Well a few weeks ago I met Andrew and Pete and romped across Exmoor in the rain got muddy and wet and hopped skipped and jumped over a stream and got called a nutter
Well Andrew I wonder what you would have called me today
I met Beryl in our local park for a nice walk around looking for something to photograph.Saw a buzzard circling which was exciting.Too high for the a photo though.We were stood on a small bridge across the brook that runs through the park and were talking about my new camera.I was showing her the adapter ring and UV filter that I got for a song on ebay and was saying about saving for lenses now I have the adapter ring and Beryl was looking at the adapter.
Well Beryl has arthritis in her hands which occasionally cause her to lose her grip on things.Today was the day her hands let her down.Whoops
she dropped it and it rolled through the bars and dropped below.The lens cap that came with the adapter and filter dropped on a narrow ledge but the adapter bounced and went plop into the stream.Poor Beryl was mortified and wanted to take me to the camera shop to replace it.I reassured her and said I would climb down to retrieve it,so I handed her my cameras and carefully climbed down the muddy bank.I was then on top a 4ft wall so had to sit down and jump down to the small path beside the brook.I picked up the lens cap then looked into the water.It wasn't very deep only a few inches and you could see the bottom easily.
Oh dear,no sign of the adapter.Uh oh I thought.The water was running pretty fast so I realized it had been swept downstream so shouted to Beryl that I was going to walk down and see if it had got caught in anything, but in my mind I didn't hold out much hope.But off I trotted keeping my eye on the water all the way.Brambles kept getting me so much I found a stick and was able to push them aside to get past.I noticed the speed of the water was slowing up as I went along but when I looked up I realized the path was coming to an end and that there was no way of walking any farther without going in the water.
I needed those good wellies of yours Boddie
.
Just ahead there were 2 large rocks that had fallen into the water right on the side where the adapter would probably be so I walked towards them and as I looked down before I reached them there was the adapter sitting on the bottom of the stream.What a relief not only for myself but for poor Beryl.The last thing I wanted was for her to be out of pocket after all she is a pensioner.
Well then I had the problem of getting back up.There was a ledge just above which I easily found a way to get on but then there was a very steep slippery bank was mud grass and dead leavesWith no one there to help I thought
I am stuck how the heck am i going to get up there.Beryl was back at the bridge and would not have heard me shout even if she had she would not have been able to pull me up and it would have been very embarrassing if she had to call for help.So I gritted me teeth and on my feet and hands crawled slowly and carefully up the bank.It was pretty slippy but my boots just about managed to grip and I hauled myself up.Was I glad to see the railings within my grasp as the last bit was a bit precarious to say the least.I hauled myself up and over the bars and made my way back to Beryl.Poor thing she just could not stop apologizing and felt so bad about what had happened I had to tell her to stop.I had it back It was in one piece and she hardly did it on purpose.So ended a gentle walk in the park and only a couple of photos of a Robin and a duck to show for it.I am now expecting some amusing verse from her one of these days