Meet My Prettier Friend

Hello,

I feel today a bit like a rather plain girl who is introducing her boyfriend to her somewhat prettier friend.  I'm proud and pleased to introduce her but a little bit scared he might like her better.  From a list of twelve possible homework topics set by my blogging course I've chosen the one that suggests I talk about one of my favourite blogs in my field.  I was always intending to share this with you (honest), as it would have been mean not to, but maybe a bit further down the line.

The blogger and blog in question is Annabel Bird at  http://insideology.com/ A quick glance at the home page will show you how beautifully presented and well-organized her site is.  It manages to be decorative and packed with information without being at all cluttered or distracting.   

For me Annabel's blog is one of those that sets the bar on the standard of posts I'd like to achieve.  Her posts vary in length but not in quality.  She takes great photos but does not rely too heavily on them to make her blog interesting - she has so much more to say than, Isn't this lovely? 

When I'm asked what a blog is by people who don't read blogs (such as my mum and my sisters) I usually say that it is a bit like a magazine article but on the internet.    I realize that this is a very lazy definition that omits a crucial element of any good blog:  That is the notion of the personality, voice, opinions and world view of the blogger. On Insideology these things come through very clearly in each post.

It is at times uncanny how often her views echo my own.  Quite often she expresses beautifully things I've thought in a rather fuddled way - see her post http://insideology.com/2012/09/26/class-war-and-cushions-in-the-english-home/ for a perfect example.

She is generous in what she shares about herself, from her struggles with her KLC course to her guilt about loving old episodes of Poirot, and in the practical things she shares, such as a great piece of equipment or a good source.

She demonstrates her trust in her readers by showing them examples of her work that she doesn't think are perfect but knows will interest us.  Her reward is that we are interested and we trust her right back - a lesson for those of us who are still finding our blogging feet.

I love her incisive book reviews because she is not trying to show us how clever she is or even sell us the book, rather she is trying to help us establish whether this is a book for us.  That is what I mostly want to know from a book review.

Anyone who visits London really would do well to read her posts as the city figures very largely and she helps you to see it through her eyes.  Having read her post on Claridges I now feel I could go there without fretting that I do feel a bit like a country mouse in a palace.

Inspiring is a much overused word, I use it sparingly for fear of diluting its power.  Insideology truly does inspire me:  It makes me want to go places and do things.  It makes me feel less alone in many of my views and reminds me that what so often passes for the norm in the world of interior design is not, in fact, law.  What more can one ask from a blog?  Thanks Annabel!

Here are some images from Insideology:

See London from Annabel's perspective:


 http://insideology.com/2011/04/08/what-london-can-teach-us-about-modern-vintage-style/ 

One of the delights of Liberty store in London:
      

http://insideology.com/2012/05/01/ten-minutes-in-liberty-a-bit-more-about-abigail-ahern/

A London treat, Claridges:


 http://insideology.com/2012/02/13/gordon-ramsey-at-claridges/
 
A sample of course work Annabel shared on her blog:

 
http://insideology.com/2012/07/05/the-one-where-i-draw-some-shops/

Sharing her feelings (we've all been there):
  

http://insideology.com/2012/10/

If there is a blog that any of you really like I'd love to hear about it.
  
Triciax

  

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