I am so disappointed to discover that the weekly photo challenge has ended. I found it a really helpful lead-in to expressing myself in word and picture.
When I started my Blog I had no idea how I would find people who would be interested in reading it. But, through Haiku Heights and WPC I found my voice – and my audience.
My initial intention was to write about my thoughts and experiences so that one day, if my children or grandchildren were curious about my life and me as a person, they would have an original source to go to for information and insights. It was a delight to find that the world is full of people who are as interested in other people’s lives, activities and thoughts as I am.
It is a sad fact that when young, children do not see their parents as people in their own right, with feelings, needs and hopes. Parents are at best a support network to be available when required – when hungry or in need of shelter, money or clean clothes. At all other times parents are expected to be silent and preferably invisible.
This can lead to feelings of isolation and insignificance, especially when the parent is coping alone and does not have a network of family and friends to turn to.
When my parents were young they lived within walking distance of most of their living relatives. They could turn to each other for advice, help, or just a supportive chat. But times have changed for most of us. Extended families who once would have lived in the same streets, villages and towns became scattered and lost touch. As older relatives and friends died, our own children grew up and moved away following their dreams across oceans and continents. The casual, comforting chat became logistically impossible.
When communication is reduced to a few lines in a text or email, it is hard to express what one is really feeling. When contact is via social media like Instagram or Facebook it is unlikely that anything deep or authentic will be revealed because it may be widely shared. WhatsApp and Facetime have helped, but even those channels of communication seem strained. The person you are talking to sometimes seems more concerned about their image in the little box than in what you have to say.
I hope that I can find a new outlet for my posts in the blogosphere. I will continue to write my blog, but that weekly challenge did give me the push I needed to post regularly and share my world.
The photo I have posted to illustrate my feelings was taken some years ago in Burnham on Sea. It is a boat stuck in the mud at low tide. When the tide was in the boat was essential to the fisherman, providing a job, a purpose, an income, food and pleasure. Without the tide it is just a hulk. Sometimes I feel like that boat ~ until the grandchildren turn up ~ they are the tide that keeps me afloat these days.
Heavenhappens 
I know how you feel. My grandchildren are in Australia!
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You know, you could HOST the New Weekly Photo Challenge…
Or any other Challenge you feel would be compelling.
Folks in the blogosphere love such things, and readily hop on the band wagon!
Seek peace,
Paz
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Mm now there’s a thought! But I’m a follower not a leader now so I will look for other challenges and search out other blogs. But thank you for the suggestion. Peace is a beautiful goal which I’m striving for x
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I agree that the end of the weekly photo challenge and the daily prompt will affect people quite hard. When I started out many years ago, I found the daily prompts quite helpful, and the weekly photo challenge is something that I tried to do on a regular basis and enjoyed looking at the links on the WordPress page, and found many blogs that I would not otherwise have seen. It’s such a shame that they have stopped.
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Indeed. I’m not sure how to find like minded bloggers now. It is like losing a friendship group!
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I know what you mean – I feel as though we have all been cast adrift.
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We have 🚣♀️
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Yes, even in my country families are getting scattered. It is a sad change.
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Yes it is x thank goodness I still have one daughter near me but she works so hard I rarely get to spend time with her.
I do see the grandchild ten a lot though so I am lucky 💕
Sent by Brenda Kimmins
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It was a wonderful week xxx
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Hi Brenda. WhenI started my blog way back in 2011, I wondered whether anyone would read it; but the purpose was so that if they were interested, my grandsons could learn something about life growing up in a different country in a different time. So far they’ve shown no interest . I have a large and wide following and must get back to writing posts again.
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Yes my idea was along those lines. My childhood was soooo different to that of my children and grandchildren that I hoped they would be interested. Maybe they will one day.
But happily lots of other people are interested. So, I have enjoyed sharing my experiences and thoughts and reading about theirs. Blogging is definitely a huge part of my life now.
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Nothing to fret. Keep on posting using the tag weekly photo challenge. I visit it once a week to see what others have to share especially their thoughts. You are right, blogging is the best way to keep in touch. Oh the sea, so much to think about.
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That’s a good tip to still tag WPC! I hadn’t thought of that. Hopefully lots of our community will do that so we can stay in touch.
Sent by Brenda Kimmins
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Thanks Brenda
Sent from my iPhone
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That first shot is amazing, and I love the ocean shot as well. I’m sorry, too, that the photo challenge is ending. I found it so much fun, and will miss doing it and miss even more looking at everyone else’s work.
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Thank you, the second ocean shot was taken this week when I went on holiday to Calefell near Tarragona in Spain. My daughter lives there and we took the grandchildren to the beach every day. They absolutely loved it.
I hope we can all maintain our community of bloggers who love a good photo and a story to go with it!
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That’s a shame Brenda but you will always be inspired to write and I’m sure another direction will transpire. love the photos….
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Thanks Anne, I do hope so. The last photo was this week in Calafell with Anna and the grandchildren. It was such a lovely holiday x
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That blank piece of paper is the hardest of hurdles – my blogging has faded to to a distant memory – and it would be a dreadful shame to not have you regularly blogging. So don’t! There are other challenges out there, some you can just use the topics as your inspiration source (eg http://www.cozyclicks.com/the-2018-cozy-clicks-52-week-photography-challenge/ – or/and join their facebook page to get involved in the photo challenge, then blog about it?). ~Just a thought!
Keep at it – please!
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Ah thank you Katy ~ I was feeling a bit glum but I’m sure I will carry on blogging. I find it a great way of communicating and sharing my thoughts, whether or not people read them! It actually doesn’t have to be a dialogue as it is just my way of expressing myself. I’m a very average amateur photographer compared to many in the WPC community but I did find the whole experience very encouraging and enjoyable.
I hate change!
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