A ramble... and a request

I’ve never quite understood the phrase “in fits and starts” – but since I had (hissy) fits the last couple of days while fiddling around with HTML code and headers and backgrounds and so on, I guess I can consider this post a start (yet another) to continuing this blog. A good friend suggested gently that I should bring the blog out of its (previous) darkness into light – and I thought that a very good idea. Perhaps a brighter look to the blog would fit in with a fresh start and result in more posts... because, as evident from the blank silence, I’ve not been particularly inspired these last few weeks.

The problem, while lying always with me, was (and is) compounded by the fact that the blogs I really like always have interesting recipes, good write-ups and stunning photographs (which is why I like them – obviously!). But the more I looked at them, the less I felt like doing anything with mine – why bother, when they were all so much better than anything I could cobble together? In an ideal world, I suppose excellence (in others) should inspire increased effort (from oneself), but sometimes that’s not how things work out.

However, I didn’t feel any better by thinking of all the dozens of food blogs that in my opinion didn’t make the cut... there really isn’t that much satisfaction to be gained from preening about being better than not-quite-good-enough, is there? Not unless your sights are set low.

Anyhow, I have to say that fiddling with the template and figuring out (some of) the code to change things did make me feel better. In fact, I felt quite pleased to have made the changes and come up with a reasonable result, considering I know practically nothing of HTML or any other code. I hope to be able to use my own photographs in the header and background, eventually - but for now, this will do. My template and my outlook are both no longer blue...

But here’s a query from a code-challenged person to those well-versed in such esoteric matters... you might have noticed that the drop-down boxes on the sidebar are all different widths. The code for this from my previous blogger template (Minima, as is this one) no longer works on the new updated blogger template - it just refuses to take the code. It doesn’t come up with an error message, it simply removes the relevant bit. Any ideas on how to get around this will be gratefully accepted. If you'd prefer to email me, the email address is shyam69@gmail.com. Heartfelt thanks in advance!