You Know You're Getting Old When ....

.... even the Chief Constable looks young. :) (And he's got a nice twinkle in his eye.) I was one of his guests this evening on the lawn of Essex Police HQ. My daughter had suggested that I enter an Images of Essex competition to find pics to adorn the walls of the refurbished Essex Police Control Room. One of my photographs was one of twenty chosen. :)

I rocked up with all my kit but wasn't sure of the etiquette. I would have loved to have togged the throng mingling and nibbling but restrained myself. I would also have loved to have captured a huge smoke tree (Cotinus) looking very smoky in the beautiful garden. 

We were escorted to the Control Room and I whipped my camera out as others were snapping away and got the above shot. Shortly after this we were advised that, understandably, no photography is allowed inside. We were divided into small groups and shown around. The first question our leader asked was whether any of our family members were in The Force. I told how my maternal grandfather was a village bobby in Moreton and Southminster and an aunt had been in the Met. I wonder what they would have made of the fantastic Storm computer system that the Control Room runs on?