Yes, and Eunice and I are fortunate in having a lot of interests in common, so our brains are not static and we spark off each other. All good for the grey cells.
I agree that too much specialisation can get you too close but in that respect we do have wider views - we have several other philatelic interests as well as mint G.B. as can be seen on our website at
http://www.earsathome.com
We all have our own views (entrenched or otherwise) and I think this is the beauty of the GBPS forum, and others, in that it gives access to so many other people with similar interests. Most collectors that we meet do show interest in fields other than their own, something to do with 'collectors mentality' perhaps.
As for affordable collecting, I suppose that depends on an individuals interest. There are (maybe) some topics so obscure that very few stamps would illustrate them but for how long would that hold the interest?
One country collections? Very hard indeed. It was looking for a collection that I could 'complete' that led me to G.B. KEVIII - fool that I was at that time I had not done my homework. So came the nosedive into 'specialisation'!
I don't collect used stamps as such but have occasional covers and hold on to anything used that has relevance, but don't go out of my way to get them.
The weather stops us gardening because the frost has killed the grass - no
mowing to do - killed a lot of the shrubs and bushes, so no point in pruning
till the frost has finished and I keep my swallow diving for the pool.
Do you have a springboard in your garden or was your swallow dive more of a
belly flop?
Cheers
Ron.