Do Follow Blogs - Im one, are you?

When you leave a comment on someones blog, it leaves them a link back to your profile for them to follow to visit yours. Nifty! But it doesnt count as a link for your blog -in search engine terms- because the templates most of us use, have a speck of code that prohibits that. How would you like to get around that?


Easy to understand instructions have been already been written by people more qualified than I am - so heres three links to get you started. Everything you need is on these three pages. Right, off you go then!

I follow at Randa Clay Designs
D-List at Courtney Tuttle
Removing 'nofollow' at Dummies Guide to Google Blogger


I do have comment moderation enabled, and I recomend that you do that too. We want to share links not spam. My comments policy is simple:

"Comments on this blog are made DOFOLLOW for the Google Spiders. Comments are moderated. Spam will not be tolerated."

That covers me from the spammers. With the comment moderation enabled, I have a chance to check out your blog before allowing the link to go live.

Yes folks! That means Im going to visit your blog if you leave a comment here.

Have fun on the net - and stay safe out there.


Aug 07 Edit: The comments policy is now displayed on the comment entry screen, and is worded largely the same as it is here - Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday - Leapin' Ringtail Lemur

Love these Ringtail Lemurs at the Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo NSW.

Happy WW - Did you play?

Far out Fungus

There was a break in the much needed rain, so I took my cuppa out for a stroll around the garden.

Noticing the splash of vivid red, I grumbled about the candy wrappers that always mysteriously appear in my front garden. Bending to pick up the suspect litter, I got my eyes closer to this....mini-monstrosity! Click the pic for a better view, if you dare.

Im fascinated and repulsed by it at the same time. Never, ever saw one of these before. Its so alien AND beautiful AND ugly - all at once. If I find out any info on it, I will edit this post to add it.

THANKS GOOGLE!! Its fungus alright - Aseroe Rubra. Want to know more? Visit MushroomExpert.com

Lampwork winter hiatus, Surgery, Ageing

I have four ruptured discs in my neck. They bulge out from between the bones and press on the spinal cord and nerve roots. As a result, not only does my neck really hurt, but my fingers and hands are usually completely numb and/or full of assorted pains.

Now, you can still do things with hands you cant feel. Its just that they will take much longer, and you need to exercise considerable care to avoid injury. This is why Ive always said "Iam not a prolific bead maker."

I dont let it stop me doing things, (like playing with fire to melt glass into beads). After all, a gal still has to chop veggies for dinner, mend socks, etc. So the way I see it, if I have to do things Im not really happy doing, then I might as well also do things that I am happy doing. But man, do I get frustrated with these limitations. I think that is the worst part of it all.

Over time Ive realized that it gets worse in the winter. This winter seems to be breaking all previous records. As a result, I will be making very few beads till spring.

There are at least two surgical options available to relieve these symptoms. However, with both of them there is a very high risk of quadriplegia. The neurosurgeon therefore deemed me 'not a candidate for surgery'. Now, I agree with him, in theory...although in my heart (and my hands!) I would really rather they just fixed it!

But it made me curious, so I asked: "Who is a candidate for a surgery with a risk of total paralysis?" He answered, "If you were 76 years old, you would be a candidate."

I had to take some time to process that...
Im too young to be paralyzed...ok, Im cool with that.
A 76 year old person is not too young to be paralyzed.....What?!
Well, I know what he is saying, but it seems so wrong. Ive got some ageing relatives, and you can bet I will be asking thier doctors plenty more questions about thier care and treatment.

But enough of those dark thoughts, if I live to see the day, my next appointment with the neurosurgeon is in the year 2039!

Sunday, Budgie Sunday...Goldie's Chicks June 17th

This first picture is of the youngest two chicks. They just left the nest yesterday afternoon, and had thier first night out on the perch. Today they will have thier first flying lessons!

In the picture below, you can see thier three older siblings. All three of these guys are flying well and are feeding themselves about 80% of the time. Goldie & Freebird are nearly done with thier parental duties.



So now we can tell we have chicks from both Freebird AND Gorgeous George. Tsk Tsk! But we shouldnt be too judgemental of Goldie. After all, Gorgeous George is an aptly named young stud, and being as it was his first chance to breed - well - he was trying to nail anything with feathers. In other words, Goldie didnt have a chance to resist him. Good thing Freebird has chosen to forgive and forget.

Please excuse the picture quality today, we are having wild weather and its just a bit too dark in the aviary for my light hungry camera.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Op-Ed: Sponsored Posts? Tell 'em they're dreamin'!!!

If you spend alot of time blogrolling around the internet, youve begun to see banners etc for the latest money spinning schemes like PayPerPost. Get paid to blog! Yeah sure - like I always wanted to grow up to be a shill*. Not.

Trouble with these things is, some bloggers dont make it clear that they are presenting a paid advert to thier readers. That bugs me in a big way. I think its important for folk to know when they are being sold to.

Some bloggers are giving you a fair-go by disclosing which of thier posts are 'sponsored'. But some insist that disclosure is not important.

How can it not be important? Every other media has laws or consumer protection groups which have rules to which these media must adhere. Just because this is the internet, doesnt mean that its a free-for-all-feeding-frenzy.

In the interest of my own transparency: Yes, I started blogging as a way to help people get to know me as a person/artist/decent human being, so they would feel more comfortable buying from me on the internet.

That was the plan, but for me the blog has developed a life of its own. Most people who buy my lampwork beads arent clicking over to the blog, and the blog readers arent really clicking over to the beads - so I feel free to work both as different 'art forms'. Since I very much like being free, and diverse - it suits me down to the ground.

Be careful out there folks!

* shill: to act as a spokesperson or promoter
DISCLAIMER: Im not omnipotent. These thoughts are only my opinion.

Wordless Wednesday - Rain Gems