Well, after the excitement of the test post (don't you just love them?) I suppose I really ought to post something REAL.

My name is Jane Willis and I am a comper. Yes, it is an addiction - as you probably already know if you are reading this. I entered (and won) my first comp when I was three years old - I'm not saying exactly when that was, but it was before the days of colour TV. But I didn't become hooked until the mid 1980s.

Now I am so addicted that I publish my own small-press magazine for compers, The Competition Grape Vine. Originally produced by John Lock, I took over from him when he retired. I also write articles for the magazine Prize Draw Winner, and am a member of the London Competitors Club and several online comping groups and forums. So competitions are a HUGE part of my life, although I am also passionate about cooking and papercrafts.

I'm very new to blogging, as you can probably tell by the appearance of the blog so far, but I am keen to learn and hopefully it will soon start to look like a "real" blog! The blog is going to be much more personal than the Grape Vine website, so you will read a bit more about me and my own comping, my struggles to find entry forms, despair when the postman walks past yet again and, hopefully, the prizes I win.

But there will also be general comping chat which I hope will be of interest to all, as well as some messages intended mainly for Grape Vine readers. Of course I won't be posting anything here which subscribers get in their magazines - that wouldn't be fair on subscribers - but you'll find out here when the latest issue of the magazine is in the post, what date the mid-month update is sent out, and whether there are any amendments or last minute hitches, so do keep dropping in.

And please leave me your comments - I look forward to hearing from you.