Three years and counting

St Patrick's Parade

I will begin this blog post with one of the most anticipated public events that took place today. Here are some pictures from the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Waterford. The day was quite gray, but all these beautiful people made it shine.

St Patrick's Parade

St Patrick's Parade

St Patrick's Parade

St Patrick's Parade

St Patrick's Parade

St Patrick's Parade

St Patrick's Parade

St Patrick's Parade

St Patrick's Parade

Another important event is my third blogoversary :). Thank you my dear blogger friends for inspiration, motivation and encouragement during these three years, and for everything I have learned from you.

I use this occasion to share my portraits created by my blogger friends. I know it sounds like I have a diva complex or something, but I do love the portraits, and I also want you to visit and follow these bloggers.

This one is from my beautiful friend Rose. I love to see myself on this paper airplane that also looks like a rocket. Future, here I come! 🙂 Thank you Rose!

This one is from Michael. Thank you for for loving the foxes! 🙂

I had dreamed about blogging, but didn’t have courage to go live. I used to have a silent photography page in 2004, but soon joined Panoramio and it took all my spare time. Three years ago this February I finally went live with ten blog posts related to baby and children photography that I deleted soon afterwards, because of the spam attack issue. Advice for the new bloggers #1: Akismet only stops spam, but cannot stop the spammers from linking to your blog. Check your Spam messages to identify what post or image the spammer has linked to – it is in the column “In response to”. If it is an image, delete it, upload the same image and post it again (URL will be different and the spammer will lose the link). If it is a post that is really heavy spammed ( especially from the certain websites), you can either delete it, or redo it in the same way as the photograph. If your blog is constantly targeted, close comments on your posts that are more than 3-6 month old. If you do all of this, your spam folder will be much lighter, and you will get rid of the most malignant spammers.

Another thing I had to figure out, was my Gravatar page. Advice #2 –  if you want your followers to pay their due visits to your blog, give them a chance, make sure that your Profile image is linked to your current blog page, and your Gravatar page is also linked to your current blog. I have a handful of followers who visit my page but I have never visited them in return because I am not able to. So sorry, but there is nothing I can do.

Now you probably started to wonder, why I am giving advice that nobody asked me for. It is because I have got an award with two questions attached to it:

1 Share an experience that got you started blogging

2 Share a word of advice for fellow bloggers

This is The Blogger Recognition Award from Dwight Roth of Roth Poetry blog.

 

I am really grateful for this recognition, and happy that there are people who like my blog. To tell the truth, it is all recognition I need.

You can check out Dwight’s  books on Amazon.

I have got another award from Nilla of Image Earth Travel . Thank you so much Nilla for Sunshine Blogger Award you find me worthy of 🙂 Nilla has been traveling the world for many years, and she doesn’t treat awards lightly 🙂 Here is a page of her photography awards. You can click on each link and see her award winning images.

 

Here are the questions I am supposed to answer:

  1. Why did you start a blog ? – I wanted to share my memories of beautiful things and places. I did it on Panoramio but got really annoyed by those who used my photographs without permission.  My latest find  –  a website named POINTERST  is using my Panoramio photographs under Marsel Van Oosten’s name. What can I say? I am honored 😉
  2. What amazing countries have you seen? – Not many countries, but each was amazing.
  3. Why do you travel? – I travel to meet people I love and to see places I have read about.
  4. Who has been your biggest inspiration in your life and why? – My biggest inspiration has always been my Dad, and of course many famous people made a huge impact on my life, like Ray Bradbury, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Henri Cartier-Bresson.
  5. What’s the wildest thing you have ever experienced? –  I think the worst was in the 1970s when my best friend and I agreed to take a ride in a small airplane with a guy who had been showing off to impress us. He flew the airplane in a very dangerous manner, to say the least. We were so mad at him, that we left the airplane in silence and never spoke to him again.
  6. What would be your dream job? – I have quite a few such jobs in mind, but none of them would pay my bills 😉
  7. Your favorite read? – any well written book.
  8. The scariest moment in your life? –  The scariest moment is when your loved one’s life is in danger.  This story  might be the one.
  9. Your deepest regret? – I have a few, but it has no point to focus on the past when there is a better future ahead 🙂
  10. The most memorable experience in your life? – I presume, it is about a good experience. Here is one of the latest. We were traveling by train, and there was an accident. My daughter was the only medical professional at the scene, and she made me proud beyond measure by her actions and ability to control the situation. She was a star. I hope she won’t read this 🙂

There are three more awards – I didn’t do the awards for about a year or so.

Gillian from Talking Thailand blog nominated me for The Creative Blogger Award. Thank you so much, Gillian! My award is your friendship 🙂 Please check out Gillian’s book. She lives in Thailand and has every bit of information you might need for your travels.

 

Mythology expert Aquileana nominated me for Treasure Trove Award. Aquileana is blogging many years, possibly ten 🙂 She is a very supportive person. Thank you dear Aquileana, there are many treasures found on your blog.

 

The most recent nomination is from one of my favorite authors, Millie Thom. Millie had a number of awards to choose from, and I like her idea to give a choice to the nominees. I chose The Black Cat Blue Sea Award, because I love cats 🙂 Thank you so much, Millie!

 

Check out Millie’s books on Amazon.

These are the rules:

  • Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  • List the rules and display the award.
  • Nominate 10-15 bloggers (or as many as you can) for the award.

