They say luck come in three’s, I say my lucky day started when I joined this platform three years ago on 13 July 2017, a lucky Thursday the 13th for me!
I've met the most amazing people and been able to do what I really love doing, and that is experimenting in the kitchen by joining Hive foodie challenges and sharing the stories behind the food with friends and fellow foodies, so I will be telling you a little about that part of my journey here on Hive.
THE VALUE OF CHALLENGES
An edit to my post at this point - why do I enjoy challenges?
It's not about winning as such, although that is a bonus of course, but it's all about interaction between contestants and those who follow those tags, and this to me is the real value of challenges.
This is something newbies should really consider as these are the places where your posts will get read and you will meet kindred spirits.
SANDWICH CONTEST
One of the first food challenges I joined was @jaybird’s Sandwich Contest where I met some wonderfully creative Sandwiteers and ended up making just under 100 sandwiches over there, mostly not your regular sandwich at all!
COOK WITH US
Then along came another close-knit foodie community under the banner of @cookwithus; the competition grew really hot with all of us striving to improve our food presentation and photography. We even competed for a specially handcrafted chef knife in the end. Through this contest I met chefs and ordinary cooks like myself from all over the world and we learnt a heck of a lot from each other. Some who are still active here on Hive is @carolynstahl, @plantstoplanks and @birdsinparadise, all super talented chefs who also were part of the Sandwich Contest. One of the founders of this contest @pandamama has returned to Hive so who knows what the future holds.
FRUITS AND VEGGIES MONDAY
Another really great theme is the weekly FruitsAndVeggiesMonday plant-based food challenge run by the queen of Vegan cookery @lenasveganliving, and although there currently are no prizes on offer, there are many curators who still keep an eye on this tag. @plantstoplanks was part of the team and regularly pops in to comment and share her vast knowledge on nutrition and Vegan food preparation.
QURATOR'S HIVE TOP CHEF!
Qurator always is on the ball with many exciting ventures that I cannot even keep up with, but one that I'm really enjoying currently is the Tuesday cookery contest with a new theme each week, so a big thank you to that team for the hard work that goes into putting up so many varied challenges and for the amazing support and encouragement.
NATURAL MEDICINE
I enjoy sharing posts on natural healing and food as medicine through the @NaturalMedicine community whose amazing curators encourage and educate us on matters relating to wellness and mindfull living and also challenge us to think outside the box and delve a little deeper inside ourselves.
Do pop in there as you are sure to find good advice especially now that health care and building up the immune system is vitally important.
TRAVEL BLOGS
Then there are those happy wanderers who take us to places we’ve never heard of through communities like @TravelFeed, @HaveYouBeenHere, #WednesdayWalk. I really enjoy sharing my local travels here with the added bonus that those memories can be pinned on a map called @pinmapple and forever stored on Hive, so I can share this with family and friends from near and far!
SAVING GRACE
My blogging here started about a year post retirement at the urging of my son @deanoza who joined exactly a year before me to the day, but he sadly stopped as he was sidetracked by other stuff!
I honestly believe this been my saving grace, especially since this horrid Virus came and turned our world upside down; ably aided by politicians who have in many instances mishandled the whole epidemic, I have to add!
DISCARDED BY THE CORPORATE WORLD
So I'll start at the very beginning; I had a happy and fulfilling career as a GIS Techie with fabulous workmates but when I reached a certain age, the corporate world discarded me and I had to leave that all behind; I was not charmed!
Fortunately I had started setting up our little BnB called Lily's Cottage about six months prior to retirement and must say that this has been the best job ever!
What I saw as just a pastime, has turned into a successful little business with us receiving guests from all spheres - leisure, conference as well as business guests. We had to expand and turned one wing of our home into a studio unit.
Then Coronavirus hit our shores and our government went into a hard lockdown with the entire country coming to a standstill.
We had to cancel bookings and had no BnB income for just on three months, but still had overheads that did not disappear!
HIVE TO THE RESCUE DURING COVID19 LOCKDOWN
This is where my almost three years of blogging on this blockchain (and the previous unmentionable) really came to the rescue as I needed the extra cash.
Hive happened at just the right time as I could cash out my hard earned crypto from the unmentionable blockchain, even though I really wanted to convert it to Hive, BUT there were holes to be filled in our budget so I even had to cash in some Hive for a couple of weeks!
