RISE IN BLOG HITS: PUZZLE SOLVED?

Well, yer aye learnin' as they say ...

I have been scratching my head trying to figure out why, suddenly, the number of hits to this blog increased not double, not treble but quadruple about 2 weeks ago!

I can tell through which channel it comes (called 'traffic sources' and are sources like Google in various countries or Yahoo) but, of course, not exactly who is who, i.e. given individuals.

I finally decided to look on the web to see if there is some sort of new technology starting up, or some country lifting restrictions etc.

I could only find information about how to increase traffic to one's site ... which does not interest me. However what it did say was that if you have photos to put on your blog you should consider putting them on Flickr and that will increase the number of hits.

Maybe that's it?  (But I really don't see the connection.)

Two weeks ago I set up a Flickr account so I could obtain permission for use of photographs for a sailing publication from Flickr sources.  I needed a Flickr account and so posted a handful of my photos on the site (and the move has had the desired outcome). 

I assume that must account for the increased traffic!  Or maybe there is absolutely no connection....?

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Photo is of the CalMac ferry heading into Portree Harbour (with Photoshop nonsense added.)

SEOL NA MARA: SHOWING THE ROPES

Seol na Mara is now back in the Clyde.  Iain, John and Mairi, Ishbel and Alastair had a day out yesterday sailing out of Blairvaddich, near Rhu which is near the town of Helensburgh on the Clyde.

These are John's wonderful photos of a sparkling day on the water.

Alastair on the bow looking over to boats on their moorings at Rhu.

Seol na Mara

All hands on the tiller

Mairi

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 Meanwhile back at the ranch ....

 Harriet, 15 months is 'helping' Grandma!

In the park at the back of our house ... with me trying to catch her cheeky smile on the iPhone and push the swing at the same time!

FLOUR AND SAWDUST AFTER SCHOOL

After school activities are much more fun as the kids get older.  Ishie and I baked and Alastair and Iain spent time in the garage measuring and sawing wood.

  

Today we baked, from scratch, a Swiss Roll.  After we finished she was keen to look up in my recipe books something else that we might tackle. How about Christmas cookies with sprinkles?  Here she is making out my shopping list.

Meanwhile here is Alastair up to his usual nonsense!

In the park after school I took this video with my iPhone.  It took me several attempts.  It was only when Ishie took it out of my hands to show me that the round red signal means video is waiting and square red signal means it is recording.  Ah-h-h-h ... I had it the wrong way around.

In case it does not work, the video is of Alastair shimmying up the swing bars using his 2 hands - no feet.... as in the photo below:

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A CAR

Alastair likes to talk 'cars' these days.  He has very expensive tastes too.  He knows all the brands and wants to know all the details about them. But he came out with one that John had not heard of .....

......  he wants "an Aston Pine Marten" when he grows up...!!!!

I wonder if he learned about these animals when we were in Tomintoul, Speyside in May when Dawn, Alastair and Indy were visiting?  Up the back of where we were staying was a sandy bank which had a lot of burrows for birds - sand martins,  I think they were - which were numerous and flew all around the place.

One lunchtime Indy and I made a little picnic and hiked (all 100 yards) to this sandy place, a bit like a sandy gravel pit, to have our picnic. While munching on our apple slices my eye caught a sudden movement and, using my iPhone camera, I took these photos below.  

It was a pine martin! ... about the size of a large, elongated cat. A first sighting for me. 

I got such a laugh from John's little story I decided I might just 'design' one for Alastair. Come to think of it, I am seeing him tomorrow so I will get him to do the same... watch this space!

APM Prototype Number 1