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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Penny Clarke" data-source="post: 1266801" data-attributes="member: 40022">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 <a href="http://www.permajet.com" target="_blank">www.permajet.com</a> - 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<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" />. 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 <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> Too bad he is married!!!!!!! Oh well, I can dream! <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> 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<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> from Birdforum who said they had had dinner with Simon last night<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" />. 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'.</blockquote>

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