{"id":13871,"date":"2015-10-25T13:37:16","date_gmt":"2015-10-25T13:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/greensideup.ie\/?p=13871"},"modified":"2015-10-25T13:37:16","modified_gmt":"2015-10-25T13:37:16","slug":"blogging-friends-and-greenside-up-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greensideup.ie\/blogging-friends-and-greenside-up-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Blogging, Friends and the Future of Greenside Up"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span><\/p>\n I began blogging almost six years ago and the experience has brought me on an amazing journey. I’ve made some special friends, met a tremendous amount of talented people and learnt even more from them all.<\/span><\/p>\n On Thursday I received a message letting me know that the Greenside Up blog had achieved a Bronze Award for Health and Wellbeing at the Blog Awards Ireland<\/a>, an honour and one I’m thankful for given that there were over 4,000 nominations, 1,800\u00a0entries and over 80,000 public votes for all the blogs.<\/span><\/p>\n The blogging scene has changed completely since I began writing and so has my blog. After its last big win, I spend a lot of time working on its layout to help you find articles and as a result, the blog has grown to encompass several categories in areas<\/a> that reached out and enticed me once we begin to grow our own food.<\/span><\/p>\n From becoming more environmentally aware, learning about different food crops – both vegetable and animal – my involvement with community gardening, as well as sharing the ongoing love of the mountains, gardens and rivers that surround us here in Ireland; I try to give you a glimpse of an alternative life that isn’t dominated by a work to TV and sofa lifestyle. It’s difficult to measure how rich our lives have become since we embraced a more wholesome lifestyle, but as I scroll back over the posts I can’t help but notice how they’ve become a log of our ongoing quest to become more self-sufficient. From the beekeeping and pig rearing, hens and vegetables to the passion that’s grown to want to help others become more aware of nature and food from its source through community gardening.<\/span><\/p>\n I’ve always loved to write and blogging has enabled me to do that and I hope that even in the smallest way, it might have helped to inspire you to make, grow or visit something or somewhere yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n Apart from becoming an online and very public diary, blogging has enabled me to share other people’s stories.<\/p>\n On Friday morning I was invited to a bloggers breakfast for the start of the Savour Kilkenny food festival<\/a> at Anne Neary’s beautiful 17th century cookery school at Ryeland House in Cuffesgrange<\/a>. The table was heaving with produce <\/span>Anne and her friends had made for the local KCLR breakfast. <\/span><\/p>\n It was a lovely surprise to meet up with fellow blogging friends I’ve met during the years who also care passionately about the importance of good quality, locally produced food. They too understand that strong communities will help us all to become more resilient and better able to cope with the challenges that climate change is likely to throw at us.<\/span><\/p>\nBlog Awards<\/h2>\n
Greenside Up Blog<\/h2>\n
Local Radio<\/h2>\n