We greeted Albert and Roser on Saturday evening and we had a very busy day on Sunday. We first visited the city centre in Manchester for the trams and buses, even Sundays the trams are so bury. It has been 10 years since their last visit. We then had lunch at Heaton Park before making our way to the tramway, we were very fortunate that our visit tied in with their Tramtastic day with all available trams out for view including the recently restored Stockport decker making its first public appearance for two years albeit no seats so not passenger carrying at this time. There was also an historic reenactment of the suffragette blockade of the tram in Heaton Park a century ago. So we had a very interesting day and met some lovely people. Then we had a quick evening meal at Chorlton, we were trying for the Horse and Jockey but all roads were closed for some sort of festival. Then it was to the RNCM for the gala concert opening the season of London Masterclasses, held in Manchester due to the restoration of their London venue. A long day but lots of memories. Today we are off to Wales for two preserved railways, here are photos from yesterday.

We are looking forwards to welcoming Albert and Roser to No17 , it's been a few years now since we last hosted them and have paid several visits to them over recent years. We are hopinbg to look at Heaton Park tramway tomorrow and perhaps Welsh steam on Monday. It is a very hectic period for us as we have a family wedding in Hampshire next week and after that a trail of hospital visits and Mandy's second tear duct operation at Leighton. I got all the DVD s up to date with covers and clips on Youtube. The last two UK bus films are Milton Keynes and Luton. Its strage how people fixate on the random clips which are on Youtube as trailers for the full DVD usually over an hour and comment on the absence of particular vehicles which will probably found in the full DVD - they are all on the PMP shop on this site. Mandy has got the DVD orders up to Saturday afternoon ready to post Monday although they are still coming in as the adverts have just appeared on the monthly magazines. Here are the latest UK bus film

Some photos from our Milton Keynes trip

A busy time coming up, the promised rain arrived very late but at least watered the garden a bit before we go out, just about to start getting ready for La Boheme at Clonter Opera near Congleton. Tomorrow evening Albert and Roser arrive from Barcelona via Maidstone. I've been bust getting the covers done for the latest Ukrainian releases from the trip just complete, it took ages to get them all done. I'll give you some British bus shots this evening, this is the new bus station at Bolton which features on the new lisdt also uploaded to the site today.

I was going to get some truck film done buty Mandy fancied coming alonmg on a film day so we opted for buses which gives more opportunities for shopping. We got up at 5am and were away about 5.40 and straight to Luton which we got to at the end of the rush hour. It was nearly all clear sunny hot weather and filming at the bus station after breakfast at M&S was a doddle. I also did a selection of scenes by the parish church, between the two locations I think every service is picked up. At the bus station I had a pleasant chat with the lady from Starbucks and one of the lady drivers, both really lovely, it was the day that put Luton in its own sunshine perspective such a change from the normal vision of the place.

Then it was on to MK, the sun had turned to seamy cloud, really humid, top twenties temps. The usual variety of operators, few deckers save for an Arriva duo which seemed to be tailing each other. The light wasn't much good at the shopping centre so most of the scenes are at the railway station, I think most services call at each location, Arriva seem to have old buses in new livery with new logo yet much newer ones looking tatty. It took forever getting back , its the M6 roadworks near Coventry every bit as bad as the M6 up in Cheshire, its all roadworks. A few DVD orders to get out in the morning, I'll update the sales list and then do the magazine adverts and as many covers as I can manage. Rain expected Friday sometime, bit its humid again, all the windows are open. Youtube still very quiet, needs to pick up, too many bills to pay from new tv to new vacuum which soaked up 2k plus between them. Still on the Ukraine trip I move on to the day excursion by taxi from Nikolayev to Kherson, not an obvious place for it's trolleys but we managed to get our heads around several routes before returning and then had our glorious night in the park tent cafe.

Lots of domestic chores on the go all day with DVD editinmg, all the Ukraine trip is now mastered but needs covers making, I've carried on to the Alton rally from Sunday and this evening should also have Wigan and Bolton ready. The task then is to get the covers done Friday although friend Sue is coming round in the morning so we are nice and early and ready for the opera at Clonter in the evening. I've managed to keep up to date with the Youtube clip uploads and again with luck Wigan and Bolton on tonight. I've done about three rounds of gardening between other jobs, still need to go out and water. Just got the bins ready as we'll be out tomorrow, filming at Luton and Milton Keynes. For Thursday on the way to the wedding next week we plan calling at Guildford and may be Basingstoke. Between all this I'll get some trucks done while e have the good weather, it looks as if it will last at least another two weeks, garden like Arizona now.

The eyesight continues to make progress and not a lot to go before it is rock steady at any distance, it flicks between about 10% overlap of images to perfect, obviously I can't drive without blanking out the wonky eye until it remains steady at 100%. I must admit I did think I could be stuck with it forever. We really need to get our heads around the visit of Albert and Roser this coming weekend, we have bought in some food to save cooking, Mandy is still very sore from the fall in the lounge last week, the wounds where she hit the lounge door handle are quite deep. It's a bit of a whirlwind at the moment with so much to do, the Buses advert came out today so already getting lots of orders by phone, it never seemed to stop today. Photos continue with the Ukraine trip . After Odessa we continued to Nikolayev where we start tonight.

