An extended absence, an explanation?

This title is misleading, as I don’t really have an explanation. I do have some confusing, unclear thoughts to share though, if you’re down for some of that!

I’m something of a perfectionist. Throughout the years I’ve learned to tame that aspect of my personality a bit but it definitely lurks in the corner of my thoughts a lot and occasionally steers me in my decision-making. What that means for this blog is that I feel this desire to publish only the best posts I can produce – the most polished, if you will, with pictures, a clear theme, and perhaps an informative aspect too. I really enjoy creating these posts and like to look back on what I’ve published since I started this little blog in February … But, on the other hand, a job, social commitments, and – let’s face it – life in general don’t necessarily make for lovely photographs or light and yet informative writing. (There are only so many pictures of coffee or rainy skies or the five Excel sheets currently open on my computer that I could reasonably pass off as ‘content’!) When I don’t have pictures, or when I don’t have a specific theme, I feel in a way that I don’t have anything ‘worthy’ of publishing.

I vacillate between wanting to keep my posts more formal and wanting to share more general thoughts or observations, or humorous anecdotes. My perfectionistic tendencies make it hard for me to imagine a blog in which both sorts of posts are possible. Which is stupid!

I do want to write more often, but what I would be writing is still a bit fuzzy in my head. I guess with blogging you have to figure out how personal you want to be, and how polished too. While I’m working on figuring out that balance, I’ve joined the crew over on DutchReview, where I’ve so far published two posts. I’m really enjoying that so far!

I know there are a few readers out there who remain anonymous to me but who return fairly frequently, and this post is mostly for you guys. Not really an explanation for my absence, I guess, but maybe a form of apology. Basically, I appreciate that you keep coming back and I’m sorry for my inconsistency in posting.

On a less confusing note, my oldest and wonderful friend Catherine came to stay with Pieter and I for a week and so I’ll be writing about that soon. Highlights will include Zwarte Piet on a hydraulic sea-scooter of sorts, typical Dutch treats, and a magnificently hilarious vintage fur coat. Cat’s already blogged a bit about her time with us, so if you’re interested check that out here!

Thanks for reading!
Best

Sophie