Mucking about with Prince Charles
Even though I was tramping about in the muddy midway at the Nidderdale Show today during a cold and bitter rainy spell, I feel quite lucky. I had my first brush with British Royalty. I came within handshake range of Prince Charles at the Show. He did not shake my hand, nor did we even make eye contact, but I managed to get a crackin’ good picture of him.
Ever since we moved here, I’ve been hearing about the Nidderdale Show, a local agricultural show similar to a county fair. Harrogate is situated in Nidderdale and the locals are might damn proud of their show, held in Pateley Bridge, a cute village (remember, they’re all cute) halfway between Harrogate and the Base. Since I haven’t gathered up the courage yet to take to the narrow winding country roads around here, I caught the bus to Pateley Bridge. As luck would have it, as soon as the bus pulled out of the station the wind picked up, the temperature fell and it began to rain heavily. I was on the top level of the double decker bus, hoping for a wonderful view of Nidderdale for the hour-long bus ride. The cold rain outside clashed with the body warmth inside the bus – the windows fogged up and even though I kept wiping my window clean, I barely managed more than a bleary view outside.
I arrived at the fairground at the same time Prince Charles did. I saw people lined up on either side of the midway, as if in anticipation of a parade. I was surprised at how easily I made my way to the front of the crowd. The Prince’s motorcade drove by and then stopped, so HRH could step out and begin mingling with the commoners, surrounded of course by police, security guards and members of the press. Despite all the security, I managed to position myself at a stone’s throw from where Charles was due to pass by on foot. I pulled out my camera in anticipation of the event, only to realize that I had but one shot left. It is a digital camera, so I quickly played through the images I had already taken and managed to delete an image, giving me two chances at a shot of Prince Charles. As HRH walked past I got one decent shot of him and then managed somehow to get a good shot of the back of someone’s blazer. As Prince Charles passed by, followed by the hubbub, I stepped off to a quiet place and edited a few more images off of my camera, giving me four more shots to spare.
By this time, I had lost track of HRH so I began to browse through the fair. It was your typical agricultural show: Goats, sheep, rabbits and chickens on exhibit. Flower, craft and baked goods competitions. Horses performing in a ring. Vendors selling farm and country-living goods. The rain kept coming down and the walkways got muddier and muddier. I had underdressed for the weather and my feet and hands were ice cold. I would duck into a tent to warm up before heading out into the cold muck again. I was ready to approach the Women’s Institute tent when I noticed a large crowd forming outside. When I spotted the security guards, et. al. I knew Charles was nearby. I entered the WI tent and once again had the good fortune of standing at the front of the crowd where Charles was expected to pass by. This time I got a terrific photo of him with a huge smile on his face. I put my camera away and moved to a spot I knew the Prince would have to pass by to exit the tent. I overheard the chit chat between him and two ladies standing next to an exhibit of baked goods. He asked them if they had made the baked goods. They said no. "Are you're guarding them, then?" said the Prince. "Oh yes," the ladies blushed. "All day?" HRH quipped. The ladies giggled and Charles continued on his way.
I began to wander through the fair again, but the weather was just so miserable I decided to head back into Pateley Bridge and find a tea shop for a spot of lunch. It seems I wasn’t the only one with this idea in mind, but I managed to find a cozy little restaurant for tea and a sandwich. During the ride home the weather cleared up and I finally got my spectacular views of Nidderdale. By the time I got to Harrogate the sun was shining warmly.
Even though I was tramping about in the muddy midway at the Nidderdale Show today during a cold and bitter rainy spell, I feel quite lucky. I had my first brush with British Royalty. I came within handshake range of Prince Charles at the Show. He did not shake my hand, nor did we even make eye contact, but I managed to get a crackin’ good picture of him.
Ever since we moved here, I’ve been hearing about the Nidderdale Show, a local agricultural show similar to a county fair. Harrogate is situated in Nidderdale and the locals are might damn proud of their show, held in Pateley Bridge, a cute village (remember, they’re all cute) halfway between Harrogate and the Base. Since I haven’t gathered up the courage yet to take to the narrow winding country roads around here, I caught the bus to Pateley Bridge. As luck would have it, as soon as the bus pulled out of the station the wind picked up, the temperature fell and it began to rain heavily. I was on the top level of the double decker bus, hoping for a wonderful view of Nidderdale for the hour-long bus ride. The cold rain outside clashed with the body warmth inside the bus – the windows fogged up and even though I kept wiping my window clean, I barely managed more than a bleary view outside.
I arrived at the fairground at the same time Prince Charles did. I saw people lined up on either side of the midway, as if in anticipation of a parade. I was surprised at how easily I made my way to the front of the crowd. The Prince’s motorcade drove by and then stopped, so HRH could step out and begin mingling with the commoners, surrounded of course by police, security guards and members of the press. Despite all the security, I managed to position myself at a stone’s throw from where Charles was due to pass by on foot. I pulled out my camera in anticipation of the event, only to realize that I had but one shot left. It is a digital camera, so I quickly played through the images I had already taken and managed to delete an image, giving me two chances at a shot of Prince Charles. As HRH walked past I got one decent shot of him and then managed somehow to get a good shot of the back of someone’s blazer. As Prince Charles passed by, followed by the hubbub, I stepped off to a quiet place and edited a few more images off of my camera, giving me four more shots to spare.
By this time, I had lost track of HRH so I began to browse through the fair. It was your typical agricultural show: Goats, sheep, rabbits and chickens on exhibit. Flower, craft and baked goods competitions. Horses performing in a ring. Vendors selling farm and country-living goods. The rain kept coming down and the walkways got muddier and muddier. I had underdressed for the weather and my feet and hands were ice cold. I would duck into a tent to warm up before heading out into the cold muck again. I was ready to approach the Women’s Institute tent when I noticed a large crowd forming outside. When I spotted the security guards, et. al. I knew Charles was nearby. I entered the WI tent and once again had the good fortune of standing at the front of the crowd where Charles was expected to pass by. This time I got a terrific photo of him with a huge smile on his face. I put my camera away and moved to a spot I knew the Prince would have to pass by to exit the tent. I overheard the chit chat between him and two ladies standing next to an exhibit of baked goods. He asked them if they had made the baked goods. They said no. "Are you're guarding them, then?" said the Prince. "Oh yes," the ladies blushed. "All day?" HRH quipped. The ladies giggled and Charles continued on his way.
I began to wander through the fair again, but the weather was just so miserable I decided to head back into Pateley Bridge and find a tea shop for a spot of lunch. It seems I wasn’t the only one with this idea in mind, but I managed to find a cozy little restaurant for tea and a sandwich. During the ride home the weather cleared up and I finally got my spectacular views of Nidderdale. By the time I got to Harrogate the sun was shining warmly.
posted by lenora at 10:40 AM
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