Google / Youtube finally agreed to allow Corona virus to be mentioned in clips on Youtube and receive advertising revenue. There are restrictions on content but nothing too onerous given the USA view of the world. That is at least the ability to talk freely when filming, hurrah for that little nugget of progress. Meanwhile the pressure builds for the Tories to let us know the exit strategy. Some regions like the South West have very few cases, testing seems to be the key and that is where scraggy head and his mob have missed the mark, it is a national shame that South Korea left us standing, protecting its people from the virus spreading with no lock downs, the cafes and karaoke bars are doing great trade in Seoul.

There might well be heroic efforts and great sacrifices going on but needlessly if the country had been taken down the right route. Once it became obvious we were just going the path of Italy, France and Spain the effort should have been testing, testing testing. Without full participation in a political debate given the new weakly grounded Labour there seems to be just us lone souls waving the flag for scraggy head's bunch to get a grip and not rely on NHS staff and volunteers as cannon fodder, but then there were never many Eton toffs in the poor bloody infantry!

Have you noticed all the regular scam phone calls have vanished since The Philippines went on lock down, perhaps Scraggy head could ask their ambassador to keep those responsible locked down forever. There are of course new waves of scams flooding in more net based, not helped by the stream of crap that companies keep putting out. Keep it to the point, no emails unless really necessary. Wonder kids stop keep changing stuff for a while, stick to your roller skates and toy phones, leaving things alone that aren't broke for once and flooding us with emails about the 'new' better all singing load of baloney. While they are at it though perhaps they could return the world to Windows XP so we have fast speedy computers and easy to operate logical operations which aren't the bizarre working of a child 'gamer', not that I actually know what one of them would be but I can guess.

Good weather today, long spell in the garden this afternoon after getting past the queue in Sainsburys at Northwich as Mandy was in her wheelchair, about the only time a disability is an advantage, oh yes and booking theatre tickets! Here are some hot off the press M6 shots in our village this morning. A classic ERF and Foden spotted!

It is hard skipping around the elephant in the room at present especially when preparing films for showing on Youtube as mention of the 'C' word is a recipe for being deprived of revenue from advertising even if it is just in passing. Now Youtube make you self certify every time you load a film so if they find anything they don't agree with they can say the originator lied about content. Now there are lots of  things well worth avoiding in hobby films , drugs, violence, sex etc but then it get a bit more tricky, nothing controversial  but that's subject to a USA interpretation of the world. So it isn't following all the labyrinthine laws of Google/Youtube but we do our best and our latest uploads are four sequences with shots of Bali transport taken over Christmas 1991. This was a trip to Hong Kong and a side trip to China and then on to Bali. Our hotel in Bali later burnt down. The original tape on video 8 has long since been broken and unplayable so a lot of sequences are lost. Thus the importance of getting material to digital with back up copies, so far this has meant just old cine but early tape has proven a fickle media and a few are really hard to use, Most do have back ups, the Bali material lost was mainly scenic or family, note I seem to take better care with the transport material!

It has been a very busy day for DVD orders , the busiest since Christmas. We had a 'sort out' firstly spare bedroom over bed cupboards, Mandys collection of hand bags and misc items from horse riding gear to snorkel and goggles. That was the easy bit, then came the under stair cupboard complete with wine racks. Horror story it was indeed, ghastly finds, wine gone to vinegar and some mould. We ended up clearing and cleaning everything then painting the cupboard, I stilll seem to have a lot of white paint in my hair, now I know that doesn't show but it feels awful, a shower and scrub at it urgently needed. Next it was back to the garden, the turf has been ordered and comes next Wednesday after Easter hols. This means I cannot slacken the pace clearing the areas of flower border to be turfed, I must be at least 60% through it and a few days to go. Today was our hottest of the year so far, we had our first ice cream of the year in the garden when I could do no more. I  will start again tomorrow.

My film visit to do list sits frustratingly on the desk top taunting me, I was nicely on schedule before this Chinese import arrived. Anyway I really will be getting some bus archives done this week or at least by the end of Easter, it provides a rest from manual labour in the garden. Some bus shots from places I should have been visiting so start tonight in Kent where we so missed the Detling rally.

Experts now seem agreed that closing schools was a really bad idea, the risk to the children would have been less than now and would have not disrupted education and made life worse for parents. There seems to be several glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel, if the Tories are able to get it together they need to come up with targets to give a clear indication when this madness will end.

