Old Faithful

I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm not going to stop blipping - and I have you to thank for that. But my journal is going to change a little. I set out to try to record something each day that I found beautiful or engaging in a particular way. Almost all my photography has happened while going about by daily life. It has only been the occasional days in winter and some of the worst days of weather (like last Sunday) when I've actually gone out with the sole intention of getting a blip, when without that need I would have stayed warm and dry, or grabbed an extra hour in bed.

That was my challenge and I'm proud to have remained true to that original aim. It's never become a chore ... until perhaps today. I've relaxed a little. It was grey this morning and I had so much to get done that I took the laptop in on the train so I could work. Lunchtime disappeared amidst more busyness and greyness and then a meeting went on quite late so I didn't get back home until almost dusk, just as it started to drizzle. For the first time ever, I really had no enthusiasm to look for a blip that late in the day.

But then it came to me, as a kind of epiphany, that I don't need to impose rules on myself any more. I'm free! I've achieved my original objective and now I can give myself permission to be more adventurous and push myself out of my normal comfort zone. Perhaps I might even blip the cat. I imagine that most of you will be surprised to know that I actually live with two cats as well as my two sons - albeit reluctantly adopted ones (that's the cats not the sons, I hasten to add)!

So today I present the trusty little Lumix that has been in my pocket all year, responsible for every single blip I've posted and which has covered thousands of miles in the process. It's never let me down. I love this camera. A few months ago, though, I decided to buy the new top model in the same range, because I couldn't actually believe that I was going to go a whole year without dropping or losing old faithful. I needed a backup ... just in case. I know it's not exactly a revolutionary camera upgrade, but for the short term future my photography is going to remain mostly a by-product of my fitness activity so I need a camera that can fit in the pocket. But I'm starting to do some research around bigger and better things - which is rather exciting. There is so much to learn and so much to look forward to discovering. I think it's going to be a blast ... but all in good time.