Last night my mother-in-law rang up and said to have Dylan ready to go by 9PM, and that she’d be by to pick him up. “Cool,” I thought. Then it was pointed out to me that I had only Kirynie till Friday afternoon. At 19 months old, she is easier to do things with than either of the two young teens who make their demands known, and who fight with each other incessantly. So, I, in passing, thought of what I could do today, including Abergavanny, Wales, and Hereford Cathedral. The freedom is of course in the ability to decide for myself whatever I want to do! Kiry is not old enough to vote me down! I am putting last minute charges on the camera and gear, checking the weather, and packing the stuff I will need to make this a successful day out with the camera, including the GPS units, and even lens filters. My wife has described me as giddy… Well, yeah! And as the sun starts to light the morning sky, I look forward to the bright day ahead!
Today’s weather is forecast as “a real mixed bag” with fog, sleet, snow, and more… Sounds perfect! Dress warm, fill the water bottle(s) and cover up the push chair with a rain cover, and away I go..!! After a healthy breakfast, of course… Oh, and getting Kirynie ready! The only thing I am unsure of is if I have to transfer at Hereford Station, how do i get the pushchair off the outer platform? There is a hellish bridge, and I don’t know where a lift is there. But that is not to dissuade me! Shall I bring the headphones and mic too? Podcasting? Maybe…
I am at Colwall now. We have just come out of the tunnel after Malvern. Readers think, “so what!” But I have to note this sort of thing because I want to remember it for years and years to come. It is foggy out, ant the view quite obscured, but this is not something I will experience in Nevada, or some place like that, so I am enjoying it to its fullest!
Hard to believe that Abergavanny, Wales is only about 40 miles as the crow flies from our house. Little Britain! Yet it is an hour and a half by train!
Abergavanny
Well, Kiry and I have walked all through Abergavanny’s High Street, and past the Market, which is closed today, possibly because it is snowing. I had to buy a hat to cover my head and keep the now off my face and glasses. It is not a perfect day for the camera, especially with he GPS unit fixed on top, so I may take that off as it is not water proofed.
We are sat now in a place that sells chicken and burgers and fries (chips). I am positive it is the same place as Katrina and the boys and I sat in the last time we came out to this lovely little Market Town four or five years ago. The all tile interior is partly a give away. Apart from the ceiling, the whole place is food fight proof! Will we go out to the castle ruins? The weather is not great, nor is the idea of walking in the mud.
Kiry has dropped TWO… Not one, but TWO BBQ sauce bottles on the floor..!!
The staff here are speaking Welsh. Thankfully they are not looking our way, or I think I can guess what they’d be saying!
I almost dread putting on the warm clothes and going back out in it. Kiry is so good natured, and keeps tapping my arm to point to things. I wonder what she’d say? I assume that it would be friendly, and nice. By the time she is old enough to tell me, I may find out it is not. But for now, it is fun to pretend that she is speaking nicely about nice things. More people pass by, and finally, an older couple enters and takes a seat. Time to get my warms on and get ready to get out in it. Kiry is now wiping BBQ sauce on my sleeve.
Took a While to Get Home
Getting home turned out to not be so easy, so I have waited till I did, and defrosted, in order to write the rest of this post! For any unaware, I have psoriassis on my feet, and as a consequence, I have to wear sandals all the time, or they really act up. When I said all the time, I meant it..!! So today has been extra fun. I am not complaining! It really has not bothered me in the least, but I wanted to document the fact so you have a full picture of the day.
When I finished the ride back to Worcester, there were no taxis at the rank, there were no bus 33, and there were no taxis after I waited an hour for the non-existent bus. So I ended up walking home from town to our house, exactly a mile and a half as it turns out, and may I add, up hill almost every inch of the way, and quite steep for the last half mile. That was fun in the snow..!!
As it turned out, I was sat out he train from Hereford next to a photography instructor from Israel. She encouraged me to go professional. Did I dare tell her that I have been trying for a long time now, but it is hard to get off the ground? Maybe it is a case of those who can’t do, teach. Was that what she was doing? Is that what I should do? Either way, I never want to put my camera down. I will take holidays, because I know that is necessary for sanity. But I do want to do it till I die, and NOT SOON..!!!
I plan to put some of the photos I made today on my photo blog. No intent on selling any. So look there for them!
Kelsey Bacon
Worcester, Hereford, England and Abergavanny, Wales.