Here are our two latest truck films of the M6 with our remote camera at Plumley, I think we may well extend our coverage where it is safe to do so and remain within guidelines. Here are the covers for the latest truck releases, the Bus Spot Birkenhead Ultra is already selling well , even going as far as Canada on the first day for sale. I'm hoping to get some UK bus archives from scanned films ready before the end of next weekend. The weather has been very good here, a trip shopping to Waitrose, about 5 minute queue. Then we walked with Mandy using her wheelchair on nearby Back Lane, a little too popular with cyclists though, too fast, too many and too much lycra. There were lots of birds in the hedgerow and some wild flowers giving a taste of spring here are some shots I took on the walk.

If I get time there are other projects I still haven't followed through on which includes a series on the origins of the larger UK bus companies such as First, Stagecoach, Arriva etc. I'm still scanning archive cine film and the DVD orders remain buoyant although the fine weather seems to have knocked Youtube hits back a bit. I've done a whole load more work on the back garden borders getting ready for the turfing as soon as we get a damper spell this month, must happen in April surely. Also fed and sprayed the plants and cleaned out some of the bird feeders which were getting mucky.

Our latest archive release DVD is Bus Spot Ultra Birkenhead which I've just loaded to the PMP shop and I've updated the DVD list with the very latest releases. I'm just about to prepare covers for two of the remaining M6 lorry films covering Lower Peover from the remote camera last week and there are two from week 3 of the lock down from our remote camera at Plumley. I'm getting ready to announce the next bus archive feature. Views on Youtube seem to have taken a diver the last couple of days perhaps it has been sunny everywhere. Here it has been wet and windy as well as periods of sun between. I've been very busy in the garden, lawns mowed etc and started work on laying out our back borders to a new layout cutting down on the depth of the borders and undulating curves to a straight more easy to mow pattern. We have ordered up the new garden seat unit which should arrive soon.

Well it is about time we heard something from scraggy head in his hospital bed about an exit strategy to get us back to normal, they wheeled out the Queen last night to utter words which had already been leaked . Nothing momentous and it is fatal to let this situation continue, before we know it it will be little armbands getting dished out, let all those who tittle tattle and snitch on fold remember there could be a day of reckoning. I think it was absurd for police to throw a couple out of a park for sunbathing, if they live in an apartment why not have their exercise time enjoying some daylight. I felt really sorry for the woman in Scotland who got ratted on for visiting her home in Fife, hypocrite yes but isn't everyone at times.

Locally everyone here seems to have been very careful and follows guidelines without being obsessive and anal about it all. There won't be any businesses left to go back if we don't get something sorted quickly, if we had masks we could wear them, if we had tests we could get tested and a certificate to say we are virus free.  Thankfully we now seem to be getting an operational opposition party  albeit  London centered as ever, no wonder we lost so many seats in the North. It now irritates me to listen to the news and indeed as Queenie said good humour is required, what twits would shut the council tips when we most need them and then wonder why they are getting fly tipping. Gardening, cupboard clearing, tidying must be on the go throughout the country so why shut them.

Here are some shots of the M6 lorry traffic.

We continue to be busy with DVD orders , its a bit like the Christmas period at times. We did have a bit of a lay in this morning not getting up till about 9.30 wjhich is very late for us. My first job after breakfast was to get the base for the garden seat finished. This was accomplished without mishap other than my back, after getting tidied up Mandy told me to call it a day at lunch time as I was nearly bent double by then but it looks good. We've spotted a mail order garden furniture supplier at Burton on Trent who is selling what we want at a reasonable price and delivers quickly, Mandy wants to phone and check if they can put is near enough where it needs to be located and is there much 'putting together' involved, so I'll ring tomorrow.

i was glad to get the editing finished on the latest Bus Spot Ultra Birkenhead, it took a bit of piecing together - sorry I haven't had time today to get the cover finished, should be ready and on the shop tomorrow though. I'm now editing the two volumes of M6 coverage from our local flyover last week. Then I can get covers down fairly swiftly for these, the clips for trucks attract a lot more Youtube hits than anything bus orientated especially archive buses, sad but there it is. Lots of chats with friends and families between other jobs. Mandy has been clearing out cupboards as I guess is everyone else around the country. It was about 19 degrees C  today but a howling wind that wrecked it for sitting out much. The lawns need mowing now and I'm sizing up the back borders which will be straightened and made smaller, all to make it easier for my back on maintenance.

So in line with my Merseyside epic some random photos for the bus fans tonight from that region. This weekend though should have been Detling and Cobham rallies, what a shame as the weather would have been good down there. All DVDs in post tomorrow I'm trying out a new overbridge on the M6 to ring the changes. We had a look out today from the car for wheelchair friendly roads, Lower peover's are a disgrace but there are better in Plumley so out next 'walk' will be a car ride and wheel adventure in new pastures. We hope you are all well and catching up with jobs if at home, we are busy but relaxed never having to look at the diary dates for once in our lives. Actually other than the obvious sad side there are many great pluses to the lock down, I'm sure you'll find a few, always look on the bright .... etc.

