Sliding From Magic

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Before digital photography, there were photographic negatives and prints, which in turn replaced mounted slides. In each case a more convenient format replaced a less convenient one.

Every few months, our family gathers for a slide-show evening (the real sort, not something involving digital images or Microsoft Powerpoint). It is always interesting, and there is often a lot of laughter at images of our younger selves and of friends and family who we remember fondly but are no longer with us.

I am in the process of sorting through some of the slides. As I do so, I am realising that the cost of convenience is the loss of magic that comes from handling a slide. It is pure magic to pop a slide into a projector, or put it onto a lightbox and have instant memories of events and times previously forgotten.

Today’s photo is of slides that my father took before I was born. I am amazed at how similar the subjects my Dad chose to photograph are to those that I like to photograph today. The medium may change, but some things don’t. That is also magic.

The 37th Wilkinson Trophy Road Race

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These days, I don’t usually bother to enter events shorter than 16 km as I tend to run about 12 km for training runs anyway, but even though the Wilkinson Trophy Road Race is only 10 km long, it is just too special to miss.

It is held on the back roads of Kaipara Flats, slightly north west of Warkworth. I love the fact that the primary sponsor is an elderly lady called Mrs Wilkinson (I believe she is the widow of the originator of the event) who donates a sum of money for the multiple spot prizes.

The race itself is as basic as they come, with just the one water station shortly after the half way mark. The roads aren’t particularly busy and the first 7 km is nice and flat. The 8 km mark is at the top of a steep hill, and the 9 km mark just across the road on the return journey. The two steep sides of this hill destroy any hopes of a personal best based on a quick time over the first 7 km.

After the last walkers and runners have finished, there is a country afternoon tea with sandwiches of every description, chocolate cake and other sweet treats. The whole event is one of the highlights of my year, and it is one of the five events that I do every year.