BECOMING A TEENAGER | SPLODZ BLOGZ TURNS 13

Splodz Blogz, this little corner of the internet I call my own, turns 13 years old today. It’s becoming a teenager!

Don’t worry, this isn’t a long post written as an excuse to link back to hundreds of previous posts (you’ve got my Year in Review post for that!). Rather, it’s simply a publicly published note to celebrate a milestone and give me something to look back on later.

All photos in this post taken on my New Year’s Day sunrise walk on Sunday morning.

Splodz Blogz is a Teenager!

While Splodz Blogz turning 13 won’t mean my first armpit hair, painful growth spurts or random hormonal wobbles (!), it does represent a coming of age in some ways. Thirteen somehow seems very old in this world of online publishing. Wait, let’s use established rather than old.

Starting back in 2010, life was very different. This blog started as a place to share my photo-a-day challenge, one of the (hundreds) of things that was on my original bucket list. It’s quite an interesting thing to look back at it now – those random and not-exactly-Instagram-worthy iPhone 3G photos are something to behold!

It’s been through so many iterations since then. At one time I wrote about food most of the time, sharing recipes and interesting ingredients. I’ve also accepted and reviewed some really random product samples, such as a pair of FitFlops, cinnamon flavoured Pringles, a Yantra Mat, Fab Ice Lollies, Radius Toothbrushes, a computer mouse in the shape of a Mini Cooper, and much more. These days, Splodz Blogz has grown and developed into an outdoors and experience focused blog, with a big dose of normal life thrown in for good measure. Much more me. And I kind of like the way it looks at the moment.  

A Mainstay

I’ve commented before, that by the time blogs reach even double figures, let alone become teenagers, they have generally gone one of two ways. They have either fizzled out because their owners have moved onto something new and different, or they are wage-earning beasts with big followings, sponsorship deals, spin-off e-books and events, cool merchandise, and at a couple of awards on their homepage.

Splodz Blogz is neither of those.

But it has been a mainstay of my life for all this time. I might not have religiously published twice a week – dabbling in daily posting at times, while at other times leaving it a week or two between posts – but it’s been part of my thinking constantly.

Despite genuinely finding it harder and harder to find the time and headspace for my favourite hobby, and not breaking into the world of the big bloggers, I do love this blogging thing. Splodz Blogz is my little corner of the internet where I can write about things that please me and share them with anyone who fancies reading.

Rise and Return

I’ve been wondering about this blogging thing more than ususal in the last few weeks. I’ve gotten back into a rhythm of posting regularly, and even though I’m still catching up on 2021 and 2022 adventures, it feels like the writing is flowing – and there are people reading.

I do wonder if 2023 will see the rise and return of the humble blog? You know, long form real-life musings, sharing short and personal stories of experiences and things, life and loves. Over the last three- or four-years, short form content and well edited videos have somewhat taken over this space, but it feels like more words are coming back into fashion once again. Here’s hoping that writing – and reading – is making a comeback. It certainly has me hooked still.

Celebrate with Me

I don’t know what will happen to the blogging space over the next 12 months, but I fully expect to continue with what I’m doing here on Splodz Blogz. You’ll get musings on spending time outdoors, road trip reports, stories about travel and having adventures, reviews of gear and experiences, and a bit of normal life thrown in for good measure.

And, you know, there may be other things thrown in too – I’ve been thinking about a One Hour Outside podcast for at least a couple of years, maybe this is the time to start it?! I’ll stick to my commitment of catching up on those adventure journals first.

Want to help me celebrate my 13th birthday? Like posts, subscribe (stick your email address in the box at the bottom of this page), add a comment or ask a question, and let other people you know when you read something that makes you smile.

Thank you for continuing to read my ramblings.