The Adventurers of Larry Lumix...Saturday 6th September 2014

Afternoon  Friends!

Please bear with me on this 'wordy' post and read on....

So you are wondering about Larry Lumix aren't you??? Please bear with me again, I'm a very tired girl today from the culmination of a particularly busy week and a day out at a wedding, where the sun shone and it felt hotter than ever!

Larry is my Lumix Panasonic camera and yes,  I just made up the name, I didn't christen him 7 years ago when I got him (him sounds better than it)...but the poor thing has had such an eventful week that I thought he deserved a name and for me to spill his story in blogland!

Flashback to Monday...my big event at work and he came with me, but you know what it's like if you've ever had to organise anything..you are being asked questions from all sides and giving direction -  that all else gets forgotten. One of my volunteers took a photo with it for me and then (so I'd thought) I put it back in my rucksack in the library kitchenette. Then one of our other volunteers, Julia, a keen photographer,  arrived with her Canon EOS DSLR and thankfully became photographer for the day.

I didn't look in my bag until Wednesday when I wanted to photograph some cards..camera not in bag..big panic...my lovely blog pal Claire (you'll read more about Claire here on Monday) will verify this, as she consoled me via email all the way from New York, when I was so upset to think Larry might be gone forever.

You see Larry isn't just any camera...he was the last birthday present my Mum bought me before she passed away 7 years ago. I have always loved taking photos..when I worked for BT many years ago, I  took a year's course at evening class for City & Guilds (expect that no longer exists!); I took baby and child photos for my colleagues in my own little studio and actually did 4 friends weddings. That was in the days before digital, everything was on film and it was the scariest thing to do ever! The couples were thrilled with all the photos, but after four weddings the stress levels were way too high, so I said "no more!" in a very loud voice  and went back to concentrating on other craft. My Nikon SLR had been playing up for a while and they told me that the cost of repair would be more than a new camera, so it's in it's bag (probably an antique soon) and as the digital age was looming, I got one of the first digital compacts and forgot everything I learned.

Move on a few years and a few compacts later and Mum wanted to buy me a DSLR, but they were so very expensive and I didn't think that the time I spent taking photos 7 years ago (even now) warranted the expense, so I went for what was at the time, a top of the range compact. It was very expensive at the time and  one that looks and feels like an SLR but isn't. I spent over an hour in the camera shop choosing it, I remember that time to this day. In the end it was the Leica lens that sold it to me, they have always been and still are the best.

Back to Thursday - I got into work SO early: racking my brains, I knew I couldn't  have lost it or it (yes I know I've reverted to 'it') had been stolen -  leaving to options, someone found it and handed it in or it got put on the shelf in the kitchenette and locked away. Neil, the librarian checked lost property - nothing, so we unlocked the kitchenette and there was Larry, looking very forlorn in the corner...but I have never breathed such a big sigh of relief or hugged a camera before. I emailed Claire with the good news.

Thursday evening as always Larry came to craft class...I took photos of all the cards and some of the finished ones from last time...they were all fabulous(the cards)...please take my word for that and read on a little longer...

Friday...day of wedding....I usually would have uploaded the card photos to my iMac in the morning, but didn't have time as we had things to do before heading off for the afternoon wedding, about an hour from home.

We arrived at the hotel where the wedding was being held, Marco, the groom and some other family members were already there and outside talking. We went over to them and a few minutes later the photographer, who was a friend of theirs and does exactly what I used to do when I worked at BT: take photographs in his spare time(but more serious about it) came over and asked to speak to Marco. Next came a plea from the groom "Has anyone got a digital camera?"

No responses from anyone, so I said that I did. Apparently the lens on the guy's Canon EOS was producing error messages. He had a spare lens but only a long lens, too long. When I showed him Larry, his eyes lit up and the fact that it had a Leica lens made him very happy...please can I borrow it? Of course, I wasn't going to see Jo and Marco with no photos was I? The SD cards weren't interchangeable, so he had to use my card and forgetting I had photos from the previous night on it, that I hadn't uploaded, I wiped them to give him a clean SD...oh Sugar!!!!

A quick lesson on it's most basic programme and he was away...I hope he got some good shots - I have never been thanked by so many people in one day..aah bless!

So I was left with my iPhone - now I've always been an Apple Mac gal through and through, but the iPhone does have a rubbish camera, which I go out of my way not to bother with, but at least I had it and could get a few photos yesterday.

Friends and Family

Tom smiling for the camera

Bride and Groom

In the end, the battery (for once fully charged) lasted out and the day was saved...and this is why, for any of our craft group who look on here to see their cards..that they won't be here this time..a thousand apologies, but in a good cause.

Finally, one crafty item...look at some of the gems I collected from tables, with the help of Tom and our friend Sharon...:)

As for Larry, well he's having a well earned rest in the relative safety of the craft room....this camera has been to the USA three times and Italy at least four, without incident..even when I decide to retire him (or I'm forced to), I will always keep him...but I think after this week, I will be giving even more tlc to Larry.

Love and Hugs,

Carole X

PS I started writing this at 9am, but Tom dragged me away from what he could see would be 'War and Peace" to go to the local equestrian country store that had a 50% sale..as if I needed much persuading - don't panic I didn't buy a horse, the jackets I was after were sold out unless you were  a size 8 and all I came back with were some gloves for when I clean the hens and a fun thing for them...am just going to try it out!

Pin It