diamond geezer

 Sunday, February 27, 2022

During February 2003 on diamond geezer I kept myself busy by counting things. Ten different counts, to be precise, in a none-too thrilling daily feature called The Count. My 28-day tally chart may have been deathly dull to the rest of you, but I've continued to count those categories again, every single February since, purely to keep tabs on how my life is changing. It's changed a heck of a lot, not just because of the pandemic but also because my circumstances have evolved considerably over the last two decades. Below are my ten counts for February 2022, each compared to the corresponding count for February 2021. And because this is the twentieth time I've blogged The Count, expect a bit more retrospective quantitative introspection than usual.

n.b. The month hasn't finished yet so all this year's totals are best guess estimates, but I'll come back and update/rewrite the post as February draws to a close.

Count 1 (Blog visitors): It's the best February ever for people turning up to read what I've written, which is nice, even if it's only by a small margin. This is reassuring given I haven't been venturing far from home so my content's been geographically limited, plus I've subjected you to five verbose walks down minor B Roads. But before I get too smug at least 2000 of those extra visits were down to a single post reporting on Crossrail trial operations, and almost as many came from running a liveblog while it was windy which is an easy way to hike the figures. Whatever, 2500 visitors a day is not to be sniffed at (and is probably an underestimate because a lot of you prefer to read the blog without visiting it). I'm glad my ongoing quest for London-centric bloggage continues to engage.
Total number of visits to this webpage in February 2021: 65701
Total number of visits to this webpage in February 2022: 69714 (↑6%)

20 years: In my first February I had fewer visitors in a month than I now get in a day, but the blogosphere was smaller then. Numbers climbed steadily over the next decade, with a boost in 2006 for the Bloggies and 2012 for the Olympics, and have plateaued in the high sixty thousands for the last five years. On a Londonwide scale these are still insignificant figures, but at least I'm not yet on the decline.
(2003: 2141) (2004: 6917) (2005: 9636) (2006: 42277) (2007: 23082) (2008: 32006) (2009: 26048) (2010: 30264) (2011: 37200) (2012: 40018) (2013: 55369) (2014: 51727) (2015: 58380) (2016: 60609) (2017: 63770) (2018: 68993) (2019: 69102) (2020: 66682)

Count 2 (Blog comments): There's nothing quite so unpredictable as comments. Some days this blog attracts hardly any, while other days the discussion catches fire and you add dozens. This month we've been averaging about 30 a day, which is down on last year's record total but still well above numbers in my first decade. What got you talking most this month was changing postage stamps, disconnecting landlines and ending the pandemic, not to mention numbered pubs, stormy weather and what colour the background of this blog should be. It's generally the case that discussing something that affects us all generates a lot more feedback than writing about a restricted part of London. I'm particularly pleased to note that the conversation's not been dominated by the same few regulars droning on. An amazing statistic is that 300 different people have commented this month, chipping in when they have something relevant to say, and that variety is truly humbling. Somehow a community has evolved here where regular and occasional commenters co-exist, and that's not an easy thing to create.
Total number of comments on this webpage in February 2021: 946
Total number of comments on this webpage in February 2022: 850 (↓11%)

20 years: The comments have always been a strongpoint of diamond geezer, indeed I suspect a number of you come back each day for a second read. They've averaged over 10 a day pretty much ever since I started and over 20 a day since 2015, which for a blog in the 2020s I'd say is damned impressive. Most blogs either no longer allow feedback or have commenting zones resembling tumbleweed, but somehow you lot always seem to carry on talking... nipping in with a pertinent reference, a pedantic query, a nostalgic nod, a ridiculous aside, some schoolboy grandstanding or a bit of insider know-how. Admittedly it doesn't take much to set a few of you off, particularly if the topic is transport-related, and some days the gradient between sparkling and cringeworthy can be steep. But thanks everyone, because it's you that helps to bring this page to life.
(2003: 166) (2004: 332) (2005: 463) (2006: 648) (2007: 566) (2008: 504) (2009: 472) (2010: 396) (2011: 558) (2012: 440) (2013: 546) (2014: 477) (2015: 625) (2016: 687) (2017: 752) (2018: 810) (2019: 706) (2020: 702)

