Tag: wordpress

The future’s bright, the future’s clear…

On By clearskiescaminoIn apostaday, camino, camino de santiago, wordpress2 Comments

So..the future..that space in front of us that no one can predict. Unless you can read people’s minds, that is. I can’t anyway and I don’t plan on starting!

The last few weeks I have been asking myself in what direction do I want to take ClearskiesCamino, if any. I have been plugging away, doing the same thing here since I started walking the Camino many years ago. I just want to take an extra step up the ladder.

So, I have set myself a number of well achievable goals for the next 6 to 9 months in order to make that next step. I’m a little excited to say the least but excitement is good. I’m not quite sure how it’s going to pan out but I’ll take each day as it comes.

1. Self hosted website – I have reached the end of the line with wordpress.com and I’ve done as much as I can with the resources they offer. The last 7 years have been great but now is the time to push on and locate a site to host my blog and take it from there. I have located a hosting site and it’s just a case of transfering the site across. Many thanks for all the tips I have received regarding this. I will get to keep the ClearskiesCamino name too. I hope to make the switch when my current plan expires in October.

2. I have two Caminos planned for 2019 – the Camino Ingles / Camino Finisterre in May and Camino Portuguese from Lisbon in September. Rather than posting from this blog, I will write my stories in the form of an ebook and publish them free. It’s another avenue I want to go down. And if that doesn’t work, I will keep plugging away at what I am good at. Of course I will continue to post snippets on Facebook and pictures on Instagram. I just want to promote my writing a bit more.

Anyway that’s the plan. Plans sometimes change, my hope is these work out. I will let you know how things go.

Arrows lead the way

Being in front of the screen

On By clearskiescaminoIn apostaday, camino, camino de santiago, youtubeLeave a comment

I’ve often thought of creating a YouTube channel providing helpful hints on the Camino de Santiago. YouTube is saturated with videos on the Camino, just type in the word and a long list of videos will appear in front of you. Some of them will be helpful, some will not but it is about filtering out the best and choosing the best content.

I find Beyond the Way very good, the same can be said for JohnRoyYHZ and Lindsey Cowie. There are many others in my helpful links.

I need a little practice myself though. But I suppose it gets easier over time. Maybe I’m better to stick to what I’m good at – writing. What do you think?

With a little Help from my Friends…

On By clearskiescaminoIn camino, camino de santiago, travel, writingLeave a comment

Hello friends and happy weekend.

It has been a busy time since I returned from Burgos. I see little daytime and I return home from the office with another day to look forward to. If only things were as simple as they are on the Camino. Every step made is one less to your destination, but it’s the journey that matters more.

I hope to travel to Spain more than once next year so I really want to push ahead and take that extra step with my writing. Some have said that I should write a book based on my many Caminos but the confidence (and the contacts) isn’t there yet. In the future, I may take up the offer. For the time being, however,  I want to increase my followers and viewers here. My viewing figures for my last number of posts have been so low that it is really discouraging. I do like to write but not for 20 people.

So, friends, if you do like my posts, please like and share them. I am in the process of publishing the quarterly newsletter for the Camino Society of Ireland, which should be ready to view shortly. I would ask you to read those stories too.  I will post that link when it is ready.

Buen Camino a todos / todas!

20180916_124809
A pilgrim friend walking through La Rioja

 

First post of 2018..

On By clearskiescaminoIn camino, camino de santiago, celtic camino, events, work, writingLeave a comment

I haven’t left you, you’ll be glad to hear.

I can’t believe it’s nearly a month since I last wrote here. Time flies so fast. I keep thinking of writing however. I hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year.

I think about my upcoming Camino everyday. Some days I have concerns, some days I feel everything will be ok. I leave for Vigo in just over 100 days with my brother and we make our way to Santiago. That is May, however, and so much has happened in the meantime.

