"Stupid Boy"

The best thing about "doing" a photo a day is that sometimes you have to go looking for a shot.

I'm in Thetford for what was planned as a three day meeting, but which actually finished today, so at three o'clock I found myself driving back to the hotel looking for a picture to take while it was still light. My journey took me across a bridge on the main road and as I looked to my left, up the canal, I saw a gaily coloured bridge that I thought might make for a good shot, so I parked the car back at the hotel and walked down to the canal.

I crossed the bridge I wanted to photograph and then strolled along the towpath until I found a good spot to take my shot. I took half a dozen photos before heading back along the path. As I went to cross the bridge again, I saw a bench on the far side on which this figure was seated. It took me a moment or two to realise that it was a statue.

On closer inspection I realised it was Arthur Lowe's character Captain Mainwaring from 'Dad's Army'. When I was small and the programme was on TV, I just used to find that character irritating. It was only when I got older that I realised how well the part was written and how brilliantly Lowe played it.

And the thing is, I would never have found the statue if I hadn't set off looking for a photo to take. That's the beauty of a photo a day.

Anyway, my very good friend Mark lives a few miles from Thetford and I'd deliberately not told him I was going there because I simply couldn't afford to see him; I needed to operating at full power and not with the hangover that inevitably follows an evening with him. But now I didn't need to have a clear head in the morning :-)

Thus I had I had a splendid evening with Mark and also with John, with whom I had dinner last night, who joined us later on. There was some superb red wine, a delicious curry and, best of all, that lovely relaxed atmosphere, where at certain points you can just sit back, listen to your friends chatting and feel totally at home.

P.S. I also posted this photo on Instagram and vbcatlady commented "Don't tell him your name Pike!" which made me lol.