I'm Spartacus

The full gang of yellow men are out, wearing slings in sympathy, to mark my Blipday. Fifteen years of blipping on this wonderful site. As always thanks to the volunteers that keep it going and to all the other blippers who post such great blips and who view and comment on mine. And it seems like a lot more people have looked at my blips in the past year. My total views is over 1.5 million, having only just reached 1 million around the time of my 5000th blip less than 16 months ago. Maybe something has changed in the way visits to the site are recorded or perhaps the very minor local media attention (a mention in the Edinburgh Minute) encouraged a sizeable group of people to work their way through all my blips. I think that is more likely as the views for new blips haven't really increased all that much. 

As for the year just passed, a year ago L was still recovering from her op and starting to go out along the Prom.
An old friend dropped by.
Our local bookshop celebrated five years.
I documented the work on the beach.
L and G performed a few times through the summer.
Australian relatives paid a visit.
The choir performed on the beach.
In August L celebrated a big birthday.
We went to see the lemurs in Fife.
But then we got covid :-(
It wasn't too bad but it delayed L's party.
I did make it to the Beach Busk.
I organised another photo exhibition for the Art Walk in September, photographed a couple of friends doing the Kilt Walk, went to Dundee for my birthday and celebrated L's Uncle J's 90th.
We moved a bench and I blipped a sunset.
At the start of October L and G played a house concert and I decided at the last minute to go along the road to watch football.
I then got ill again, but fortunately it didn't last too long.
We went to a concert at the Usher Hall and then a birthday experience at Knockhill for L's nephew K and also went to the Ferry for my Dad's birthday.
This year I have done less paid work but still did a few jobs.
In November I went to a couple of very different football matches - United at Easter Road in the top flight and then a game in Wigtown on our annual visit.
Over the year I took a few more of my 'On The Edge' pictures without really building up a real head of steam for the project.
I worked at an interesting conference about UK-Germany city partnerships.
My sister and her partner came to stay and we went to see the Kelpies and the city centre Christmas fair.
We went to see my Dad before Christmas before spending Christmas Day at home.
One year ended...
...and another began.
January has its traditions, a great sunset and the annual Wassail.
I photographed an Edinburgh institution and we went to Glasgow for a concert.
In February a friend moved back to Edinburgh. I saw Frozen for the first time and received the maps I had commissioned for my Paris Book.
We went back to see the lemurs and to another concert.
I was pleased with a double portrait on the Prom.
Our MP came to hear the concerns of residents on our street and Bellfield started a fundraising campaign, which continued into April.
We went to Dundee, it was a real blossom Spring, friends came to visit and my Paris Book was printed!
There were several cakes during the year.
I injured myself at football, the week of my book launch. As a result of the injury, since then I have been limited to phone blips.
My book made it into the local bookshop.
I wasn't able to photograph the marathon as usual or other events in Portobello.
We went to the Ferry for Father's Day and it turned out my shoulder injury was worse than first thought.
Since then I have been in a sling, and mostly indoors, with my blips all of a yellow man. Occasionally we have got creative. And taken a trip outdoors. But mostly we have stayed indoors.
Bastille Day was a day for celebration but there was also sad news.

As always, it strikes me just how much gets packed into what feels like a very ordinary life.