This blog has been up and running for one year today! To be honest I never expected it to turn out as it has, and wondered if I’d last even a month with it…
This time last year I’d have expected to have the baseboards built by now and be well on the way to having much of the track down. Neither has happened for the simple reason that I also never expected to spend much of last year, and most of this year thus far, sitting in hospital wards with one of my daughters. With that in mind, I never expected I’d have schedule a post to publish at a future date (this post was written and set for publishing three days in advance) just in case I wasn’t here to do it.
At the time of writing this blog has had 12,538 all-time views (2,800 in 2011 already), with December 30th 2010 as the busiest day with 237 views. Search engines bring in a good number of visitors, recurring themes being obvious things like Smithfield, LBSCR, Great Eastern, Sondes, Metropolitan, etc, and referrals come in from a large number of railway and modelling sites and blogs, many of which appear in the sidebar – James Wells’ Eastmoor being the largest referrer of them all. There are also some strange referring sites (for example lindsaylohanblog and petbookreviews…) and some very dubious dating sites referring here too. Blimey.
Anyway, this time next year I should have the baseboards built and the track laid. I know that for a fact ‘cos someone else is building the track for me, and they’ll soon be writing a few posts about the trials and tribulations of researching the Permanent Way of the Metropolitan Railway and its widened lines, and the construction of it in ScaleSeven.
Anyway, a celebratory photo for the blog’s birthday. Taken at the Queens beerhouse in Rhodeswell Road, Limehouse, the VR in coloured lamps on the first floor and a date of June 1897 gives the game away: Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Nothing like a good knees’ up in the East End!
Pass the jellied eels…
February 19, 2011 at 8:48 am
Happy Birthday to BF,
happy birthday to BF and crew,
happy beerday dear “raise a glass”,
happy birthday to….
BF, AL, SS et al,
Hercules the ‘orse,
Mary Smith and fellow puffers..
Well done sir! An interesting read for all of the original posts and an entertaining time with the many illuminating comments.
To the next celebration!
February 19, 2011 at 5:07 pm
Hold on young man (well, actually one year older young man)…. the first post to the journal was dated 17th February (according to the Feb 2010 archive).
Must make sure that the scribes are paying attention when at their desks in the office, if you are not careful they will miss the Olympics next year. And BTW, what was the date of the last time that the East End of London celebrated a world-class event down in the Ward of Basilica Without?
regards, Graham
February 19, 2011 at 7:49 pm
Good job I’ve got a TARDIS handy. I went back and posted this on the 17th.
As I said previously, history can be re-written…