Count 3 (Blog content): You might expect me to be writing less, given I've spent two years in a mostly-local bubble and there can't be many fresh angles left. When Woolwich is as exotic as it gets, writer's block could easily set in. But instead I'm writing as much as ever, mainly because I've not been interrupted by having a social life, leaving me nothing else to do of an evening but type. It's been a challenge to keep finding stuff to cover but the wider situation's always blogworthy, and if all else fails there's always nostalgia, snippetry and data analysis to fall back on. I confess I always try a tad harder in February because I know I'll be tallying my output (so there are never any "ah stuff it, that'll do" days), but hopefully that doesn't skew things too much. And it means I'm still averaging about 1100 words a day, the equivalent of writing five novels a year, which remains an excellent way to keep myself occupied.
Total number of words in diamond geezer in February 2021: 32122
Total number of words in diamond geezer in February 2022: 33056 (↑3%)

20 years: There have been three eras of diamond geezer, word-count-wise. For the first six years this was a 600 words a day blog, then came five years when the total ticked up inexorably and since 2013 I've been churning out more than 1000. But it never seems worth going beyond that, partly because it'd bore you but mainly because it would burn me out, so I suspect I've reached a natural limit.
(2003: 14392) (2004: 16214) (2005: 16016) (2006: 15817) (2007: 17102) (2008: 17606) (2009: 20602) (2010: 21595) (2011: 23120) (2012: 25698) (2013: 29410) (2014: 32283) (2015: 30362) (2016: 31192) (2017: 33094) (2018: 30680) (2019: 33361) (2020: 29099)

Count 4 (Sleep): I'm sleeping about the same as last February, although I expected it to be a tad more. That's because when I lie in bed listening to the midnight news summary I sometimes nod off early whereas last year I invariably made it to the weather forecast at the end. It's not like the news is any less interesting, so I guess I must be waking up fractionally earlier instead. Seven hours a night isn't a bad average under the circumstances.
Total number of hours spent sleeping in February 2021: 190
Total number of hours spent sleeping in February 2022: 188 (↓1%)

20 years: This pattern's pretty clear. I used to sleep about six hours a night when I went to work and needed an alarm clock to wake me up. Now I wake of my own accord it's more like seven, and I think I should be pleased it isn't eight.
(2009: 173) (2010: 164) (2011: 172) (2012: 167) (2013: 163) (2014: 165) (2015: 169) (2016: 174) (2017: 183) (2018: 197) (2019: 198) (2020: 199)

Count 5 (Nights out): February last year fell during Lockdown Three when indoor socialising was banned so 2022 could only be an improvement. It's not been a massive increase but it is a return to my usual equilibrium which is a weekly trip to BestMate's sofa. I last had a February night out in a restaurant in 2019 and it's 2018 since I last had one in a pub. But I'm pleased to say March 2022 already has three additional nights out booked, so some degree of convivial normality must be returning.
The number of nights in February 2021 I went out and was vaguely sociable: 0
The number of nights in February 2022 I went out and was vaguely sociable: 4 (↑4)

20 years: I'm not an especially social person of an evening, indeed this count has only once surged into double figures. That'll be the manic month in 2002 I blogged about a few weeks ago, so hopefully you now understand why the following list has one massive outlier. Other than that it's been once or twice a week, max. You'd never get a blog to read if it was much more than that.
(2003: 21) (2004: 7) (2005: 2) (2006: 2) (2007: 3) (2008: 7) (2009: 7) (2010: 4) (2011: 9) (2012: 6) (2013: 4) (2014: 6) (2015: 8) (2016: 8) (2017: 6) (2018: 3) (2019: 4) (2020: 4)

Which leaves five more counts to rake over tomorrow as the month draws to an end, including the important news on how much bottled lager I've been drinking and whether the Mystery Count has mysteriously scraped above zero. Don't hold your breath.


