Thursday, March 11, 2010

Blog Chucking and Giveaway Date!!

I feel I have been remiss; I have had very little time to read blogs lately and it's just not good.   I love reading them and I'm itching to catch up on what has been happening but alas, sometimes kids, work, house and social lives take over.   I always stop first at those people who come to visit and then manage another few each day, sometimes a lot more, if I take a morning off.   It's always lovely to know the blogs I read are all there waiting for when time is easier.

Bearing that in mind, I was rather surprised to get an email from a bloggy follower telling me I was chucked.  Yes.   Chucked for not spending enough quality time with her/him.   She/he had left me.   Sob.   Having only ever been chucked once in my life before I've led a semi sheltered life...., I started to ponder what this bloggy chuck meant and what is the correct decorum in these situations?   Should I cry into my keyboard or should I go on the hunt for five bloggers in one night, aggressively pursuing them and hoping they'll love me in the morning?

All joking aside, I felt bad that I'd upset someone enough to get such a strong reaction from them and was all set to albeit confusedly profusely apologise.   Now of course you're wondering why I would be so public about it.  Well, y'see, I started to get a deja vu feeling.   Something didn't seem quite right....

Feeling a wee bit ashamed and guilty after the eyeball rolling at my  "Dear Helen" letter, I went to the blog in question and looked round.    Something wasn't quite right, right enough!   It was puzzling me.  I looked at the last ten posts, posts which seemed......strangely familiar.   Wait.   Hadn't I actually read these?   There was the post on...oh, and then there was that post......   Yes.   Yes I had.

Not only that, I'd commented.   I'd commented rather a lot.   Had the blogger failed to read the comments?   Was the blogger a bloggard?   I looked round the site and found responses from the actual person in question, responses directed at me.   What was wrong with this picture?

And then it hit me; the posts were old my friends, OLD.   The blogiot hadn't posted for over 9 months.   NINE MONTHS! What the...?  I chuckled with barely contained glee and flexed my fingers before typing a reply.   I waited for a response and none came.   Email silence.

Tumbleweed.

I sent one final response and eventually I got a reply.   The blogger had started a new blog without closing down the old.   She/he had assumed that I was still on their list as I am on their email address book under bloggy love of course!   She hadn't thought to tell anyone that she had moved to a completely different format and many not just me eventually, obviously stopped coming by.   The blogger was very contrite and I shall refrain from calling her/him anymore bloggy names because it was a mistake and we're all allowed at least one.....

Bloggy friend, you know I'm posting this as I said I would, I'm only partially joking, I'm sorry and I forgive you at the same time!

You know that giveaway I've mentioned every now and then?   Well, it's happening next Wednesday, 17th March in honour of St. Patricks Day and my niece's birthday.    The more comments you leave, the more chances you have with every follower automatically entered.   The 'prize' will be one of my homemade dollies or one of my paintings.   You get to choose and even customise!.   Here are a few samples....
 Just tell me once what you'd like to win and why you would customise it, i.e. a little boy painting with a blue shirt or a dolly with a pink ribbon etc. and thereafter, for every other comment, just mention the word 'giveaway' at the end.

Edited to add, as per comments: open to all, worldwide.  No discrimination here. ;O)

There will also be a travelling dolly, a wee tartan minx who will wind her way from blogger to blogger with a little journal so that her adventures can be noted.   If you are interested in taking part, mark 'travelling dolly' on your comment too.  More details to follow.

I would like to leave you with the cake of the year!   My lovely friend Pauline had a request from her son to make him an eyeball birthday cake; once she stopped pondering why, she rose to the challenge and then some.  

 Aren't they delightfully gruesome?

25 comments:

Mise said...

I tried to unfollow someone once but the blog posts kept appearing in my reader here in Hotel California. I'd love one of your delightful dollies so please enter me in the giveaway!

Unknown said...

What a sweet giveaway. A dolly for me, please, if you are accepting entries from "across the pond"!

Loved the funny blog story!

Anonymous said...

I had to laugh at your post because I just lost a "follower" myself. I wished I had gotten a dear Edie comment because they were just gone with no reason given. I, of course, fretted for a bit about it before letting it go.

I'm not sure if your contest is open to US people but, if it is, a dolly for me too with anything pink on it. Pink is my daughter's signature color and the dolly would be gift for her.

Little Ms Blogger said...

Wait, someone actually emailed you to TELL you they weren't going to follow you? Wow, a bit harsh and rude.

I've had people stop following me, but I've never been given the "I don't want to be your bloggy friend because you don't pay enough attention to me" email.

I follow you, but have also been a terrible reader lately.

The cake is awesome! Creepy, but awesome.

Helen McGinn said...

mise, *LOL*...unless it was me...? Entered, my dear!

5thsister, surely am! x

Edie, I lose and gain on a fairly regular basis. The first few times it happens, you're like "oh no, what did I DO?" then it's like "oh well, that's a shame". ;O) What can you do? Some people feel the need. It's open to all. x

LMB, I KNOW! *L* I know he/she feels badly though; it was funny...in the end.

Mama Up! said...

Ooh, I'd love a picture of a pretty girl in a pink dress with a bunch of doves. Er, specific enough?