Although I'm wading my way through the Ukraine DVDs I did decide to take a day out and visit Bolton and Wigan. The weather was freezing cold and follows a wet evening. The garden looks a little better save for the dead grass. The flowers have certainly perked up a bit, tomorrow I'll follow up with more tidying, feeding and generally making the best of what we can in the gardens. So to Wigan, the new bus station is still under construction although it looked as if they had moved on to the concourse side of the development. There was still a lot of construction traffic in and out and the buses still using the temporary arrangements. As it was dull, cloudy, threatening rain etc there was little trouble with shadows and where to stand so I took up a stance to get everything I could in and out. Arriva only just beginning to roll out their new livery here, lots to see, plenty of activity but nothing new.

Then I went to Bolton, the new bus station in full swing and wow what an amount of activity with all services passing into the same entrance and on a sunny day the sun well positioned in summer for the buses entering. Coming out is too messy and so too the main road where they turn to the bus station approach, this leaves the position I took and hopefully it has produced some great scenes albeit with difficult lighting. The clouds persisted through the afternoon, it cleared up as I got back to Cheshire where it was several degrees warmer. I need to reedit the master for Northampton as it had a fault, what a pain. I've just finished the Dnepro DVD. I hope to get some more done tonight. Next trip out should be Thursday possibly trucks. Tonight we continue coverage of the Ukraine trip with scenes in Odesa, you can put an extra s in if you want, most names have a dozen translations from Russian and Ukrainian Cyrillic to English!

A day of good news as I woke up to find that hints that my double vision was starting to sort itself out were true and I can now type, write and read with just my normal amount of errors and from the South great news that my dear friend John got the all clear on a health issue today. Mandy's arm is mostly on the mend after her fall while I was away but one cut seems to be taking it's time to heal. We did some shopping after getting the DVD orders ready and then went to the health center sat Holmes Chapel for my blood test which hopefully will confirm that my latest blood pressure pills are not causing any ill affects. Then we had a brew and I tidied some of the garden, we've had a light shower late afternoon, generally very barren look to the garden and I've trimmed off the dead and near dead bits and watered. Green Thumb ever hopeful put the summer lawn feed down, by next year it might be Astro turf! I've edited Odessa and clips are already on Youtube. At the moment the next two destinations are burning to disc with a 90 minute programme covering Nikolayev and Kherson - tram and trolleys. Next will be Krivoyrog. Tonight then we start our slide shows of the trip, I didn't film in Kiev as I had covered everthing we saw last year but did do some tills, here are a selection. It was the only day of really poor weather after that it was mostly the occasional thunderstorm and hot sunshine.

Well what a busy two weeks its been but back safe and sound and met up with many friends and customers down in Hampshire at Alton rally where the temperature bobbed around the low 30's at the UK heatwave continued. The garden is looking a bit arid now, I'll try and resuscitate what I can. The good news this evening is that my eyesight seems to have made more noticeable changes, the first in the three months since the bleed knocked out the nerve which controls movement of my right eye. I can at last look easily at the computer screen to read and type. The Ukraine trip was great and I'll bring you photos each evening plus of course clips on Youtube. Taking of which the weather and football have taken their toll on the advert hits so my usual call to the faithful viewers to get back to their daily dose of PMP clips. Masses to come as ever. The trip back up from Hampshire was slow and sticky, stopped at Warwick services for a drink and ice cream, only two disabled spaces had cars with blue badges but still the management of these services do nothing to the culprits, ditto Premier Inn at Crawley last night. Off to watch the news and weather and hope the house cools down enough for sleep! Here are some Alton rally shots.

We hadha restfulstart to the day after our superb end of trip meal last night overlooking the river in cherkassy. The was aatremendius thunderstorm while we were at dinner but we moved in a couple of foot and stayed dry. It was just a matter of boarding the Kiev bus without the need to book a seat, so zero tickets but I've a good cache of then for my pal martin ticjet collector extroadinaire. I meet Mandy at gatwick and we stay the night at the premier Inn then down to Alton for the rally which with England out of the football should proceed nore or less as normal, I hope. Catch up and start editing monday a Cl here to edit.

Soanother LMP trilhas come to a happy conclusion as we covered the cherkssdy trolleybus fleet? It's Its now thirty minutes past mifnmidn in Ukraine and a superb end of trip meal at a restaurant overlooking the river which we have tracked vfor two weeks?bed have decided to call it a day and tomorrow soend the day on our homeword journey. We haven't even checked in yet for the Ukraine inyerninterna airlines flight back to gatwicj airport. I can't understand why the spell check options aren't working, I know so many of you have been following our adventures and we have enjoyed the journey immeensli and next year hope to cover the last of the electric traction systems in Ukraine. Cherkasy has presented us with a great variety of trolleybuses or all types, a great way to end the trip. Mandy will meet me at the premier Inn at Gatwick tomorrow evening and we shall be at Alton on sunday.