To round off the summer we had a short break last week in The Netherlands, visiting an old Uni friend - the dude on the right of this snap, as it happens, who is now somebody very big in gas, apparently. The girl in the middle would be Carol and the androgynous bloke on the left would be...ah...me!
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| On Ilford Warmtone RC paper, with a light sepia tone |
Now I can place this snap pretty accurately to early 1982, when I was 18 about to hit 19. Thirty-five years ago. How did that happen, eh? Taken on the steps of the Halls of Residence of Bath University, up on Claverton Down, using my Olympus OM-1. It was a great camera and it was a great time, I have to admit. I was sent on me way from The Liberties late September, all my worldly belongings in two suitcases (no wheels in those days) to last me until Christmas and that was it. I wasn't exactly jealous of the other students being dropped off by their parents with a car-load of gear and then going home every other weekend to get their washing done but it did make me feel different. If anything it made me stronger, since I had to sort things out for myself. A quick weekly phone call home every Sunday from the public phone box outside our Halls was it. Well there was the odd letter as well of course. It seems very strange looking back at it now, when we're in constant contact with our Loved Ones through email, social media, txt... Where did it all go wrong?
Oooh you were a longhaired dude too. I've worn mine long on three separate occasions in my life: college, early first marriage (my first wife loved it), early post divorce. I'd do it again because I loved it, but it seems like at my age I'd just look like I was foolishly chasing youth.
ReplyDeleteThe long-hair phase didn't last long. The no-hair phase has lasted a lot longer :)
DeleteA nice old snap there my friend. And a bunch of nice, old thoughts as well.
ReplyDeleteMy long-hair phase lasted for a few years around the same time as your snap was snapped and onwards to about 1986 when the army got me... Since then it's been short-ish... and now I just shave it off and don't bother about hair at all. But that's me :)
Where it all went wrong, you ask...?! Don't know, but some bright HTML programing dude or dudette would have a lot to answer, in my opinion :)
Aye fair enough Roy - point taken! I was there, at the beginning of the Internet Thing and it was fun, I have to say. But I never got the head lifted enough to see the wood for the trees and so it goes.
DeleteArmy, eh? National Service I guess (?) I heard some stories about that from my time in England...fun all the way. Well, like most of those situations about which you have no control over, you have to make the best of it, I think!