Weekends Off
Having something other than work is becoming more important to me nowadays. The spring and summer have drained me both physically and psychologically, ultimately leaving me with a bad taste and a desire to get out of the industry of real estate photography altogether. Offloading my work in Durham and Tees-Valley was a huge relief, and reducing my working week to 6 days has meant that I’m reclaiming valuable personal time as well. My previous post mentioned a wild camping trip with my youngest, which was a great success despite the awful weather conditions. It was such a success, that I decided to do it again the following weekend (Saturday night) with my daughter. I was working in the morning and early afternoon so I packed up beforehand and managed to get some charge into my EV for the 90-mile drive to Megget Reservoir in the Scottish border southern uplands. We set off just before 4.30 pm, and needed to charge up again in Selkirk so that we didn’t have to do it on the way home. Upon arrival at the reservoir car park, we got our backpacks on and headed across the dam - past the couples watching the sunset - and took the gruelling ascent up to Syart Law - the 1700ft peak which towers over the reservoir below. My daughter wasn’t quite prepared for the 45-degree slope, and it took a good hour to get to the top, by which time the sun was dropping over the hills opposite. We had to find a pitch in the twilight, and the only flat spot I could find seemed to be a sheep’s toilet area. We just had to grin and bear it. It was a lovely spot despite the sheep shite, and once we settled in, made some grub, and shut the door, it was a safe and secure sleeping spot for the night.
The wind really whipped up through the night and neither of us got any kip, so when daylight returned, it was nice to brew a coffee, make some breakfast and get packed up. The clouds had descended, but it was still a beautiful spot to wake up in as you can see.
It was a five-hour return drive for a 12-hour stay, but the very act of just taking a break was a breath of fresh air. The few hours of post-production from Saturday’s jobs seemed like a breeze, and I slept like a log that night. Having a bit of time with my eldest took me back to the old days, and I started this working week without any hint of negativity. There’s only a few weekends left before the wintry conditions start to set in, so I’ll be making the most of them - it’s the turn of the missus to endure a night in the tent next.
No more 7 day weeks!
