Wide Dining

Waddesdon Manor opened its doors for the new season a couple of weeks ago but today was the first time I had been in to work as a House Host.  It was a gloomy day, very misty at first, so an outdoor shot would have been almost a white out.  It didn't rain though so the Volunteers on the doors were not having to deal with wet umbrellas - that's a nasty job!

I was able to spend the first half an hour wandering through the House trying out aspects of my Olympus in (very) low light conditions before getting down to the nitty-gritty business of greeting visitors. Quite a few children in the House today as it's still school holidays, but parents were sensible and aware of the behaviour necessary inside so there were no problems.  It was good to be back. 

The pleasure of being a Volunteer is two-fold. Firstly it's the joy of meeting our visitors, enhancing their day and sharing our enthusiasm for a wonderful piece of heritage; secondly, it's the bonding of fellow volunteers.  We all come from a variety of professional backgrounds but get on well and share a common love of Waddesdon; great camaraderie.

This evening I have been to my Buckingham camera club with a different sort of camaraderie.  I tried a small samyang wide angle, which belonged to another member, on my Olympus  - it was wonderful and I WANT one!

So, my wide angle blip is the dining room at Waddesdon - I love this room and it would have been amazing to have been a guest at one of the sunptous dinners held by Baron Ferdinand.