The central dome of Meadowhall (©Terry Robinson)
On the north eastern outskirts of Sheffield there is a big shopping centre or "mall". It opened in 1990 and it is called Meadowhall. Occupying an area of 1,500,005 sq ft, it is the largest shopping centre in Yorkshire.
People still flock there. It is easily accessible by train, tram and bus and it is surrounded by vast car parks. Meadowhall is very close to the M1 motorway.
To tell you the truth, I rarely go there but ahead of my flight to The American Virgin Islands early on New Year's Eve, I needed to do something about my camera - i.e. buy another one! My favoured "Sony" bridge camera with which I have taken several thousands of photographs had developed an irritating fault - namely a black spot on every image caused by some tiny debris behind the lens.
Getting it repaired would not have been cost effective and besides, no good servants last forever do they? It was time for a new camera - without blowing the bank. I knew that "Jessops" had the modestly priced new Panasonic Lumix bridge camera I was after for just under £400 (US$540).
I decided to travel to Meadowhall by public transport. Using my South Yorkshire Senior Travelcard the journey would not cost me a penny. Bus into the city centre then tram out to Meadowhall and back.
While waiting at the bus stop, another man joined me. His name is Phil and he has lived across the road from us for the past twenty five years. There he and his wife Janet raised two sons - David and Paul. But to tell you the truth, until today I had never really "rapped" with Phil.
He was heading out to Meadowhall too - to get something done about his faulty hearing aids. So we spent quite a long time in conversation together and then - damned me - I met up with him once more for the two leg journey home.
And it was so nice to talk with him. Our interaction was easy and balanced, though we both got fired up when mention of the current US president occurred. We were in total agreement that the guy is abhorrent. Fortunately, we were soon able to lower the temperature by returning to more domestic chitter-chatter.
And - by the way - I secured my new camera and Phil got his hearing aids fixed. I also managed to pick up a half price Christmas pudding from Marks and Spencers. Perhaps - in the weeks running up to the festive season - I should rename myself Christmas Pudding... just for a while.
If it's been maturing for six months, I think I realize why you got it for half price. Be careful of it.
ReplyDeleteHow long have you been maturing Bruce?
DeleteA new camera and a new bromance! Sounds like a great day out
ReplyDeleteBromance? I am not that kind of bloke Kylie!
DeleteA significant number of shopping malls have closed in Britain.
ReplyDeleteMy late brother George directed a documentary for Channel 4 many years ago,
titled *Malltime* about the early creators of the American malls as a new retail concept.
I went into the mall in West Croydon on a Saturday evening in November.
It was beautifully maintained but there were a number of vacant shop units.
I was visited by a strange sense of poignancy as I watched the staff finish up
for the day. What were their futures in this broken British society ?
Amazon began operating in Britain in October 1998. It got the all clearance
from Tony Blair's government. It destroyed many retail jobs and congested
our roads with white vans conveying goods purchased and returned.
*Repurposing ghost malls.* YouTube. Fox Business.
Meadowhall continues to thrive. There are no closed down shops and there's plenty of footfall.
Delete"the weeks running up to the Festive Season", do you mean next year's Christmas? I hope you remember. What exactly is the "bridge" part of the camera and why is it important? I have never heard of cameras with "bridge" as part of the name.
ReplyDeleteBridge to me means simple and straightforward. No need to change lenses or anything like that. It "bridges" the gap between SLR cameras and simple point and shoot cameras.
DeleteThank you, that must be what I have.
DeleteCalling yourself Christmas pudding for a few weeks would help getting all your readers into the festive spirit.
ReplyDeleteIt‘s been years since I have last set foot into the vast halls of Meadowhall, but I remember that it was easy to get there and back with public transport.
Well done on the new camera, and on getting to know your neighbour a bit better. Did Jessops take your old camera? Some shops here do that, and you pay even less for what you buy from them.
They took one of my old cameras. I got £114 for it in part exchange and I was happy with that.
DeleteHello CP. Look forward to seeing some stunning photos with the new camera.
ReplyDeleteI will have to master that camera first. I am not a techno whizzkid you know!
DeleteCP, why not buy a good smart phone with a decent camera. I haven't used my camera for about 18 months now.
ReplyDeleteBecause I refuse to be brainwashed mate.
DeleteCongratulations on the new camera - I hope it will inspire you to lots of photos! :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new camera and nice visit with a stranger. I ran into a lovely woman the other day at the gym while I was there with Jack, we talked and talked. She worked in corrections and she was such an interesting woman. The time flew by while her son and Jack played soccer.
ReplyDeleteHope you and Mrs. Pudding have a lovely New Year's.
I shall call you Christmas Pudding for the day and wish you and Missus Christmas Pudding and all the Puddings and their offspring a healthy, lovely, kind, peaceful and happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteSome trips are surprisingly pleasant. I hope the camera is all you wanted.
ReplyDeleteWith luck, our cameras will outlive us. I had to google what a "bridge camera" was. I have one, a Fujifilm that actually a very good inexpensive camera. Looking forward to lots of great photos for years to come.
ReplyDeleteI have neighbors whom I literally never talk to unless we run into each other at the grocery store. Weird.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your camera, lots of lovely photos on the way. A Happy New Year to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteI usually pass Meadowhell twice a day on my journeys to and from work, even had the pleasure of being mown down outside the interchange. We can also see the dome from the end of my road. Still rarely visit since it isn't a pleasurable experience for me, more a necessary evil when I need to buy stuff.
ReplyDelete