1095

1095

You could say it’s just a number, but for me the 1095 blips that I have posted so far mean so much.

I could never imagine that when I started blipping just over three years ago I would have…….

Travelled to Wanaka in New Zealand for a Blip Meet and met some amazing people…..

Been part of many Blackheath Blip Meets where we have joyfully hosted blippers from all over the world to our beautiful Blue Mountains……

Had the thrill of hanging four of my images in the first blipfoto exhibition with my Blackheath Blipping Buddies!

Made some wonderful virtual and personal friends from all corners of the globe……

Found a wonderful friend, mentor and inspirational trainer in Canada who has stuck with me through thick and thin (pardon the pun Paula!!)…..

Had the audacity to start a Blip Challenge called May Macro Mayhem in 2015 which eventually became Tiny Tuesday (and I didn’t know a thing about taking macro images at the time)!!!!…..

Found the courage to locate a phone number for a blipper in New Zealand called Snowy and what a cracker person Snowy turned out to be, hosting a wonderful luncheon for the blippers during our Wanaka Weekend.

Enjoyed the company of genius blippers, Gitama in Brunz and Jensphotos in Newcastle as CCN and I travelled backwards and forwards to Bundaberg on a regular basis.

Become friends with one of the oldest and most inspirational blippers in the business - you know who you are Jolang!!

Found a great little place called Cafe Beckett where CCN and I have enjoyed many a fruit slice and a hot cuppa as we wind our way back up the mountains - (thanks Wendy and Tom)

Learnt how to use FaceTime on my Apple computer so that I could chat to OSuzanna and Maura143 in the USA!!

Tracked down blip legends rainie in NZ and BikerBear in the UK and had a good old blether to both of them :-) 

CRIKEY - I could go on and on!!   I can’t even remember life before blipfoto!!

My brother Big al has a lot to answer for (Allan46)

Oh, one more thing, how could I forget…..

Being rapped over the knuckles in the kindest possible way by a very nice blipper in the UK for creating havoc with a lengthy message I managed to send to over 300 blippers in support of “BlipFuture” when it looked like the ship was sinking!!  No je regrette rien 

IN CLOSING

The significance of my image today………  In 46 days my good buddy Debbie Shiell and I will be doing the EUREKA CLIMB and in doing so raising money for two wonderful organisations who do amazing work for young people.

In 2011 I had the enormous privilege of accompanying an Interplast medical team to SUVA in Fiji as a Rotarian Observer.  The Interplast organisation is one that CCN and I are passionate about supporting and the Eureka Climb has been on my “Bucket List” for many years now. I can hardly believe that in just over a month Debbie and I will stand at the bottom of the tower with 1642 steps ahead of us.

Today I re-set our team target at $1095 - a $ for every blip that I have posted on blipfoto

Shortly after publishing our Fundraising Page I was astonished to see that two of my blip buddies in the UK had sponsored us.  It made me think that perhaps there may be some more blip buddies out there in the world who would like to feel they are part of our challenge in a very real way. I would be absolutely thrilled if you were able to support us.  Can you imagine how much easier our task will be with a whole bunch of blippers pushing us from behind :-) 

Here is a link to our STEPSISTERS FUNDRAISING PAGE

 I know that if we can achieve that target, there will be at least two young children in the world who will receive life changing plastic surgery and without the Interplast team that would never ever be possible.

I have added two extra images today that were taken when I was in Fiji with the Interplast Team in 2011.  The first one is a little Fijian girl who had terrible burns to her feet, the image was taken just before her operation and she had been given one of the precious “Care Bears” by one of my Rotary friends.  The other is one that was taken while I was observing an operation, you may spot wwombat in the background watching intently as a little Fijian boy was having his left hand reconstructed.  By the time the surgeons had completed the operation, the little hand had been transformed from one with no functioning fingers into one with “Five Little Pinkies” (the words of the surgeon).

Thank you to all of my Blip Buddies throughout the world from the bottom of my heart for your heart warming friendship.  May it long continue and long live blipfoto!!

PS - A huge thank you to CCN for once again stepping up to the plate and taking our 1095th image!