It seems to be the season for re-posting top tens…so, in keeping with the spirit of things, I thought I might post my top ten posts of 2015. Then I had a look at what they were.
Hrmph.
It makes me wonder why I bother slaving over a hot keyboard sometimes, when all the small dog has to do is get ill… and she comes in top by a wide margin.
If that’s not bad enough, I wasn’t even in second place. No. That would be Nick when he got his new trike… and decided to ride in a triathlon just a few weeks later. My son, never having ridden a trike and being brain injured, decided it would be a good idea to use the event to raise a little money for a brain injury charity. I said I’d put a post out…
I did manage to squeeze into my own top three at least… with the ten things that really matter for Indies. It didn’t last long though, as Ani pipped me for fourth with the small dog’s bilingual abilities.
She even showed up in the next one, which was supposed to be about the things your grandparents said… which become increasingly pertinent with time. And if I thought it was my turn next… nope. All about Nick, though to be fair, May Day was an utterly magical day that I will never, ever forget.
And guess what… the small dog was back to filch seventh place with a post two years old, just to add insult to injury. A post that is still the most viewed ever… though I maintain the XXX in the title has something to do with it… and says a lot about what folk are searching for! However, given the age of the post, I feel it should be disqualified.
Surely it was my turn now? Apparently not. My next top post was about Nick and his brother… and about an unforgettable and heartbreaking smile.
I finally managed to squeeze in another… about how to make a living as a writer. I got the next one too… about when reviews really matter… but if I thought I was on a roll, my hopes were soon dashed.
The last post was all about Nick again… and how, having entered the Para-Tri triathlon, he managed to complete the 20 km course on his new trike, in spite of near disaster, then went rock climbing with his co-competitors as an encore. This from a man who was stabbed through the brain and cannot walk.
And that last one shows such beauty… and says why I value the blogging community here so highly. Between Nick and YOU, the ridiculous goal he had set himself for sponsorship was raised… the whole £3000 for UKABIF, a charity providing information about acquired brain injury; the most valuable of resources.
The event and your support brought Nick to the attention of the media. Weeks later, Nick completed the London to Brighton cycle ride and he was nominated and received a national award for his ‘outstanding contribution in the field of brain injury’ and my son, in one of the proudest moments you can imagine, stood up on stage and addressed the UKABIF conference.
It isn’t just a time for top tens… it is a time to take stock of the year and see what has made it special. On this blog I have documented many such moments, from Silent Eye events to trips through the ancient landscapes of Britain with Stuart, to the friendship and laughter, to the books we have published this year. And through it all, the support of the readers of these pages has been amazing.
But what you have done for my son tops it all.
Thank you.
P.S. Nick now writes his own blog... and if this carries on, the small dog may have to as well!*
*(Note from small dog – Yeah, right. You’ve no chance…)
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
It’s a dog’s life 🙂
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It would seem so 🙂
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Ani is a very good writer. You just can’t compete 🙂
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So it seems, Marilyn. She’s looking inordinately smug this morning 😉
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😂😂😂😂I can relate to this. Effort and reward really do come in equal measure.
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But to be beaten by the dog… again…;)
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Sorry sue that was meant to read ‘dont’!
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If they did, I and half the folk on WordPress would be millionaires 😉
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It’s all in the eyes. No one can say no to Ani 🙂
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No… and the little sod knows it too 🙂
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Blasphemer!!!!! LOL
You’re only making our love for her stronger. 😄
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*gnashing of teeth from down south…*
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😇
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Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie and commented:
We love you all, don’t stop posting…
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I wouldn’t know where to start on the “Top ten posts” challenge. By and large I recognise that once a new post is published the previous post and those before it slip into gentle obscurity, and I am always reluctant to disturb a good nap.
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I find mine keep having surges now and then.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thanks Chris x
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Welcome Sue – BOTH your articles this morning are great – I had a tough job choosing which one to reblog 😀
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As both concern the small dog, she would have thanked you anyway 😉
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LOLOL
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😀
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Fab blog Sue and a fab way of highlighting your top posts 🙂
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I may be just a tad disgruntled, Lucy 😉
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I like disgruntled people 🙂
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😀 There’s hope for me yet, then 😉
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It’s something to do with the cute factor. Posts about Maggie always seem to be popular too.
Happy New Year Sue.
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Happy new year to you and to Maggie x
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Wonder if this is why people say you shouldn’t work with kids and animals. Though I think that’s only with acting.
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It may apply to blogging too 😉
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Probably. I know my son tends to get more hits than I do if his picture is in a post.
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Rescued from spam… what is WP playing at lately?
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I always forget to check the spam filter. Be my luck to find a bunch of stuff in there. Or to be in everyone’s spam filter right before the book release. I’m going to pretend that isn’t an option.
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I get odd bouts of it… you have been officially unspammed from mine at least. I try and check daily these days after having found a whole bunch of friends in there at one point.
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Hurray! I wonder if it happens when someone doesn’t comment on a blog for a while. Still, you’d think it would require a confirmation instead of automatic spam.
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No, I get the comments, even if folk haven’t been by for a while. Those that go to spam seem to have neither rhyme nor reason.
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Weird. I’m realizing that computers are crazy.
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About as crazy a writers, I believe… though that may be a little extreme 😉
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Close enough. Especially on debut days. 😀
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That I can well understand 😀
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Was it W C Fields who said one should never work with children or animals! Happy New Year, Sue!
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Oh, just seen Charles got there before me!
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It evidently bears repeating 😉
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Happy new year, Sarah 😉
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Yep. Bummer.
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Yep…
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Ani makes me want to rescue a dog. ☺ That’s the best compliment I can give her.
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She was a rescue pup herself…with a lovely story behind her.
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I like your light hearted look at your top ten. And as always i.e. hoed the photos.
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Thanks Meredith 🙂
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Hahaha….too funny Sue! However, YOU are the storyteller…so there! Otherwise how would we ever find out??? Great posts ALL year! Hope your Holidays were grand! 🙂
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Quiet and peaceful here, Pat, apart from the tussle for the turkey 😉 Happy new year to you and Sandy 🙂
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Well I hate to say it Sue, but Ani is adorable. I do feel for you though, as if it isn’t bad enough having Ani upstage you, then Nick goes and does it too! Mind you, it has to be said that he is pretty damn inspirational. You have written some wonderful posts and I love your fantastic photos and brilliant haiku too.so I appreciate you!
All the best for 2016 (At least Nick has his own blog now, so you just have to keep Ani away from the keyboard)!
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It’ll be easier said than done keeping Ani away from the keyboard.. she just sits on me if I won’t move and whatever she says, she is NOT a small dog… that’s just part of her armoury of ploys to get you going Awww… 🙂
Thanks Judy… I appreciate that xx
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Ha HA! She is a crafty one alright :-)xx
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A master of the craft 😉
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I guess it the heart that truly does steer us! 🙂
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It would seem so, Eliza… and that can’t be anything but good 🙂
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So, funny. Well it isn’t all about you, Sue, but what a marvelous year that you delivered to your followers. That couldn’t have happened without you. Happy New Year 🙂
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It couldn’t happen without them too 🙂 Happy New Year, Diana 🙂
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you are your family are very welcome, we all have gotten so much from you, it’s the least we can do )
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Thank you, Beth… you’ve been brilliant this year 🙂
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Yayyy, come on Ani, get yourself a blog going!!
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I am not having to fight her for the keyboard 😉
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Spoilsport! 😂😂
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She’s bad enough as it is 😉
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Love this! And arg, now WP isn’t showing my ‘like’ here, sheesh! 🙂
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Oh they are so good at throwing spanners in the works….
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