Tuesday 23rd March 2021

Last week my macro lens jammed.

In fact I think it has been playing up for several weeks, if not months, as extreme macro shots were very under-exposed. Photo-editing fixed it, but clearly not all was well.

And then the iris jammed, not for long, but for 15 minutes, and I did panic.

As I said before, orchid season is coming, and so I said I could not be without a macro I could no rely on, so I ordereda new Canon 180mm f3.5 L series.

It looked a beast, but in fact has no image stamilising gear, so is just good optics.

I bought in Tuesday last week, and got notification that a label had been printed for dispatch, and the order showed on Canon's systems as left the warehouse.

And then nothing.

So, I called Monday, and it turned out the warehouse is in Holland and Brexit got in the way. Although the good news was that it was about to clear.

Two hours later I get notification that it had cleared customs and UPS were going to collect it. Over Monday night it travelled down from Cheshire to north Kent, and the delivery date changed from Wednesday to Tuesday, although not all parts of the UPS tracker app showed that.

So, I was expecting it Wednesday, but it came a day early.

Which is nice.

But first there is work, and before that the getting up, checking the shoulder to see if it was better, which I wasn't sure. I have been doing my exercises, rubbing cream on and all that, maybe it was slightly better?

Maybe.

Jools had to leave for work early as on Monday they had been subjected to a hack, and her account had sent 8,000 scam e mails, people had replied and so on and on. So, work stopped on Monday as they sorted it out, and now she was behind.

So, at twenty past six she left, and I get dressed, log on to work, sort mails out. At about half eight I make breakfast, and seeing as the sun shone, and there was little wind, I went to eat the fruit and yogurt on the patio wearing my slippers.

I rock.

For ten minutes life seemed fine.

And then back to work, as we have to sort out more audit dates, make calls and the stuff auditors have to do before the actual audits.

Soon enough my entusiasm has all been used up. I get little support and feelings of, well, I don't know.

And then there was a knock at my door.

A man with a lens.

My lens.

I take it, get a camera to record me opening it, I mean, you were expecting me to, right?

To be honest, the lush packaging gave way to what does't feel like much, weighs half what the Sigma does, but has better focussing and optics.

I look at it, take one last shot and for it to the 6D.

And go into the garden, snapping everything, just a little further away than with the Sigma thanks to 30mm extra focal length.

I go back to work, throw some grenades and pack up for the day, deciding to go out for a walk.

Not far, just along the road to the footpath, up to Collingwood then along to Fleet House and back.

I don't see much, but take a few snaps. There'll be other times to really test it.

Back home I make taco filling, having made the sauce over the weekend, I add defrosted chicken and mix it together to get the flavours infused, and add half a tin of chipotles.

It would be bold.

Sadly, there was cat trouble: Scully chased Poppy up the stairs into the bedroom, and I went after her, seeing her tail sticking out of the wardrobe made that easy, but poor Poppy had done nothing wrong. I chased Scully out, and when in yet another meeting, Poppy must have got out, and we did not see her the rest of the day.

I really thought she wasn't coming back, and that made me very sad indeed and angry at Scully. Each time she sauntered in I chase her our, japping a finger at her, shich is what she and her brother hate.

Sigh.

Jools comes back home so I cook dinner, warm the taco shells, and dish it up on the table so we could spoon the molten lava into the shells before eating them up.

I just manage to eat one of the chipotles, and that hurt going down.....

There was no football to watch, so at half nine I go to bed to try to catch up on my reading, which I have rather neglected. Still no sign of Poppy