Heelis Voice


I had a nice surprise when I turned up for my regular volunteer day at the National Trust yesterday (see picture - note how the building matched yesterday's weather). The latest edition of Heelis Voice, a quarterly newsletter for HQ volunteers, is out and I have an article published :)
I was asked to write it just before Christmas with a day's deadline and then completely forgot I'd done it. The National Trust are starting to look at new ways of communicating with volunteers and were interested in hearing about my blogging experiences. I could have written lots more, but had a limit of about 300 words to play with:
"I have a (not so) secret alter ego. She’s called VP and resides in cyberspace on the blog I started in November. She’s not so different to me, but I’ve emphasised my more positive, humorous attitudes. I’ve also thrown in some thoughtful insights for good measure. Here’s a further confession: my blog might not quite have the right name as it contains much more than it suggests. Why even the National Trust has a few mentions. Even so I rather like the name, so Veg Plotting it is.
I started blogging out of curiosity. I also wanted to replace my Christmas round robin with something more fun, interactive and frequent to keep in touch. It sounds rather grand and complicated doesn’t it? Well no, it’s surprisingly easy to do. I could have programmed my own website (difficult - I have absolutely no skills in this area) or researched extensively into what’s available. However, my impatience to get started got the better of me, so like many others I signed up with Blogger, for free. I was up and running in 5 minutes and was instantly hooked.
If you keep a diary, enjoy creative writing, or have a passionate belief in something you want to tell the world about, then blogging could be for you. Scared of taking the plunge? Just have a look at my blog, better still leave a comment - I’d love to start a conversation with you. Alternatively, you can blogsearch the internet on any topic of interest and find a whole community of like-minded people out there. Or if you’d prefer to talk to someone, I’m in Heelis most Mondays. I’m the one with the purple notebook, in readiness for blogging inspiration to hit me!"

Comments

  1. dND22 January 2008 at 17:57

    Hi VP,

    Followed your link from Tiny Farm and love your site. I used to live just up the road from you in Gloucestershire. I'm missing my spring visit to Laycock (avoiding the summer throng), and the Aconites look so lovely, I'm going to have to get some here once I've got the vegetables sorted.

    I got my seed order through the other day and like you have got some Midnight runner violas. I love them and had some in the UK years ago from Chiltern Seeds.

    I love Loreena McKennitt too, I find her wonderful to listen to when working on the computer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. VP23 January 2008 at 10:39

    Hi dnd - thanks for the comment! I've had a peek at your site and I'm in awe of what you and Mike from TFB are doing. I love your Alpacas - a farm near us in Malmesbury has them and I'm looking forward to a closer look at their open day next year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. dND24 January 2008 at 12:38

    I know the place you mean. I never quite got there as I only found out about them when I was in the throws of doing up my dad's house to sell and getting ready to move out here.

    I've been told they are really nice people and it should be an enjoyable day. I've also got friends with alpacas a bit closer to you, Wotton Bassett way, but I don't think they do open days.

    ReplyDelete
  4. VP25 January 2008 at 11:23

    Hi dnd - it's a small world isn't it? I'll look out for the 1 in WB too...

    ReplyDelete

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