My temporary farewell, but I will be back

Bomble was very good this morning. He didn't jump on me to announce breakfast was needed, but chirruped as he trotted down the stairs with me to help make tea. When I came back upstairs, I couldn't resist picking up the camera as the mist was swirling again. Bomble joined me on the windowsill in my workroom, as I took pictures across the back garden towards The Heavens and Thrupp. In the end I had three possible images, with two of them of him, but they lost out in the final vote.

So here is the view through the Hole, as I call it, in the back garden's old hedgeline, which is probably an old woodbank. Two years ago, I was working at my desk with this view out through the window. Except, where there is now a gap in the hedgeline, there was a massive old ash tree, which suddenly made a sighing, groaning noise and I looked up to watch the whole tree topple over. Very sad to observe, but the benefit is that we now can see across the valley!

I had thought that I would go to the Farmer's market in the centre of Stroud, hoping to get a picture of Dennis Gould in particular. It took a couple of hours to get there by which time the clouds were present. I got my pictures of Dennis, but started to notice there was occasionally no image in the viewfinder, then it would return. I suddenly realised that the mirror had become detached from the shutter mechanism (I think) and was hanging loose or floating. Not good at all!!! I had this problem, and a repair done, nine months ago, a bit of glue to be honest, but was warned that it couldn't be relied on.

So after my recent fantasising and discussions with other kindly Blippers about buying a lens and/or a camera, it looks as if I will really have to splash out. I had decided on just a good zoom at reasonable cost, but now it seems it will be a new body.

So, I am confronted with being Red-carded by my own gear and forced into temporary retirement as a Blipper. I don't have another camera, unless I go back to using my video camera's stills function; a bit like a phone camera with a proper lens. Perhaps I will try that. I am feeling upset now, but should the part of me that was fantasising now be secretly ecstatic?

But what camera to buy? Any ideas? I had wondered if I could afford an EOS 550D. Would you?