<< click for Newer posts

click for Older Posts >>


click to return to the main page


...or read more in my monthly archives
Jan24  Feb24  Mar24
Jan23  Feb23  Mar23  Apr23  May23  Jun23  Jul23  Aug23  Sep23  Oct23  Nov23  Dec23
Jan22  Feb22  Mar22  Apr22  May22  Jun22  Jul22  Aug22  Sep22  Oct22  Nov22  Dec22
Jan21  Feb21  Mar21  Apr21  May21  Jun21  Jul21  Aug21  Sep21  Oct21  Nov21  Dec21
Jan20  Feb20  Mar20  Apr20  May20  Jun20  Jul20  Aug20  Sep20  Oct20  Nov20  Dec20
Jan19  Feb19  Mar19  Apr19  May19  Jun19  Jul19  Aug19  Sep19  Oct19  Nov19  Dec19
Jan18  Feb18  Mar18  Apr18  May18  Jun18  Jul18  Aug18  Sep18  Oct18  Nov18  Dec18
Jan17  Feb17  Mar17  Apr17  May17  Jun17  Jul17  Aug17  Sep17  Oct17  Nov17  Dec17
Jan16  Feb16  Mar16  Apr16  May16  Jun16  Jul16  Aug16  Sep16  Oct16  Nov16  Dec16
Jan15  Feb15  Mar15  Apr15  May15  Jun15  Jul15  Aug15  Sep15  Oct15  Nov15  Dec15
Jan14  Feb14  Mar14  Apr14  May14  Jun14  Jul14  Aug14  Sep14  Oct14  Nov14  Dec14
Jan13  Feb13  Mar13  Apr13  May13  Jun13  Jul13  Aug13  Sep13  Oct13  Nov13  Dec13
Jan12  Feb12  Mar12  Apr12  May12  Jun12  Jul12  Aug12  Sep12  Oct12  Nov12  Dec12
Jan11  Feb11  Mar11  Apr11  May11  Jun11  Jul11  Aug11  Sep11  Oct11  Nov11  Dec11
Jan10  Feb10  Mar10  Apr10  May10  Jun10  Jul10  Aug10  Sep10  Oct10  Nov10  Dec10 
Jan09  Feb09  Mar09  Apr09  May09  Jun09  Jul09  Aug09  Sep09  Oct09  Nov09  Dec09
Jan08  Feb08  Mar08  Apr08  May08  Jun08  Jul08  Aug08  Sep08  Oct08  Nov08  Dec08
Jan07  Feb07  Mar07  Apr07  May07  Jun07  Jul07  Aug07  Sep07  Oct07  Nov07  Dec07
Jan06  Feb06  Mar06  Apr06  May06  Jun06  Jul06  Aug06  Sep06  Oct06  Nov06  Dec06
Jan05  Feb05  Mar05  Apr05  May05  Jun05  Jul05  Aug05  Sep05  Oct05  Nov05  Dec05
Jan04  Feb04  Mar04  Apr04  May04  Jun04  Jul04  Aug04  Sep04  Oct04  Nov04  Dec04
Jan03  Feb03  Mar03  Apr03  May03  Jun03  Jul03  Aug03  Sep03  Oct03  Nov03  Dec03
 Jan02  Feb02  Mar02  Apr02  May02  Jun02  Jul02 Aug02  Sep02  Oct02  Nov02  Dec02 

jack of diamonds
Life viewed from London E3

» email me
» follow me on twitter
» follow the blog on Twitter
» follow the blog on RSS

» my flickr photostream

twenty blogs
our bow
arseblog
ian visits
londonist
broken tv
blue witch
on london
the great wen
edith's streets
spitalfields life
linkmachinego
round the island
wanstead meteo
christopher fowler
the greenwich wire
bus and train user
ruth's coastal walk
round the rails we go
london reconnections
from the murky depths

quick reference features
Things to do in Outer London
Things to do outside London
Inner London toilet map
20 years of blog series
The DG Tour of Britain
London's most...

