Reflections on 2017

How did we find our way into another year when I still have so much to do in 2017!  It was quite a year of change for me but with some fun  times.  In March I took up a new job that was at first 3 days a week and then stretched to 4 days a week.  I had to give up singing group and body balance but did a lot of bike riding to and from work each day.  We welcomed a new cat, Shadow into our home.  I painted a mural on the back fence, put down astro turf, started a worm farm and planted some vegies.

It was a year of hard work and illness.  More medical appointments and less social occasions.  The hot water system broke, my computer hard drive died, and even my bike was overdue for a service by the end of the year.  It was good to get a break on our holiday to the Grampians. 

Dinners had lots of simple food: stirfries, pasta, coleslaw.  I bought very few eggs and experimented with more vegan baking, including muffins and doughnuts.  On the blog, I was pleased to reach my 10 year anniversary.  I was less happy that bookmarking site Delicious closed, which meant the loss of years of bookmarked recipes and inspiration.  However I still found inspiration from those around me both online and offline.

In the wider world life was even more odd and unexpected.  Wee had the dual citizenship scandals and the legalisation of same sex marriage in Australia, the crazy world of terrorist attacks, Donald Trump and Theresa May in world politics, and the anger about the sexual abuse cases in the world of entertainment.  In our state politics, I was really sorry to hear that one of the good politicians Fiona Richardson MP died of cancer.

Best of 2017
This is my personal reflections on what I encountered this year rather than what was published this year:

• Favourite book - Light in the eye of the sheep by Sofie Laguna
• Favourite young adult book -  A monster calls by Patrick Ness
• Favourite children's book - Wonder by R J Palacio
• Favourite Australian tv show - Seven signs of ambiguity
• Favourite international tv show - Home fires
• Favourite children's tv show - So Awkward and Secret Life of Boys
• Favourite DVD - A street cat named Bob
• Favourite film - Battle of the Sexes and Star Wars the Last Jedi
• Favourite children's film - Beauty and the Beast and Paddington 2
• Favourite live show - Journey to the centre of the earth puppet show
• Favourite eating out - I Dream of Sushi in Moonee Ponds

Statistics
As noted above, I have had less energy for blogging this year and also found that some of my favourite blog events ceased this year.  So I am not surprised to see this reflected in the stats.  I had high hopes that I might hit 2000 posts by the end of the year but busy times got the better of me and I ended up on 1996 posts since I started blogging in 2007.  Not a bad feat nevertheless.

I was surprised recently to see on Blogger that my previously most popular post of all time, Apple slice (110.212) views, has been passed by Dan Lepard's Multigrain and Honey Bread (166,071 views) and Awards and my ABC of Photography (165,522 views).

Here are some numbers for 2017:

• 115 blog posts
• 411 FaceBook likes
• 28 posts shared by FoodGawker
• 8 reviews on Zomato
• Number 159 on aussiefoodbloggers.com.au/ and Number 37 of Victoria blogs on this site.

Most popular posts of 2017
I actually looked at Google Statistics and Blogger for the 10 most popular 2017 posts.  There were only 4 posts that were in both lists, showing just how different every statistical package seems to be.  I chose the Blogger top 10 because they had higher numbers of hits.

1. Vegan muffins with tofu feta, olive and sun-dried tomatoes
2. Vegan almond feta and some feta recipes
3. Cheesy lentil bake
4. Chickpea tofu and pea curry 
5. Simple vegetarian lasagne
6. Savoury carrot and turmeric muffins
7. Pear muffins
8. Overnight baked sourdough doughnuts (vegan)
9. Chickpea peach and pumpkin curry
10. Baked doughnuts with baking powder (vegan) and a Sundae

 

"Better than a Big Mac" at the Vegie Bar.  And it was so good and so like a Big Mac but far better indeed!

What I enjoyed eating in 2017
I continued to have a few favourite recipes that were made regularly - such as fast track sourdough pizza, overnight sourdough bread, lemonade, tofu bacon, lo mein.  Here are some of the recipes I blogged in 2017:

• Basic vegan recipes - Nut roast, Brownies, Fried rice with tofu scramble, Fluffy vegan pancakes
• Vegan savoury muffins combinations - Tofu feta, olive and sun-dried tomatoes, Sweet potato, feta and sauerkraut, Cheese and parsley, Carrot and turmeric
• Impressive meals - Vegetarian stuffed picnic loaf, Wild rice burgers, Cauliflower lentil loaf, Roasted broccoli and apple salad
• Easy meals - Super easy vegie layered tortilla casserole, Cheesy lentil bake, Kitchen sink vegie curry, One pot pasta with beans and tomato sauce, Easy vegetarian thai curry
• Sweet baking - Chocolate blackberry cupcakes, Tim's lemon trickle mash cake , Chocolate sesame sandwich cookies,  Apple sponge (pudding)
• Baked doughnuts - Overnight baked sourdough doughnuts , Chocolate overnight baked sourdough doughnuts, Baked doughnuts with baking powder
• Drinks - Ginger beer, Blackberry limeade, Raspberry Lemonade, Orange, grapefruit and lime lemonade,
• Fun stuff - Hedgehog cake, Floating malteser cake, Christmas in July dessert cheese platter, Loch Ness Monster cake

view from Ararat on the way home from the Grampians

Where my blog was featured in 2017
Here are a few places I found my blog featured in 2017 as well as some of my favourite blog events such as We Should Cocoa, Healthy Vegan Food, Eat Your Greens, Meat Free Mondays, In My Kitchen and Eat Petite:

• Alternative Scottish fusion Burns Supper on Allotment to Kitchen 
• 22 vegan recipes for Easter on Huffington Post
• 10 DIY edible flower food recipes for summer on Shelterness
• 8 scones that will make you feel super fancy on Cooking Panda
• 24 Fruit ideas to make you hungry - you will not refuse on Hipwee (Indonesian)
• 13 Black foods for Halloween on Allotment to Kitchen
• Vegan Salmon Recipes on PETA

Happy New Year
And finally I wish all my family, friends and other loyal readers a happy new year and all the best for 2018.  I thank you for reading, commenting, suggesting, tasting and sharing.

I started this blog 10 years ago with every intention of staying under the radar but never imagining all the connections and inspiration the blog would bring.  A decade on I am blogging with a little less energy but nevertheless still enjoying it and grateful for all this little corner of the internet gives me.  I have lots to share in 2018 if only I can find the time.  I love hearing from you and hope you continue to drop by.