Today’s wonderful prompt over at The Gallery (on Sticky Fingers) is ‘Nature‘. Tara says it’s an easy prompt and we should all love her for choosing it! She’s right, although it’s very difficult to decide what picture to pick!

The choice of picture is important today, because it’s a special Gallery this week. There is a prize. A lovely, yummy, chocolatey prize no less! It has been a while since I uploaded any new pictures to my Flickr. I have loads to be edited, but I hadn’t got around to doing them. Then yesterday, I edited a batch of flower pictures I took in the garden over the last few days – good timing, eh?

At the bottom of the garden, we have some flowers. I have discovered this morning (thanks to my Plurky friends) that they are Day Lilies. They are somewhat unusual, in that they are all double blooms.

How pretty is that?

Even more special, is that these lilies were not actually planted there. In fact, I’m not too sure how they came to be there at all. They just appeared at some point over the last couple of years and now they are growing there quite happily, adding a wonderful splash of colour to that end of the garden.

Maybe a bird dropped a seed. Maybe they were blown in on the wind. Isn’t that a lovely thought? These little seeds – maybe even one seed – blowing along on the breeze until it lands and starts to grow. Blooming into this stunningly beautiful flower, a rarity among its own kind.

What are the chances?

How wonderful is nature, in its random perfection.

How unpredictable. How beautiful. How amazing.

That this beautiful plant would find its way into a garden where it could grow, and thrive, and live – and pose for my camera! It is a gift. A gift from nature to those who appreciate its glory and beauty.

Here are some more of the pictures I shot of this astonishingly beautiful flower:

I couldn’t go without sharing those with you!

What gifts do you see around you, today?

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You may remember that at the beginning of the 31DBBB challenge, I analysed my blog statistics using a variety of methods. Well, the time has now come to see what one week of this challenge has done for those stats.

To be honest with you, I wasn’t particularly optimistic. I’m one of those people who pretends not to be bothered about the stats, while watching them out of the corner of my eye and wondering what I’m doing wrong. Why aren’t they going up? Why did I lose followers on Twitter? And why oh why does the FeedBurner count fluctuate so drastically??

Admit it.

You do it, too.

Bearing that in mind, I tentatively decided to go ahead and look at this week’s stats. Here goes nothing…

Huh.

It’s not as complicated as it looks, honest! And you know what? I’m actually pretty pleased with the way my stats have performed this week.

Almost everything is on the up (except the bounce rate, but that being down is actually a good thing!). The only stats that performed badly were my percentage of new visits, and my Alexa rank. I’m not sure the new visits is that big of a deal – because it means that more people are returning for a second (or even third!) look at the blog, which is great. Thank You! And as for the Alexa rank, well, I really didn’t know much about that before the challenge started – and I still don’t!

Now I’m just terrified that they will all be bad next week – and also I really hope that they don’t revert as soon as this challenge is over!

More important than the stats, though, are the ladies I have already met through this challenge – and the people I have yet to meet. What an awesome bunch we are, huh? I am already sure that I have made some firm friends, and I have definitely come across some blogs that now have a well-deserved spot in my Reader.

All of which is far more important than what the statistics are doing.

In my opinion.

Which is correct.

Obviously.

Oh, and just a quick heads-up for you guys. August is my bloggy birthday! That’s right, on the 16th August, The Thought Bubble will turn 1! Can you believe it? Part of me can’t believe we’re a year old already…and part of me can’t believe I’ve been going for only a year!

In honour of this most auspicious event, I have decided to dedicate the whole month of August to the celebrations! There will be (my first ever) giveaways (donations and ideas gratefully received), fun and games…and a special little something for the 16th itself. Obviously I can’t do this without you…it would be a little pointless to be sitting here drinking the cocktails on my own.

Although…

Stay tuned for details…you do not want to be missing this

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Today’s task for 31DBBB is to write a link post. This is basically a post that highlights posts that other bloggers have written. Posts that are relevant and interesting, and that you think would be of benefit to your readers.

Now, I know you guys are a pretty discerning bunch of people. I also know that you’re really good about showing support and love for fellow bloggers, which is great! I’ve done a few link posts in the past, without really thinking too much about what they were!

Today, however, I am going to link to five blogs that I have come across this week, from fellow 31DBBB participants. These blogs are well-written, thoughtful, and I genuinely want to share them with you. Please consider visiting at least a couple of them – they are well worth the extra few minutes, I promise!

