Today I visited my 85-year-old great aunt, Kitty (quoted in the blog post about my Papa’s death). Kitty is an accomplished photographer and bears an arsenal of some incredible equipment, but irony is cruelly robbing her of her sight, to the point that she really can’t do much darkroom work anymore.
A few months ago she decided that I was to be the lucky recipient of some of her beautiful cameras and today I called over for tea and left photographically enriched.
I haven’t the specifics to hand as I write this, but I was given: Two Nikon SLRs, four lenses and one studio lighting case full of equipment. I feel like I’ve won the lottery.
But the monetary value of what I’ve been given pales in comparison to the passion that has been invested in these instruments. I’ve seen Kitty’s photographs – she seems to see the world they way I do – namely, through a lens. It’s with these tools that she captured her life and the lives of those around her throughout her photography career, which is why it means more to me – and to her – that they stay firmly within the family’s bosom.
I’m aching to get started and to show Kitty that her cameras are still hard at work. They are the one thing in the world I dislike seeing gathering dust.
And now from cameras to cars. Today I also rammed into the back of my mother’s car. Thankfully both of us are fine and her car escaped without so much as a nick. My poor wheels, however, weren’t so lucky. The bonnet crumpled like a piece of paper. My face did too when I heard how much it will cost me to get a second hand replacement.
Exhilerating highs and crushing lows. All in all, a fairly balanced day, I should think.
