Jewels in the Gutter

I have to admit that I'm sitting here pretty smug at the moment. It's still morning, still pouring with rain, and I bagged what I think is a pretty good blip before even going downstairs for that first vital cup of tea of the day! I always knew there was a good reason why I hadn't cleaned out my gutters in over ten years of living in this house. I have a problem with disturbing nature. I even hate digging up weeds. I much prefer a wild hedgerow to a formally planted garden. I love the opportunism of the natural world, where every little niche is exploited to the full.

I guess that's not a bad excuse for being generally lazy with the diddly-shit jobs of life! So, after waking up with every intention of getting out with the cycle club this morning, I poke my head out the window into the rain and dankness and spot some droplets. My eyes light up. There is no way I'm ever going to be able to compete with the likes of Snappybiatch and Bittersweet for the title of Queen of Droplets, but perhaps I can aspire to the title of King of Droplets. I have a lot to learn, so this should be regarded as my opening gambit!

Looking back over my blips of the last few days, the timeless landscape of Wharfedale, seemingly unchanging year on year, the solidity of Victorian engineering, also timeless in a different kind of way, I've been made sharply aware of just how lucky I am to live where I do. There seems to be an enclave of blippers from Christchurch in New Zealand who undeniably live in an equally beautiful part of the world, but are currently living with the reality that nothing in nature is truly timeless or solid. I've been moved by the journals of Another Beautiful Day and FirehorseMia in particular. They have some incredibly sobering blips. Hang in there guys. This one's for you all over there on the other side of the world.