WHERE DID THOSE 5 YEARS GO?

When I started my Blip journey five years ago, I never dreamed that I would have taken a photograph and written a journal without missing a single day, for 1,825 days.  

It has been an amazing five years and I have learned so much along the way, not only about myself, but about different parts of the world and about other Blippers’ lives and I know that my photography has improved greatly too. 

I have met quite a lot of the Blippers I follow and have had email communications with others.  I have been sent gifts from different parts of the world and I have sent gifts far and wide too and I hope that I will meet lots more Blippers in 2018.  I know one that I will be meeting for sure when we go on our exciting trip next Spring!  

Thank you to each and every one who reads and comments on my Blips - I know they are sometimes quite long, (and today’s is no exception!) but hey, I am retired and can spend time working out what I want to say each day.  My Alphabetical Street Challenge and My Seat With A View Challenge have “stretched” me and enabled me to share with you the history of different places not only where we live but further afield too.

I have written poems to go with some of my photographs - at the last count these totalled 73 and I am thinking of putting them into book form - but when that will happen, I don’t quite know.

I am especially grateful to my long-suffering husband, known as Mr. HCB, who not only encourages me and asks most days what I am going to Blip, but who is also willing - well sometimes not quite so willing - to be a model - what an amazing man he is! 

My pink robe and slippers have a life of their own on Blip and until I started to make this collage, I never realised just how much pink figures in my life.  

I enjoy taking part in the various challenges, although am not a slave to them, but as it is Flower Friday today, I thought that my Blip today should be a “nod” to that and especially to Biker Bear.

There are 52 photographs in this collage - 51 of them being flowers, and the middle one, well I don’t think she needs any explanation.  I love the quote and thought it probably sums me up rather well - I just hope that I won’t embarrass my dear husband too much as I get even older!

I am “poaching” a quote I saw on another Blipper’s page fairly recently - sadly I cannot remember who it was (!) but I did say I might use it.  I’m not sure I will still be around for another 80 years, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the last/first five - what an amazing community this is - thank you everyone!  M xx

“The first 5 years 
     have so much to do
          with how the next 80
               turn out.”
Bill Gates