Excusez-moi, une photo s'il vous plait?

I had the digital SLR with the super dooper telescopic lens with me yesterday at the match and spent the afternoon studying art :-)

After the game the the father of a young friend saw me loitering with the camera and asked could I take a picture of his son with his hero Bergamasco when he appeared. Of course I was happy to oblige.

Eventually he comes out of the changing room and chats to my friend and his dad and I'm standing waiting to take the photo, but he starts to move away. I frantically make eye contact with dad, who is mouthing 'NO!' and I'm thinking 'didn't he ask if he would have his picture taken? Did he ask and did Bergamasco say no!'

And still dad is mouthing 'NO!' and making slashing signs with his hand across his neck and I'm thinking I'm not letting him away with a no, so I tottle over, grab Bergamasco (gently - he's a big lad!) by the elbow, indicate towards my young friend and in my best French ask him can I have a photograph.

'Certainement' came the enthusiastic reply which has me thinking what was all the fuss about dad?!

So I take a few shots of them all, but as I have run out of French and am too in awe to speak anyway, give him my best smile and a thumbs up to indicate I am done and off he goes.

At which point dad appears at my side laughing. It was the wrong Bergamasco. I had accosted Mirco, when in actual fact my friends hero was his brother, Mauro . So ... I got to do it all again :-)

As a sad Post Script to this post, I know some of you have been logging in looking for my photos from the game. It appears that the memory card I used was damaged and I cannot access the photos. What an absolute travesty it will be if an entire afternoons efforts have been lost. I have not given up hope of retrieving them yet though

I had some absolute corkers, especially of David Attoub, who posed for me for 5 minutes when the camera jammed (honest, it did!) and who is my new all time favourite prop forward.

Take it from me ... Pink IS beautiful!