For some time now I have been talking myself in and out of starting a blog.

To anyone who knows me, the idea of talking myself in and out of doing something will come as no surprise. I have a unique ability to overthink a seemingly commonplace task, become overwhelmed by it , then put it off for the foreseeable.

Why the prospect of writing a few words down that will probably be read by about five people tops should appear daunting to me, I don't know? How do you write a blog without sounding ridiculously narcissistic or overly pretentious? Who really gives a shit about what you have to say?  So far I have at least two confirmed readers: my Grandma Rose (who cannot work computers and doesn't know what the internet is, so that's promising) and my friend Sam (who is only really awaiting my first blog post for what I'm sure he deems as comedy value and to see those immortal words written on my Instagram page: 'link in bio'. Also promising). 

Now I have established that I have at least have two people interested in the reading of future blog posts, all that's left to figure out is what exactly am I going to write about? If you do a quick internet search on 'how to write a blog' , which believe me - I have, the obvious advice comes up: 'know your target audience', 'establish what you are going to write about', etc. etc. Well, I suppose I have already narrowed down my target audience: women in their eighties - who are computer illiterate and friends who are in need of something to mock - quite niche, but I reckon I'm off to a good start there. Now to the writing part...

Writing is not a form of expression that comes naturally to me, I have to admit. I enjoyed creative writing at primary school, but sadly it's been all downhill since then. Nowadays writing is something that I associate with secondary school and university - essays, dissertations and job applications - something that you have to do that's not for fun. Oh,  and also not forgetting the Twilight Years. And by 'Twilight Years' I don't mean me writing my memoirs in my old age, I'm only in my twenties. I mean fourteen year old me, reading the Twilight Novels by Stephanie Meyer and endlessly professing my love for a fictional immortal seventeen year old vampire through the written word. (well, he's actually over one hundred but just retains the physical appearance of a seventeen year old if we're being technical, hence the immortal part.. duh...)

Anyway, moving swiftly on from the tangential musings of my teenage fantastical writing habits and back to the subject of blog writing. The other main point of advice that the internet gave me in regards to blog writing was to define an 'area' or 'theme' in which your blog can nicely sit in order to navigate your target audience. Well, the purpose of me wanting to start a blog ('new year, new me' joking aside) is simply to have another means of sharing my photos that I take on my 35mm film camera whilst out and about. If for no one else (other than the odd friend or family member)  then at least for myself, as a way of documenting, remembering and looking back. Otherwise, they're only sat packaged up in my room collecting dust, quite literally.  However, if I had to pick some sort of theme for my blog to fit into, which quite frankly I don't really feel the need to, I suppose it would have to fall under the wider umbrella of travel and photography blogging. But please, just because I am a twenty something female writing about my travels and sharing my photos, don't expect to be seeing pristine images of me all bronzed, toned and bikini clad in the Caribbean or some other far flung corner of the world doing a yoga pose on a beach. The more realistic version of that image would probably be me face planted on a beach in Northumberland because I fell down a hole (yes that actually happened).

Finally  - to surmise my ramblings - I'm clearly new to this blog writing game, and therefore anything I write from now on will certainly be a work in progress, so please be kind. I can't promise anything exciting, Grandma friendly yes, but  I'm not exactly a globe trotter. If you're wanting to read a blog where I report back from a different continent every other week, then perhaps my posts won't be your cup of tea. But if you would like to see photos of North Yorkshire, my home county, or maybe even somewhere as exotic as the Emerald Isle, then you're in for a thrill ride let me tell you! You don't have to go far to have an adventure after all, and to clarify that - I shall leave you with the words of Roger Deakin : 'Why would anyone want to go to live abroad when they can live in several countries at once just by being in England?'