It was a nice sunday drive for us today, up to a small and extremely well stocked garden centre in Clitheroe. Tucked away in a small village, Holden Clough is a network of old farm buildings, glasshouses and nursery gardens, which was hosting a an artisan market on the grounds too. Decked out for xmas with roaring log fires and lots of xmas cheer, it really got us in the mood for the festive season. My grandaughter was smitten with the lights, sounds and smells of xmas and although Santa himself wasn't there yet, she had a whale of a time.
On the way home, we stopped off at a farm shop just outside Salmesbury, which shared the location with other businesses, including a small antiques and collectables store. So while the others went off in search of something for dinner, I checked out the store. Literally one room with a mix of genuine antiques, vintage oddments and general junk, it is always worth a browse. This time, I found a Triang Gondola wagon for £3.50 and Ad Astra and Alien Covenant blu-rays for a pound each. I'm a big fan of the Alien franchise, so couldn't leave Covenant there. Ad Astra is a strange one, a little too much of a Brad Pitt showcase for me, but the visuals are stunning and Tommy Lee Jones gives Pitt an acting masterclass in his brief appearance.
I was about to leave to pay for these, when I spotted a small selection of old camera stuff on a low shelf, amongst which I was delighted to find a 1960's russian Jupiter 11 lens for just £9! I had been after one of these beauties for ages, as they tend to be silly money on ebay, so I snapped it up quick! Its a large 135mm chrome silver beast, which attached to my mirrorless camera with a simple adaptor. Strictly manual focus, its the weapon of choice for portraiture and gives a lovely depth of colour.
So xmas definitely came early for me today, just need some clear weather to use it!
On the way past British Aerospace Salmesbury site, lightning strikes twice with a replica of the F-35 Lightning II and an original decommissioned English Electric Lightning jet. Beauty and grace, even when earthbound.
Looks like a great day out Bill and some fine booty to boot! The Jupiter lens is a great find and given you were looking for one all the more fab. Love that clip of the two replica jets at the end! As for Ad Astra, I've seen it but can't recall a thing! I'm getting old!
ReplyDeleteI was rather disappointed with Ad Astra, i was over halfway through the movie and I suddenly realised it was Apocalypse Now -in space! The space monkeys didn't help much either!
ReplyDeleteAlien:Covenant was likewise disappointing, but on a more personal note. It marked the end of my film career. Just prior to getting the call to work on it, I was suffering from a prolonged illness that culminated in my overnight loss of hearing. When I later visited Fox Studios, I could no longer work in the sound environment. Howeve I did make some background musical instruments for David's laboratory in my home workshop. I was given very exact 3D rendered illustrations which I followed with complete accuracy, but no scope for any innovation. In the final cut, they were just out of focus blobs in the background!
I'm happy to say that having to " get out of Dodge" has led to a retirement that has been much more creative and satisfying for me.