Hello, yes it’s me Kate Bentham again, just helping out at the Weekly Blog Club controls for week 14 of year 2. Time really is zooming by but it’s great to see so many out of this world blogs being submitted and that Weekly Blog Club has taken off, the force, it would seem, is strong.
Have you guessed it yet? Yes, this is the Space Edition. To infinity and beyond. May the blogs be with you, and this week you were kind enough to share 20 blogs with us, and we all know that a Jedi uses the force for knowledge. Ok, I’ll stop now, having never seen Star Wars I don’t think I can keep this going for the whole of the summary anyway.
So, let’s get down to serious blogging business.
One blogger who is downright fed up with the space of her natural environment being treated with complete disregard is Jane McIntyre. In Dear Flytipper. An open letter–just for you. Jane shares photos of rubbish being dumped in the beautiful (and it really is beautiful, you should come for a visit) Shropshire countryside. Thankfully Jane is on hand to offer alternatives to flytipping in the hope that people take responsibility for their rubbish.
Hannah Chia aka @SportingWag had some space to herself this week, as her partner was called up for an international rugby tour. In Rugby WAG, Rugby Widow, Hannah lists exactly what a Sporting WAG got up to. Also sharing a blog on what he does in his spare time is Peter Olding. In Peter’s Blog: Spotting (Part 1) Peter explains how he started spotting as a hobby. Peter spots aircraft, trains, buses and trams.
In Urban walk March 2013 by Janet Davis, we join Janet as she enjoys the open space. With an artist’s eye, Janet shares some of the images she saw along the way, gently encouraging us all to look at everyday objects and items differently. Why not take some photos of anything interesting you see on your next walk and create your own Walk blog? Another blogger who regularly proves that a blog can be a photo with a few sentences around it is Richard Overy. In Horndean 1935 Part II Richard updates us on a group of men who set off on a cycling adventure and who can now be seen enjoying the outside space.
We had quite a few health related blog posts this week. First up is a blog on the very serious subject of Bowel Cancer. As statistics this week revealed a 30% increase of bowel cancer amongst men in the last 35 years, we are grateful to Kenny McDonald for sharing his story of how bowel cancer has impacted upon his family and himself personally. Bowel cancer: the great escape is an important blog to read.
Derek Barron wrote about Strengthening the Commitments – LD nursing in Scotland Derek shares with us a very important conference on Modernising Learning Disabilities Nursing which was held recently. The conference challenged the word ‘co-production’ and encouraged ‘ownership’. Linked to Ownership we also heard from Eddie Docherty via the Ayrshire Health blog about Nuka – the Alaskan Healthcare System. This system is based on 4 principles which puts the customer, not patient, at the heart of everything. An insightful read into the results this way of working has had. Eddie share Lesson from Nuka – the Alaskan healthcare system A very interesting blog from Joseph Conaghan looking at the implications of patient care following the Francis report into care failings at Mid Staffordshire Trust. Joseph asks Can You Teach Care? or is it a quality a person is born with. He also considers how to measure patient care post Francis.
We’re delighted that the Scot Health Monthly is taking off and they are Settling in, month three. They curate the best of the Scottish healthcare related posts into a useful summary each month. How helpful of them.
This week saw the start of World Autism Awareness Month, and to celebrate Shropshire Family Information Service shared a wonderful poem written by a mum on what it is like to be a parent to an Autistic child and just how very special Autistic children are. Our Little Rocket is a fabulous read, which left me in tears when I first read it, so tissues at the ready.
Stuart Macintosh also blogs about being a parent and how it is difficult to outwit a 6 year old. In “Was it not just an aeroplane?” Stuart reminds us that children will ask the questions you’ve been avoiding answering so best be prepared, and that children will basically tell it as it is, whether you want them too or not. Bless ‘em. A very funny blog.
Who wants to go to a party? In Where is your Social Media party? Andy Johnson compares various social media platforms to the goings on in the various spaces of a good house party. Which space do you occupy, and what might you get from that space? Based on Andy’s theory, we think Phil Jewitt might be in the living room with his post Why blog? Phil looks back over the last year since he started blogging, sharing why he started blogging and what he has achieved in that time.
Two top posts this week by the mighty Dan Slee. The first SHARE: User generated content? Ask nicely… encourages journalists, and others, to be respectful of hyperlocal bloggers and the importance of building good relationships and remembering manners when sharing content. Dan’s second post looks at how communities in Telford are using digital technology to stay connected and to communicate. Some great examples in LIFE: How a town is using digital to connect Another post which also shares examples of others work is E-participation and storytelling by Participation Cymru. They look at Digital Storytelling and share a video blog explaining more about this subject.
A wonderful story this week in Ted Robbins, Textiles and 78rpms. My week of social media. by Chris Bolton. Chris explains how a chance find and the use of social media resulted in him being on a local radio programme talking about Lancashire’s cultural heritage. This might not have happened had Chris not used to space of social media.
Making use of theatre space was PALACE a performance which Clare White went to watch recently. Clare shares her review of the performances and visual effects, which seems to have captured the energy and dignity of the city, representing it’s people well. The trailer of the performance is also well worth a watch in Review: PALACE at Bethesda Theatre.
Our last post this week is Gin and cigarettes by Karen Hart. Karen uses her blog space to remember a very important lady who passed away recently. I am sorry to hear of your loss Karen, Eileen sounds a wonderful lady to have known.
So, that’s your lot. And what a wonderful lot it is too. If you have enjoyed the blogs this week, be sure to let the blogger know, a simple like, comment or share is really encouraging and motivating. If you have been motivated to write a blog for next week you can find out more about how to on our About page, it really is simple. Or if you have felt motivated to have a go at being a guest curator you can find out how to here, it really is simple – and very enjoyable.
This week’s entirely optional theme is based on Janet’s Urban Walk post. I encourage you to get outside, go for a walk, and take some photos of the interesting things you might see on your way, looking at objects differently, and share your photos in a blog post.
It’s me again next week, yeah, sorry about that. Until then, remember, I am not your Father, or something similar.
Summary of Week 14 posts
- Strengthening the Commitments – LD nursing in Scotland by Derek Barron
- Dear Flytipper. An open letter–just for you. by Jane McIntyre
- Rugby WAG, Rugby Widow. by Hannah Chia aka @SportingWag
- Where is your Social Media party? by Andy Johnson
- Settling in, month three by Scot Health Monthly
- Our Little Rocket by Shropshire Family Information Service
- Horndean 1935 Part II by Richard Overy
- Why blog? by Phil Jewitt
- Urban walk March 2013 by Janet Davis
- Bowel cancer: the great escape by Kenny McDonald
- SHARE: User generated content? Ask nicely… by Dan Slee
- Gin and cigarettes by Karen Hart
- “Was it not just an aeroplane?” by Stuart Macintosh
- Lesson from Nuka – the Alaskan healthcare system by Eddie Docherty via the Ayrshire Health blog
- Can You Teach Care? by Joseph Conaghan
- E-participation and storytelling by Participation Cymru
- Review: PALACE at Bethesda Theatre. by Clare White
- Peter’s Blog: Spotting (Part 1). by Peter Olding
- LIFE: How a town is using digital to connect by Dan Slee
- Ted Robbins, Textiles and 78rpms. My week of social media. by Chris Bolton
Working in local gov, managing a frontline service for families. I love Shropshire, love family and love information and blog about all three. There is also the occasional mention of cake and caek.
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