…and I broke it.

Apologies to everyone who tried to comment and got an error page. I fiddled with a setting to change the way permalinks are handled early this morning but didn’t complete the job and went blithely about my way doing other things, not realising the havoc I’d caused.

I’ll think up a suitable penance and let you know when it’s completed :-)

Effective immediately I’ll be blogging here instead of over there.

Why so suddenly Daise?
If I’d have known how easy it was going to be I’d have done it a darn sight sooner. Kudos to:

1. The WordPress Codex, especially this page.
2. The connections template by Patricia Müller at Vanilla Mist the reflections template from Clemens. I found a scribbled drawing under my desk of a layout I was planning to do a while back, thought about trying to recreate it in WordPress, fainted, came to and went googling for a three column layout. And this one’s perfect. It might even include a sideblog. But for now it’ll be thumbnails to great sites.
3. The TypePad export feature (unbelievably good, even the comments have exported). Graphics are quite another matter however. It’s long been a bugbear of mine (and many other TypePad pro users) that we have no overall access to our files. This was brought home to me when I needed to download all of the graphics from the old site. After querying it with TypePad support (nope, there’s no way to do it), I had to use HTTrack to download the whole site. Unbelievable.
4. Dudehost for being very cheap and very friendly.

Why are you moving?
Well, the TypePad subscription is up for renewal in December and I can’t justify the cost of another year, much as I’d love to. I have no qualms about using a service some dismiss as being “for aunt mabel types who wouldn’t be able to manage their own blog” [expletive deleted]. Having a hosted blog, especially at Pro level just leaves me more time for other things. But I had the hosting, the knowledge and a circle of wise brains to pick so on a spur-of-the-moment whim this evening I just upped and did it.

What’s next then?
I’ve exported all the text from over there but the graphics (*gulp*, hundreds of them) are currently still linking back to the TypePad site so I need to sort that out or have lots and lots of blank spaces when it dies in December. There’s also quite a bit of behind the scene stuff to do and I’d like to customize this template so it feels a bit more like home.

I’ll try and clear those things up as quickly as possible because I’m keen to pick up on the accessible blogging templates idea with PixelDiva but in the meantime, it’s back to blogging I guess.

But first I think it’s time for a celebratory pot of tea, no?

By Daisy, aged 40 mumble and three quarters.

So I’ve been gone awhile and enquiring minds would like to know what on earth I’ve been up to.

How about you decide where I’ve been all summer? I’ve had a little think and come up with three preposterous stories that couldn’t possibly be true to sit alongside the real story. It’s now up to you to decide which are which:
(more…)

If I’d known I’d have to be away for so long I’d have said something, honestly.

Fingers crossed, I’m back to blogging but first there’s a blogroll to be visited. Put the kettle on, get the biscuits out of the cupboard, I’m on my way over.

p.s. I’ve just emailed a few people with a shamefaced apology but Thunderbird burped and belched its way through thousands* of emails on the rare occasions I was able to log in so if I’ve missed replying to an email from you, I am sorry.

* anyone want a Rolex?