2000 blips

I have reached my 2000th blip! Here's a review of the period since my last blip milestone, which marked 5 years of blipping on 8th January 2017.

Perhaps of most significance in the past five months is my switch to part-time working. However, a quick read through my journal proves that it is rather difficult to squeeze a role such as mine into 21 hours a week, especially when the job requires travel both near (as was the case last week for a conference in Aberdeen) and far (Brazil in March). Nevertheless, we academics love it when our work is recognised, and I was thrilled to be admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh two months ago.

Personal highlights since the start of the year include: meeting Knottman2 and Mrs K in January; a wonderful birthday weekend of partying at the end of March; entertaining the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre at my parents’ house in Northumberland in April; surprising my oldest friend Eileen at an art exhibition in Newcastle in May, a very sunny early summer holiday in the Outer Hebrides and around Gairloch (from 27th May until 10th June); and celebrations of two marriages in June - Darcie and Keith’s wedding on 24th, and my 30th anniversary (with Mr hazelh, of course) on 27th. Earlier in the year I suffered terribly from insomnia (bemoaned in several blips such as on 8th May), but I seem to have cracked this now by switching to decaffeinated tea in the afternoons – hurrah!

As ever I am pleased to see my blipfriends online, especially alfthomas, ArcLight, bivbov, Gallopinggran, keibr, KJD, Knottman2, walkingMarj, Ridgeback13, Romay, Rosewiles7, snapper, Tigger101, VickyG, Winsford, and yeeeeed, and my cousins don_T and TBay. Thank you for all your comments!

My own favourite blips since 8th January 2017 are the following:

Edinburgh Castle sunrise from Fettes
A genuine pool lizard
Beautiful birthday bouquet
Confections, snacks, and cigarettes
Farmland framed
A ride in the Pentlands
Californian lilac
Extras of the Luskentyre sunset and sunset rainbow
Ceapabhal, Toe Head, Northton, Harris
Luskentyre
Tilly
Two oyster catchers
Val’s rose

My day today: blipping and a run, then off to the Festival Theatre to see the world première of England is mine with Linzi and her friend Christine.

Exercise today: sit-ups, weights and stretches; same run along the cycle paths as yesterday, 14 seconds faster (26'18"); walk to the theatre and back (~7000 steps).