Tempyra is a beautifully simple blog maintained by New Zealander Sasha who is currently living in Australia. As I write this, she has no computer access due to her moving house, but it is a good time to sit and read and reflect on her life.
Done in a classic two column WordPress template, she has chosen a design scheme that reminds me somewhat of an old, comfortable, cloth book cover, gentle on the eyes in my favorite shade of green. Navigation runs down the left column, accentuated gently by some design at the top corner. The good stuff (archives/recent posts/her MeVu profile) are right at the top, so there isn’t any need to dig to get to the backstory and the content. There are some fun weblog widgets lower down, like blogrush and google reader. My only critique to the sidebar navigation is the Ads by Google box background color clashes with the overall look and feel of the site.
The content of the blog is interesting, as Sasha writes a lot about her desire to live a greener life. Hailing from a very VERY green country, she is very proud of what New Zealanders do with their environment and the measures they put into place. She examines her own life and goals, and shares her thoughts and feelings around environmental issues without being at all finger-pointy and critical towards others. It is refreshing when one really makes an examination of themselves and puts thoughts into works instead of telling the rest of the planet how they should live.
Another great element of the site is she isn’t just examining her household item purchases, but all other consumer avenues… especially clothing. Some of the products and entries she highlights are very interesting. My favorite feature of the site is her Monday Droolfest, where she spotlights a favorite vegetarian dish, and gives the recipe and why she loves it. Must try the pumpkin soup when I get a chance.
All told, this is a lovely blog, very interesting. I would like to know more about Sasha personally and not just the spotlights on Tigers and Worlds Most Environmentally Polluted Places. But I feel over time she will reveal just enough of herself that she is comfortable with (aside from why she is a vegetarian) and she’ll grow into the blog and it will grow around her, and both will be comfortable as a well-loved cloth covered book.
This is the kind of blog I enjoy the most… personal and open. I give Tempyra a 4 and wish Sasha and her boyfriend best of luck with the move.NULL