The morning was magical. It was one of the most beautiful dawns I have ever seen. Mist poured over the moors, white as snow, turning to liquid gold at the touch of the sun. Shaded valleys, frosted with diamonds, glinted in the pale light and treetops made islands in the mist….
And I didn’t have my camera. It drowned.
The weather for the first day of the Solstice of the Moon weekend was a tad soggy. The convoy of cars had its very own ‘rubber duck’ as I donned the bright yellow waterproof cape and carefully tucked the camera into the allegedly waterproof pocket for safety.
The rain came down and filled the pocket…
Apparently, cameras don’t like going swimming.
So, there we were in Scotland, Stuart and I, with one working camera between us and the one on my phone, which is pretty limited in what it can capture. I’d managed one day of the trip on my own camera… after that, we had to share, so the photos of our latest odyssey were taken by both of us.
And what a trip it has been! Old friends, new friends and the gift of unexpected friends. One thousand six hundred miles of road, thousands of years of history and landscapes as close to paradise as you could ever wish to see. Synchronous and serial weirdness, technology that refused to play, places we have wanted to visit for years… and some I haven’t seen for decades and never thought to see again.
Other than one arranged meeting and the workshop itself, we had no firm plans and had not even booked hotels for the rest of the trip. We would go where we were led and see what we were given to see.
It started as all such trips begin, with a bag or two thrown in the boot of a car that was about to head north. That in itself was a relief. I was still recovering from the hospital’s intrusion and the car was still in the garage after breaking down. Right up until the very last minute, it was not at all certain that either it or I would be roadworthy in time. But we were… just… and so the first leg of the journey took me to Yorkshire to collect my companion.
And the next morning saw us heading up the A1 in search of adventure…
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
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Thank you for this and all the other mentions while I was away 🙂
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All your trips sound amazing, Sue. I learned that iphones also don’t take well to water but these things do happen. Have a lovely Saturday.
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There is a lot to share from this one, Robbie. 🙂
Technology needs to get to grips with the elements …
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So sorry about your camera.
Even if there were no pictures at all I’d still look forward to reading about your trip.
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Thanks, Mary! There will be pictures… but I do feel rather naked without a camera…
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Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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Sounds as though you had a wonderful time, but I hope your health didn’t suffer from all the activity? Glad you’re back though, the place seemed empty without you!
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I feel much better, thank you, Jaye… in spite or because of all the green mountains and long empty roads 🙂
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Reblogged this on Stuart France.
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Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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Cameras can take a certain amount of water, but they have their limits. Everything does – just like people.
I’m glad you and the car were roadworthy in time, though sorry about the poor drowned camera.
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I give this camera its full due…it has been through the wars, and still survived past all probability. This deluge was just the final straw.
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I am glad that you are feeling much better now Sue 🙂 xx
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Thanks, Judy…so am I 🙂 xx
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Did you try the rice trick with your drowned phone?
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No, not in the hotel and car… but after four days it had dried and functions mechanically… the electronics are shot, though.
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My phone doesn’t tell me when this was published. Perhaps this is s long ago venture and you are warmed by time lapsing frustrations into softer memories? Perhaps this is now and I have adventures to look forward to! Either way, a thought nudged me as I viewed your travel map. Is it the land or its peopled history that make the visit worthwhile? Why is the path of great battles and kitsch-encrusted tourist meccas more inviting than perhaps an unsullied vista with few restaurants and even fewer trail markers to inform one of the significance of a place…a moment of time captured by a postcard and a metal plaque?i shouldn’t envy your path, no matter what the truth of the journey reveals. Are you a lover of history or of blazing your own trails? Does it matter to the person who sits and admires the journey from afar? It shouldn’t, but living vicariously means I have questions. I look forward to answers–whenever they may appear. But, for now, my child is demanding cookies and car rides. I’ll check back another day!
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This was posted today, Kirizar…so the tale of the journey is yet to begin and missing the camera continues.
The beauty of the land itself is what draws me, but also the history of its people…I do not think you can understand a people without the context of their land. Battlefields and tourist hotspots seldom draw me either…unless they are relevant to an area of study at a given moment. Most of the places we visit are rooted in an ancient past when there was a greater reverence in everyday life for the earth.
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Glad to see you back, Sue, and none the worse for the wear !!!
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Good to be back…or it will be when I’ve caught up 🙂
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It sounds like a wonderful start to the trip despite the camera mishap. Looking foward to hearing more about it.
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There is a lot to share 🙂
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Oh my!!! … ** makes some popcorn and settles down in a comfy chair** … this is gonna be good! 😀
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Oooh, popcorn…. 😀
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I made enough for everyone. 🙂
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I’ll be right over 🙂
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So glad you had a wonderful getaway . . .and that the car came through! Gorgeous photo as always Sue. ❤
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Thanks, Debby. The car bill left me wide eyed for days… but she behaved beautifully and did us proud 🙂
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Ouch! But glad to hear, worth the price of admission. 🙂 x
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It was 🙂 x
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Sorry to hear about your camera, Sue but glad you were able to take some photos. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Stuart’s camera was the lifesaver 🙂
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