Exit the disposable camera and enter the digital era!
Such was my hurry to purchase my new pride-and-joy, a digital camera, that MrM and I had to detour via Jessop's Shrewsbury branch enroute to Newcastle!
This "necessity" ensured our late arrival at MrsM’s friend's husband’s country retreat, resulting in our bunking in the dormitory. No double room with ensuite bathroom and gym for us! Not to worry, our bearings established we were off to the Crown to wet the weekend’s head. 
A most civilised evening in the restaurant followed, where the unexpected flood of our trade left the menu threadbare - and a more raucous follow-up in the bar where MrM's enthusiastic embrace of the two-room darts and Chinese pool tournament led to a yellow card from the landlord. 
On the wander home we lost MrF (#deadinaditch?), however our callous disregard for his welfare, or even continued existance, happily ensured no sleep was lost. All-in-all, a successful start to the campaign. A beautiful spring, Friday morning saw most of us head up Offa's Dyke and then into Bishop's castle for lunch at the Three Tuns, "two pints of Strongbow", and a swift top-up at the Six Bells before DrH and I rambled south to Clun. 
Here a final pint saw off the prospect of us completing the round trip on foot, but we had still had a great day’s walking, so the final minibus home didn’t feel like too much of a compromise. |
Following morning... leisurely off to Clun for a fuller exploration of its entertainments and back via the, still impressive, ruins of the castle for MrW's (doing an impersonation of Phil Collins) 40th dinner.
Drinks followed at the Crown, and I recall the walk home under the most beautifully starlit sky I have ever seen, the spell broken only by the passage of MrM’s huffing yomp. What followed has since entered the hall of fame, but for those that were there I shall say only the following, baby grand piano. 
MrM later re-animated and climbed up to the dorm, berated the rest of us for our behaviour, fell out of bed and slept on the floor. At the time a red card seemed very much in order, but a distant action replay indicates it should have been a medal - you can’t make this stuff up. In contrast I recall very little of the final day and evening, but I’m guessing it took us a while to surface in the morning and don't believe we went any further than Clun again. The final morning was the usual unwanted affair. 
Bob, March 2024. Afterthought - My First Digital Camera, Olympus μ300
As alluded to at the top of the page, just as Newcastle was looming, I was on a bit of a mission to get my hands on a digital camera.
This was one of those occasions where I had been considering buying something for a long time and then, finally, the dam burst and I permitted myself, not only to make the purchase, but to feel the attendant glow of satisfaction! In this case, I know I did the right thing in granting myself permission, the Olympus and its successors have played a priceless role in remembering wonderful people, places and occasions. Maybe it has done a little of the same for some of those featured. Here is the beast, almost laughable now, only 3MP and 3x zoom with a 128MB memory card, but beautiful.
That was only 21 years ago, but today, how alien is the concept of a thing that is just a camera? |
