I've started work on the next West Midlands archive today plus I've put some 2001 Irish material on Youtube. Just to let people understand the Youtube clips I'm putting on are adjusted to fill the screen with no black lines but the original digitised file is in the original aspect and is a lot higher quality, so the you tube clip is a drop down. These digitised files are raw material from the original tape. I'm also downloading films from VHS, Mini Dv and Hi8 at the moment. I've got the Egyptian trip material wrapped up for the minute. I'll put photos on tomorrow's blog. The full fibre installation is now on Tuesday. I am planning a film with the ex London Titans on Merseyside. Another reason I've been digitising that region. Lots more to come. Straight of the software from download the quality is a huge file at about 170GB, we couldn't really keep it all at that level but it is kept as HD. These raw films will be on the shop and available for commercial use, the big upload catch up comes with the hope for super fast speed fibre.
Our latest archive release and it will be on the PMP shop this evening. The three DVDs from the Egypt trip are all complete with just covers to be made. The weather outlook remain grim, I was going to fly to Belfast next week but it looks like rain every day. I've masses of archive material to be getting on with and we shall continue to put more archive on to Youtube with next uploads 2001 in Ireland. I had to put a slab on the drain pipe I'd fixed on the flat roof and the wind shifted it, got damp but really feel for those with flooding, a terrible mess and soul destroying. I'll get the shots from Alex loaded, at present they are tied up on machines finishing saving the digital files.
A very busy day with editing commenced on the three films from the Alexandria trip and mid morning a trip for flu jab at Northwich, charming staff and never even felt the sharp thingey! Then shopping and finally mid afternoon started work on the next raft of digitised images with some extracts on Youtube later tonight.
Tomorrow afternoon should be full fibre internet connection - yes at last. Huge amount to catch up on if it is all ready to get on with, seeing will be believing. The first volume of the Alexandria material is on the town lines and the second the interurban Ramleh routes with double deck driving trailers. The third which I haven't started will feature the railway west towards Libya, photography on the railways is strictly banned but I got some good shots from the open window ( all window either smashed or fixed in place) Lots of ventilation you could say much needed with hole in floor toilet provision, if it all goes to the track why does it stink so much. My travelling companion Martin took this picture of the lad in action with double decker trailer approaching, I do seem rather fat , must be an optical illusion! Pub night Thursdays so wrapping up early. More photos to come and watch out for latest clips on Youtube. Not too much chat here as I've not been asleep for two days now, I left the hotel at 10.30 pm UK time and arrived home at lunchtime today. A trying trip with lots of adventure. No huge haul of photo, a good sprinkling of video and a memorable train ride. The double deck driving trailers were out and about on the suburban system but the town services are on their last legs with congestion striking home with no trams on the majority of town lines for several hours fro lunch to teatime. It is the school children which cause all sorts of problems as they leaves school in hordes at different times, parents collecting them block roads in all directions. The Danish Duewags soldier on. I'm trying to get sorted out ready to start editing tomorrow when we also have flu jabs. In WWII the allies built railways into Libya from Egypt but most / all were torn up after the war. The train ride to the end of Egyptian railways west line is provided by a seemingly little known station in Alexandria, the line as far as track is concerned is quite good condition but the stock is horrific. A single journey cost us each about 25p, lasting four hours and the return 5 hours. There was evidence of the new Siemens etc contract to upgrade and new stock should arrive when complete providing a high-speed electrified line connecting Ain Sokhna to Mersa Matruh and Alexandria. Siemens will supply Velaro high-speed trains, Desiro regional sets, and Vectron freight locomotives. Mersa Matruh was a filthy town drowning in rubbish. Photography of any sort is a risky business especially with the events on the Garza Strip leading to heightened tensions and seeing Israeli spies behind every bush. They had been whipped up to a frenzy on Sunday and we experienced thousands of children being shipped to the anti Israel demonstrations in the so called day of fury. We arrived to start the day in heavy rain, it was soaking wet in the carriages, the few seats in the first (sic) class section were the first to fill but the ordinary carriages had more open windows and I managed to get shots along a whole section of line from the window without mishap. At Mersa Matruh there were a lot of tanks off loaded at the rail head, a good job I'd exchanged memory chips before we got picked up by the secret services, mind you they could have been Noddy in Toyland as most we playing whatever people do on computer toys. We did get away after showing the tram pictures. So each photo obtained against streams of people and traffic and kids jumping in front and adults waving sticks is all the more precious for its history. So first at the end of a long day the Loco courtesy Martin Rickett my travelling companion. Of course we do have to relax and eat, we gave up on the Cecil where we stayed and went to the Metropole opposite which had better food by far and cheaper. The Cecil HQ for secret services in Middle East WWII and the Metropole of Ice Cold in Alex bar fame.
