Happy 5th Birthday Manchizzle

Hard as it is for me to believe, this blog marks its 5th birthday this week. How the hell did that happen? Five is OLD for a blog. Serious greying temples n' gravitas time.

Makes me think about how much this city has changed in that time - the pound store from my first post isn't there anymore - and how my relationship to it has evolved. Back then I was still a fresh-faced relatively new arrival to Manchester (even though I actually lived on the far end of Chorley.) Now I live in Greater Manchester and know it much better, but knowing the city better has, somehow, deepened my curiosity about it. I'm still fascinated by Manchester and I still love blogging and meeting other people around here who do too, people I have found to be disproportionately funny, friendly and interesting to talk to.

So, basically, thanks for reading. Here's to the next five years...

Happy Birthday to me

I'm astonished to tell you that today is The Manchizzle's second blogiversary. My first post, way back in 2005, was about how much I love pound shops mixed up with a story about a girl menacing me at Piccadilly Pound World. I had done some blogging before I moved to Manchester, but not much. For the most part I've had a great time doing this blog - it's brought me together with some people I'd never have met any other way, and I feel like it's helped me explore the city, settle in and make it my own.

It's interesting for me to see how the blog's focus has shifted and evolved over time. It's now a rather impersonal site about new blogs and upcoming events in Manchester. While this is pretty much what I intended to create, I feel like I might be changing things around a bit in the future. But not for a while. I am far too busy with blog awards stuff to even think about this now, not to mention social networking (snicker.)

Anyway, thanks for reading, all this time. Awww. Go out and buy yourselves a cupcake or something.