Giveaway!

Also, travelling dolly! I'd love to be included in that.

Helen McGinn said...

Christa, sure is! *L* Thank you. xx

Young at Heart said...

The phrase 'get a life' does spring to mind....better off without them. Lovng the dolls.

Caution/Lisa said...

That's quite a lot of work to track down someone who has isn't following anymore. How silly! I love your strong back bone though in responding to her complaint. I would probably just feel sorry for myself. And eat ice cream, too.

I would love one of your dolls!! The second one from the left reminds me of my daughter - except the doll isn't rolling her eyes back into her head while I talk.

The traveling doll sounds fun, too. Count me in on that :)

Killara girl said...

lol, Helen, you do the best gruesomest stuff i've ever seen. i would love to be entered into your giveaway, because i adore you artwork...secretly i wish i were an artist...i'm trying i just painted the stupidest watercolour ever...and i love it. i don't care if no one else does lol.

i moved my blog list down to the bottom of my blog...just because it was way too long, and also made another blog just for the blogs i read so it was more organized, and all of a sudden i started losing followers. oh well, it is whatever it is. as long as my favourite blogs are still around, i'm happy!

Janice said...

Gosh what a tale! Numpty blogger indeed. Your giveaway looks lovely, but I don't have any need for dollies or girly pics being a mother of boys, so count me out and send them to a more appreciative home :)

Laura said...

yeesh. i think that is a bit ridiculous. the letter is a bit over the top. It reminds me of when you try to break up with someone by letting them down nicely...then they argue with you for not wanting to be with them, which in turn makes you think "dude, pissing me off is not going to change my mind". because did s/he think that a rude letter would bring you back? and if it did, would s/he want a reader who was only there out of guilt?

Would LOVE for my little one to have one of your dollies and would also love to be part of the travelling dolly! Would love a dolly with cute removable clothes, because Ella loves to undress and redress her dollies.

Laura said...

yeesh. i think that is a bit ridiculous. the letter is a bit over the top. It reminds me of when you try to break up with someone by letting them down nicely...then they argue with you for not wanting to be with them, which in turn makes you think "dude, pissing me off is not going to change my mind". because did s/he think that a rude letter would bring you back? and if it did, would s/he want a reader who was only there out of guilt?

Would LOVE for my little one to have one of your dollies and would also love to be part of the travelling dolly! Would love a dolly with cute removable clothes, because Ella loves to undress and redress her dollies.

obladi oblada said...

Oooh I love giveaways! I would love to have a dolly for my daughter...one with dark brown hair, green eyes...wearing something with a puppy on it.

Oh and Traveling Dolly me please!
Oh and your way to nice to ever chuck!!

obladi oblada said...

Giveaway!

Virginia Mom said...

Oooooh...painting or dolly... I just can't choose! Either a painting of a blonde haired/blue eyed little girl or a dolly with blonde hair and blue eyes would be wonderful... because both of my girls have... blonde hair and blue eyes! :O Sign me up for the traveling dolly if the US is included!
I've been blogging for a little over a year now and I still only have 14 followers- so losing any hasn't been an issue yet! (But if I were to choose not to follow a blog anymore, I don't think that I'd pen a "Dear Jane" letter to inform the blogger of my decision...)

Kristina said...

Wow! I would have crawled UNDER my desk if I had humiliated myself like that! But then, I couldnt do that to some one either.....(it sucks being nice sometimes lol). Love your little dolls and LOVE LOVE your paintings! And grossed out a little at the eyeball cake, though I think at second glance its pretty neat! lol

Giveaway!!!!

RainSplats said...

Wow - that eye ball cake is gross. ...and somehow perfect! Impressive :)

aladdinsane12 said...

if i was blog chucked, i'd be soo upset! good thing it was all a misunderstanding.

i ADORE that painting of the girl holding the bird- it would look so cute in my room ;)

and the traveling dolly is always welcome at my blog

Peanut-Butter Kitty said...

Hey Helen,
Just popped in to see how your doing. I truly enjoy visiting your site. I have a total of 10 followers, I'm so happy! I have told my family and friends and do you think that they would visit my blog? Heck no! They don't even know what a blog is. My almost sister-in-law is the one who got me started with her blog. I would post more often but to be honest, I'm just lazy and it is easier just to visit other people. LOL
Have a wonderful week and I'll be visting you in a few days.
Shelley

Claudya Martinez said...

I want a dolly with dark hair!

The traveling dolly is welcome to visit my, but I will have a very hard time letting her go.

Anonymous said...

Amiable post and this fill someone in on helped me alot in my college assignement. Thank you as your information.

Anonymous said...

Good Afternoon

Thanks for writing this blog, loved reading it

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.peso.kancelariakatowice.eu/katalog-910/Kalendarze_producent.html]kalendarze ksi&#261&#380kowe[/url]

Anonymous said...

top [url=http://www.c-online-casino.co.uk/]online casinos[/url] hinder the latest [url=http://www.realcazinoz.com/]realcazinoz[/url] manumitted no set aside reward at the foremost [url=http://www.baywatchcasino.com/]bay watch casino
[/url].