ON BLOGS OF EXCELLENCE…

Well, that last short-and-sweet post pulled a swag of chocolate-y comments! Perhaps I’ll give you some recipes another day. Perhaps…

But here’s a picture I was going to show you earlier…

Clerodendrum wallichii (nutans)Sometimes called the Bridal Veil (stupid name, as at least 3 other plants are known as that!), it’s one of the more common sights in warm climates. Just a few inches away from this is its cousin, C. ugandense, the Blue Butterfly.

I would have liked to show them both in flower, but the ugandense is feeling the cold now, so it’s having a little rest. It is, truly, a gorgeous thing and not difficult to grow (if you are in a frosty climate, make sure you take cuttings well before Old Jack gets his fingers on it!) provided you don’t let it dry out. It’s major drawback is the foetid-smelling leaves. Phew! I once made the mistake of planting one close to a pathway. Bad move! But for its beautiful blueness I still like to grow it.

I found this on the net;it gives an idea of the flower, but you do need to see it on a bush in full glory. Especially when a breeze “flutters” the flowers. Oh, yes…it very obligingly drops LOTS of viable seeds.

Remember I said I would have to think about recipients of the “excellent” award? Well, I have thunk. Long and hard. And I’m still having difficulty! You see, it is not simply a matter of defining “excellence” by a given yardstick. And if it were, how would that benchmark be set? By content? Presentation? Regularity?

No, my difficulty is in finding bloggers who have not already been named. No doubt there are hundreds out there deserving of this award, but my blog list is somewhat narrower and therefore more likely to contain blogs already nominated by my readers. And it’s not so long ago that I was asked to list seven favourites!

So I will just say that if I read your blog, it’s because I consider it worthwhile. The regulars among you will recognise names in the comments and, I like to think, pop across and read those blogs. A bit like a daisy chain, isn’t it, with new links being added by new friends?

In the time I’ve been writing this blog I’ve come to know some of you quite well and many of us are regular readers of friends’ blogs, so there is a comfortable familiarity. This is part of the excellence, I think. Yes, well-written posts and interesting links help to turn the wheels, but it seems that the comment threads generated by our peers are the under-pinning of excellence.

So thank you to all you blogwits who keep us on our toes.

And welcome to those of you who have been too shy to “speak” and to you newcomers who have wandered in via another’s blog. What? You haven’t time to back-read for links? Well, here are a few, some old, some new. And if you find something not quite to your taste, please just leave quietly.
http://www.boneandshadow.com/ art/photography
http://wethreecats.blogspot.com/ photography/writing
http://george-online.blogspot.com/ humour http://1hplovecraft.blogspot.com/ the full monty(nsfw sometimes)
http://painteddaisies.blogspot.com/ art http://secretnotebookswildpages.blogspot.com/ art,photography,writing
http://purplepoddedpeas,blogspot.com/ art,gardens,food,writing
http://jafabrit.blogspot.com/ art, humour, links
http://dogintheworkhouse.blogspot.com/ art, http://janabouc.wordpress.com/ art, humour

Of course, I have left out many regulars, but you know who you are and you know I love you. The creatures-who-rule-this-roost are threatening to picket. Why? Because a dog blog got a mention and they think that this should,too. They are, of course, quite right.
And while I’m doing the linkity thing, do go over to Silver Apples and click on the link she has for the Urban Chickens (this means you, FN!); it’s brilliant. Well, I think so, but then, I’m a bit of a chook buff.(Not necessarily a Buff chook!)

And if you are still in pursuit of excellence you can always take a by googling.