What I wish I'd known when I set up my blog

I'm far from an expert on websites and ICT and whatever (despite taking GCSE IT) but now that I've set up my blog, I know some things that I wish I'd known when I was setting it up because I wasted a lot of time trying to figure out really basic things that might seem obvious to other people.

 

Firstly, you need to choose a platform for your website. I knew this before, but what it took me a while to figure out is that not all platforms can connect to bloglovin'. I wanted to create a website for free and wix.com was great for designing the whole thing from scratch and making it look great, however you can't connect a blog on Wix to bloglovin'. I would recommend Wix to anyone who wants to create a blog or website who wants to really personalise it (and you can buy custom domains too) but doesn't mind if the blog can't connect to bloglovin'.

 

I used to have a blog on Wordpress which was a good platform and I could connect it to bloglovin', but after a while I wanted to change my username and domain on it which proved to be very complicated.

 

At the moment I'm using Blogger which is very suitable for me because it can connect to bloglovin' and was simple to set up. Unfortunately I can't design my website like I could on Wix, but if I really want to make my blog look nicer I can pay for a template. Also, the Blogger app doesn't work for me so I have to blog on a computer, not a mobile device. I really like the stats and how easy it is to look at and edit my blog.

 

I hope this advice helped you, it's basic things that are good to make clear.

How to enjoy a sunny day

We're reaching the end of summer, and after months of enjoying the great weather, the days are getting as boring as they are relaxing.

 

In an attempt to prevent this boredom, I made a list of things you can do which make the most of the warmer weather and pass the time.

 

Meet up with friends

This one isn't exactly rocket science, but it is so nice to keep in touch with your friends over the summer and a day spent with your friends is so much better than a day spent on your own. To be honest, I could spend the whole day listening to my friends telling me about their holidays, so it is a good way to pass the time if you're bored.

 

 

 



Go exploring

This is especially good if you're on holiday because you're even more likely to discover new things you never knew were in your neighbourhood. But if you're not on holiday you can still take a train to a town nearby or go for a drive to look for things you never noticed before. The photo above is from when I was on Lundy Island which is a tiny island off the north coast of Devon. It was such a small island we could walk around the whole thing and see every cave, lighthouse and shop there was to see.

Try a new sport

Be it something you were inspired by in the Rio Olympics or some extreme sport that you just want to try, doing a new sport is perfect for passing the time, improving your fitness and generally making you happier. Some sports you could try are:

Slacklining

Hiking

Climbing

Kayaking

Cycling  

 

 

Another idea is to have a BBQ or a picnic. These are just so summery and fun and I think a BBQ with our friends is the perfect way to spend a long summer evening. I recently discovered chickpea burgers which I think are delicious! --->mash a can of chickpeas, add a quarter of a can of sweetcorn, a quarter to half a chopped onion, a teaspoon of lemon juice, any herbs and spices you want (I like mixed herbs and paprika), a pinch of salt and combine it all. Then add flour until it all binds together. Use your hands to mould the mixture into 4 patties. You can fry, BBQ, grill or freeze them. I slightly adapted this recipe but for the original click here

 

And my final idea is to relax! I'm sure you've been doing plenty of this already but I thought it was worth mentioning anyway. Reading a book and getting tanned is one of my favourite ways to spend the summer holidays!

 

Have a great summer!