Waving my Odd Sock Wildly

I am receiving a lot of bloggy love at the moment, for which, as you know, I am hugely grateful.

The joy of blogging relies on friendships that are built up over time through comments, shares and thoughtful readership of the work of other bloggers, who in turn, often return the favour.  It really is a community built on communication and mutual regard, and I think that’s fairly special.

Blogging friendships occur at lots of different levels and intensities, just as they do in real life. Sometimes they spill over into real life.  Sometimes they stay virtual, but that in no way diminishes their power.

I read a lot of blogs.  There are a lot of interesting people out there, and regular readers will know about my absolute favourites, who I return to again and again.

There are other bloggers who I read who are newer to me, but who I know are set to become some of my ‘go to’ favourites. I have either found them through the recommendation of other bloggers I trust, or because they have commented on my blog and I have dropped over to see what they do. Sometimes I keep dropping over.

This is what happened with my friend Alex over at Odd Socks and Pretty Frocks. Alex had been commenting on my blog on and off for a while, and last Autumn I popped over to see her blog, and stayed.  One day she posted something I knew Tilly would love, and I couldn’t wait for her to get home from school so I could share it with her.  Tilly did love it, and stayed too.

Alex has just written a fantastic blog post in which she has been very, very kind about my blog, as well as two other top drawer bloggers I am honoured to share blog space with, Tania Kindersley at Backwards in High Heels, and Just Me.

I want to reciprocate.

She deserves it.

She mentioned she had written it in a throwaway comment, and that it might not be as exciting as being mentioned by LLG.

This is because she is far too humble for her own good.

Alex is a dynamic, interesting blogger.  Her posts are well written, well constructed and eye catching.  I love her photography, and her use of colour and images is totally fresh and exciting.

I love the fact that her blog posts are little delights that always manage to surprise me.

Her writing makes me feel nostalgic for the days when I loved fashion as much as I love wearing pyjamas now, and I find myself inspired to take more sartorial risks after having read one of her posts.

She recommends excellent books, fabulous cafes, and shit hot shoes (Irregular Choice are a new fetish I blame entirely on her influence).  She is also a firm fan of the Charity Shop haul, which is something I wholeheartedly approve of and celebrate with her.

Not only is she a damn good blogger herself, but she has also introduced me to the wonder of Vintage Vixen, who I have a small but perfectly formed girl crush on.

Alex, thank you.  Your regard means a lot more than you think.