后记 | Afterword

1992年4月的一个周六，我遇到了查尔斯·阿尔伯特·卢西恩·斯内林。他住在一个典型的两上两下带院子的房子里，房子的两旁都是类似的两上两下带院子的房子，房子靠近弗拉顿公园的朴茨茅斯足球场。当我注意到查理的房子时，我正在那里拍摄朴茨茅斯队和诺丁汉队的森林杯比赛 - 最后平局了。这所房子是黄色和橙色的。与街上的其他房子完全不同。

略感兴趣，时间充裕，我过马路仔细一看，发现这其实是一家店。在凸窗里，有几株植物以不寻常的价格出售；例如 57p 或 34p 或 83p。我走进去，在一张铺着报纸的桌子上，我发现更多的植物和鲜花放在塑料盆里。墙的下半部分是木镶板，漆成亮黄色；最重要的是，它们可能在1970年代被装饰，带有大胆的佩斯利/花卉风格壁纸。

查理出现了；说话轻声细语，年长，有礼貌。他告诉我各种植物是什么，并说是的，他很乐意让我挑选一些并单独放置，以便我比赛结束来取。我们聊了一会儿，然后我问他是否介意替我保管一下我的相机三脚架，因为我已经决定不在比赛中使用它。他带我到他的客厅，告诉我他会把它放在哪里，“为了安全起见“。在这间同样装饰明亮的房间的墙壁上，有一位女士的许多照片，我立刻明白了这位女士是他的妻子。我说我认为它们是可爱的照片，他告诉我贝蒂已经死了，“几年前”。

比赛结束赛后，查理为我准备了茶、三明治和一些饼干。他向我展示了相册中的更多照片，当我问我是否可以给他拍照时，他表示不会介意。大约一周后，我给他寄来了照片和一封信，询问是否可以再次拜访他。我们的友谊就这样开始了。

查理是一个简单、温柔的人。他喜欢花和花的名字。他喜欢色彩，并用色彩包围自己。他爱他的妻子。他似乎完全没有野心。他想要的只是让他的孩子们快乐。

有时他会问我是否想听一些音乐，然后他可能，例如只播放 Nat King Cole LP 的三首歌曲；但我们真的会听他们的。音乐从来都不是背景音乐。

他喜欢文字，并且拥有我见过的翻阅最多的字典。他每天都做镜报的填字游戏。他不是思想家，但他想知道。我给他买了一本地图集，他研究得如此详细，对世界赞叹不已。

尽管他可能没有尝试或打算这样做，但他确实让我知道了生活中最重要的事情根本不需要花钱。他是我对现代生活的解药。 

I met Charles Albert Lucien Snelling on a Saturday in April, 1992. He lived in a typical two up two down terraced house amongst many other typical two up two down terraced houses, close to Fratton Park, the Portsmouth football ground. I was on my way there to photograph the Portsmouth y Nottingham Forest cup - tie, when I noticed Charlie's house. It was yellow and orange. In that respect it was totally different from every other house on the street.

Mildly interested and with plenty of time to spare, I crossed the road to have a closer look and discovered that this was actually a kind of shop. In the large front bay window there were a few plants on sale for unusual prices; for example 57p or 34p or 83p. I went inside and there I found some more plants and flowers sitting in plastic pots on a table covered with newspaper. The bottom half of the walls were wood panelled and painted bright yellow; above that they were decorated, probably in the 1970's, with a bold paisley / floral style wallpaper.

Charlie appeared; quietly spoken, elderly, polite. He told me what the various flora were and said that yes, he would be happy to put some to one side for me until after the match. We talked for a while and then I asked if he would mind looking after my camera tripod, since I had decided I wouldn't be using it at the game. He took me through to his living room and showed me where he would put it, 'just to be safe. On the walls of this equally brightly decorated room there were numerous photographs of a lady I immediately understood was his wife. I said I thought they were lovely pictures and he told me that Betty had died, 'a few years ago now'.

After the match Charlie gave me tea, a sandwich and some biscuits. He showed me some more photo's in an album and said he wouldn't mind when I asked if I could take his picture. A week or so later I sent him the prints and a letter asking if it would be alright to come and visit him again. That is how our friendship started.

Charlie was a simple, gentle, man. He loved flowers and the names of flowers. He loved colour and surrounded himself with colour. He loved his wife. He seemed totally unambitious; all he wanted was for his children to be happy.

Occasionally he would ask if I'd like to listen to some music and then he might play, for example, just three songs from a Nat King Cole LP; but we would really listen to them. Music was never something to have on in the background.

He loved words and had the most well thumbed dictionary I have ever seen. He did the Daily Mirror crossword every day. He was not a thinker, but he wondered. I bought him an atlas and he studied it in such detail, amazed by the world.

Without ever trying or intending to, he showed me that the most important things in life cost nothing at all. He was my antidote to modern living.