2920

If my arithmetic is correct this is my 2920th blip, which in blip world amounts to eight years or there abouts.

I started this journal on December 3rd 2010, when 11yo was two and 14yo was six. As you can see, they've grown a bit since. There have been a few gaps along the way, mainly during a lackadaisical 2016; these  have been partly compensated by a few pre-December 2010 archive blips, but these annual milestone blips are still a few days askew of the actual anniversary at the moment.

Typically, my first blip was an actual milestone.

I am not much of a social animal on blip anymore but I still feel very much part of this community and am very appreciative of my regular and occasional visitors. This daily mindful act is an important discipline for me, even if it has largely settled into a comfortable cataloguing of wildlife seen and football matches attended.

A somewhat extended mid-life crisis over the past few years has seen me rather carelessly lose my health, marriage, house and come the end of 2018, job. So spending time with the two pictured is the main thing that brings me reward and keeps me balanced. We took advantage of some sunshine to spend a nice day in Ilkley, and we all paused to take pictures on the footbridge over the Wharfe.

Having been doing this for eight years, there doesn't seem to be any reason to stop now.