I will use Millie’s strategy. There is a list of my nominees. You can choose the award you like, because I don’t know which awards you already have 🙂 You can also choose more than one. Please answer questions about yourself as I did ( these are Nilla’s questions), and if you are Award Free blog, fair enough 🙂 Thank you and happy blogging!

http://www.almostunsalvageable.com/

https://mithaimumblezz.wordpress.com/

https://secretartexpedition.wordpress.com/

https://teagansbooks.com/

https://mythsofthemirror.com/

https://kevinhotter.com/

https://haddonmusings.com/

https://poetrummager.wordpress.com/

https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/

http://talkingthailand.co.uk/

https://puttingmyfeetinthedirt.com/

https://knittingwithheart.wordpress.com/

http://zoale.com/blog/

Jean Lee

https://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/

https://aquileana.wordpress.com/

https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/

https://caroleecroft.wordpress.com/blog/

https://moodphototeija.wordpress.com/

https://nananoyz5forme.com/

https://lensandpensbysally.wordpress.com/

https://milliethom.wordpress.com/

https://arcillayfuego.wordpress.com/

There are many more great bloggers I would love to add to the list, but I know for sure that their blogs are award-free.

Now I officially announce Making Memories an award free blog.  I will figure out some other way to promote my favorite bloggers, but I really, really have no time for doing awards anymore. I hope you will understand. Thank you again for all the nominations, and for our friendship!

www.inesemjphotography.com Have a wonderful weekend!

156 comments

  1. Great pictures, Inese, of a great occasion

    and wonderful to see such diversity in the faces, very healthy that.
    Happy St Patrick’s Day, Fine Lady

    Big hugs

    john

    1. Thank you so much, John! God loves all his children. I know people who are not happy that there is very little religious meaning left in St. Patrick’s day celebrations, but isn’t love to thy neighbor a true religion?
      Hope you are having a lovely St.Patrick’s weekend.
      Many Hugs!

  3. I was hopeful I’d see a post from you today! Happy anniversary! Beautiful pictures of the parade. Also congrats on the awards and thanks for the nomination. 😉🌈🍀

  7. A happy St. Patrick’s Day to you and congratulations on three years of blogging. I so enjoy your posts and look forward to them each week.

  8. Inese, what a fabulous post. Some of my mother’s ancestors were Highlanders, foreign mercenaries, and alas ahem.. assassins BUT the vast majority were Irish famine survivors. What was so lovely was the whole cultural mix of these gorgeous pics x,

    1. Thank you! Isn’t it wonderful that all races are marching together, may be not exactly loving each other, but respecting and trying to know each other better.xxxx

  11. Happy St. Patrick’s Day. I really like the cartoon picture of you with camera hanging 🙂
    Congratulations to the anniversary of your blog here. It is great to hear the story about how one started a blog and the journey. Also congratulations to the awards too!

    1. Thank you so much! I cannot believe it is three years 🙂 Thank you for being a good blogger friend! ❤
      I love the picture – Rose is so very talented.

  12. Great post, and I always enjoy your blog. I went award free almost from the beginning, because I didn’t like the chain letter feeling of it all. You deserve all the recognition you get.

    1. Thank you 🙂 I was doing awards because it is a good way to say thank you, but it is too time consuming. Yes, the chain letter feeling, you are right 🙂 Sometimes it feels like that.

  13. Wonderful photographs of a thankfully diverse and multi-cultural parade. It reflects the Ireland of today so well. Congrats on the three year blogaversary, too.

    1. Thank you! Isn’t it wonderful that people who are not Catholics join the Parade and have a good time together. Don’t we know that God loves all His children.
      This year St. Patrick’s Parade was also dedicated to the Waterford Greenway that is due to open on March 25. Lots of bicycles, and lots of green 🙂

      1. That Greenway will make be such a great amenity. There was talk of making a similar one out of the old Youghal to Midleton railway line but nothing has come of it so far. At least the Midleton to Cork train tracks were put back to their original use.

        1. I imagine how expensive it is to cut through the jungle, and pave the path. My plan was to go to Dungarvan and take pictures of the last stretch of the Greenway this weekend, but I got a viral infection and have to stay in bed instead 😦 Thankfully I found energy to go to the Parade yesterday, but now I am a wreck 😦
          I am sure that all the former railways will be taken care of, in a due time. They started in Mayo, then in Dungarvan, and we will see what is going to be next.

  15. Such a joyful post. Happy St. Pat’s Day and Happy Blog-versary. I like your list of awardee blogs. I already follow most of them and will check out the rest. And thanks for remembering that my blog is award-free.

    1. I know, some bloggers make it clear from the beginning. It takes too much time. If I had more time, I would keep doing the awards. It is nice to say thank you for entertaining me, dear blogger friends 🙂

    1. Thank you, no more awards :). Too time consuming.
      This Parade was also dedicated to a special road – Waterford Greenway. I will write about it in my next blogs.

  18. This was three blogs in one, Inese. Thanks so much for the nomination! Wonderful parade photos. I love the diversity in the crowd – all those beautiful people sharing a fun day despite the weather. It gives me hope for the world. Congrats on your 3rd blogoversary. I’m so glad you gave it a go so that you can share your beautiful photos and words with the world. I definitely feel richer for my virtual travels with you. Lovely portraits, by the way 🙂 And finally congrats on all the awards. ❤

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Diana! Yes, it is exactly what I wanted to tell with these photographs – beautiful people, many of them are not even Catholics, but they walked together at St. Patrick’s Parade to make this day lovely. ❤

  20. Isn’t it rather lovely, the Irish Hell’s Angels don the green for the day that means a lot to the Irish, here, there and everywhere!

    1. Yes Mike, they are opening the parade every year 🙂 They are not the Hell Angles though 🙂 Our bikers are doing lots of charity work, and they are very nice. I have biker friends too.

Comments are closed.