Tuesday, October 05, 2010

5 Fab Years of Waffletude

An allusion, natch, to that masterpiece 100 Years of Solitude, but there the comparison ends between the writing of the great Gabriel García Márquez and my wee blog. Still, it's been five years, almost to the day - it was 4 Oct 2005 when I wrote my first post.

It's all Keith Eckstein's fault, this. He's been mentioning a lot of bloggiversaries recently which got me thinking about when I started, remembering vaguely it was in October. So, a brief foray into my archives, and there it was, the First Post Ever.

I had just moved into my current house and was enjoying my new found freedom after splitting up with my husband (his idea) a couple of years previously. In France, you can't just up sticks and leave, or you can, but you lose your right to your home, having effectively 'abandoned' it. So I had to stay, with the boys, until we sold it. The judge had ordered my ex-h out a few months previously but he had access whenever he wanted it. This induced a level of stress which was unbearable. The French system is so sadistic, making a bad situation worse by obliging people who want to split to stay together in animosity and sometimes violence until the judge orders one to leave. Even then, the one who goes is allowed to come back, or threaten to come back, thus waging a war of mental attrition which is incredibly stressful and damaging.

The day I moved of the family home of horror was the beginning of the rest of my life. The boys were 9 and 5 and delighted with their new home and its easy access to friends locally and safe semi-rural environment. I was free.

It was this new life I wanted to log, just because I could, at last.

What have the last five years meant? Rediscovering my self - you can easily get lost in a bad marriage with someone who doesn't want you the way you are... I'm now back to normal, but it took a few years! What have the last five years brought? More than I could have hoped for! I have some fab friends, I met my TWDB, l'homme de ma vie, who introduced me to the joys of motorbiking, and my agent who has got me working on writing projects ranging from the Royal Albert Hall's Showtime, exam stuff, interactive Flipcharts, Slim the Ogre story builder, and Floppy the Monster, all published.

What does blogging mean to me? It means meeting some lovely online fellow bloggers, reading the interesting blogs of others, expressing myself when I want to, and enjoying the feedback I get from readers. I'm not out to change the world or provide a service; I'll criticise if I want and rant if I want because sometimes it's just good to get it off your chest. Blogging is my personal space, another arrow to my bow of freedom.


  1. Sorry, Sarah - most things are, actually, my fault (although I'm not to blame for Smallpox, The Great Fire of London or the Six Days War - no matter what people say!

    I'll try to remember to sort out a Bloggiversay award for you next Tuesday!

    Happy Bloggiversary anyway!

    All the best


  2. LOL Keith, I know the feeling. Being a mother, one's place is in the wrong!

    Seems like quite a few of us started five or so years ago. Autumn is a busy, dynamic month obviously, where we make plans and get moving.

    Thanks for the bloggieversay wishes :)

  3. I enjoy your blog so much....real life in France from a lively, independent thinker.

    And congratulations again on the books....just do find time to blog when you're rich and famous....please?

  4. Thank you very much, Fly, the feeling is reciprocated!

    I think I have some time to go yet before I'm rich and famous so I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. No breath-holding necessary! :)


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