Memories are made of this

[Tronhard]

Just after Christmas my partner and step-daughter took me out for a day to buy my present (I got a magnificent hand-crafted certificate on Christmas Day). We had lunch by at the harbourside with the sun sparkling off the water. Both my girls were wearing sunglasses so I took the chance to reflect on what they were seeing...

[Shadowman]

Very nice.

[Geoff F]

Very difficult to achieve perfect results from this sort of scene but these really have worked well and I particularly like the second shot.

[NorthernFocus]

Nicely done.

[Manfred M]

Those broad brimmed hats do a wonderful job protecting the face from the sun. On the downside, they are a pain to photograph with. You nailed the first shot nicely and did a pretty decent job with the second. It looks like you had some help as the surroundings seem to have pushed just enough light into her face for you to work with.

You have two very nice shots you should be quite happy with.

[Tronhard]

Those broad brimmed hats do a wonderful job protecting the face from the sun. On the downside, they are a pain to photograph with. You nailed the first shot nicely and did a pretty decent job with the second. It looks like you had some help as the surroundings seem to have pushed just enough light into her face for you to work with.

You have two very nice shots you should be quite happy with.

This was a special day for us. My partner was diagnosed with cancer last August and in December had an operation to remove the tumors and some lymph nodes. Although the cancer is considered gone, to reduce the risk of recurrence she has to undergo seven months of therapy that has already seen her lose her hair and she is ultra sensitive to UV and has a very low immune system. This day out was special as it was our last one with her hair intact, and being unaffected by the chemo.

She is a brave and amazing person...

[Manfred M]

Trev - I fully understand. My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2012 and went through the surgery, chemo (hair loss included) and radiation. It was not a lot of fun for anyone and was definitely no fun at all. I had to undergo some major surgery in the period between her finishing chemo and her starting radiation, so it was definitely no fun at all. She is almost at the 4-year mark of being cancer free, so the risk of recurrence continues to drop, but the risk is never zero.

My thoughts are certainly with both of you. The disease and treatment are both not nice experiences.

[Donald]

Indeed, hair loss is a huge thing, particularly for women I think. When we knew that would happen to Sheila there was lot of buying of hats from within the UK and also from the US from where there was a much bigger and better choice. But none of them were ever worn because, despite thinking she would never do so, Sheila took to the wig (that is provided as part of the treatment by our National Health Service, which is paid for through our taxes until this disgraceful government we have now get around to privatising it) and wore it all the time. It was when we went to France in June 2014, that she decided that the wig could be discarded and she was ready to go out into the world with her own, new, grey hair.

The second pic, despite the light challenges that Manfred mentions, is a beautiful image. It feels like a picture that could only have been made by someone who loves that lady. It's gorgeous.

[Tronhard]

Indeed, hair loss is a huge thing, particularly for women I think. When we knew that would happen to Sheila there was lot of buying of hats from within the UK and also from the US from where there was a much bigger and better choice. But none of them were ever worn because, despite thinking she would never do so, Sheila took to the wig (that is provided as part of the treatment by our National Health Service, which is paid for through our taxes until this disgraceful government we have now get around to privatising it) and wore it all the time. It was when we went to France in June 2014, that she decided that the wig could be discarded and she was ready to go out into the world with her own, new, grey hair.

The second pic, despite the light challenges that Manfred mentions, is a beautiful image. It feels like a picture that could only have been made by someone who loves that lady. It's gorgeous.

Hilary refuses to wear a wig, but luckily the medical system here gives her an allowance of $400 for head coverings, so she went out shopping with a very classy Italian friend and they have bought a bunch of head coverings that look really good on her. When her hair began to come out she demanded I give her a combat cut like mine, which I did. As her stubble has continued to stay on the pillow I can now claim to have longer hair than her!

This is a photo I took about a year ago one casual moment for her university web page. She has discovered that many people have their hair grow back curly and has sworn that if it does she will continue with very short hair!



One thing one learns about this is to enjoy each day and never waste one.

[Tronhard]

Trev - I fully understand. My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2012 and went through the surgery, chemo (hair loss included) and radiation. It was not a lot of fun for anyone and was definitely no fun at all. I had to undergo some major surgery in the period between her finishing chemo and her starting radiation, so it was definitely no fun at all. She is almost at the 4-year mark of being cancer free, so the risk of recurrence continues to drop, but the risk is never zero.

My thoughts are certainly with both of you. The disease and treatment are both not nice experiences.

Thank you for your kind words Manfred. This has been a life changer for us in many ways. I had returned to Canada to Victoria with a view to getting things ready for her to take up a future position at UVic, but the cancer diagnosis has changed everything. It is extremely unlikely she will be accepted into Canada as a permanent resident so it looks like I shall be selling up again and going to plan "b": a place in NZ somewhere. Not that this is a great hardship, most people would die to have the opportunity to live there. Still, Auckland's property market is like Toronto's or Vancouver's: horrendous. So, once one has got out of it, it's hard to get back in again.

[Manfred M]

I can think of worse places to be than NZ, although our trip there was at least 15 years ago, so things have probably changed a lot.

The story around wigs brings back memories of a friend who permanently lost her hair after a medical incident and wears a wig all the time. She made the mistake of going for a drive with it on in a convertible. A gust of wind and the wig went for an unscheduled trip...

She referred to it as "road kill", because that is what it reminded her of when she turned around and recovered it. Fortunately, no cars hit it while it was lying there on the road.

[pnodrog]

Trev I wish you and your family all the best. To a certain extent I have been there as just over 40 years ago my wife was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It was caught early and after some very intense radiation treatment was deemed to be in remission. At the time I felt totally helpless other than offering all the support I could. I was amazed at my wife's calm acceptance and resilience. She was exhausted but every day was a milestone especially once the treatment was over and she slowly recovered.

In August last year she had to have an aortic valve replacement which the surgeons felt could partly due to the treatment for the Hodgkin's. I think she got especially good attention from the medical staff partly because she was one of the hospitals success stories.

In a few weeks we celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary which exceeds the most optimistic predictions we had over 40 years ago.

Take it as it comes, be flexible and treat change as opportunities. All sounds a bit cliche but it is true.

P.S. We abandoned Auckland 14 years ago and yes we can't afford to get back but we would not want to. It is cheaper, warmer and friendlier up north.

[IzzieK]

Very touching stories of cancer and treatments...I am glad I have mu Kleenex box near me. I feel for you guys...

Anyway, I like #2 in this batch Trev...the angle is much nicer and much better, picture-in-picture wise on the sunglasses.

[Dave A]

The crop on the first image is perfect IMO. Nice images.

Dave

[bnnrcn]

I like the idea in those images Trev. I especially like the first image as the BG is not distracting and your shooting angle shows the reflections better. BTW very nice ladies