• Little Bit Quirky – I visited this site because it is aimed at parents of ASD kids, and I figured it might be one to dip into occasionally. I am so glad I did. It’s one of my new favourite blogs. Funny, insightful, heart-wrenching – I honestly have trouble wrenching myself away from reading it. It’s not only relevant to Chipmunk, either. Cheryl is raising a daughter who has Asperger’s and I tell you, reading some of her posts, it’s like watching myself grow up. See now, I’m tearing up just typing this. I cannot get enough of this blog. Really. Please read it. You will totally love her.

• Digital Woe – Apart from being the epitome of absolute fabulousness when it comes to everything stats-related, Lynda also showcases some amazing photography on her site. In fact, she is a one-stop resource for pretty much everything you could ever want to know about blogging. And starting out in photography. And on top of all that? She is a lovely, kind, genuine lady. And the reason I am now more desperate then ever for a macro lens!

• Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman – Gotta love a girl who takes a Britney lyric and makes it all her own! Patrice is sweet and funny. Also, she shares my philosophy that not every 31DBBB task requires a post, hence dramatically cutting down on the amount of work required to complete the challenge. That’s gotta be a win, right?

• Nic’s Notebook – Nicola’s is a new blog and I really think you should jump right in with her at the beginning! She is lovely and chatty – always the first to say hello on Twitter! Plus, she has a brand-new ultra-cute puppy (I know, and I’m a cat person!) and she just posted a yummy recipe! A very promising start and hopefully 31DBBB will give her the following she deserves.

• The Mommie Confessions – A blog that every parent needs to read. Her recent post on the hypocrisy of being a mother is wonderful – and so true! Another new blog, but one that I’m willing to bet is going places – fast!

So, those are my five blogs for linky love. I wish I had time to read and link everyone’s. Maybe I’ll start a ‘featured blog find’ section or something!

Now, go read.

Go on.

Shoo!

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Today was the last day of the school year, and I gotta tell you, it’s been a bit of a roller-coaster!

Those of you who have been with us since the beginning will be aware of our ups and downs. For everyone else, here’s a brief summary:

July 2009: Last day of term. Chipmunk is finally diagnosed with High-Functioning ASD (Asperger’s), after I fought for a referral and then waited a year for the Paediatric assessment.

July 2009 – February 2010: Chipmunk is diagnosed with many other conditions, including hypermobility, delayed muscle development, retained primary reflexes and an inability to visualise in 3D.

September 2009: Chipmunk starts in Mrs. Jones’ class (Year 2). She is firm but fair. She is ‘old-school’, which is what Chipmunk needs. Unfortunately, the early part of the school year is characterised by mis-communication (or just no communication at all) between the SENCO and Mrs. Jones. She is left out of the loop, I then feel she is not doing things properly, and a bad atmosphere starts to develop.

February 2010: The unspoken bad feeling culminates in a sarcastic comment left by Mrs. Jones in Chipmunk’s home/school link book. I write An Open Letter to Mrs Jones.

February – July 2010: The situation drastically improves. Mrs. Jones and I bypass the SENCO and have all necessary discussions face-to-face. Chipmunk is settled and happy. Mrs. Jones feels appreciated. I feel listened to.

Nobody knows or cares what the SENCO is doing.

23 July 2010: End of Term. End of Year 2. End of Chipmunk’s time with Mrs. Jones.

This is what happened today…

The little boy stood at the top of the classroom steps, scanning the sea of faces for his mother. Catching sight of her, he carefully made his way down the four stone steps – the ones that his teacher had spent most of the last year practising with him. Up and down, up and down. On and on until he was confident, until he could negotiate the steps on his own.

Watching him descend the steps towards her, his mother remembered how the teacher would stand and watch him from the classroom door, always smiling and clapping when he made it safely to the bottom. As he ran in his own, unique way towards her, she smiled at his grinning face and sparkling eyes. Always the last out of the classroom, today he was one of the first. He was excited and happy, clutching his lunchbox and his drink – and his book bag full of edible delights from his teacher and teaching assistants, as well as the rest of his school work from the year.

They were about to leave, when he pulled on his mother’s arm and stopped walking. Looking earnestly into her face, he said:

“I forgot to tell her I’ll miss her. I need to tell her.”

