Continuing with the ‘Five…‘ theme today I decided to highligh five of the blogs I’ve written this year. I don’t think I’ll ever stop getting a buzz when people tell me they enjoy reading what I write. This year I’ve written about lots of different things, some better than others and some more popular from others. Even if I had no readers I would write, but it’s nice to know that people keep coming back… even my mum!
My blog moved to helenthornber.com on 15th March 2009. Since then I’ve had …

There are going to be a few changes to my blog over the next couple of months. To add to the blogs you enjoy I’ll be stretching my journalistic wings with a variety of monthly blogs in addition to my day to day ramblings.
Starting at the end of January 2010 I will be doing a monthly feature and I’d like to hear from you. If you (or anyone you know) would like to share your story the details and deadlines are below.
If you have a story to share send your …

Last year I spent Halloween dressed up as a witch, getting hideously drunk at a house party less than two weeks before I was leaving London. Though I had various leaving parties, this was the last time nearly all the people I’d moved to London with and a few I’d got to know along the way.

This Halloween will be considerably quieter and more sober, but hopefully just as significant. At midnight it will be November, and I will be writing the first few words of my NaNoWriMo novel. 50,000 words …

Sadly I can’t report that I’ve taken a few days off work and jetted off somewhere hot and sunny… but I have taken a blogging holiday and have been guest posting over on Secret Diaries of a Wannabe Yummy Mammy today. I’ll be back here tomorrow but in the meantime pop over there to read my latest blog!

I’m having a panic that I’ve forgotten how to blog. The past three weeks have been a blur and all the structure I’d created for myself with exercising and writing has flown out of the window. I’m writing, then deleting, then writing, then deleting…
This week has been quite something though! I met my tutees at Trevs. I can’t believe how nervous I was, more so than my last job interview. And we had a quiz on Tuesday, we didn’t win but I thought we’d done rather well (especially as some …

Thanks to Jo’s Kitchen I have my very first blog award! Jo’s recipes featured in this blog last month and she has kindly awarded me the ‘Honest Scrap’ award for my blog.

I am rather excited about this as I quite like winning things and getting awards, but it doesn’t happen all that often. In primary school my teachers commented on what a gracious loser I always was. Apparently I would always smile and be happy about the successes of my peers. My netball team in the primary school league ‘Thornber’s …

My blog has existed in various guises since 6th February 2007 but took a whacking fourteen month break before recommencing in October 2008 to make me determined that this time my blog was here to stay.  My 100th blog comes only days after the six month anniversary of it finding a permanent residence at helenthornber.com. In those six months I’ve entertained almost 2000 unique visitors from 55 countries. Not including anyone who reads this via Facebook. That is something I am very proud of.

On the 1st October it will be …

What do I want to do when I grow up? As I’ve navigated my way through life the answer to this has changed, but as time goes on it has become more specific and consistent. I want to work for myself, I want to work with people and I want to write.
There are becoming two strands to this, writing and business. This is where my wish list comes in. The things I’d love to be paid to do. The things I’d still want to do even if I won millions …

If you’re expecting a recipe for a traditional Welsh dish I apologise in advance (but there is one here). It does seem to be a fact in my world however that the Welsh are a bit rare. (Bad pun, I know… but it was just too obvious not to use it!)
I found myself excited yesterday when I discovered I finally had a blog reader in Wales. South East Wales. Talbot Green to be precise. (A big hello if you are said person!!!). I was more excited about my blog reader …

I hate it when I’m following a blog and all of a sudden I realise they have started to advertise things. That all the genuine nice writing I’ve been reading was just a build up readership before them losing all integrity and trying to make a quick buck or two.
So this is why I wanted to blog and be up front about having just become an Amazon Associate. And why I have done it.
Interestingly the day after I first drafted this blog I came across Blog with Integrity which I have …

Firstly the cold that was starting seems to have made a hasty retreat so I am very happy about this. I am in fact giving myself a pat on the back for doing things to stop it in it’s tracks. Such as getting to bed at a reasonable hour on a Friday night. And actually relaxing, stopping myself from thinking about the exciting things that are happening right now so I can sleep.
In the past it has been full steam ahead, no time for sleep. Exciting things being much more …

I wrote this blog to post yesterday, however by yesterday evening “winter” had set in. With the start of a cold, my stubbornness to not put the central heating on yet and tiredness from all the excitement of this week (it’s been a fantastic week personally and in work but VERY busy!) I ended up snuggling under a blanket and vowing to post in in my lunch hour today… so here it is!

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If I was excited about writing yesterday, I’m even more excited today. In fact my head is full …

Having reached my target of a blog a day whilst I was on holiday I had a day off yesterday. But it didn’t feel like a day off. In fact if I hadn’t been busy with one thing or another right up until 11pm I would have blogged. I missed writing.
Now I’m writing more regularly I’m getting less scared about making mistakes, and accepting that not everything is perfect first time. I’m rubbish at carrying a pen and paper with me, but have discovered Evernote which lives on my Mac, …

I’m not going to get into the debate about whether social networking is a good or bad thing. As an active member of Facebook and Twitter of course I’d say yes. But other people are just as much within their right to hate the things. Whether you use them, which sites you use, and how you use those sites, is completely down to you.  Isn’t that the beauty of it all?
I have rejected Bebo. I am a member of MySpace and Linked In, but they don’t get used much. I …

This week has not been a good one for blogging. Since the wedding last Saturday I seem to have only been in one of two states. Busy or tired. Unfortunately neither of these have provided the inspiration for a good blog. A couple of rough drafts floated about, but I decided they were simply not interesting or witty enough.
Tweeting my dilemma the combined responses from @gavlp @whitespider1066 @mrsemdle and @dokeeffe14 led to the blog title “Sex Tips for Thieving Northern Bastards at Weddings”, however lacking expertise in this area I …