A Learning Curve

When I started Blipping three and a half years ago, it was because someone (The Vicar of St Hilda's, hence Hildasrose) knew I was interested in using a camera and recommended Blipfoto.  I decided to give it a go and hadn't a clue what I was doing.  I eventually realised that the journal part of the site was a place where I could record the days of my life and the progression of my Mom's dementia, maintaining reference points.  So I started doing that.  Then I started looking closely at the images captured by so many Blippers and marvelling at the different things I was seeing and reading about.  So I got a Bridge camera.  Then I started meeting some Blippers.  Chantler63 was the first at Whipsnade Zoo!  Others followed.  Blip meets in the Lake District where I have met some wonderful Blippers.  Waddesdon, London, Cornwall, Scotland, Cornwall, Peterborough, Birmingham, Bewdley, Stratford, Gloucester  I write to a dog in New Zealand - I am going to meet her next year!  I write to a dog in Cornwall who loves splish splash sploshing.  I have news of three dogs in the Lake District regularly.  I seek out news of tortoises.  I have blip friends in the Channesl Islands...  I have shared joy and pain and disaster with Blippers around the world and received love and encouragement from so many.

Along the way, I have become firm friends with several Blippers who I believe will now always have a significant part in my life.  Important, lovely people.

And, amazingly, I have learnt a bit about photography too!  I now have a DSLR, and some lenses! There is so much that mystifies me, but I so believe that I have got better and at least I know what I should be thinking about even if I can't do anything about it yet!  I am on manual most of the time.  I have a go at challenges.  I listen to the advice I am given in Blips and at Blipmeets.  And I have so much fun!

Today, Chantler63, the Chantler63 of the male variety, SHH and I visited the Stourbridge Canal and the Red House Glass Cone.  There are 16 locks in this particular flight.  My Blip shows the effect of many years of the ropes of the horses pulling the canal barges rubbing on the brickwork on the bridges.  The extras show one of my best Blipfriends and the C63MV hard at work.  Then you can see the result of Chantler63 talking to me about rust and patina  (I know, I know, strange thing to do) so I decided to have a go at these two little bits of rusty paintwork on bits of metal by the canal.  Is that progress in my photography?  I think so.  Has Blipping added to my life?  Yes, without doubt.  It gives me joy, despair, love, support, friendship, a hobby, education, knowledge, excitement, ambition, a bucket list...

What larks!  What wonder!  What blipping!