog to be a medium for entertaining and interesting reading. You can learn all sorts of things from the blogs you read, from how to cook, decorate your house, live well, travel well or just follow the life of an interesting person - like reading a novel!

One thing I noticed, and which puzzled me before I started writing my own blog, was how bloggers often ask a question at the end of their posts such as "Does this happen to you?" "Do you also get irritated by snarky comments from sales people?" "Have you ever taken a trip and spent less than xxx?" I always wondered why bloggers requested people comment on a blog post - and also often greet their readers as friends in the beginning of a post.

Now that I have written a few blog posts, I think I understand a little better. The blog is not a news article, it's more personal than that. It's more like a letter to a friend. And when you write to a friend, you are writing with the expectation of a reply. By asking questions and greeting readers like old friends, bloggers can get feedback on what they are writing and learn who their audience is, learn what their audience wants to hear more about. It is reassuring to hear from your readers and know that what you are writing is being read and enjoyed.

At the beginning of my own journey into the (amazingly huge) world of blogging, I have been writing all sorts of different types of posts about our new adventure of living in London. However, there are so many aspects of our life here that I find my posts are really quite varied! There are some which simply document our travels, like when we went to Dorset. Or those that comment on the challenges that we faced moving to, and living in a completely new country. Some of them are mostly pictures, and some are just word-stories. What I want to know is, what the people who read my blog want. Which has been your favourite post? What would you like more of? More pictures? Stories? Comparisons? If you comment below with some questions (or even email me directly if you'd like) I can try to answer them in the next few posts. 

Trooping the Colour

Yesterday we joined the masses to see the Queen and members of the Royal Guard make their way down the Mall in Central London for the annual Trooping the Colour. This marks the official birthday of the Queen (her actual birthday was in April) and takes the form of a selection of regiments of the army parading down The Mall and in Horse Guards Parade Ground near Buckingham Palace. It was a spectacular display with many brass bands, horses and troops on foot. There were thousands of spectators straining to catch a glimpse photo of the event. After doing some flag waving, Queen spotting and crowd manoeuvring, we had a very enjoyable day being shown around central London by my two friends from school, Elyse and Chloe. We were taken to a special bar in a crypt near Embankment station called Gordon's wine bar. From there we made our way across the river and while we were at a second-hand book sale under a bridge, we almost missed the fly over where some rather large aeroplanes fly in formation for the Trooping of the Colour ceremony. From there we meandered slowly eastwards with Spitalfields Market our ultimate goal. But along the way we stopped off at South Bank market for some delicious lunch, spotted some people scratching through the stones on the beaches of the Thames, then crossed The Millennium Bridge, picking up a cup of aromatic caramel roasted nuts along the way. We eventually did get to Spitalfields (which is just around the corner from where Frans works) but were so exhausted we couldn't actually give the amazing market the attention it deserved so instead we sat down and had a much-needed cup of tea instead.

Chloe, Elyse, Frans and I on Millenium Bridge 

Everyone wants a snap of The Queen

I got my snap, can you spot her? She's the one in bright green!

Horses dressed up to the nines

Some very impressive marching

Mounted brass band! Some impressive skills.

A statue of a goat near Spitalfields market.

Comic Con in Pictures

MCM Comic Con - London

Comic Con is a comic convention for people who love comics, computer games, Marvel and DC movies, Japanese animation and anything that is mildly related. And I'm not being derogatory when I call these people nerds, on the Comic Con website, this is referred to as "nerd culture". I've known for a while that Frans is a big nerd. He's happiest when he's on his computer or watching a super-hero movie. But I've made my peace with that and so, to try to get some of that reflected adoration, I booked us tickets to the London MCM Comic Convention. Here are the pictures!

An e-sport competition: two teams, six players in each team, and go!

The competition is hotting up!

Cosplay is when you dress up as your favourite
character. This guy just dressed up as the copyright
warning from Youtube. Nice and easy and really clever!

Frans's favourite computer game, DOTA, is based on "a
battle arena from Warcraft". Not sure what that means but I am
assured that my definition is accurate.

Some serious Cosplays. The guy in blue was wearing
some super-creepy, grey contact lenses!

And this massive, human-sized metal structure was for sale for  £8000. 

Frans's friend Chris (on the left) and some like-minded costumes.

Light Sabers!

A big fat green pig with an axe!

This enormous creature was an inflatable structure, similar to a jumping castle 

Lots of people at the comic convention.

Many, many people!

The convention was held at the ExCel center in the east of London.

Some classically "east London" converted dockland warehouses.
Now they're trendy apartments and offices.