read the archive
Mar24  Feb24  Jan24
Dec23  Nov23  Oct23  Sep23
Aug23  Jul23  Jun23  May23
Apr23  Mar23  Feb23  Jan23
Dec22  Nov22  Oct22  Sep22
Aug22  Jul22  Jun22  May22
Apr22  Mar22  Feb22  Jan22
Dec21  Nov21  Oct21  Sep21
Aug21  Jul21  Jun21  May21
Apr21  Mar21  Feb21  Jan21
Dec20  Nov20  Oct20  Sep20
Aug20  Jul20  Jun20  May20
Apr20  Mar20  Feb20  Jan20
Dec19  Nov19  Oct19  Sep19
Aug19  Jul19  Jun19  May19
Apr19  Mar19  Feb19  Jan19
Dec18  Nov18  Oct18  Sep18
Aug18  Jul18  Jun18  May18
Apr18  Mar18  Feb18  Jan18
Dec17  Nov17  Oct17  Sep17
Aug17  Jul17  Jun17  May17
Apr17  Mar17  Feb17  Jan17
Dec16  Nov16  Oct16  Sep16
Aug16  Jul16  Jun16  May16
Apr16  Mar16  Feb16  Jan16
Dec15  Nov15  Oct15  Sep15
Aug15  Jul15  Jun15  May15
Apr15  Mar15  Feb15  Jan15
Dec14  Nov14  Oct14  Sep14
Aug14  Jul14  Jun14  May14
Apr14  Mar14  Feb14  Jan14
Dec13  Nov13  Oct13  Sep13
Aug13  Jul13  Jun13  May13
Apr13  Mar13  Feb13  Jan13
Dec12  Nov12  Oct12  Sep12
Aug12  Jul12  Jun12  May12
Apr12  Mar12  Feb12  Jan12
Dec11  Nov11  Oct11  Sep11
Aug11  Jul11  Jun11  May11
Apr11  Mar11  Feb11  Jan11
Dec10  Nov10  Oct10  Sep10
Aug10  Jul10  Jun10  May10
Apr10  Mar10  Feb10  Jan10
Dec09  Nov09  Oct09  Sep09
Aug09  Jul09  Jun09  May09
Apr09  Mar09  Feb09  Jan09
Dec08  Nov08  Oct08  Sep08
Aug08  Jul08  Jun08  May08
Apr08  Mar08  Feb08  Jan08
Dec07  Nov07  Oct07  Sep07
Aug07  Jul07  Jun07  May07
Apr07  Mar07  Feb07  Jan07
Dec06  Nov06  Oct06  Sep06
Aug06  Jul06  Jun06  May06
Apr06  Mar06  Feb06  Jan06
Dec05  Nov05  Oct05  Sep05
Aug05  Jul05  Jun05  May05
Apr05  Mar05  Feb05  Jan05
Dec04  Nov04  Oct04  Sep04
Aug04  Jul04  Jun04  May04
Apr04  Mar04  Feb04  Jan04
Dec03  Nov03  Oct03  Sep03
Aug03  Jul03  Jun03  May03
Apr03  Mar03  Feb03  Jan03
Dec02  Nov02  Oct02  Sep02
back to main page

the diamond geezer index
2023 2022
2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
2011 2010 2009 2008 2007
2006 2005 2004 2003 2002

my special London features
a-z of london museums
E3 - local history month
greenwich meridian (N)
greenwich meridian (S)
the real eastenders
london's lost rivers
olympic park 2007
great british roads
oranges & lemons
random boroughs
bow road station
high street 2012
river westbourne
trafalgar square
capital numbers
east london line
lea valley walk
olympics 2005
regent's canal
square routes
silver jubilee
unlost rivers
cube routes
Herbert Dip
metro-land
capital ring
river fleet
piccadilly
bakerloo

ten of my favourite posts
the seven ages of blog
my new Z470xi mobile
five equations of blog
the dome of doom
chemical attraction
quality & risk
london 2102
single life
boredom
april fool

ten sets of lovely photos
my "most interesting" photos
london 2012 olympic zone
harris and the hebrides
betjeman's metro-land
marking the meridian
tracing the river fleet
london's lost rivers
inside the gherkin
seven sisters
iceland

just surfed in?
here's where to find...
diamond geezers
flash mob #1  #2  #3  #4
ben schott's miscellany
london underground
watch with mother
cigarette warnings
digital time delay
wheelie suitcases
war of the worlds
transit of venus
top of the pops
old buckenham
ladybird books
acorn antiques
digital watches
outer hebrides
olympics 2012
school dinners
pet shop boys
west wycombe
bletchley park
george orwell
big breakfast
clapton pond
san francisco
thunderbirds
routemaster
children's tv
east enders
trunk roads
amsterdam
little britain
credit cards
jury service
big brother
jubilee line
number 1s
titan arum
typewriters
doctor who
coronation
comments
blue peter
matchgirls
hurricanes
buzzwords
brookside
monopoly
peter pan
starbucks
feng shui
leap year
manbags
bbc three
vision on
piccadilly
meridian
concorde
wembley
islington
ID cards
bedtime
freeview
beckton
blogads
eclipses
letraset
arsenal
sitcoms
gherkin
calories
everest
muffins
sudoku
camilla
london
ceefax
robbie
becks
dome
BBC2
paris
lotto
118
itv