Bird Fair 2008 - Simon, Bill and David A.!!! (1 Viewer)

[Penny Clarke]

Friday 15th August 2008

Fantastic day at the Birdfair. Took about 1000 pictures of Simon King!!!!! Could not find a seat anywhere for his lecture at 2pm so I thought what the hell and sat on the floor in the front with the kids!!!!! and had a bird's eye view!!! A lovely little girl who sat to my left who told me she was 14 (but looked about 10 to me) said I would pass for a child (probably cos I am short!!!) Adults are not really mean't to sit at the front I don't think, but I got away with it! A man was filming us all for the Simon King DVD coming out in September 'A day at the Birdfair with SK'!!!!!! (have paid for it already!)

Saw Andy Bright and a few others just outside the catering marquee and BF Owner Steve who kindly gave me a BF badge - cheers. Lovely sunny day, bought a new lens from Jacobs!!! Listened to Roy Dennis talking about ospreys and got his 'a life with ospreys' book signed. Brilliant offers on Country innovations - bought army green fleece reduced from £25 to £15 - bargain! For any photographers out there look at Permajet's stand www.permajet.com - amazing selection of papers including a very good sample pack of all their papers for £12.

Anyone going tomorrow - Nikon were giving away FREE DVD on digiscoping (optics marquee) and if you ask sweetly both Swaroski and Leica were giving away free lens cloths!!!!!!!! Some stunning (as usual) pieces of art in the ART MARQUEE and the wonderful colourful array of the all the holiday companies etc etc.

Went up to Manton Bay and had brilliant views of a pair of ospreys in the evening sunlight - got back 10pm and I just can't resist it - going back tomorrow (Saturday) I just love the whole buzz of the fair and want to go back because Sir David Attenborough is signing books at 3.30pm!



Saturday 16th August 2008

Decided to have get up at leisure this morning as was extremely tired (After getting back at 10pm last night).

Anyway eventually arrived at the fair at 2pm!!!!! Made my way straight to Carl Zeiss stand to ask Simon to sign my Springwatch book (excuse to see him again! Smile ). Had to queue again obviously - Jerry (Simon King website administrator) said he had not had a break since 10am and he was still smiling sweetly with everyone. Got the best EVER pictures of Simon with my new Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro lens, including one that is PERFECT! I think he is the only man I have ever met who I would seriously marry right now if he asked me! - he has the kindest, most honest, sweetest face I have every seen in a man Too bad he is married!!!!!!! Oh well, I can dream!

BACK TO REALITY!

I had missed 'Bird Brain of Britain' with Bill Oddie but REALLY wanted to get Bill's autograph in my Springwatch book, so off I trundled in that direction. I was horrified to see already at 2.45ish that the queue for David Attenborough to sign books was already MASSIVE!!!!! So I quickly went to the Jacobs stand opposite to buy a filter for new lens and a cable release and then joined the queue. I got chatting to a very nice lady in front of me and I was saying to her that it would be absolutely perfect if Bill Oddie was to walk past me now so he could sign my book and my prayers were answered - there he was!!!! walking towards the queue in his wonderful orange shirt and he happily signed my book AND I was able to get some good pictures of him too - I queued for an hour and a quarter!!!!!!!!!!! Eventually I got to the front - it was an honour to meet David and he signed two copies of his 'Life on Air' - which has just been published. Tim Appleton (show organiser) was brilliant and stood there taking people's cameras to photograph people with David. I also got some fantastic shots - very pleased.

I spent the last hour photographing all the colourful stands and people round all the marquees - I bumped into Andy Bright and Steve from Birdforum who said they had had dinner with Simon last night.

Just as I was about to go at about 5.40pm I thought I will just pop into Marquee 7 again to see if anyone was at Simon's stand and as I walked in, there he was - 'ahhhhhh' I said, 'what a brilliant last snap to take' at which point Simon gave me a great big warm smile and I got some more wonderful piccies!!!!

Went and sat by my car and had tea which was a quorn roll, blueberry jam roll, cup of tea, scottish shortbread (from one of the stands) and a cup of tea. Bought a massive bag of bird seed for my parents and then made my way back home to Norfolk.

FANTASTIC DAY.:t:

Best Wishes Penny:girl:

Pic 1, 2 and 3 self explantory.
Pic 4 and 5 Roy Dennis in the Events Marquee talking about ospreys and signing his new book 'a life of ospreys'.