I had no idea how to convert this crypto to hard cash but my fellow South African friends came to the rescue with advice but I was still stumped until @giantbear who knows all about educating, helped this old gal, plus I found a post by @naturalmedicine that gave step by step pictorial directions - what a relief to have that weekly income for thirteen weeks!
The timing could not have been more perfect as at the end of the thirteen weeks our lockdown was relaxed somewhat and we could once again host business guests under strict guidelines by the Tourism and Health Department who can pop in to inspect our premises at any time, so we had to invest in all kinds of stuff - a non-contact thermometer, foot and elbow operated sanitizer dispensers as well as PPE's, but at least life is getting back to a new normal as our business guests are slowly returning as well.
THREE YEAR BIRTHDAY
My three years blogging has been a lifesaver for sure, and I am now thankfully able to build up my Hive Power again.
My friend Gina who knows everybody’s business, whispered in my ear that @hivebuzz also knows about my third birthday, so thank you for the good wishes @hivebuzz team!
A huge thank you to all my friends, the people who run challenges as well as our curators who do a sterling job of encouraging us.
I must say this new-found pastime has become a passion and I always look forward to the response once I’ve posted, and I must say that it feels like winning the lottery when I wake up to loads of comments or a nice fat upvote on a post.
KNIGHTS IN SHINING ARMOUR
There are many knights in shining armour around here, some encouraging silently and then some who've become real good friends and I will not mention names as I may leave someone out, but you all know who you are!
A huge thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Hearing that people have enjoyed reading a post one has put your heart and soul into, is the most amazing feeling; quite addictive I must admit!
This platform is filled with many bizzy beez all working hard on growing Hive and helping each other out, a rarity in the world we live in today!
I appreciate each and every one of you amazing people and communities like @ocd and @steemitbloggers who have all welcomed me with open arms. I feel super blessed to be here, this has been the best journey ever!
Original Content by @lizelle
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My third anniversary is this month, too! Congratulations! Cryptoblogging really has been a journey. Like you, I have met some great people (like you) and learned a great deal.
Here's to returning to normal life, another three years (at least), staying healthy and a mooning Hive!
SNAP! says I...
Thank you for always giving such good advice right from the first time I interacted with you @fionasfavourites!
Cryptoblogging certainly is the best - can chat from the comfort of home and have REAL social distancing yet be part of a tHiving community:)
Let's hope the new normal continues; has started here with baby steps, and REALLY hope that we're not given too many more curveballs by our government!
Stay warm and stay healthy Fiona:)
Thank you, Lizelle. Some semblance of normality with the market back. However, we depend on leisure travel and the wineries are really suffering. That has a knock on effect.
I am rethinking and refocusing away from tourism and hospitality and back to writing. So, unashamedly, if you know / hear anyone needing writing and syndicated research, please do remember me?
And back at you: stay well and healthy. 🤗
Congratulations on reaching the 3-year mark! 😊
I hope for a boom in your business again soon! 🙏
Ah thank you for the gorgeous wishes @thekittygirl , I just love it:)
We're fortunately being kept busy with guests from our local training centre, so really feel blessed!
Wonderful post, Lizelle! Happy belated anniversary to you! I've really enjoyed learning about you through your writing.
Thank you Eric, and you are one of those very special friends, always encouraging and inspiring with your wonderful poetry and mindful writings!
Well. Hippo Birdie Two Ewe!
I'm really glad to have gotten the chance to know you in the last 2 and a half years (you've been here 6 months longer than me). Always a great read and a great friend. And your food is magnificent!
Good on you Lizelle. Life is truly marked by the friends we make.
Ditto or shall I say snap:)
I'm so thankful I got to know you @bigtom13, I really miss the days of thesteemengine, especially @enchantedspirit and her sharp wit. I would so love to know how she and @catweasel, the doctor, are keeping! Any ideas?
Thank you for being such a good friend, so glad you're back!
I heard from her earlier this year. It seems all is well in their world, at least that is the impression I got.
I miss them too.
Congratulations on your 3 year Anniversary! I just passed it also, but, what a ride it has been!
I still miss TheSteemEngine and Jay's Sandwich Contest! I loved following all of you! Those were, hands down, the most incredible sandwiches ever! I have never, to date, seen anything like it!
