Friday 2 March 2012

Bartering

Photo Copyright: Maggie May

Today, I went to my son's house to do a pile of ironing. Am I mad you might well ask? Sam very much believes in bartering like in the days of old. I'll give you two hens, if you cut my hair. That kind of thing.
He has promised to alter my rabbit hutch next week, so I will nag him if it doesn't get done on the day he has suggested.
Sandy, Sam's girlfriend, has two small dogs and when she visited his house recently, the dogs ran off down the open garden and got totally lost and ended up barking outside someone elses' back door way down the road.

Being a carpenter, Sam has just put up this fence and gate quite easily and very quickly so that they will not annoy neighbours again when they next visit.
The land is still quite rough as yet, but Sam hopes to re-grass it and have a herb garden near the house and a car port on the outside of the small fence. It will all take time and money but there isn't really any rush.

I will have to try and get a photo of the dogs. They are rather unusual. They are both a cross between a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and a Poodle, commonly known as Choodles. The female has got straight hair and looks more like a spaniel but the male came out looking like an Afro haired dog, springy, long wavy fur that doesn't shed so much. He looks like a miniature Old English Sheepdog and is a bouncy, energetic dog but the female is rather shy.

We are experiencing Spring like weather and things are much more pleasant.
Sam and I are shortly going to be meeting a local blogger for the first time...... who I've *known* for a few years now. It is quite exciting and I will let you know how we get on. Sam has a blog too but has put it on hold for now as he says he is too busy to continue with it. I haven't ever met anyone from blogging before but I have had telephone conversations with two bloggers who live a long way away and they sound just like *real* friends.

Have you ever met a blogger local to you and has anyone ever bartered anything?

27 comments:

Suburbia said...

Wow! That's quite a garden project!How did the ironing pile go?!

Those dogs sound adorable too.

Looking forward to Tuesday :-)

Celia said...

Met Ronnie Bennett once along with a couple of other bloggers a couple of years ago, it was great! Nice little fence and gate, good to have someone who is handy in the family.

Dimple said...

So far I haven't met anyone face-to-face, but who knows what may happen i the future?

We have a saying here that good fences make good neighbors, and I believe it will prove true for you. Glad you have some spring there!

christopher said...

I'm not much of a barterer, but I have a couple of friends that thrive at bartering.

And no...no meetings...but would be interesting.

VioletSky said...

I have met a few bloggers and found them all to be enjoyable experiences. Two of them have become good friends and we get together often and another one lives too far away for regular visits, but we email regularly.

Working Mum said...

I haven't met any bloggers I follow, but I did find a very old school friend through blogging ( neither of us knew the other wrote a blog until I found hers!). I don't know if I'd have the courage to meet one, good luck with your meeting.

Sam's garden looks like a big project, but I suppose once he gets stuck in it won't take him too long!

FeltByRae said...

I love bartering too - I make pencil cases for my sister to use for gifts and give her a massage and she does my DIY - she is putting shelves up soon for me

I met a fellow blogger who I first met when we both wrote for the review site Dooyoo... it was a wonderful experience and she is as lovely in real life as she is online... I think when we write we show our real selves over time, so we felt quite at home with each other after 10 years of reading each other's writings.

Hope you have as much fun with your blogger friend as I did with mone

Rae x

Gail Is This Mutton? said...

I'm afraid it's a no on both counts: I haven't ever bartered and I haven't met a local blogger. I nearly met a US blogger last year but she had to cancel her trip. Looking forward to hearing how you get on.

Ayak said...

I also like bartering. Its good when money is short to be able to swap services or favours.
Yes I've met up with one blogger twice on trips to England and I've also spoken to a couple of other Turkey bloggers on the phone.

dianefaith said...

Ironing? I have a vague recollection of how that works, although I should remember better, considering how much of it I did once upon a time.
I haven't met any of the people who blog regularly now, but I do have a friend -- an excellent writer -- who wrote once, stopped, and is about to get back to blogging.
It would be exciting to meet some of you!

CiCi said...

Meeting a blogger in person is happening all over now. Years ago we bloggers were cautious about even emailing each other. In the past year I have talked on the phone to several blogging buddies that I have know a few years and enjoyed hearing their accents and expressions. I don't think I would meet a blogger in person though, no one I know in blogland lives anywhere near where I live. I look forward to hearing about your "meet up".

Rosaria Williams said...

No on both counts! But, I can see the advantages of both.
I live too far to meet any bloggers, though I do know a couple of writer friends who blog too. As far as bartering with our children, I haven't asked for anything, but I'm always excited when I do get some help or other.