 

[Penny Clarke]

Pic 1. Jed Andrews, Warden at Holme Bird Observatory and Peter Howlett representing Bardsey Bird Observatory on the BO stand.
Pic 2. Simon King presenting the award for 'Bird Photograph of the Year 2007' which was won by Philip Newman (picture on screen in background).
Pic 3. David Lindo on the Birdwatching stand.
Pic 4. Tim Appleton (co-show organiser of Birdfair)
Pic 5. Somebody VERY famous with me!

 

[Penny Clarke]

Pic 1. Bill Oddie chatting to the ladies.
Pic 2. Bill Oddie for family pic.
Pic 3 Sir David Attenborough signing his book 'Life on Air' for me.
Pic 4 & 5. Sir David Attenborough

 

[Penny Clarke]

SIMON KING COLLECTION

Pic 1. Mr & Mrs Simon King!!!!!!!
Pic 2, 3, 4. Simon King
Pic 5. Simon just leaving on Saturday.

 

[Penny Clarke]

Pic 1. Jonathan Scott from 'Big Cat Diary' with Simon.
Pic 2. Simon in the Events Marquee.
Pic 3. Simon signing calendars etc on the Carl Zeiss stand.
Pic 4. Simon taking a break in Events Marquee (removed messy poster behind in photoshop!).
Pic 5. Filming Simon for the DVD 'A Day at Birdfair with Simon King' to be released in September, which because I was sitting at the front, I hope I am on!!!

 

[Penny Clarke]

Pic 1. Simon in the Events Marquee.
Pic 2. Simon with one of the ice-cream girls!
Pic 3 & 4 Simon on the Carl Zeiss stand.
Pic 5. Jerry who runs the Simon King website.

 

[Penny Clarke]

Pic 1. The Travelling Naturalist.
Pic 2. Rare Bird Alert
Pic 3. British Birds
Pic 4. Trinadad and Tobago
Pic 5. Gentleman on the above stand.

 

[Penny Clarke]

Pic 1. Wildsounds.
Pic 2. Chris Mills (right) of Norfolk Birding Guided Tours.
Pic 3. Naturetrek.
Pic 4. Tim and Irene Loseby running the Fair Isle Bird Observatory stand.
Pic 5. Wildsounds and authors signing books.

 

[Penny Clarke]

Pic 1. Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).
Pic 2. Africa Birds and Birding.
Pic 3. Wildsounds.
Pic 4. This mural being created and last years hung above.
Pic 5. People enjoying an ice-cream.

 

[Penny Clarke]

Pic 1. Jed Andrews and Peter Howlett at the BO Stand.
Pic 2. General Scene
Pic 3. Tigertail Tours
Pic 4. Butterfly Conservation
Pic 5. Gill on the Simon King Stand

 

[derek marsden]

well penny great pictures of the bird fair i hope you injoyed yourselves i won the simon king comp on his web site last year to spend 2 and a half hours with him at the start of the bird fair on the friday morning also dinner with him. and i also got to go to the talk on saturday night.all the ticets was sold out so got more on sale and i got one.also bought a t shirt and dvd also the people on his stand were great.i got the springwatch book singned by him.so i stayed all weekend and come up to me all the time he come in for something to eat and asked if i was injoying myselve all the time and always had time to talk to me. all the best and good birding

 

[Penny Clarke]

Thanks Derek:t:

Best Wishes Penny:girl:

 

[Sancho]

I´m sure if you´d asked nicely you could have had your photo taken with Deboo too......

 

[Bubbs]

SIMON KING COLLECTION

Pic 1. Mr & Mrs Simon King;.....YOU WISH

John.

 

[Penny Clarke]

John.

Don't you think we look like a couple though - I do!

 

[derek marsden]

it,s nice to dream about but i dont think of it happenen but that what dreaming is about look after yourselves and good birding.hope it was a good fair anyway.

 

[Pam_m]

Don't you think we look like a couple though - I do!

You do look like a couple and I'm dead jealous, Penny! I would also have taken a 1,000 pics of Simon King!o


Loved reading your report and viewing all of your great photo's! :clap:

I felt as though I had walked around the Bird Fair with you! Glad you had such a wonderful time and thanks for sharing, Penny!:t:

 

[Bubbs]

Don't you think we look like a couple though - I do!

I thought he was married! He was the last time I saw him Hard luck Penny. Plenty more fish in the sea though.

 

[teamsaint]

lol Penny you obviously are quite keen on Simon King . Nice pics of all the different people and stands. I'm surprised to see Jonathan Scott there, I thought he lived in Kenya, so it must be a long way for him to come.

 

[Lisa W]

Penny,
Very nice shots. Think the best is "Mr & Mrs" King. He does look extremely personable and nice, now I see why the ladies are gaga over him.
Glad the weather remained nice for the fair.