0730

ish.

One of these days I'm going to manage to get the blip birthdays right. At least I got the right day this time (missed it by one last year). No whisky to blame this time though, just a slept through alarm and a road closure.

The plan was to be up here on the summit of Dumyat and take this shot at 0730 exactly. The alarm was set but it went off silently and harmlessly through a set of headphones (note to self: iPhone Alarm App only plays through the headphones if they're plugged in). My trusty sidekick here managed to get dressed half asleep and we were out the door and heading up the Sherrifmuir road within fifteen minutes, only to find the road closed. So we turned back and found a slightly longer route up to the path onto the hill.

The days of bounding up here in 45 minutes have most definitely passed (for me at least, Euan hardly broke sweat), so it was 0741 before this shot was taken. Hence 730-ish.

The other reason I decided to head up here today was that, looking back through the 729 preceding shots, the great majority of my journal shots have been taken down there. All the way from the hillfoots villages on the left below the Ochils, over the fields of the Wee County, up on Knockhill that's peeking out of the mist, south to the River Forth and the bridges at Kincardine and my numerous blips taken on my commutes back and forward across them. Edinburgh and Blipcentral is way over there in the distance too; we waved to say "Cheers for the awesome site guys" but you were all beavering away and didn't notice. This past year has seen us get together with fellow blippers Instography and Andmoff and get out and about down there on a couple of enjoyable photography walks.

This year has also seen another member of the DWD household start a journal in here (slipped a bit recently, but Heather assures me she has loads of backblipping to do), along with a number of work colleagues and other acquaintances who have dipped their toe in the blipfoto waters, partly due to me never shutting up about the thing, partly due to them seeing what a great and inspirational place this is.

Maybe Euan will start his own journal too at some point, probably more to stop me dragging him out of his bed at 6am to do things like this than anything else. He's been a great constant companion out on our little adventures with the camera and I'd like to think I've passed more on to him than those big pink ears.

Finally, huge thanks to all my subscribers who stop by and to all those that comment and rate (especially to those that comment and I never seem to get around to returning the favour - sorry about that, will try harder).

OK, what's next...? Bring on the terrible twos.

In all its glory... The Forth Valley