The first post on a new website is always scary. I had the idea for this website a few years ago. Blogging looked like a fun activity and I wanted to share my love of Southwest England and South Wales with a wider audience. I have a degree in history and after I retired, I joined a local history walking group. We have been discovering more about our patch. and it is lovely to share my interests with other enthusiasts. I also love natural history and discovering more about the local plants and animals though I am no expert.
A few years ago I started another website theplatinumline which is growing well. No one could anticipate the events of 2020 We were suddenly in lockdown, and I was unable to explore. I had time to reflect on why I started blogging and why I enjoy it. I decided to start this website while I had plenty of free time and in the hope we would be able to get out out and about again.
I do have some experience writing about local places After I retired from nursing, I looked around for something else to do to fill my time and earn some pocket money. I discovered mystery shopping and had a wide variety of jobs including train rides, visits to National Trust properties and some restaurants. I also visited banks, post offices and shops. I had to take lots of photos and compile sometimes lengthy reports. A few years ago I had a few articles published in a nursing magazine and I wondered if I could use my notes for anything. A blog seemed ideal, you can grow it as slowly as you like, it grows at the pace you feed it. There are no deadlines.
The platinumline has evolved into a more general retirement blog and is now self-financing but I still want to write about my local area as I discover more of the history and wildlife.
Growing the Southwestrambler
The southwestrambler is going to be purely a hobby blog and I won’t be accepting sponsorship or advertising. I am an affiliate for getyourguide and if you book a trip through my link I get a small commission. It is a company I use myself and am happy to promote.
If you are the producer of a film, you imagine the audience for the first night in the cinema and that influences your choice of music, location and language. It also influences the type of marketing you undertake. There is no perfect recipe for success. I think do I want to do that and if the answer is no, I won’t do it. Obviously, I can’t throw everything out of the window but I won’t be dancing on Tic Tok unless I am in a hostage situation and they are forcing me to do it.
I suppose my ideal reader is retired, probably female with time on her hands and wants to explore the countryside and history around the Southwestof England. I hope I will also get some armchair travellers from overseas. You are all welcome. When I started there was a shortage of baby boomers in the blogging space. That is slowly changing but it is still seen as a young person’s game. I try to talk about topics that I think will interest my cohort. I was worried about my friends and family finding out but they know me and don’t expect me to be brilliant. I find they have mainly been supportive and I have been encouraged by the nice comments I have received.
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