Is it really 9 years!!??

About 9 years ago, back in 2013, I was booked for a holiday, visiting England and finishing the visit at  my sister’s in London. My university’s Learning Services unit was placed under the library and my boss asked me if I could stay in London a little longer and take part in the “Internet Librarian” conference. It looked (and was) interesting, and an extra few days in London is always welcome so I signed up.
One of the keynote speakers was Joe Tree, telling us about this photo site he had created, Blipfoto. I rather liked the idea of one photo a day so I signed up. My first blip was posters from the glory days of that Olympia Exhibition Centre. (A little later I backblipped a few images to fill out October, 2013). I’m not very good at consistently doing anything so though I was giving Blipfoto a go I didn’t have high hopes or ambitions.
9 years and  3285 pictures later here I am, still blipping away.  
Much of my life has remained fairly stable over that 9 years, but some major changes have also happened. I’ve retired, I’ve become more politically active, I’ve learned new skills, we bought a camper van, I’ve made new friends (some of them here on blip) and lost touch with others.
There have been times when Blipfoto enthusiasm has waned a little, and I’ve been carried forward by the inertia of hundreds, later thousands, of daily pictures. Other times I’ve been completely away from Internet connections and have had to fill a backlog of 10 days or so. Sometimes life has been busy and I’ve dropped slightly behind (like now!) and needed to put up 3 days at once. But mostly it has been done on the day and joyfully. All the days have been blipped.
Partly the joyful aspect is down to all you other blippers. I didn’t really think of you when I started but I’m sure you are collectively one the main reason I continue, as we follow each other’s adventures, large and small, happy and sad. I’ve enjoyed meeting some of you in real life, and I’m sure I’ll meet more in the future. Some of you have been on blip much longer than me, others less so, but you are a great group of people!
If you are ever travelling through Sweden, along the E4, you will find Härnösand almost exactly half-way up the country, 4 or 5 hours drive north of Stockholm.  Get in contact if you want to drop in for a coffee, or even stay overnight in The Red House, which is tagged in 69  of my blips, none of which shows the inside!! (I must remedy that when the bathroom repairs are completed.) Blippers are always welcome!
Today’s particular picture is not chosen as a special 9 year blip.  It is one I took today just for the autumn beauty. After days of pictures showing autumn on the forest and mountain scale it seemed time for a picture of the micro world and the variety and autumn colours found in just a square foot of forest floor.
Many thanks to all you wonderful people who are here on blip, and make it a lovely  positive experience being here!