Eight

Another day in Cardiff with Baby B happening to coincide with my eight-year blipversary, I asked the Boy Wonder if I could borrow eight of his favourite toys for my milestone image. It wouldn’t be strictly accurate to say that he agreed - in fact, in the interests of journalistic integrity, I should probably confess that in the end R encouraged him to do gardening for ten minutes while I grabbed the toys and set up the shot, and the second he came in from the garden he swiped everything off the table onto the floor…. but I like to think that he might have agreed, if we’d been able to have a bit more of an exchange of ideas on the matter. Maybe next year.

I’d like to use the milestone opportunity to thank everyone who takes the time to look at my photos and read my ramblings, even though I’m the absolute pits these days when it comes to returning the favour, due to the fact that I’m generally either crawling round a muddy field somewhere, sitting numb-bummed in a bird hide, kneeling next to (or occasionally in) a pond, or slaving over a hot computer, trying to reduce my mountain of unprocessed photo files. I’d also like to express my appreciation for the team who stepped forward and offered their skills to make the community buyout of this site a viable proposition, and who continue to work behind the scenes, keeping it running.

Every time I reach another blipversary I ask myself if it’s now time to retire - or at least go part-time - but the habit of taking the daily photo has become so much a part of who I am that I don’t think I’ll be stopping any time soon. I’m grateful for the impetus blipping  gives me to get myself out each day with the camera, for everything I’ve learned over eight years of daily photography practice, and for the people I follow whose work continually inspires me to try harder to get better. Above all, I’m grateful for the passion I’ve discovered for the natural world, and the opportunity blipping gives me to photograph and write about it. 

Thank you Blipfoto.