Hello!

[myzenpen]

Hi all,

Finally decided to have a go on the forum, after following on twitter for a few weeks, and thought I should introduce myself
My name is Kate. I'm a mum of three and a poet, and in September I'll start the final year of my Creative Writing degree at Sheffield Hallam.
I've been meditating for fifteen years now, but have been a practising Buddhist for only five. Suppose the meditations I started with so long ago had more of a general "spiritual" aspect, and I do other meditations such as metta bhavana, tonglen, etc, but mindfulness is really the most useful practice on and off the cushion!
It's so nice to have found this site (or rather, whoever runs the site's twitter found me - thank you).
Anyway I'll keep it short! Nice to meet you all and I look forward to sharing a part of this journey with you.

[JonW]

Hi Kate.
Welcome to the community. Great to have you on board.
All good things, Jon

[FeeHutch]

Hello and welcome
I'm also from Sheffield and a member of the SHU alumni
Thank you for introducing yourself and I look forward to getting to know you

[JonW]

The Sheffield posse is on the march.
Watch out for Wednesday v United frictions along the way.
It could get lively.

[Gareth]

The Yorkshire connection on these boards is uncanny. I'd call it fate if I believed in that kind of thing. I am from Rotherham originally, although I live in Barnsley these days.

I am the one that runs the Twitter account, so it would have been me you were talking to. I am running that account as a driver for the site, so I'll follow you from my personal account. What's your username?

Oh, and a warmest welcome by the way.

[myzenpen]

Thanks for the very warm welcome! And wow, that really is strange that so many South Yorkshire folks are here. I'm originally from the States, but have lived in Yorkshire for 11 years (England for almost 14). I lived in Mexborough first, then moved to Sheffield in 2008. It's a lovely place

Wednesday vs united though ... haha.
In our house we do a bit of the SHU v Uni of Sheff banter, as the boyfriend went to Uni of.

Gareth, my twitter is @kate_garrett.
Nice to meet you all! I plan to read all the discussions properly tomorrow.

[JonW]

We've got a few Welshies on board though.
Cymru am byth!

[myzenpen]

Jon, Wales is amazing as well!

The language, the poetry, folklore and mythology, the history, I love everything about it really. We go to North Wales to visit friends every summer. If I was going to live anywhere in the UK that isn't Sheffield, it would be mid or north Wales, Snowdonia especially. It's a dream of mine. Cymru am byth indeed

[FeeHutch]

SHU v Sheff Uni is on a par with Owls v Blades.
For the record Up The Owls and on the uni front I am Switzerland having studied undergrad at one and worked at the other as part of my post grad life