You have mentioned all sorts of awesome challenges and I agree, the way for a newbie to jump in and get recognized is to start with one the challenges and will soon find out many of the same people are repeat offenders. They hit a lot of the same challenges, out of habit.
Lovely post! I must say that all of you gals with the spatulas in the hand create the most amazing photographs involving food.
Upped and Reposted
!tip .20
LOL
Thank you so much for your lovely words @dswigle, you really are a shining star here on Hive, always wonderful to read your words of encouragement!
I was just talking to @bigtom13 about @thesteemengine, I really miss those days, would love to know how @enchantedspirit and her doctor are doing!
Wow, you've been here for a long time now. Congratulations on the 3rd year. Really amazing that HIVE was able to help you when you needed the most. Goodluck for more years to come. :)
Thank you so much for popping in @the100! Hive's really been one of the most rewarding experiences that I can do from the comfort of my home, appreciate the good wishes. Yes the timing could not have been more perfect with our severe lockdown! Good luck to you as well, your future here is really bright:)
Congrats on 3 years!
The timing of little additional income from the STEEM powerdown was perfect and I suspect it helped many cover the cracks in income these past few months. Hopefully we are over the worst and can start collecting HP in anticipation of better times to come.
Thank you so much @abh12345! Yes it was quite amazing how Hive happened just before all of this and all that Steem came in so handy! We had a severe lockdown with government supposedly buying time to prepare for the peak; they've failed at doing that, many have lost their jobs, and the virus is only now starting to peak!
But let's hope that most businesses can start recovering from the mishandling of the virus and that things start picking up.
I really want to continue building up my Hive.
Thank you so much for all that you do for the platform!
Awesomesauce way to celebrate your 3 year anniversary, @lizelle! Congrats and here's to many more happy Hive blogging years ahead! 😊
What an awesome word, just love it @traciyork, really appreciate your good wishes! Hive really is the best, don't even have to leave my home to get busy here, I just love it plus meeting Awesomesauce people like yourself is the added bonus!
Thank you for the good wishes:)
Congratulations @Lizelle on your third birthday on the chain, I'm so glad to have met you, virtually in not physically at least.
Covid has been tough for everyone, and I like yourself powered down (who didn't from the other side) and cashed out some of the earnings for the first time in three years. Luckily with Hive, it still meant my HP was a net increase so it worked out ok.
Hopefully Covid will blow over soon and business will be back to normal for you. Your place is done up so beautifully!
I'm so glad to have met you too @livinguktaiwan, and it's been made so easy here on Hive, no need to even leave my home;)
Thank goodness for our crypto earnings, REALLY came in handy at just the right time!
We're fortunate that we're having regualr guests again via our local training centre so although government announced two nights ago that no leisure guests can stay over, our business guests are keeping us busy enough. But I really hope this Covid comes to an end now so the whole world can start recovering in more ways than just physical health!
Thank you for the good wishes, take care and enjoy Hiving:)
GREAT POST!!!
Thank you for publishing it to our community feed!
Compliments of the PHC founder @jaynie...
We have tweeted, upvoted and reblogged it for you.
❤ MWAH!!! ❤
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Thank you so very much @steemitbloggers, really appreciate your awesome support and the vibrant community you've built up!
Promoting Hive on Twitter
Happy Hive Birthday @lizelle
🎉🎈🎂🎉🎈
Thank you so very much @arcange:)
Congrats on your milestone and here's to the next 3 years.
Ah thank you so much!
Great post Lizelle - as always you are a star.
Thank you so much for the kind words @deimus!
Thank you so much for the mention Lizelle. Your posts put all of us to shame. Thank you for all your hard work.
Ah thankyou @pandamama, hoping @cookwithus gets a sponsor and is revived to its former glory;) Thank you for your constant encouragement, much appreciated!
Of all the people on the platform you have been the most consistent and worthy blogger. I'll never forget those first entries of your when we started the contest
🎁 Hi @lizelle! You have received 0.2 HIVE tip from @dswigle!
Check out @dswigle blog here and follow if you like the content :)
Sending tips with @tipU - how to guide.
Great post @lizelle. Congratulations with your 3rd year anniversary. Looking forward to more of your wonderful posts.
🥳 🥂 🎉 🎊
Ah thank you @hope777, really appreciate the interaction with a fellow South African and a KZNatalian at that too;)
!tip