15 years of Paperponderings

 This morning as I looked at my phone a reminder came up as 'blog anniversary'. I thought oh, that's nice, and then counted the years and thought again, 'that's a lot of years'

Next Tuesday's post is the one I had planned for today but when I started to think about it I thought the anniversary day deserved its own post, so here we go. This photo is just a lovely photo to do with Tuesday's post!

Back on 16 June 2009 I wrote my very first ever blog post on Paperponderings. Over time the blog has chronicled my progress as an artist, my process and its many twists and turns, and the things I have made and created. It has kept track of my travels and moments of beauty in the sky, in the garden, in the mountains, along the roadside,  on the kitchen bench and by the sea.

Paperponderings has become my most precious resource for recalling where and when I did things, and made things. I come back to it time and again to check how I went about making something, and to check dates when I am required to include a piece in some story.

I am forever grateful that I began this blog, and for the joyful journey it has been thus far. And also for the folk who have been with me on and off across the 15 years, who have read, commented, provided advice and suggestions and let me know they are out there. 

Many a friendship has been formed by blogging, some of whom I have met face to face; others who I may never meet in person; but the support and exchanges between us is a source of great joy and comfort.

In this post on the 10th anniversary, I went back over a decade of posts from the date closest to the anniversary date and found such an interesting random collection of reminders I decided I would do it again for the past 4 years and see what I have been up to.

On Tuesday 16 June 2020 we were in the early stages of learning what a global pandemic meant. This post was about gecko poo which is odd, but a great story about how to make things out of mistakes (or misadventures...). The work that emerged from this episode is now in the State Library of Queensland collection.

On Thursday 17 June 2021 I have a Thursday Thoughts post, which had me cry-laughing apparently! But the words and the image are reminiscent of our short mini-break a few weeks ago; the timings eerily similar. Same place, same view, same routine...

Thursday 16 June 2022 saw another Thursday Thoughts land on the actual date. Pondering thoughts about flowers and fleeting moments, and moments of beauty. I sense that has been a bit of a regular theme in Thursday Thoughts over the years.

Thursday 15 June 2023 just a year ago and the date closest lands yet again on a Thursday! This was interesting to revisit as we begin the countdown plan for Scotland and my mind has turned to art there and thinking about art and walking...

And so to 16 June 2024, where the posts either side of the anniversary are about stitching and an exhibition in Scotland.

Paperponderings has actually been archived by Pandora, a growing collection of Australian online publications, established initially by the National Library of Australia in 1996, and now built in collaboration with nine other Australian libraries and cultural collecting organisations. 

The name, PANDORA, is an acronym that encapsulates their mission: Preserving and Accessing Networked Documentary Resources of Australia.

 It forms part part of the National Library of Australia's ongoing work to identify and record the virtual, as well as the physical, records of our lifetimes.

With thanks to all who follow and enjoy; and with hopes that I can continue to record my ponderings, my progress and my wonder at the world for a few more years.