The Warm Beat of Brogborough

I had spent a thoroughly enjoyable morning and pub lunch with a friend of longstanding and his wife Jane (whom I had never before had the pleasure of meeting) – it was a boon, for I had last seen Dave on the very day my wife left our marital home after thirty three years of marriage, though h and I have kept in touch by phone over the intervening years. 

After they left I had intended to help out my immediate neighbour hacking down a somewhat overgrown hedge on the front border between our houses, but two things militated against this intention; one was the welcome, but somewhat overwhelming muggy heat and the other was the wind might just be enough to tempt some windsurfing sailors onto the water.

The temptation proved to be irresistible, though arrival at the windsurfing lake, the wind was barely more than a whisper and only a couple were to be seen gently moving in the middle of the lake, but what did come floating by were the sounds of gentle strumming from a guitar in the hands of a face not unfamiliar to me, Richard McKeating, so I changed lenses and put on my 70-200mm lens on the full-frame 5D MkIII and tried to get a few shots surreptitiously as he played completely immersed in his own musical world. I managed quite a few before he realised I was there, which sadly put an end to that series of shots under the shade of trees between the clubhouse and the water’s edge.

I did not however give up my intention to capture those scenes and took a few more of him before turning my camera on a different player I  later learned to be Clive and his Antipodean percussionist partner, Lauren. It was around this time that Colin Hunt, a another windsurfer,  hailed me and asked whether I might like to visit him in London on Tuesday to discuss some potential work up at his casino, – so ‘my journey really was necessary’ to paraphrase an old saying!

I took a few further shots of Richard, of  Clive and Lauren playing, and an opportune picture of a bumble bee pollinating the tree blossom above their shaded spot,  and shared a brief conversation with Clive over possible venues for windsurfing photography at coastal locations in Whitstable, Birchington or Portland, and learning the vital snippet of being present at low tide.

Though short in duration, my trip proved to be a good decision, and I will be phoning Colin to arrange a time to visit on the Tuesday, as having checked my diary I am free to make the trip.