His mother nodded, and they walked back towards the classroom. The teacher was inside the door by now, checking on the stragglers, making sure everything was collected and accounted for. Looking after her charges until the very last moment.

As his mother waited at the bottom of the steps, she watched her boy slowly but deliberately climb back up to the top. He approached his teacher and stopped in front of her. Never one to make himself heard, he waited for her to notice him. When she looked over at him, he smiled and said simply: “I’ll miss you, Mrs. Jones”. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she smiled and said: “And I will miss you too, Chipmunk”.

He grinned. That was enough for him.

His task completed, the small boy gathered his things together and made his way down the classroom steps for the last time. His mother met him at the bottom and took his hand once more. Looking up, she saw the teacher standing at the top of the steps. Leaning on the guard rail, she was watching them leave. Catching the teacher’s eye, she silently mouthed two words: Thank You.

The older woman nodded, turned, and walked away.

The small boy and his mother left the playground. The small boy chattering and laughing. His mother quiet, reflecting.

Happy.

And Sad.

But mostly thankful – for Mrs. Jones.

I wonder what Year 3 will bring…

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Yes, it’s the fourth day of the 31DBBB challenge. Don’t panic, you didn’t miss the third post! Yesterday’s challenge was to promote a post that we had written, rather than actually writing a new one. So that’s what I did. I hope you stopped in to check out The Gallery though, it was a great prompt from Tara (over at Sticky Fingers) yesterday!

Firstly, the blog-hop. This was the brilliant idea of Jennifer over at She’s a Fit Chick. It’s a list of some of the blogs participating in the 31DBBB challenge (so if you’re doing the challenge, add your blog!) and it’s a great way of getting to know people. Unfortunately, I signed up and then forgot to add the linky to my blog.

Oops! Sorry Jennifer!

*grovels*

So here it is, belatedly:

Don’t forget to visit your fellow participants and leave some comment love and encouragement – it will be very welcome, I’m sure!

The post I decided to promote (for yesterday’s challenge, do keep up at the back there!) was this one: An Open Letter to Mrs Jones – how do you approach your child’s teacher when it’s all going wrong?

It’s already on the Featured Content carousel at the top of the page, but I felt it was worthy of a little more hype. Partly because it’s a post I’m really proud of – both from a writing point of view, but also because of the ‘real-life’ results that were achieved because of it. Also, it is the time of year when kids are changing classes or schools, getting to know new teachers and maybe being out of the system for a few weeks. If this post helps in any way, however small, then that’s a good thing!

On to today’s challenge… Analysing a successful blog in my niche.

Huh.

What is my niche?

Do I have a niche?

Why do I have to be stuck in a box?

I like being one of those aimless bloggers. A wandering spirit, writing about anything and everything that interests, fascinates or disgusts me. Do I really want to be tied down?

The answer is no. I don’t. I like being free.

Lynda (Digital Woe) came up with a fantastic list of participating bloggers and their various niches.

{Incidentally, this lady is amazing. The amount of work she has done to make this challenge fun, interesting and easier for her fellow bloggers is nothing short of astonishing. You need to go check her out, and maybe say a big ‘Thank You’ too}

Lynda allows you to select three niches – better than being boxed into one, but I’m not sure it really covers it for me! I chose Family, Photography (as I link to bubbleboo Photography here) and Writing (because of The Writer’s Bubble).

What else am I about though?

How many other niches could I fit into?

Off the top of my head:

• Disability
• Caring
• Autism/Asperger’s
• Single Parenthood
• Reviews/PR
• Politics (occasionally!)
• News
• Humour (well, I think I’m funny)

I’m sure if I sat and thought about it a bit longer, I could think of plenty more!

How do I go about analysing another blog in my niche, when I really don’t think I have a niche?

And then, I had a flash of inspiration (I know, it happens sometimes). I will analyse another non-niche blog. One that covers many areas, but is not confined to any one thing in particular. One that is written by a parent, a writer, an artist. One that I love beyond most others.

Sleep is for the Weak

If you are not reading Josie, you should be. Her Writing Workshop (affiliated with the fabulous Mama Kat’s Writing Workshop) is excellent (which reminds me, I need to do that later) and her photography rocks.

But her blog is more than that. Much, much more. She brings all her inspirations together and makes them sing out at you from the screen.

