Well, it’s been an interesting old month. My book publishers, in their infinite wisdom, have decided I must become a social media butterfly again, flitting from one platform to the next, attempting to spread petals of gardening wisdom (or some other nonsensical phrase that their PR Team tries to motivate me with in their emails lol :)
I have to be honest - this is one aspect of writing that does not have me leaping out of bed in the morning. I mean, who really enjoys staring at an iPad and attempting to craft pithy tweets when there’s a perfectly good garden outside just crying out for a bit of weeding?
But a deal’s a deal, so I’ve had to hang up my trusty trowel and get posting, and let me tell you, nothing makes you pine for a good bit of compost like trying to figure out which filter makes your lunch look the least unappetizing. For me, social media has always been a bit like nettles - useful to some, irritating to others.
And then, just as I was on the verge of throwing in the trowel, a gardening-obsessed friend swooped in to save the day. “You must try Blue Sky,” they said, with the kind of fervour usually reserved for recommending secret tomato feed recipes. “It’s like Twitter back in the day - before it moved over … well, you know… to the dark side.”
Curious, and honestly desperate for a break from crafting image captions (does anyone really care about photos of my courgette soup?), I gave it a whirl. And let me tell you—what a revelation! It’s like finding a perfectly ripe strawberry hiding under the leaves when you thought the birds had nicked the lot. Blue Sky is full of lovely people who are just like all of us plant obsessed gardeners. They’re generous, funny, and always happy to lend advice, whether it’s about battling slugs, rose varieties, or growing giant pumpkins. It’s a proper breath of fresh air - social media with a smile.
So, now I’m officially hooked. Forget trying to decipher TikTok dances or wondering what on earth a “BeReal” is - I’ve found my people - my Gardening Tribe. And I could not be happier. And if you’re not into social media, don’t worry - I’ll still be pottering around the garden, armed with a hoe and a strong cup of tea, and sharing my stories here too. But if you want to connect you will find me on Bluesky my handle there is @ladymuckstyle.bsky.social
Right, must dash. There’s a very interesting conversation going on over there as to why carrot seeds never seem to germinate in a straight line. Love it! Cheers to Bluesky thinking!
