I really enjoyed the film "Housewife, 49" with Victoria Woods as Nella Last, an ordinary housewife living in Barrow in Furness. She contributed a diary from 1939 to the mid sixties, detailing the events of her life and how she felt about things.
Earlier than that, on 12th May 1937, people were invited to record the events of that day. Why that date? It was the coronation of George VI.
In August 1939 when war was already seeming inevitable, Mass-Observation invited members of the public to record and send them a day-to-day account of their lives in the form of a diary. No special instructions were given to these diarists but 480 people responded to this invitation and their diaries are now held in the organisation's archive.
The original project ended in the mid-sixties but was revived in 1981. These days it is not day-to-day diaries which are requested but responses to specific topics. The spring topics are post-pandemic reflections, VE Day and Good News. I am an observer and am writing about all three.
But 12th May is very special each year. Today is the day everyone is invited to record and reflect on the events of their day.
And one of the events I shall record is that I posted an entry on my blog!
Ive always considered my blog in much the same way . I wish i wasnt so technologically challenged and that i could make a hard copy of it all
ReplyDeleteThere used to be several (rather expensive) sites which would convert blogs into books and I have quite a few of mine, but most have now shut up shop.
DeleteMy blog is stored on a hard drive. After 17+ years and 7500 posts, it would be rather a big book!
DeleteIt would be an enormous book! My comparatively modest blog is five books, each covering one or two years
DeleteYou are correct that Blog Books are now very expensive. I did one of my Great UK trip and although it cost me many $$$ I am amply repaid by the pleasure I get from it. This day last year I was at Windsor Castle.
DeleteYes, I get enormous pleasure from my blog books. I've even had one printed of all posts by or about Jack and gave it to him for Christmas.
DeleteI consider my blog as being something that records my daily life. Kind of a diary. Though I did lose the first blog I started for some reason.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Shame about losing the first one, but you are very faithful to the second!
DeleteI'm very happy to read the post on your blog. :) I consider my blog to be a sort of diary, too. I used to keep a regular, written diary, but, stopped doing that after I started blogging!
ReplyDeleteI have a more detailed diary on my laptop: the blog gets most of the highlights. Mass Observation is about being part of something big!
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