I have managed to finish the latest archive film before I leave for the airport shortly. It is called Memories of London Buses and cover the late 60's to 70's with some very good shots which are enhanced to HD quality. Mandy will be attending to the DVD orders. As this latest film uses sounds from the Youtube library I can put clips on Youtube.I shall be back on Wednesday first thing and catch up then. I do have two more archives in the production line on the Midlands and East Midlands and possibly Scotland. I'm also getting more archive tape into digital, the new fibre line will be installed in the next few days so it will enable me to catch up with the downloads on the PMP shop. Please resist using Ebay to order, all our 5000 plus films are on our shop while EBay has only a small selection. Anticipating the Scottish archive lets head north of the border for our last slide show unitl Wednesday. A lot of jobs done which needed clearing before the Egypt trip. I've got the car booked in for November to sort out the small damage from the cleaners crash into the flower tub, it could have been the house, us or my car so thankful but had to get LV involved, I won't lose the no claim bonus but her insurance Hastings Direct wouldn't even talk to me, worst ever reviews on them in the net. Orders are ready to go out first thing then its Ellesmere Port for the Polio Fellowship meeting, shopping and hair cut. Also Thursday is pub night. Freezing cold , Mandy had a tumble on the kitchen floor yesterday, her good leg gave way which is a bit scary. Anyway short of time, must get next Buses mag advert ready to send off tomorrow.
Within a week Mandy and I have seen two seminal concerts which are multi media and innovative but also a complete sensory shower in ideas and emotions. We must think ourselves lucky as this type of experience so often comes with the light of missiles and scream of bombs and destruction rather than the climax of the soprano's aria. Performances which still buzz in your head when you go to bed. Alas the good guys and bad guys are harder than ever to differentiate. I had to do a lot of jobs in a short day so we could get to Llandudno for pre performance dinner, not the same as Bridgewater restaurant but equal in that there is a definite atmosphere at both which makes the time more memorable. I've got the lawns fed and moss killer down and all mown. The spring bedding needs planting and with our cleaner off with shingles another job to be done. I dashed through yet more last minute changes to the railway film I've been doing to help Unique Productions, it has been a difficult journey working with not one but two layers of requests and ideas or even may I say criticism, my favourite colour is blue and or yellow, I had a blue background to the end titles it looked rather nice, then it got called garish! Tomorrow I'll be loading more material to the OTA Youtube channel, some more ravishing scenes by Fred Ivey this time from 1970, amazing how the world looked just like the 1960's which really only finished mid 70's if you follow my line of thought. Meanwhile some more shots from Skipton bus running day. Here are our latest film releases. A day of catching up with quite a few orders and covers for recent DVDs to prepare. I'm getting ready for the trip to Alexandria on Friday, obviously world news has added a little tension especially with the shooting of two Israeli tourists in the city. At present we are wholly within UK Gov advise on where we are going. I had a devil of a job applying online for the Egyptian visa, it is available on arrival but it seemed one less job to do when tired. We popped out in the afternoon to get some bulbs for spring and some primroses for the family graves at Southern Cemetary in Manchester. I'll tidy the plots ready for winter when I get back from this trip. Meanwhile here are the covers for the latest programmes. dt isn't too much of a hike from home to Skipton especially first thing Sunday morning and I was soon at the Coach Street car park where vehicles taking part as running services or static displays gathers before the event kicks off at 10am. A bit of a slow start but it really picks up a pace and at least twice there were 8 preserved buses at the bus station in service. The Leyland Lion even did a courtesy circle around the bus station for photographers. The only minus were the odd snotty or barmy local, one of whom was of biblical interest as he go off his mobility scooter and then leapt at enthusiasts with his stick and lashed out, spitting as he went almost a miracle really, then the really snotty one who came from behind and blasted their horn at point 0 range because they had to pull up and wait 15 seconds while people took a picture and the woman who demanded ' what is so newsworthy here today them' I'm sure someone muttered open your eyes misses. Well run and subtle changes in scheduling as buses joined and dropped from service. Thank you to all our lovely fans who stopped for a chat, I lost count of how many I met, wonderful to see people not just names on Facebook. So here is a first selection of shots from today, starting at the end and working back towards the beginning, did you all follow that? We did our weekly shop first thing Saturday and then went over to Derbyshire to have a relaxing day at the NT properties as Saturday is usually quiet. Wrong, it was heaving so much the car parks including disabled were all full, turned back from Calke and Kedlestone, then made our way back home, didn't even find a place for an afternoon tea just had ice cream when we filled up Mandy's car. Well I should have known better the motorways were at a standstill in Cheshire and Staffordshire. This evening I've got the next batch of Youtube clips loading, Merseyside Sept 2000. Should be lots of popular stuff there I'm also in receipt of another Fred Ivey film to had a trailer put on OTA Youtube channel which I'll get done tomorrow night after getting back from the Peak running day. Monday I'll get all the DVD orders cleared perhaps get the tiny crack on both our windscreens fixed, wash the cars, get bulbs for Mandy's family graves at Southern and then Tuesday tidy up the graves and then finish off anything outstanding but not too late as we have WNO at Llandudno with dinner there at 5.30. Thursday is our Ellesmere Port Day with hair cut, shopping, pet shop for bird feed, then the polio Fellowship meeting. Friday ( 13th) I fly via Turkish Airlines to Alexandria where I catch up with my travelling companion Martin and relish a taste of the local tram systems before they get all modernised. I've look at flights to Belfast, they are quite reasonable now so when I get back from Egypt I'll look at the weather and book out morning, stay overnight and back evening next day which means I can go over to Derry on the train on day two or perhaps for safety in event of break downs, strikes etc day one. That will mean that we can go to ROI and Dublin, Galway, Cork, stay Hilary's and back from Dublin in a week. Another batch of shots from Crick yesterday. |
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