Born and raised near the River Irwell, and after a decade or so of living by the River Tiber, I now live near the River Tyne with my Italian husband. Our two daughters are in their early twenties and enjoying studying, pursuing careers and embracing life.

I joined blip at the start of 2017 and imm Read more...

Born and raised near the River Irwell, and after a decade or so of living by the River Tiber, I now live near the River Tyne with my Italian husband. Our two daughters are in their early twenties and enjoying studying, pursuing careers and embracing life.

I joined blip at the start of 2017 and immediately felt the warmth of the blip community. I really enjoyed being welcomed into the North East cluster and meeting up with fellow blippers for coffee at the Sage and Central station in Newcastle. It wasn't until 2020 that I actually succeeded in posting every single day! I now feel like an established member and love this daily practice and the supportive connection it brings with others.

I work with trauma so Blipfoto has been a really useful way to switch off, unwind, be more mindful and  find the good in life and people each day. It helped enormously during the challenges of 2020!  I am grateful for all the small interactions which come my way and actually make such a big difference!

I spend a lot of time walking my dogs (a JRT and a GSD ...and sometimes our cat comes too!) and still hope to make greater use of my camera which is a Nikon D5000. Most special little life moments are captured on my phone, however, which is now a Google Pixel 6 XL (as of July 2022) and has an excellent camera.

Looking forward to continuing to share in your daily lives and to meeting new people.


The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?

Mary Oliver