I have been busy assisting with the brand new online e-zine for Camino Society Ireland members. Members should have received instructions on how to view the e-zine yesterday. It is packed with articles and I must thank the contributors for their work. April 2018 and the Celtic Camino Festival is next on the radar. If you wish to subscribe to this new e-zine, you can become a member at www.caminosociety.ie. You get so much more other than the e-zine, just to let you know.

So that explains my short term absence. I will be posting a lot more as the time draws closer to my departure to Spain.

One other thing, I am hoping to meeting the author of The Camino Way: Lessons in Leadership from a Walk Across Spain on Thursday, the 25th. Victor Prince has written an excellent book, and while I have not completed it yet, it is different to your average book on the Camino.  It is a combination of a travel guide and an invaluable set of lessons for success in life at home and at work. I’m looking forward to meeting him for a chat.

 

Camino Society Photo Exhibition – Picture Perfect!

On By clearskiescaminoIn camino, camino de santiago, events, ireland3 Comments

For the last number of the months, the Camino Society of Ireland has been promoting their inaugural photo contest. People from all around the world have been submitting photos of their time on the Camino. There were a number of categories and prizes for each category. All in all, just over 300 photographs were received from photos of rising suns to delicious tapas. As a volunteer of the Society, I was on hand in the morning to put the final touches in place. Getting up was a struggle however as I had a night on on Friday. We were all set up at St. James’ Parish Hall for 11am and after a minor setback with blue tack (my fault!) there were 45 photographs ready and on display. Some were truly exceptional.

20171216_095109
A solitary arrow at St. James Church in Dublin

The winners were chosen by independent photographers with excellent credentials. While none of my submitted entries were marked as winning, I had one photo down for display for the day. A surprise! And it was none other than the photo taken just before Ledigos with my good friend June last September (below). I often wonder who takes the time to put together these waymarks, stone by stone. I remember that day so well.

20171216_112132

First prize overall went to Andrew Suzuki from Australia who has a YouTube channel Beyond The Way. Of course, he was not there to accept his prize or talk about his photo, but many others were. I met new faces also – folks who had been on the Camino Portuguese. I had many questions, but little time. My personal favourite was one which was taken between O Cebreiro and Triacastela (below). It is like the sun was shining a ray of light on the couple walking ahead of the photographer. Magic.

20171216_121017

It’s a joy to look at various pictures from the Camino but when you hear someone talk about why they took it or the story behind it, that’s special. The photos will be displayed on the Camino Society instagram account over the next few months so I would suggest you subscribe. I’d like to thank Oihana and all the team for putting the Photo Contest together from scratch. I look forward to the next event.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

2018

On By clearskiescaminoIn camino, camino de santiago, camino ingles, caminodesantiago2018Leave a comment

As 2017 draws to a close, it’s only natural to think of the future. 2017 has been good but it’s a year I’d like to park to one side. 2018 has so much potential as it will be a year of firsts for me. As I have recently posted, I have bought a new apartment and will be moving in shortly. All renovations have been carried out and it’s just a matter of gathering up my stuff and moving it. Not an easy task.

2018

I am also due to walk the Camino Portuguese Coastal Route from A Guarda. An 8 day 159 km wander to Santiago will result in my first Compostela since 2011. I walk with my brother and this will be the first time I travel with another person to the Camino. I have no idea how it will turn out but if he gets bored of my very being-there, he can stroll ahead with some new found peregrino friends. That’s the beauty of the Camino. There are no rules. You just walk….

However, I somehow felt that I had another Camino in me for 2018. A short 150 kms isn’t enough. So I will go back in September and walk from A Coruna to complete the Celtic Camino. A short 4 day 75 km trek to Santiago will provide me with a second Compostela for the year. But it’s not about Compostelas at the end of the day. It’s about the meeting of lifelong friends and the sharing of stories, it’s about getting away from the stresses and strains of daily life and away to simplicity, and it’s about Spanish culture and meeting locals. I cherish that.

I will return in 2019 also, unless I am physically unable to go. I want to walk a longer route, possibly 3-4 weeks of walking. But I will see how 2018 plays out. Buen Camino!