It has been far too long without blogging. What’s been going on? What’s been stopping me?
Twitter. Twitter has a lot to answer for! I’ve never really had that much to say and it has become so much easier to do it in 140 characters or less than on this blog. Twitter has also opened up my world to things I have loved since I was a kid, but have never pursued. I have learned so much about wildlife and conservation and photography from people on Twitter, it has been quite wonderful. And as a digital marketer, if you’re not doing it or using it, then you don’t really know what you’re talking about!
Butterfly Conservation. Throughout last year I spent most weekends and quite a few summer evenings doing butterfly counts and sending in my data to my local Butterfly Conservation chapter. I also helped out with the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey as part of the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) and put in and covered a transect near Denham in Buckinghamshire. I’ve always loved nature and animals and it’s great fun. But butterfly numbers are declining rapidly. Butterflies are a fantastic indicator of climate change, as they have short lifespans, are quite particular in terms of habitat, and therefore react quickly to changes in environment. It would be a pity if they died out, so hopefully my little bit helps.
Part-time Ranger. I have been helping out the rangers on Harmondsworth Moor, near where I used to work – all in the grand hope of learning as much as possible for a change of career in the future! So far, I have done a Reed Warbler survey, a Harvest Mouse nest survey, and some general manual work – removing a picnic bench damaged by vandals. I have also conducted a survey to check for the possible presence of the White-letter Hairstreak butterfly.
New Job. I started a new job early this year. I needed a change. I am very happy now! Great job in a bigger company and such lovely people! I travel to Italy rather than Asia, but that’s ok. Hopefully I can make a move back to Asia with this company – it’s a part of the world I love and I know extremely well, especially in terms of digital marketing – fingers crossed.
New House. We had to move away from Windsor for the new job. We’re now in Sutton. However, we really don’t like Sutton, and with a baby on the way, we are going to move further out away from London. We will be moving to Horsham this summer! 
Baby. Number One Son is on the way. We found out this week that it is a little boy. Yayoi and I will be meeting our son on 25th September this year – all being well. He should be on time – his father always is!
So, a lot has happened…
But with lots on the horizon this year, I will get back to blogging. It acts as a great diary to see what we did when, and that’s all I ever intended.
