1710.10 15 YEAR BLOGGERVERSARY

Ok, it might not be the most popular blog but I enjoy it and it's been around a long time, fifteen year in fact. That's right, I've been writing this stuff for a decade and a half.

In September 2002 I decided (why I don’t know) to start a personal website. I included items that were of interest to me and posted details of what was happening in my life. Thus my blog was born... 

So here for posterity is the first published post... 

Commence Captain’s Log: 0209.23 ROBBED
We were visited in the early hours by thieves who proceeded to crow-bar the back of my shed off and relieve me of my tools. 

The first I knew of it was about 10:30 that morning when I glanced outside and noticed the mess. At first I thought someone had dumped a load of rubbish over the garden wall. In actual fact it was the contents of our shed which had been thrown all over the bottom of our garden.

The blog has evolved over the years and has undergone a number of changes along the journey. Initially the site was called 'KirtWEB' but as my hair left me I settled on the name 'To Baldly Go...' as I felt it reflected the journey of my life.

One of my website's early incarnations

The content has always been about me and my family, I don't have an angle. I'm not in this for the numbers (although it's nice when I know people read my work). One post may be about bikes, the next might be politics and the next might be about my family. More recently my cartoons have been featuring more.

My first self portrait

I've been drawing cartoons all my life but it wasn't until 2006 that I brought one into my website. It was my first attempt at a self portrait. Then I started creating individual cartoons for my posts later on, the first appeared almost 10 years ago and back then it wasn't on every post. Each one was created using a computer. Recently I went back to basics and today's cartoons are now crafted by hand and appear on every post.

First blog post cartoon

So where does my blog go from here? I don't know, I don't have any plans. The webcomics are the most recent addition to my pages and so far so good there. I'll continue for as long as I see fit. Maybe these logs will become a lasting legacy so my family will know me when I'm but a distant memory.

Thank you all for coming on this ride with me. I hope you enjoy the journey. I'm not done just yet. "The human adventure is just beginning".