Time to Move On?

Seven months ago, I expressed my doubts about where my blog Ilana-Davita was going. I had written there for almost five years trying to share snippets of my life. It had been an opportunity to write about books and films, to post photos and recipes and sometimes to explore the ‘meaning of life’. However I had never expected the richness of the interactions it would bring; thanks to blogging I have met wonderful people – some of whom are now my friends on Facebook.

In March, I started Hannah’s Nook as an attempt to keep a blog that better encompasses all that I am. It never really took off. Some projects fell through and I realised that building a new audience while retaining some of the former one is not easy.

I have now reached a point where keeping a blog is not as fulfilling as it used to be and I am still not sure whether I wish to go on with it. I believe blogging should be fun and inspiring rather than a burden so maybe ‘someone’ is trying to tell me something here.

Since I do not like things to hang in the air, I have decided to stop blogging during the summer holiday rather than keep wondering what I shall blog about next. I plan to come back at the beginning of September having hopefully made up my mind concerning the future of my blogs.

Meanwhile I’ll share a few ‘fun’ facts about Ilana-Davita
– Much to my dismay, the most popular post is Easy Potato Kumara Mash
– The blog has been viewed 161,786 times and has received 12,524 comments
– It is visited mainly by visitors from The United States, New Zealand, Israel, The United Kingdom, Australia and France
– It is followed by people from 37 blogs

Have a great summer!

Not Quite Farewell

As you probably noticed – well I hope a few people at least noticed – this blog has been very quiet for the past few weeks. I have certainly been busy but I also feel a total lack of inspiration and ideas.

The school front is much quieter, which is a very good thing. I have not read many books worth writing about recently and my spiritual life is not worth sharing right now.

After much thinking and worrying, I have now decided that I will write whenever I feel like it rather than fret about I can possibly write about.

Still a few posts are already scheduled: at least two book reviews I promised to write (even though I have not received the books yet), a few recipes and JPiX in March.

Meanwhile I may or may not post on this blog but will still visit yours; I am subscribed to a lot of your blogs.

I suppose saying goodbye is a bit hard so I will end this post with a question. Can anyone guess what the photo above features?

What I Look Like

… on the Ipad.

If the tablet is the digital tool of the future then WordPress is already quite ahead as far as blogging is concerned. Its Ipad layout makes one’s blog look crisp and elegant. I have taken two (poor quality) shots of my blog as it appears on the Ipad to illustrate how this theme works.

The top photo features the latest picture on my blog but it is possible to set a default picture instead, which I probably will. The little dark ribbon on the right reads “swipe me”. When you do, the next page shows the latest five posts. All you need to do is touch the screen to access the article. If you wish to read the rest of the blog, you just tap the link at the bottom of the page.

More on this topic:
– WordPress enables new iPad-optimized layout for its 18 million blogs
– Wow Your iPad Readers

KCC by Leora

Leora, at Here in HP, presents KCC during the Omer. Find and try delicious recipes as well as special Pesach posts, read restaurant reviews and family memories.

New Series Brewing

After the Mesorah Project in 2009 and the interviews of people who have made alyiah last year, I have a new idea in mind. The interview is ready and has been proofread by Michael – a former interviewee. I have sent out requests and have already received positive answers.

I’ll soon tell you more. At this stage, I do not want to reveal more but I think you’ll like the new series.

Hungry?

Mrs.S. hosts KCC – Kosher Cooking Carnival: Mi’shenichnas Adar Edition – for the first time. Thank you Mrs. S. for your hard work and for including two of my posts: Mock Gravlax and Japanese, Organic and Kosher.

JPiX Spring Reminder

I will be hosting the upcoming JPIX (Jewish Photo Bloggers Blog Carnival) on May 1st 2011. Please send in your JPIX submissions by the end of April.

Yearly Review: Selected Posts of 2010

It is this time of the secular year again, when people ponder on what they have done (or not) or, in my case, on what I have written. Selecting one post for each month was sometimes a bit hard; there were times when I could have chosen two or three and months for which finding a decent post that was neither a recipe nor a photo was quite hard.

January: Jews in Postwar East Germany

February: Kosher Products in HK

March: Poor Teacher: Surviving Panic

April: Parshat Acharei Mot – Kedoshim

May: Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran

June: Organ Donation

July: Commemorating the Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup

August: Jewish History in Hamburg – part I and part II

September: Training a Trainee

October: And They Shall Be My People

November: Mitzvah Girls

December: Sign Language for Babies

My interviews of 2010

A Note of Sympathy

Having my nephew to stay for a couple of days before he takes the train back home, I sympathize with all my blogging friends who need to reconcile work, children and their presence online.

Adrien is a chatty 12-year-old who needs a lot of attention and after all he is not staying with us to spend his life on the computer. We had previously envisaged driving to Belgium where he has never been (he lives in the West of France) but the weather conditions have made this too hazardous. Driving to my parents’ in the snow on Sunday and driving back on ice yesterday has proved enough for my nervous system, not to mention safety. We are planning a trip to the movie instead. Hope I am young enough at heart to enjoy the third episode of The Chronicles of Narnia.

Rosh Chodesh

This is not a reference to the Jewish calendar but a new feature on my blog: the custom blog header Leora Wenger made for me. It seems to fit my blog like a glove and reflects the things and places that are dear to me.

Thank you Leora for your patience in trying to humor my whims and accomodate my wishes. But above all thank you for the great result.