Portal

Into the Portal (recommended)

I cannot begin to thank everyone enough for all the supportive comments made following yesterday's blip. I hadn't actually realised I sounded that 'down' but it was picked up by you and it's impossible for me not to feel more 'up' today as a result. But I don't really deserve a lot of sympathy. I have it pretty lucky compared to most people. Yes, I work hard and often long hours, which is inevitable when you have your own business, but that also brings rather precious freedoms - like being able to get out on the moor this morning in crisp bright air and arrive at the office rather late!

The thing is that I'm not on top of my game any more. Programming is a young person's occupation and although I don't consider myself old quite yet, by no supple stretch of the imagination can I call myself young! It just doesn't come as easily as it used to ... and that's actually fine by me right now. I'm prepared to let it go as I've never been able to before. I've been thinking about that today, encouraged in no little way by some of your comments, and it's been quite liberating!

I wasn't thinking too much about all this when I took pictures this morning, although I suspect that I was subconsciously. This gateway seems to function as a fine metaphor for moving from one phase of life to another, an opening on to new possibilities. It's not going to happen overnight but there is a direction of travel in place, and a desire to embark, which is the most important thing. I feel like yesterday was a kind of watershed. I wonder what I will be feeling when I look back on that blip in a year's time?

For those of you who are interested in a sense of place and context, I have blipped this gateway before, here, from the opposite direction. It carries an old drove road. Whenever I'm walking or running along this way it is hard not to wonder just how long it's been used as a thoroughfare and how many people and animals have passed this way before me. I love that kind of historic connection.

Finally, the software is now with the first users. I'm very happy with the way it works. It all seemed to come together in the end - but we find out tomorrow what people think. I've been neglecting you lot out there terribly, but I've also been neglecting my two sons. We're going to chill for a bit. They need to come first tonight. Catch up with you all very soon.