Geoff Clements has been "gardening on speed'' for the past 51 years.
Before you raise the alarm, he is not climbing the back fence to snort your daisies. That's just how the veteran free-lance camera operator describes filming "the beautiful game'' of cricket.
But after more than five decades with his head buried in the viewfinder, the 69-year-old has decided to retire and is looking forward to, among other things, watching more cricket on television.
Yep. He still has a deep love of the game but it is time to watch it from a comfortable seat.
"The wonderful Beatle George Harrison wrote all things must pass,'' Clements said when asked how he felt about retirement.
His last day on the job was in Dunedin when it rained on day five. He was at the top of the media centre shooting all five days of the first test between New Zealand and South Africa.
The Otago Daily Times caught up with the rugged-up cameraman midway through the match.
"I still remember my first day,'' Clements said.
"It was the 17th of February 1966.''
Australia toured New Zealand that year and played a warm-up match against Canterbury. Clements manned one of the three cameras.
"One of my best mates from the St Albans Cricket Club, Ken Ferries, was playing in that game. That was the first game and I remember very little about it except I know I had a beer with Ken later in our clubrooms.''
There have been some large technological strides made during Clements' time. There are also many more cameras. There were 28 dotted around the ground at the University Oval last week.
Shooting the game is "like gardening on speed'', he said.
One of the games which was particularly exhilarating to cover was the test when Nathan Astle blasted 222 against England in Christchurch in 2002.
"I think that was pretty special for him. But from my point of view he hit so many bloody balls in the air,'' which made the ball hard to track.
There have been many other marvellous players but two in particular stood out.
''Well the first one who sticks out is Nawab of Pataudi, the 1968 Indian captain who had one eye. He was a wonderful batsman.
"A superb cover driver and I said to one of the guys afterwards, `how can that joker hit everything so well?
"Greg Chappell I thought was wonderful too. I could list 100 but I shouldn't.''
Clements, who lives in Christchurch, has shot rugby, netball and most other sports, and has also done studio work. But cricket has been his passion.
Almost all of his work has been in New Zealand with just two working trips overseas.
There have been many freezing cold days at the top of camera platforms.
"Oh don't talk about it,'' he joked when asked about shooting cricket at the Basin Reserve in Wellington's notorious northerly, or in Dunedin where the weather can be fresh.
In the future, he will be watching his beloved cricket inside his house from a nice comfy seat.
"I'm going to play a lot more bowls and try to coach the Canterbury women's bowls team again - and watch a lot more cricket on the TV.''