Brian-the son who died- was always fixing things when he visited us. I now have to hire people just to clean gutters, an easy fifteen-twenty minute task he was happy to jump in and take care of as soon as he arrived.

Akelamalu said...

Bartering is a great idea.

I've never met a blogger, though I almost did when we went to the States in May last year, unfortunately she couldn't get the time off work,she works in a school and it was term time.

Formerly known as Frau said...

I like the bartering idea...kids will do that right! I'm excited to hear about your meeting a fellow blogger...I never have but would like too!

Irene said...

All the bloggers I know live far away. I doubt I'll ever meet one, though I'd love to. I've done people favors but I've never bartered. I wish I could now when money is tight. Sam did a great job on the fence and gate. He seems to be pretty handy. Can you take photos of the dogs? I'm curious now. I hope there wasn't too much ironing. That is an awful lot to ask.

Sally Wessely said...

Your son is quite handy. I like the idea of you ironing in exchange for him doing a bit of work for you.

I can hardly wait to hear how your visit with a fellow blogger goes. I have never met any of my "friends" out there. I hope to do someday.

MARY G said...

Handsome fence!

I ran into a local blogger at a store not long ago. His face was a perfect study when I accosted him. Lovely.
Some bloggers I follow I would love so much to meet - you, for instance. But it's a long, long way. You have spring: wish I had a magic carpet, because we don't and won't for six more weeks or so.
Hugs from the wilds of Canada.

Expat mum said...

I"m just about to post this on the Brit Mums web site, but my second cousin and I were commenting on each other's blogs for ages before we realised who we were. She writes "Mum's Gone To...", and it was her mum who finally made the connection. We hadn't seen each other for years, but because of the bloggy thing, we had a family reunion in 2010 and had a great time.

Wendy said...

I've never met a blogger...yet. I hope to meet some of you one day.

I love bartering. I think it's a great way to exchange goods and ideas too!

Have done it lots.

Hope the gardening projects go well.

St Jude said...

I once attempted to barter when I was living abroad, unfortunately it appeared the person thought I was offering my daughter for some fish!! I used cash from then on. ;0}

I've never met anyone from the blogging world as yet.

Jeni said...

I met a couple who were, at the time, both blogging -Skittles (Barb) and her husband, Mike! They were traveling a bit, were fairly near to my home, so stopped by for coffee and a visit. Really nice to be able to put a voice then to the photos often seen on others blogs. Bartering? My daughter and I do trade offs frequently -little favors stuff,ya know -but I can't think of any time I did any "for real" type of bartering.

Happy Frog and I said...

Hi Maggie, I hope your blog meet goes well. I've stayed in touch outside of blogging with most of the people I have met up with.

Gone Back South said...

Bartering. Well, my friends / family members and I barter childcare, like, "can you please have so-and-so after school on Tuesday, and would you like me to take whats-his-name to the party on Saturday?" ... that sort of thing. But other than that I think there's a distinct lack of bartering in my life - I'd like to swap home-grown carrots for eggs a bit more.

Anonymous said...

I bet you'll be surprised at how many things you and your blogger friend have in common. I've met a few bloggers over the years and have found them to be really lovely.

My husband is very much a bartering man - it's a normal and very ordinary thing to do in the country and especially between farmers.

CJ x

Rose said...

Your son is so talented--I'd definitely do a pile of ironing to take advantage of his carpentry skills! I guess I do a little bartering of my own--I babysit quite often for one set of grandchildren, especially when they're ill and can't go to school or daycare. I know how difficult it is for their mom and dad to take off work, so I don't mind. But I also don't feel too guilty then when I ask my son to do something to help me out.

Are you meeting Suburbia?? How exciting! I've met a few bloggers in person, and they always turn out to be just the way they sound in their blogs. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time.

sgreerpitt said...

What a lovely fence, your son is a talented carpenter. I've never met anyone - yet - that I encountered first through blogging. But I have bartered usually services. Once I bartered a pen and ink drawing of a Victorian house with all its gingerbread for a one of a kind -designed for me - silver ring (I did pay for the silver, but not the artists labor and inspiration).

Hilary said...

I'm sure you'll have a great get together. I have met two bloggers. Deb from Talk at the Table lives about 20 minutes from me and she came by for lunch one day and will again, I hope. And Elizabeth from Magical Moments had a seminar in Toronto and was up here from her home in New York for a week. She and her husband, Eddie spent an evening at my place. Both meetings were very enjoyable.