Up the Apples and Pears.

The other day while everyone was preparing the center pieces for our friend's wedding, I crept around taking photos.
The stairs and the landing of this ancient house proved too tempting with all these old wooden doors, old brass handles, old keyholes and peeling paint.
I loved it.

My mechanical romance: Zenit shots!

So, here they are!
After a crazy week full of life changing stuff (and I really mean: life-changing-own-history-making-stuff), finally Friday has arrived.
This is the life changing stuff: first, next week I'll be relocating to Italy which is beyond exciting, I'll be visiting family and friends that I have sorely missed and I'll be getting on with my new life.
Secondly, now that I am 32 (no shame in admitting that, I am older and presumably wiser) I finally know what it is that I want to do with my life.
That's quite an achievement for such an irresolute person like me!
To get to be 32 without having too much of a clue was rather worrying but I now know, and that's an awful relief!
I wish I knew what I know now 13 years ago, but I guess it's never too late.
It's not so much that I didn't know what I wanted, more like being disorientated and confused, tossed about like waves of the sea in different directions, losing sight of the two things I wanted the most, getting distracted and if concentration was achieved again, lack of confidence and procrastination, would just destroy all my hopes. I might have known all along what it was that would have made me happy, but my heart wasn't really there. It is now.
But no more of that. No sir.
I don't know if any of you can relate to that or if I'm just ranting and sending these foolish thoughts aimlessly into the Ether!
If the latter, no real harm in that I guess.


Now, the important thing that this glorious sunny Friday has brought me has been the development of my Zenit shots!
It's actually happened. The camera worked! I took some actual photos on film!
I am so happy, and the result are warm, grainy, overexposed and most definitely oldish looking photos.
I love them all, so I posted a bit too many but nevermind.
Here they are!

Look what I found!

I am so excited about this. I meant to wait until tomorrow to blog it, but no way I can retain my enthusiasm!
One of the second hand shops in the village does house clearances and look what I found abandoned in a corner: a Zenit E with an Helios 44-2 lens, straight from 1971!!!
Along with it for the bargain price of £15 I also got a wide angle Vivitar lens, f=35 mm and a Photax f=200mm.
I don't have a clue whether the camera works well or not, or just how good, or how bad the lenses are. So, I bought a roll of film, went to the local photographer to help me put it in and had a go shooting around. It makes the best clicking sound!
Anyway, next week the film will be developed and I will know what's really going on. Should it work (please, please!) I'd be so, so happy. I would love to create something that feels and looks grainy, warm and old fashioned.
We shall soon see!
I'll post the results, good or bad. It's all learning. And good fun in the meantime!

Hythe High Street. Act II.

Some more shots from the other day.
"Taboos" is the local greasy spoon which serves the best fry up around here, just perfect.
Nevermind, the plastic table covers and the fake flower in the little vase, if the grub is good, we'll eat it!