Who
My name is Jane and I write this blog. I live in Melbourne and, unlike many, many of my friends who moved to other places, still live here. Almost left, but never quite did.
When we renovated our house we planted 9 Bradford pear trees. They were grown from seedlings by a friend in the rich volcanic soil of Woodend. They are stronger and healthier than any pear tree I have ever seen. That is why I named my blog after them.
I live here with my gladiator son, dreamy Edwardian daughter, and a husband who loves to cycle. And three green tree frogs in a tank. And some little ring tail possums who live in the weeping lillipilli. Oh and a new cat, Pepper.You know how they say Burmese cats are crazy. I think it might be true. I am hoping he will grow out of it.
I am a lawyer. I practice in the area of infrastructure and projects. Sometimes I get really busy at work, hence the unpredictable life of my little blog.
Why
I started this blog for many reasons. One of them was to have a space to bang on about things I like. Food, restaurants, books, art, places I travel to, things I make, DIY, history, houses, interior design and some really cool Melbourne things. Not very original at all I am afraid.
I don't post daily. I can't make that kind of commitment. But I do try to post about thrice weekly.
Ethics
I am not paid to say nice things about any item I buy or restaurant I eat in.
I do not receive anything for free.
There, that should convince you I am ethical and honest. We may not have the same rules about disclosure as the US but I think it is only right to declare an interest. And that goes double for mainstream media where product is provided for free to many journalists, and many 'stories' are just dressed up press releases.
For the same reason, I don't advertise or have sponsors. Nothing wrong with ads, they are everywhere aren't they? If you want ads, that is fine by me. I just don't want them here. I want this space to be as it might have been in 1350. That is, a place where people are not trying to shove something down your throat by way of buying and selling. Yes I know that's weird, because if I was writing this blog then I would probably be about to die of the Plague. And I don't think women got a very good deal in Middle Ages. But you get the metaphor.
Opinionated
I may be ethical but I am not objective. Who is? Even the mythical man on the Clapham omnibus has his own little foibles and experiences and learned behaviours which colour everything he thinks and says.
When I started this blog and didn't know what I was doing, I used a tag called 'opinionated'. Then I realised that every single one of my posts was opinonated. I don't use that tag anymore.
Awards
Some fantastic bloggers I have met have given me some awards. I am honoured to be thought of. Every time I discover a new blog I am freshly amazed at the creativity, generosity and brilliance of humanity. That's a big call I know.
It is very possible however that I have neglected to post these awards, pass them on, or otherwise respond appropriately. It is nothing personal, sometimes I run out of time and then it is just embarrassingly late to post about it and then I get confused and do nothing.
Comments
Sometimes I am having a slow quiet day, and I get a chance to respond to comments. Mostly however I can't. I wish I could be better at this but I just don't have the time.
Blog links
I update my blog roll regularly. I love reading other blogs, often just a silent unobtrusive visitor, like a cat burglar. I follow many of the blogs that other trillions of people do. I also follow some other blogs which are unique or cute or small but interesting in some way. Check them out.
