One Year On!

69 posts & over 4000 visits later 'On the Hill' has a birthday! Its 'team mates' Geography Room & Geographylost have had nearly 9,000 and over 16,000 visitors each. Has blogging made a difference to me? An emphatic YES & its all good! On the Hill is my personal bit of cyberspace & it has put me in touch with people on at least two continents who I would consider friends if I had met them 'in the flesh'. There are members of my family with whom I am in less frequent contact! Through their blogs I have learnt alot & enjoyed their tales & thoughts. I think I suit the informal type of communication that is blogging -drop in when it suits, post if you have some incoherent thoughts that you fancy sharing, read another blog if you have the time & comment if you inclined to do so! I have never kept a diary but I have found it both interesting & surprising to read some of the older posts. My students are better placed to tell you about the value of Geography Room & Geographylost but I know that a frequent question is "Is it on the blog Miss?" They love to see the visitor counter tick along & are intrigued to see where people are in the world who have read 'their' blogs. One of my objectives in establishing these blogs, especially the A level blog 'Geography Room' was to encourage our students to see themselves as part of a wider community of geographers & that has certainly worked. Before blogging I would have never considered myself to be part of a community of knitters but blogging & Ravelry has changed that! I also think that I have gained alot from the reflective nature of blogging, both personally & in my teaching life.

To those who have inspired & encouraged me .......... Thank You!

So what is new in 2008? The new term is as busy as ever, with exams & stuff. I am knitting a pair of 'Twinkle Toes' as part of the Cookie A January sock knit in Ravelry. Its ideal for now as its a quick & enjoyable DK pattern. The Brigantia DK yarn is lovely to knit with & I am already on sock two. The Peddlers shawl has grown a little too & I have cast on a simple Garter Stitch Prarie Shawl, also from Folk Shawls, as TV knitting. I am using some frogged yarn (Wendy Roxy) from one of my early attempts as a 'returning knitter'! Its OK so far, it is making a colourful, textured shawl.