If there is one person I wish I could write like, it’s Josie.

If I can become a tenth as good as her, I will be happy.

I hope she doesn’t mind me stalking analysing her for a while I’ll be really quiet Josie, I promise!

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The Gallery prompt that Tara has given us this week is a pretty tough one. It is, essentially, to illustrate a favourite book using a photograph.

Like I said – tough!

Firstly, choosing the book was a struggle. I have a lot of favourites. Books from my childhood, books from my teens, books from my adulthood. And now, of course, books from Chipmunk’s childhood, too.

I decided to go with one from the last category. Partly because it is a book that both Chipmunk and I fell in love with as soon as we read it (my review of it is here, if you are interested enough to go and read it!)

Another reason for choosing this book, is that I already have the perfect picture to illustrate it, so the effort I’m putting in is minimal. A good thing, when you consider that I still have to do my Writing Workshop post at some point, and also have a 31DBBB daily task to get finished!

If you were wondering how I managed to get my Gallery post up so flipping early, that’s your answer – I had no other choice!

The book I chose to illustrate is Kaspar: Prince of Cats, by the astonishing talent that is Michael Morpurgo. It’s a fitting book to choose for this blog (Feline Friday, anyone?) and also it is just a wonderful piece of children’s literature.

The story is basically about a boy, a girl and a cat. Set in the early part of the 20th Century, themes of friendship, love and loss are explored with a care and gentleness that belies the fact that this is a book written for children.

Chipmunk adored this book.

I adored this book.

This is my Gallery picture for today:

Now, if you haven’t already, take an hour out of your day to read the book. You won’t regret doing so.

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So, yesterday went well, I thought.

It did, didn’t it?

Don’t you think?

By ‘well’, I obviously mean that I actually managed to get it done. And before midnight.

So yes, it went well.

*nods*

On to today’s challenge…

(Is it only Day 2? Really?)

Today’s challenge was to write a post in list format, or at least with some kind of list in it. Hmm. I’m just going to come right out now and say that I really am not a fan of list posts. At all.

Yes, I have occasionally been known to write list posts, but it happens infrequently and they are not the easiest posts for me to write. Probably because I tend to waffle. Rather a lot. You might have noticed that.

Apparently ‘essay-style’ posts can be a bunch of messy text. I beg to differ. I always justify my text so that it’s neat, tidy and easy to read. So there. I’m OCD like that. (Those that know me know that’s just the tip of the iceburg!)

So, what subject to pick? For my list. You remember. Up there ↑ somewhere!

In the past, I have been rather drawn to the odd ‘Inspirational Quote of the Day’. No, not an odd quote. I mean sometimes I post a quote… Oh, never mind.

I therefore decided that for my list I would share some uplifting quotes with you, in the hope that not only will it complete my task, but also that it might brighten your day a little

bubbleboo’s List of Inspirational Quotations:

(catchy, eh?)

*Ahem*

1. A Get-Off-Your-Butt Quote:

Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.

〜 Mark Twain

2. A How-To-Live-Life Quote:

I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.

〜 Maya Angelou

3. A Get-Over-Yourself Quote:

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.

〜 Dalai Lama

4. A Keep-Your-Chin-Up Quote:

If they can make penicillin out of mouldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.

〜 Muhammad Ali

5. A Get-Back-Out-There-And-Show-Them-What-You’re-Made-Of Quote:

Don’t aim for success if you want it. Just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.

〜 David Frost

So, there you go. A little list and a little inspiration, all rolled into one.

Can’t wait for tomorrow’s challenge!

Well, it can’t be worse than that.

Can it?

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For those of you not in the know (for that, read: that I haven’t been wittering on to for the last few days!) I am taking part in a challenge!

Yes, I know. Me. A challenge. But I am.

For the next thirty-one (count ‘em) days, I (and around 400(!) other crazy slightly insane amazing women) am participating in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge. Originally written by the inspirational Darren Rowse (yes, I am going for extra Brownie-points) this challenge has been put forward by the fabulous Nirvana Mamma and is being supported by those most excellent ladies over at SITS, using their Blog Frog Community.

Basically, there is a daily task – a few tips and then something to actually do to help improve your bloggy skills. I am actually really excited about this – and an added bonus of doing it with so many other people is all the great community spirit and support that is already being built up around this. It’s already brilliant fun!

