Invading Cows Chew Gum (read all about it)!

So there you go, another year over and, as Mr Lennon said, a new one just (about to be) begun.

Just enough time then for two things:

1. Complete The Bitsnbobs Quiz of the Year. AND win the big prize.
2. The review of the Bitsnbobs year (2010).

Not exactly a vintage year if you ask me! The standard of the writing was decidedly pedestrian I feel.

January was a right hodge-podge of ideas, lacking focus and design. At the Bus Stop was about as good as it got.

So, in February I had a clear out, a sort of literary detox and adopted an old writing exercise – one word on the first day, two on the second, then three and so on. I liked it, and by Experimental Day 21 someone else did - enough to add a recorded soundtrack (you need to go to the comments).

In March I invited everyone I knew to be a Bitsnbobs reader (even if occasional) plus one or two I wished were readers, to contribute a guest post. If there were any justice in the world they would now be referred to as The Almost Legendary Mirror Posts.

April? Chocolate. AND, the What If Series.

In May, every post title (bar one) was a question. Why?

Blame Mary! I always do! My favourite question amongst these is – “What’s in the soup?”

Throughout June the blog was gripped by Football world cup fever. Looking back on the event with the hindsight of snow, winter and the English cricket team retaining The Ashes I think I would have to say that the event was a little disappointing. Yes the best team won, which is encouraging, but the rest of it was a bit forgettable. June also saw the birth of The Digestive – an every Sunday initiative to make reading this blog easier – and a (possibly) great post title – A Right to Bear Cucumbers.

Summer holidays!!! Must be July (or august). It was July, trips Elsewhere and a Fish Massage.

During August people came to visit, holiday and return home. I hate it when they leave. The blog looked at politics, a little, in A Thought for the President, the Digestive had its tenth birthday and I had a look at what it means to be male in A Smug Vindication.

At the beginning of September a challenge was laid down by one of the readers and the Digestive rose to the challenge and printed the first of what eventually became a ten part series – The Brief Guides – which if you care to read are anything BUT brief. It was the best thing the blog did in 2010 - I think.

In October I sat in a hot spring and cows invaded the garden.

For November I foolishly tried to capture the riotous autumn colours in a daily photo. Nobody complained so I slipped in a post about Chewing Gum.

And then December – a ridiculous attempt to add festive colour with Four Sunday Advent postings and round out the year with The Quiz of The Year – about which one person said, and I quote – “Quiz very hard, 2 hours and I fell asleep before the end.”

I guess people have become minimalist. I blame Twitter.

Stats?

325 posts!

An incredible 43 per cent increase on the previous year AT NO EXTRA COST to you the reader!!!

1218 comments!!!!!!!

An AMAZING 193 per cent increase!!!!!! - so once again you are working a lot harder than me. Thank you.

And as the old year slips into forgotten past there remains just ONE LAST CHANCE to win the BIG PRIZE in The Bitsnbobs Quiz of the Year.