IslayBlog.com -> 2007 ->
Monday, 31/Dec/2007
2007 on IslayBlog.com
So there we are, the last entry for 2007 on IslayBlog.com. If I counted correctly there are 272 entries for this year, or in other words I managed to find 272 opportunities to write about Islay, Jura or Colonsay in some way. There have been 160 comments (incl my own answers) since I implemented the comments in June. Thanks to everyone who contributed and commented!
As it is custom at this time of the year I'll take a whirlwind journey through the year on this blog and pick out some of my favourite posts and events. These are posts about Islay, Jura and/ or Colonsay which make it to my list, your views might differ (feel free to let me know in the comments if you think I missed an important post ;-)):
It started with the Happy New Year wishes. Later in the month I learned how to pronounce Islay Malts in Swedish and found it quite interesting to compare Islay with Singapore.
Early in the month I discovered a whisky blog in Hebrew with mentions of Islay. A few days later I could welcome a few more readers from Germany after my first interview about this blog and Islay. Towards the end of the month I first brought up the topic of a potential 9th distillery on Islay.
March started with a shopping tour around Islay, immediately followed by the confirmation of the 9th distillery on Islay. In March I also started the now regular and familiar feature of the Friday Islay Picture. Not to forget my first attempt of some Islay baking. For the Marilyn baggers I wrote about Islay's Marilyns.
I was quite pleased with my April Fools attempt and that I was able to find a connection between Islay and Bremen, the place where I was born. April saw my first visit to Islay for this year with the Islay Walking Week 2007, which I was able to ‘live blog’. After my return I discovered the Colonsay Brewery had just opened, I hope to catch up with a visit in 2008.
May started with a nice (although partly expected) surprise when the Islay Birds blog went live. And BBC Springwatch came to Islay.
June was a short month for Islay blogging, most importantly the press was very positive about Springwatch on Islay. I finally gave my readers the opportunity to have their say and discovered the two degrees of Islay separation. Quite a few people were impressed by the Islay Rainbow. And then I was off to Islay for two weeks.
After my return I was able to revisit Islay from the air, with some help from my mother. I had some help from a Turk German with understanding why Islay wave power is of interest in Turkey. Documenting filling my own bottle of Bruichladdich was very nice. I also kicked off my little Islay Guide, of which I completed the first edition soon after. The month ended with a Viking ship visiting Islay.
Early in the month I learned more about Islay House being put on the market as well as Birlinns and Islay. But the real highlight of the month (and of the year) came at the end of the month when I was able write about the redevelopment of the former Islay Hotel in Port Ellen getting under way.
In early September I published the 2nd edition of my little Islay guide and learned about an Islay athlete going to Hamburg (more about that later). I also wrote my first Islay Blogging Roundup, the first of many more to come. The demolition of the former Islay Hotel finished with the last wall standing. Even though apparently they are not proper palm trees I was quite happy with the Palm Trees on Islay and Jura entry.
October kicked off with a new start on Islay, building work commencing at the new hotel in Port Ellen. I said I was going to get back to the Islay athlete in Hamburg, pictures of Mhairi Muir in action at the Triathlon World Championship was how. I did some more Islay baking with the Islay Single Malt Whisky Chocolate Chip Shortbread, some of which I took to Islay for my third visit to Islay in 2007.
My first attempt of an Islay ‘Podcast’, something I hope to repeat some day. November is the month of the books, with The Legend of Laphroaig being published and me being able to review Islay Past and Present. I managed to scan some sketches of the new Port Ellen Hotel and report the launch of the Spot The Whisky Barrel competition.
With the year coming to an end I compared building progress in Swindon and on Islay (Islay wins comfortably). Having waited patiently I reviewed The Legend of Laphroaig just in time for Christmas. Putting Islay on the crime fiction map was attempted before discovering Islay, Jura and Colonsay on a very old map.
And that's it for 2007. Many thanks to all my readers, commenters and contributors, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Without you this blog wouldn't be what it is. But now on to more Islay blogging in 2008...
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