Private Party

It's my 2-year blip birthday today.

I'm sitting in the fading light at a corner of the dining table in a corner of the otherwise-but-me empty kitchen, listening to the fridge hum and Eastenders folk yelling at each other on the telly in the other room. I can't hear words just an accent. Cor blimey, you toilitt! Innit.

To both celebrate my blip day and give me an opportunity to be creative and write some words every day, today I have started a new blip journal here: blip fiction. I'm going to try to write a little flash fiction quickly every day inspired by a photo I take.

I miss writing regularly. I miss it so much. I hope this new idea works out.

Forcing myself to do a blipfoto journal entry has taught me something I wasn't expecting: plenty of us can be creative but most of us don't bother for one reason or another. The biggest reasons for me were lack of confidence and a problem giving myself permission to take the time regularly. Signing up to something with a commitment - but with no one to answer to but myself - has been a solution for me.
There are always days, periods of time, when we are rubbish or uninspired, and it would be so easy to give up. But I always knew that if I missed a day - if I had one single day when I didn't take a photo, however poor - I would get holes in my journal and it would gradually get holier and holier until it fizzled out. It's about keeping going, having habits, and letting the crap escape too. We can bottle up a lot of crap emotionally and creatively (well, I know I can) and it's good to let it go to make room for the better stuff.

I have had SO many entries in my journal where I have winced as I pressed "publish this entry" and knew I would have no comments; the uncomfortable silence, but I did it anyway.
Talking of comments. There are one or two people who have popped in regularly over the years, the numbers go down when I am feeling low and/or my photos are especially poor, but I have had some support from other blippers and I thank you. You are so kind. I won't risk trying to name them all in case I accidentally miss out someone important, but most recently PennyMead has been lovely and so too has Nembow. But thank you everyone who has left comments. I read and appreciate every single one and really don't deserve them as I am so bad at replying.

Today, being Monday, was Richard's one day off of the week. Joel was working and Gemma had made plans but we did lots of things with Tess.
First of all we got a short shopping trip out of the way and then we went to Broomhill sculpture gardens. We had a lovely lunch there and a jaunt around the sculptures. Then we whizzed back home to let the dog out and put the shopping away and whizzed back out again. This time we went to Bideford and visited the Burton Art Gallery and The Café du Parc, where I had the most decadent cheesecake ever. (So much for giving up sugar!). We don't often go as far as Bideford so it was nice to do something different, and with the French accents in the café and the tourists in the park, it was like being on holiday.
Back home we hurriedly got Tess ready for a silly-over at a friend's house and then after she'd been dropped of, we walked the dog.
Somehow I still managed to have time to check on the garden and do a bit of watering after all that - AND pay some bills.

It really does feel like a birthday today. I feel a bit special. Even if it is on my own here in the dark.

Where's my wine?

I took the photo of the 3-legged race at The Burton Art Gallery. It's one of those ones where you think to yourself "I don't care how good it is. I like it."

Some other pics from today are here

Thanks for popping by on my blippaday