Last Monday we had planned to spend a day in Yorkshire with our friend Liz and her partner Tracie, but we got an e-mail on Saturday night cancelling the trip. We were left with an unexpected and rare day to ourselves, and so we did what most folk do on a sunny and perfect day to be outdoors. We went shopping. We have been trying to find time to buy a decent walking jacket for me, and a quality tripod for Chantal, which in practice meant a trip to Jessops photographic shop in Nottingham, via Go Outdoors in Loughborough. I quickly chose a jacket and we drove to Nottingham where Chantal found that the choice of displayed tripods was less than she had hoped. We browed other photographic bits and pieces until an assistant offered to assist, as assistants do. I asked if the display of tripods was all they offered, and Chantal joined us, and explained that she was looking for a “Three Legged Thingy”. I reminded her that it was called a “tripod”, but it turned out that a “Three Legged Thingy” is actually a variety of tripod, which the assistant eventually found on his I-pad. Jessops didn’t actually sell this item, but Chantal spent a happy half hour or so discussing alternative options, before leaving empty handed. Actually, no she didn’t. Chantal couldn’t possibly leave a camera shop empty handed – she bought a new camera case.
On the way back home we stopped to walk the dogs up Bardon Hill, near Coalville, a favoured route over ten years ago, when Chantal lived in Coalville, and I took Josh, Chantal’s German shepherd at the time, for a long walk on a Saturday morning while Chantal did some house cleaning. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed those walks.
Thanks to the time taken by Chantal to research her tripod in Jessops her tripod, it was dusk as we approached the top, but we still managed some photo opportunities. I turned to see the above view of Chantal as she photographed the view in the gathering darkness. “Wait there!” I said fumbling for my camera. Unusually she did as asked….
On the way back down Chantal returned the favour, “capturing” me and Lesia at the same spot.
Technically we live in Oaktree House, but sadly the tree had to go.
We now have a thriving Oakstump at the front of the house.
