"Fuck, Dean, careful with that expensive camera gear. Put it in my room, while I check out the spa."
"On it, Pearl," I replied.
Pearl Campbell's a best-selling wildlife photographer specialising in wetland birds and waders, hence her luxury hotel booking overlooking the Norfolk Broads estuary marsh, awaiting birds migrating from summer feeding grounds in the Arctic Circle, to see out the winter in gentler climes.
Once upon a time they were keenly hunted to supplement winter diets, now they're keenly hunted by amateur birdwatchers and professional photographers.
I'm Dean Elliott, Pearl's paid assistant and amateur photographer, who carries, cleans, maintains and erects her photographic equipment. I really cared for Pearl, too.
We rarely camp outside nowadays, unlike those simple early days of our working relationship. This trip means a comfortable hotel, and I rose well before dawn this morning, dressed in clothing much less smart than this hotel would normally tolerate, before setting out for the wetland hides.