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“Here?”I asked.“Really?”
I’d come armed with my phone, which was how I filmed most of my content, but also my camera, slung over my shoulder in its bag, just in case there was anything I needed to capture.My phone also took exceptional photos, but I liked the ability to change the settings depending on what I was trying to accomplish with each shot.
I didn’t really mean what I was saying about being at the pier, I was just teasing her but she hadn’t realised yet.
Nova blinked rapidly at my lack of enthusiasm.“Are you kidding?Please, please tell me you haven’t forgotten how much fun you can have on a pier.”
I shrugged.“All those claw machine things encouraging you to keep putting money in to win a soft toy.If you really want one, I could just buy you one.”
She shook her head.“Your inability to enjoy the journey is rather ironic, considering what you do for a living.”Nova took my hand and pulled me towards the doors.“Honestly, sometimes I think you’ve come so far, and then you say something like that.Besides, you cannot call yourself a photographer if you can’t see the beauty in this structure!”
I laughed, holding my free hand up in surrender.“I see it, I see it!I was just screwing with you, I swear.”
She rolled her eyes, and I let her drag me through the doors to be confronted by an array of games and machines flashing lights and playing music.It was an overwhelming cacophony of things, but the second my feet were inside, I understood exactly what she had been talking about.Being there reminded me of summers spent in Cornwall, in their amusement arcades.There always seemed to be a strange metallic scent in them, presumably the aroma of years’ worth of coins dropping in and out of slots hanging in the air.It stirred another part of my inner child.
“We’re going to need some change,” I said, pulling my wallet from my coat pocket.
Nova grinned, and we headed over to the nearest change machine.
As we walked around, I took some photos of the interior, making sure not to get any people in my shots.I focused on the games, especially the more retro ones.It was unfortunate that we weren’t able to go out onto the outside part of the pier that day, but there was plenty to do inside.Nova and I had a few games of air hockey, in which I kicked her ass.Then we played on the 2p push machines for a while and managed to bag ourselves a packet of sweets and a keyring in the shape of an ice cream.Finally, we played on one of the claw machines because Nova had taken a liking to some large light brown teddy bears holding big pink flowers that were inside it.However, after about ten quid, we gave up and walked away empty-handed.
It was fun to play around in there, and when we were finished, we took a slow walk back to the car.I took some photos of the sea on the way, appreciating the view as I had when we’d been at the top of Lea Mount.
Next up, we got back in the car and I drove us to Dartmoor using the built-in Satnav, which Nova had programmed a postcode into.She had directed me to a little village named Widecombe-in-the-Moor.It was so picturesque with lush greenery, small, unique shops and cafes, and a stunning church.I took my time with my camera.Nova happily waited for me as I perfected my shots.When I was done, she led me to one of the local pubs, The Rugglestone Inn.It was the perfect village pub, with a cosy vibe and amazing food.
Once we were done with lunch, we headed to Brixham, where we explored the shops.Nova managed to get some more of her Christmas shopping, and we wandered down to the harbour before finally heading back to Dawlish.
It had been an incredible day.When I’d been to Devon as a child, I hadn’t seen any of the places Nova had shown me.I hadn’t even heard of Brixham, and definitely not the quaint villages of Dartmoor.It was eye-opening how much there was to see in that part of England, and Nova was excited to have shared some of those things with me.
As we sat in the car outside her house, I noticed Nova watching me.
“So...life in Devon isn’t so bad after all,” I said, because I knew she knew what I was thinking.She’d witnessed my enthusiasm about the places we’d been to, and I didn’t mind admitting I was wrong about there being little to do locally.
She grinned.“Does that mean I win?”
“Nope.Because I haven’t fallen back in love with Christmas yet!”
“I have a photo of you in a reindeer apron that says otherwise.”
“I was forced into wearing it and you can’t pretend that’s not true.”
“Please,” she scoffed.“You didn’t once say no!”
Smiling, I placed my hand on her thigh.“Even so, I am not all the way sold on festive fun yet.”
“Then I will have to work harder!”
She turned towards me as much as was possible in the confines of the car, resting her hand on mine.“Thank you,” she said.“For letting me take the lead and show you around.I’m glad you had a nice time.”
Smiling, I said, “I did.And now I have some content for the blog and my other channels.”
Nova laughed.“I can’t believe I made my TikTok debut today.”
I’d got a bit of footage while we were on Teignmouth Pier of Nova and me taking turns on the claw machines.We were unsuccessful, but it was just something quirky and silly to show people.I didn’t post it until we were in the car on the way home, but it had already had a few thousand hits and some comments.Lots of them wondering who the mysterious lady was in my video.I only hit like, refusing to give anything more away.
“You may be in more of my stuff when I go through it all,” I told her.“I will spend some of tomorrow sorting through the videos and photos and editing them into something usable.You want to join me and see a day in the life of a blogger?”
“Yeah, but I have plans in the morning to do some more last-minute shopping with Mum.I will be free after one, though.”
