I THOUGHT MY DAD WAS finally losing it.
We were walking through pretty Hope Park on the way to a stroll along the lakeside to Friars Crag, when we passed a splendid sundial on a pedestal. I didn’t remember it from my last visit, but I’m always intrigued by such things and never fail to take a snap for my records and future word ramblings (like this one).
Then my dad uttered the most curious words. “I bought that”, he said. “You bought it?” I replied, not understanding what he was on about. “What do you mean, you bought it?”
He was smiling a bit, enjoying my confusion. “I bought it!” he repeated. He told me that the old one had been broken or was in a sorry state, which annoyed him, so he donated a splendid new one to the town of Keswick where he now resides with my mum.
Henceforth, I take no small pleasure, in dragging casually leading friends down that particular path and nonchalantly informing them that “That’s my dad’s sundial, that is; he bought it!”
My old man, bless him, is the most unassuming chap you could ever wish to meet, and he wouldn’t have asked me to highlight this fact for anything. He didn’t even have his name anywhere near it to acknowledge his contribution, like on all the benches nearby, dedicated to someone or other.
But he’s he, and I’m me, and this is my Lakeland Chronicles blog, so I’m telling you now!
The photo’s rather lovelier-than-life colours are due to the fact that I rescued it from an incredibly dull shot taken at the death of dusk, plus, of course, I Sabified it, the way I do.
I’ll be posting more about this, as there are some rather interesting calculations you can make to get an impressively accurate chronological reading, whatever the season, and it’s not quite as straightforward as you might think.
If you’ve ever looked at the shadow on a sundial and thought, that’s not right, well, you’re right! There’s a reason for it, and my dad will tell you what it is. Good old dad!
The Laggard of Lakeland 
(Lakeland Chronicles No.4)
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Wainwright Log: 2 of 214 Fells Conquered / Zero Books Completed / Visit Log
