How To Do Leisure
Jan and I intended to get together during my time off and do several things - bit of cycling perhaps, visit some local sites that I've not been to before, possibly even do some camping. But my time was cut so suddenly and unexpectedly short that we made a hurried decision to visit at least one place that was new to me before I joined the nine-to-five brigade again!
Jan chose a leisurely afternoon and early evening at Tilgate Park in Crawley. The weather was perfect - warm sun, blue sky, light cool breeze. I was wondering what to expect as I have a (probably incorrect) impression of Crawley as a sprawling dormitory town (should almost be a city really) which has grown and spread without rhyme, reason or control, and has a reputation for being a bit dangerous. I was wondering what I would find! I certainly did not expect this.
We had a nice lunch (including the sharing of a truly disgraceful dessert) and then sat outside drinking in this broad sweep of grassland and specimen trees sweeping down to a blue and tranquil-looking lake. The breeze ruffled our hair and the sun shone down as we chatted about lots of things - their business and (now) hilarious ongoing battle with a complete nutcase of a customer, my new job, and anything else that occurred to us.
Neil arrived after a while, and wanted to take a turn round the lake in his canoe, so we meandered down to the lake-side. Whilst we were there and Neil was revving up by scorching up and down the lake at improbable speeds, Jan told me that, just over the other side of the trees, lay the M23 motorway!!
I would never have dreamt it. If you listened really, really hard, you could hear a vague murmuring. Those trees make incredible sound barriers. It's a shame the technique is not used everywhere - the presence of the road certainly does not blight this area.
I tried some shots of Neil doing some technical moves on the water, (he's an Olympic hopeful, you know, already Division One I believe, and very talented) but I think canoeing will be as hard to photograph as horse-jumping. Still, it's nice to try!
Many thanks Jan for taking me to such a lovely place, for such a lovely day.
Jan chose a leisurely afternoon and early evening at Tilgate Park in Crawley. The weather was perfect - warm sun, blue sky, light cool breeze. I was wondering what to expect as I have a (probably incorrect) impression of Crawley as a sprawling dormitory town (should almost be a city really) which has grown and spread without rhyme, reason or control, and has a reputation for being a bit dangerous. I was wondering what I would find! I certainly did not expect this.
We had a nice lunch (including the sharing of a truly disgraceful dessert) and then sat outside drinking in this broad sweep of grassland and specimen trees sweeping down to a blue and tranquil-looking lake. The breeze ruffled our hair and the sun shone down as we chatted about lots of things - their business and (now) hilarious ongoing battle with a complete nutcase of a customer, my new job, and anything else that occurred to us.
Neil arrived after a while, and wanted to take a turn round the lake in his canoe, so we meandered down to the lake-side. Whilst we were there and Neil was revving up by scorching up and down the lake at improbable speeds, Jan told me that, just over the other side of the trees, lay the M23 motorway!!
I would never have dreamt it. If you listened really, really hard, you could hear a vague murmuring. Those trees make incredible sound barriers. It's a shame the technique is not used everywhere - the presence of the road certainly does not blight this area.
I tried some shots of Neil doing some technical moves on the water, (he's an Olympic hopeful, you know, already Division One I believe, and very talented) but I think canoeing will be as hard to photograph as horse-jumping. Still, it's nice to try!
Many thanks Jan for taking me to such a lovely place, for such a lovely day.
posted by Catherine at 20:57
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