The First Decade
w/e 29 December 2019
The first four of this week's pictures
were taken with a Kodak DC280 Zoom Digital Camera. The rest with
a Kodak DX6490 .
Well where did that year go? It doesn't seem that
long since I was reviewing 2018 and now here we are almost in
2020. In fact it doesn't seem that long since we were looking
forward to the new millennium with some trepidation as to what
impact the change of century would have on the computer controlled
systems all around the world. It was that thought that prompted
me to forego a look back over the previous twelve months and
instead peer back even further to before the turn of the century.
I'm finding it difficult to comprehend that we are now nearly
20% through the 21st century already so for this review I'm going
back to look at the first decade. I'll follow this with a look
at the second decade from 2010 to 2019.
I'd bought my first digital camera, a simple Kodak DC200 point
and shoot affair, a few days before a week's holiday in August
1998 in Worthing. At that time I was very much into desktop publishing
and armed with photos from that holiday I produced a booklet
which later, as a pdf, was added to this Ilkeston Cam site in
2007. By the turn of the century I'd upgraded to the slightly
more sophisticated Kodak DC280 and was dabbling with the internet
when Garth's Internet Site (GIS) resulted using Adobe PageMill
software that came free with one of the cameras. This was a play
on words as I was employed at that time implementing a Geographic
Information System (GIS). Technology has moved on leaps and bounds
since then and websites now come with multiple bells and whistles
but, although no longer supported by Adobe, I'm still using that
same old software. Some may say I'm stuck in a time warp but
it's served me well over the years and does the job for me. It
was during the first year of the new century that I took photos
with the DC280 of Ilkeston's Annual Charter Fair, something I
have continued to do in October every year since. The Fair layout
was a little different in 2000 in order to accommodate the Giant
Wheel in the Market Place - something that has not been seen
in Ilkeston Fairs since.
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At the start of 2001 we were in Wollaton Park on one of their
Steaming Days during January. Our visits to Wollaton Park and
the Hall (seen here in the background) have become quite regular
over the years and one trip there usually takes place early each
year. When there is little to be seen elsewhere in the early
months of the year, there is usually something of interest at
Wollaton and it's become almost a tradition to go in January.
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A year later my son had bought me a present of a domain name
and Ilkeston Cam was born in February 2002 replacing Garth's
Internet Site. It was in September of that year that 400 soldiers
of the 1st Battalion of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters
exercised their right to march through the town having been granted
the freedom of the Borough in 1951. The Mercians as they later
became have been back several times since and there have also
been other military events in the town such as Beating Retreat.
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Following our 1998 holiday in Worthing, we'd had a couple of
years in North Wales in Llandudno, Snowdonia and the surrounding
area before switching our allegiance to Saundersfoot near Tenby
in Pembrokeshire in South Wales. We had four annual holidays
there from 2001 to 2004 - this view of Saundersfoot is from 2003
- and would have gone back in 2005 had not the hotel been converted
to self catering apartments.
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In 2004 I upgraded the camera again and being satisfied with
the previous Kodaks stuck with the same brand paying over £330
for a DX6490. This was a top of the range 4 megapixel camera
that had received excellent reviews. Kodak has since gone out
of business and nowadays you can buy mobile phones with a much
higher specification camera included and probably for a lower
price but I'm still stuck in that time warp using the same camera.
The photo above is the first one I took with the DX6490 camera
testing the macro facility at a pond where dragonflies were flitting
about in the Langar Wildflower Farm in Nottinghamshire.
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In 2005 with our usual accommodation in Saundersfoot no longer
available we decided on a complete change and booked a holiday
in Paignton in Devon. I had been to the seaside town only once
before in 1960 when I stopped overnight on a touring holiday
as a youngster with my parents and my only memory was that the
rain came in horizontally from the sea across the green promenade.
In 2005 with my wife and her mother Elsie, we had a lovely week
on the south coast. On our first full day there we decided to
spend the morning at the famous zoo and then explore the town
in the afternoon but it didn't all go to plan. We enjoyed the
zoo so much, especially Elsie, that we spent the whole day there.
Sadly just a few months after our return home Elsie passed away.
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The following year when we would normally be thinking about booking
a holiday we were still dealing with coming to terms with Elsie's
unexpected passing so contented ourselves during the summer in
the local area visiting local places for photos for the website.
Places like Victoria Park were high on the agenda where there
was not only peace and quiet but also always an opportunity for
a picture. This is one from September 2006. Many others from
the park have featured on the website over the years.
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We returned to Devon in 2007 and stayed in Paignton again but
at a different hotel. It obviously brought back lots of memories
about our previous holiday two years earlier but it was something
we really needed to do to lay a few ghosts to rest. Unfortunately
on our return home we discovered that our pet cats who had been
in a cattery for the week, had not been cared for as we had hoped.
One was returned with half of his special diet food untouched
and some of his daily medication had not been administered. We
were informed that the other one with a nervous disposition had
spent the week hiding away and likewise had not been eating properly.
We vowed not to go away again and leave them so here we are 12
years later with two 16 year old pampered moggies!
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With our annual holidays suspended we've made the most of our
time in our local area with only a few days out. Regular annual
events have proved useful attractions, carnival, fairs, festivals
etc including the unique Derbyshire tradition of Well Dressing.
With the West Hallam Well Dressing Festival which now also includes
a Scarecrow Trail held every July only being a couple of miles
away, that means we usually make a visit but in 2008 we also
went to the Ripley Festival where we were treated to some Irish
Dancing too.
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Another regular event on the calendar is the Christian Walk of
Witness which takes place in the town every Good Friday. The
walk usually starts in one church and proceeds to another in
the town centre and over the years the route has varied and now
usually ends by walking down Bath Street's hill rather than up
it. Frequent stops are made on the walk for readings, hymns and
dramatic presentations such as the one above in 2009.
Click here for "The
Second Decade"
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