Yes folks, it’s that time of year again: open-air pools, BBQs, the upcoming yearly one/two week vacation along the Med, long evening nights and obviously, somewhat less time spent in front of computer screens. But don’t run away now, I’ll make sure sure to keep on posting [disclaimer: intentional statement], even if the temps break the 100°F/37°C limit. To be totally honest, the chance of that happening is as remote as winning the Belgian state lottery in this rainy country by the sea 
2008/2009 has been a pivotal year for both this blog and for myself. Antwerp Calling dropped from 1,000 hits a day to a more modest 300 daily readers, predominantly caused by the massive success of social networking sites like Facebook and the multitude of Web 2.0 “I must be on it” applications like Twitter. Several of my once most loyal readers closed down their own blogs, one realizing a Pulitzer was beyond her reach, some just faded away or started financially more lucrative endeavours, with people I’ve never met in real life still leaving their much appreciated comments. My personal life became a bumpy ride for a while, but at present I’m back in the driving seat.
Today showed the halmarks of an enjoyable Belgian summer’s day: 25°C/80°F on a leisurely Sunday spent at Antwerp’s left-bank beach and open-air pool. [My photo: an ice-cream stand on the historic Antwerp "plage" (French for "beach") at 4 pm]. I haven’t got a clue what the end of May felt like in your part of the world, but feel free to share.
This blog is not affiliated with or endorsed by the city of Antwerp, Belgium.
Identical to yours Peter: about 80 degrees and sunny, perfect!
[Blog author: "enjoy it Gary! We have only one more warm day to go before we return to more typical Belgian weather (poring rain at 65F) "]
Comment by gary — May 24, 2009 @ 10:44 pm |
we’ve got some great weather across the pond today, i still can’t believe your traffic, i’m a bit jealous
[Blog author: "I'd gladly post a graph again Van, but you can check my counter. I reached 400,000 visitors on March 7th: http://antwerp.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/will-you-be-my-number-400000/ - today I'm at 432,000 as daily numbers have fallen from a 1,000 daily peak in early 2009 to a more regular 300 these months. Guess I'm no longer trying to score hits - this is a commercial-free blog so visitor numbers are basically trivial. "]
Comment by furiousball — May 25, 2009 @ 7:36 pm |
It’s been a perfect Memorial Day weekend here in Rochester, bright sunshine, temps in the 70’s. What have I been doing? Well, aside from a party this past Saturday, home projects. No rest for the wicked, I suppose.
[Blog author: "I'm pleased to read someone spent Memorial Day weekend productively. "]
Comment by Mr. Nighttime — May 25, 2009 @ 9:59 pm |
We have had glorious weather, haven’t we? I think I even got a little bit burnt on Sunday. Today though, the rain has returned with vengeance.
[Blog author: "It really felt great last weekend Lydia. As usual, violent thunderstorms ended the fun. Welcome to Belgium
"]
Comment by Lydia — May 26, 2009 @ 1:55 pm |
Yea, at least I admitted to being a facebook whore. I actually posted on my blog tonight…from the hospital. Had to do something!
Comment by Peace — May 29, 2009 @ 5:30 am |