HOW MUCH IS THAT DOGGIE....

It's a pottery dog which was in the mouldy storeroom photographed with no light until I turned on the flash. That's a bare persimmon tree in the background.

This is not so much emergency as desperation. There is thick fog out there plus which I am now engaged in almost hand-to-hand battle with the camera shop. Yesterday, the assistant insisted there was nothing wrong with the macro lens. He put it on automatic and listened for the ping and handed it back to me. The camera was focusing. He then did one shot, said, "See?" and showed me the tiny image on live view. I slunk away, still unable to understand why I did fabulous shots for the first dozen but got nothing but fuzz after that.

When I got home I took pics on automatic with the macro and from exactly the same position with another lens. Blur from the macro, good focus from the other. Then I thought to put up the pic he'd taken in the shop and it was of a lesser quality than my grandmother used to get with her Brownie.

Then there was this thing women get in Italy. The assistant did not like talking to me while Himself was there. This, I suppose, dishonours the husband. We both speak fairly bad Italian. My grammar is better, Himself's is louder. I've been in the ridiculous position of telling Himself what to say which he then relayed to the other man involved whereupon it was understood. I can be totally invisible at times.

So Himself went back with printed evidence and asked that the lens be sent to Nikon. Yes, the assistant would send it back but if there was nothing wrong with it, he would be charged a lot of money. He wanted to try it for himself, first. So tomorrow I have to give him my camera as well.

For the record: Very, very thick fog. +9 C