Thanks for the suggestion. I am using a tutorial which doesn’t seem to be working with 2.8.4. Although created this year, the tutorial was based on 2.7. I am writing the tutorial author as well to see if he can solve this.
My frustration, is that the code I am using is a reset by Starkers for 2.8.4. It was a new upload so I don’t understand why the conflict with the Reading Settings options. No matter what I choose as the blog template on the page settings, whether default or index, when I choose the blog page as the post page on Reading Settings, the blog page renders as blank. Clearly there is a conflict, I just don’t know from what.
There are no plug-ins activated. And even if there were, I am only considering those which have cleared as 2.8.4 compliant.