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COLLEEN’S WEEKLY #TANKA TUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGES NO. 114 Try & Life #Haiku #SYNONYMSONLY

11 Dec 2018 29 Comments

by Ritu in #ColleensWeeklyPoetryChallenge Tags: #ColleensWeeklyPoetryChallenge, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Colleen Chesebro, tanka

It’s Tuesday, and that means Colleen’s Tanka Challenge! Of course, just providing a couple of words would be far too simple, so we have twowords, yes, but we can’t use them! Only synonyms allowed!

Try & Life

A tanka for this week…

Endeavour to become
A true individual
Not a follower
Seek to become a person
Who leads by great example

Ritu 2018

https://colleenchesebro.com/2018/12/11/colleens-weekly-tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenges-no-114-115-116-synonymsonly/

#Blogmas2018 Ritu’s Blog Tips #11

11 Dec 2018 51 Comments

by Ritu in Blogmas 2018 Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Blogmas, Blogmas 2018, Responding

Day 11

Respond!

One of my biggest niggles, when a blogger whose post I have commented on doesn’t respond – AT ALL!

Going back to my last couple of tips, quality interaction is so important, when building up a solid reader base, and if you don’t bother answering or at least acknowledging the comments left on your post, it’s highly unlikely you will be attracting many followers.

The conversations I have had via my comments, or on other blogs, have strengthened my blog relationships with my followers, allowing me to get to know them as well as them to know me too.

That human touch makes all the difference.

An appreciation to those leaving thoughts on your words.

I read, and write A LOT.

If you are following me, you know that.

My saviour is my WP app on my phone.

When I have a moment, I log in, and browse my reader and all my notifications, attempting to answer them all as the day unfolds.

If I know I can’t give all my attention to the comments then, I wait until the end of the day, and spend time responding, genuinely, to all who bless me with a visit to my blog, and leave comments.

Some schedule their time to respond weekly.

It’s up to you, but make sure you do!

RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #231 Goal&Cup

10 Dec 2018 24 Comments

by Ritu in #ronovansweeklyhaikuchallenge Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Ronovan's Weekly Haiku Challenge, Senryu

It’s that time of the week Peeps, and this time, Ronovan has given us the following words:

Goal & Cup

I am sorry… I couldn’t write a true haiku for this, nature did not comply, so a senryu instead, with a little twist, as I rue my weight gain!

Cup runneth over
As does my excess blubber
Goal weight not achieved!

Ritu 2018

Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge Image 2016

RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #231 Goal&Cup

Chai & A Chat #10 #ChaiAndAChat

10 Dec 2018 34 Comments

by Ritu in Chai and a Chat, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #ChaiAndAChat, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Chai and a Chat

Well, well, well! We’ve got to the tenth week of Chai & A Chat! And what a week I’ve had… again! (is it ever quiet…?)

If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you my week at school has been even more manic than a usual manic run-up-to-Christmas week! We’ve had a colleague taken ill, and hospitalised, which meant that I had to take my Reception class for more time, but my manager had to take the other class, so… I ended up having no observation! I was gutted as it was all planned for, but what can you do? I’ll have to get it looked at in January instead… more waiting.
If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know that the nativity play songs are running through my head constantly, but the worst thing is that I won’t get to see it being performed to parents, as the day they do that, is my Nursery day!
If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that the craziness of ferrying Lil Man to and from his district trials is finally over. Three weeks of rushing to and from this place, in the dark – over. We just need to wait for the results to see whether he has been selected!
If we were sipping chai together I’d excitedly tell you that the Capital Radio Jingle Bell Ball was amazing! We saw Liam Payne, Ellie Goulding, Olly Murs, Rak-Su, Jonas Blue, James Arthur, Dalton Harris, Loud Luxury, Halsey, Anne-Marie and Rita Ora. David Guetta was there too but we slipped out before he came on to get the girls back home without being stuck in traffic! Seeing a concert at a proper venue was great, even though I can admit to you all that I knew about 4 of the acts by name before… and had to listen to the songs to realise I knew the others too… old? Me…? Nah!!!!

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If we were sipping chai together I’d also mention that we did some visiting on Sunday (yup, I told you it was full on!) We embarked upoin a 2 hour journey to a little place in East Preston, called Littlehampton, where Hubby Dearest has a cousin. She has a gorgeous 20 month old, and also is now proud mum to 3.5 month ond twins! So I got a full on baby fix today! Clucky much? Oh they were gorgeous! ❤

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A post shared by Ritu Bhathal ✍🏽📚💜 (@ritubhathalwrites)

If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that next week isn’t going to be too much easier… we are still short staffed so I shall be juggling an awful lot of stuff at school…
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d whisper that I am so NOT prepared for Christmas…I haven’t bought proper presents for anyone, other than the children… I am forseeing a crazy shopping spree next weekend… eeeks!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d mention that it will be Lil Princess’s last ever Christmas performance at Primary school… time for me to get a little choked up… but she doesn’t want me to come… so I will be sneaking in at the back to watch!

And that is the end of this exhausting week! Phew!

Tell me, how has yours been?

#Blogmas2018 Ritu’s Blog Tips #10

10 Dec 2018 31 Comments

by Ritu in Blogmas 2018 Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Blogmas, Blogmas 2018, Link Dropping

Day 10.

Don’t link drop!

Do you know what I mean by link dropping?

I’m not talking about leaving your links where you are responding to a challenge or prompt, or even when you are at a blog party, where you are invited to leave a link to a particular post…

No, I mean when you visit other blogs, desperate for followers, and you type ‘Nice post!’ (Always a no no, see yesterday’s tip!) then your own blog link, or a ‘Please follow me!’ plea!

These types of comments always put me off, because a blogger hasn’t attempted to interact with me, allowing me to get to know them a little better. Often, if someone has been commenting regularly, I’ll click their Gravatar and check their blog out myself, to see whether their content is something I would want to read.

If it is, I will follow myself. If not, I won’t.

No offence to that blogger, but I’m sure they’d rather have meaningful interactions, rather than empty likes…

But often, a link drop will either get ignored, edited, or if a repeat offender, binned!

And I think I speak for a lot of seasoned bloggers when I give this particular tip…

Of course, if I have asked for your links, then by all means leave them!