Old emails from Buddy and Nana

Devon falls

St. Claires falls

Hello Phillip,
I am no photographer, but I too started with a box camera belonging to someone else on a trip to Nuwara Eliya in 1955. I nearly lost my life as a result. I wanted to take a picture of the water falling downwards from the top of Devon Falls. I went close to the edge and slipped on the wet rock. I was sliding downwards almost at the egde when I saw a clump of grass about one foot in diameter.  I managed to grab it with my left hand and fortunately for me it did not break off at the roots.
 The box camera flew out of my right hand, across my body to the left and landed near a pool in the rock. I carefully went on all fours and retrieved it as it was worth more than my life, by which I really mean that my life would not have been worth living if I had lost my friend's expensive camera.
Buddy

Hello Phillip,
Thanks for the photograph of Devon Falls which adds drama to the story. You can see the road at the back, curving to the right end of the picture. I got off the car at the right end of your picture and walked down the pathway that you see, running at about a 20 degree angle from the road to the top of the falls. I slipped on the very limited area of rock between the end of the path and the top of the falls ( the left side of the falls which is the right side of the photograph as you face the photograph). As you can see, it is a sheer drop. We did silly things when we were young. I wonder whether any of our batchmates have done things which beat this for lunacy or had near death experiences. Please don't let my grandchildren know about this. I don't even let them climb up the side of their bunk bed.
Buddy

Hi Buddy
I am glad to hear that I am not the only lunatic in the batch.
When  I came over to UK in 1976, I thought I knew how to drive around in my car. My wife and I took few of our Sri Lanka friends to witness a cricket match played between the Sri Lanka cricket team against Somerset. We travelled from Sheffield( that was where I was working as an SHO in Paediatrics at the time) to reach the cricket grounds.

We did not have sat nav facilities then, but only the printed road maps. As we were not very good at getting the road directions, I had entered a motorway(which I should never have got into) in the wrong way round and only realised my folly when we found few cars coming in the opposite direction. It was not funny and all the inmates were shouting at me in real filth. (May be some one at the time was helping me as I was not destined to die that young)

 I managed to take a U turn and get onto the right way round within a few breathless moments. Fortunately that motorway was new at the time and there were not many cars at the time.

We did witnessed the match and we cheered the Sri Lanka team as they did well against Somerset ( Ian Botham and Viv Richards were in the team).

 We did return home safely very late in the time.

 Not surprisingly the the 2 friend who were with us refused to gett into my car afterwards.( Incidentally both those friends have died few years ago).

 I am still alive to tell the tale.

You may share this with your grand children to show that even the medical students can be stupid, ignorant and foolhardy.


Best wishes.

 Nana

Old Emails from Buddy & Nana dated 28.11.2019

Inbox

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CHARITH NANAYAKKARA

2:51 PM (3 hours ago)

to me, Buddy

Hi Philip

I keep reading your blog updates with relish.

I read your latest addition about what we had corresponded many years ago.( emails from Buddy & Nana)

I just could not help laughing  my guts out to reflect on these life endangering flash backs much more now in our twilight years.

Delighted to note that we are still alive hale and hearty.

I love to add few comments to show my appreciation but I cannot add any comments at the end unlike in the past.

 I have a google account and I had no difficulty adding comments in the past.

Please check your blog  format and advice.

Best wishes

Nana

Charith Sena  Nanayakkara