I decided to take a leaf out of Jennifer (She’s a Fit Chick) and Lynda (Digital Woe)’s books, and take a look at what my blog stats are doing during this challenge.

It will be really, really embarrassing if they go down.

*Ahem*

So, I will be analysing them week by week, and this is what they looked like today, before I started:

Now, I know that stats aren’t the be-all and end-all of blogging. It’s about the honesty, the integrity, the connection with your readers. But let’s just be honest for a minute here. Who doesn’t want to know just how many of those readers there are??

Exactly.

That’s why.

So, with that out of the way (and who knew stats could be so FUN?? Why didn’t anyone tell me this before??) today’s challenge was this: To write an elevator pitch for your blog.

Basically, this just means a quick couple of sentences to let people know what you’re about and what they can expect with you. As well as drawing them in and chaining them up so they can never leave giving them a nice cup of coffee and entertaining them for a while.

I used my tagline (up there on the header) as my starting point, and then edited it a little bit.

Before I knew where I was, I had a whole new ‘About‘ page, too! (Which you can go click on in a minute, because I just know you’re dying to read it!)

So this, for your delectation and delight, is my Elevator Pitch (drumroll please):

Take one mum {that would be me}… one Chipmunk {my dearest, darling boy}… and the ups and downs of life living with autism {small ‘a’ please}. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad – often completely off-topic!

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Ah yes, it’s Gallery time again. That wonderful weekly wander through our photographic memories.

It’s something a little bit different this week. We had to take a picture from an obscure angle, and see if anyone could work out what it was. I completely forgot this, and so I am using a picture I took while we were in the New Forest for the weekend (more of which later).

First, I shall show you a zoomed-in version of the picture and give you a few hints. Then I’ll reveal what the picture actually is!

So, here’s the zoomed version:

Here are your clues:

• I am a living thing (or part of it!)
• I inspired a well-known Disney movie
• I am all the better to see you with…

Do you know what it is yet??

And here’s the actual picture:

Sorry?

Why yes, it is in jigsaw format! How clever of you to notice!

You didn’t think I was just going to let you scroll down to find the answer, did you?

Tsk.

You really should know me better by now!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s Gallery. As always, don’t forget to visit Sticky Fingers and add yourself to the linky if you’re playing – and visit some others to see what their take on this week’s Rolf Harris-inspired theme was!

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Yes, yes, I am here! This week has been rather manic and I’m afraid Feline Friday completely slipped my mind until about four o’clock this morning! I am now back from the school run and breakfasted, so let’s get on with things shall we?

First up, a reminder of what it’s all about:

The Rules:

Some weeks I’ll give you a prompt to use. Other weeks we’ll be doing it freestyle! Don’t have a cat? Doesn’t matter! Steal Borrow one  Failing that, improvise! Hate cats? What?! Begone!

It could be a photo. It could be a story. If you’re feeling particularly artistic, it could be a drawing/painting/collage! Who says it has to be a domestic kitty? Have a tiger in your back garden? Perfect! Use your imagination – get your kids involved! This meme is all about having fun. Oh, and the cats. Mustn’t forget the cats!

If you decide to take part, please add your post to the linky at the bottom of this post. That way I know who’s playing, and we can all visit each other and leave those lovely comments we all seem to be a little bit obsessed in love with! The linky will open on Friday morning and close on Thursday, ready for the next day’s meme. So, if it takes you a while to do your post, that’s absolutely fine. Maybe you could use a wet weekend to do a fabulous art project with the kids!

Are we all ok with that? Good. Great. Right then.

We’re freestyling it again this week, as I haven’t thought of a theme. Also, Kitty has been rather less than obliging this week, so I blame him entirely for the rather haphazard nature of week seven.

Week Seven.

Already!

Where does the time go, huh?

I just have a picture for you this week:

Kitty loves to snuggle. He also loves the spot on the top of that chair. In the interests of hygiene, the chair has a blanket on the top which Kitty adores! Unfortunately, the blankets get so covered in cat hair that washing them is a nightmare and they are invariably dumped. Anyone have any tips to prevent excessive moulting??

As always, if you take part (and I really hope you do as I get quite disheartened when numbers drop off, hint hint!) please sign the linky below. Then go and visit your fellow cat crazies to share a little feline love!

That’s it, see you next week

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