The weather today was cool, dull and overcast so I carried on editing Bus Spot Ultra Birkenhead which I've almost finished it has been quite a hefty undertaking as I had a lot of material on the editing line and the computer was possibly overwhelmed but nearly there now. I went out for a walk with Mandy, we are very restricted in routes as the pavement soon finishes and the road surfaces are poor around us. Another busy day with a lot of DVD orders to process, they will all go off Monday morning when Dawn is working at the post office.  When I've got the DVD burnt to disc and done this blog I'll be ready for a sit down it has been a bit of a marathon. One of our regulars sister has the virus but I think she'll be ok. Other than that it all remains rather surreal. Perhaps they could quarantine London, get face masks for everyone else and get us all back to somewhere near normal. other than those at extreme risk.

It looks as if we are faced with a crisis with television and it takes a lot of searching to find anything funny or interesting to watch. I'm going to get the Birkenhead film on Youtube asap and perhaps I'll put on a few more clips while they are loaded on the editing deck. Meanwhile here are some more photos from my camera on the M6 yesterday. Tomorrow I hope to be working out in the garden all day.

I'm on top of the releases with digital downloads and DVDs available up to the very latest releases which are the two truck M6 programmes shown below.

This afternoon I will carry on getting material for the Birkenhead production on the editing timeline and hope to get it finished over the weekend. If the weather is as good as they say I will get outdoor jobs over the next few days but I haven't forgotten the bus fans and as promised I will be compiling another London bus archive film in the Tickety-boo series. We are still very busy with the shop and on Youtuve is is setting new records for our channel. So good to have so many people beside us through the current crisis. We went to Marks & Spencers yesterday, quite well stocked but lots of things were just on their sell by dates. Today Mandy has done the shopping for Malcolm and June our more elderly neighbours across the road. This morning I had my exercise period as a truck watch at the Lower Peover over bridge on the M6 which is where the photos come from, just a few minutes old when posted.

I managed to get the Llandudno film finished today and it is already loaded as both digital and DVD on our site shop plus the PMP Amazon shop which I updated this afternoon. The Amazon upgrade took quite a while as they had altered stuff yet again. I also loaded a trailer for Llandudno on to Youtube, this site which causes so much angst yet declares to abhor so many things has yet again been playing around with their advertising friendly rules which recently banned mention of Corona, now we have to self certify to say that our films don't contain anything nasty but in their warped world that could be almost anything. Anyway here is the cover which also takes a little time to put together, I haven't had a break all day other than to remount the hose reel I fixed so Mandy didn't trip on it when going to the back garden.

We hope to have the remote camera recording on Friday near our house, lots of jobs built up now for outside which should be warmer by the weekend, our first rain for two weeks today, one short shower , it is still bitingly cold with the gusty wind. I've made a start on getting the last two remote camera films edited so they should be available tomorrow. I have also drawn up the list of resourced I need to load for Bus Spot Ultra Birkenhead ( with Wallasey) which I'll start when the weather is against me outside. I need to look ahead for the next Tickety - boo production which will probably be more on London buses from scanned cine. A few more truck shots of the M6.

The next part of the process for Bus Spot Ultra Llandudno is actually tidying up and trimming down to size the clips until I'm left with 120minutes. We hear that Corona virus has now arrived at our neighbouring village, Plumley, hitherto we had been an island of health in the North West with the badlands around Manchester area. I had a session with the remote camera located at Plumley and took some lorry stills. This visit will give us another two films which you will see in due course once I've finished the Lllandudno film, next Ultra production will be Birkenhead with Wallasey/New Brighton. We have been very busy with the DVDs plus lots of digital downloads happening. We are able to turn around everything as we obviously aren't out on our travels at all. We've just had a walk out down to the Cobbles but with the wheelchair its as far as you can get, with terrible roads and broken kerbs it is a struggle for Mandy to get out anywhere. I've put off most outdoor jobs until the weather eases a bit, supposed to be warmer by Friday so they can wait until then, actually warmer should read less cold, todays its been hat, scarf,gloves weather. Here are some lorry shots to keep you going until I can put on trailers via Youtube.

Work has now started on Bus Spot Ultra Llandudno, this will be at the smaller end of locations covered very regular coverage from mid 1990's but patchy before but nice scenes of the old Trams and Cable cars. The next Bus Spot Ultra will cover Birkenhead with Wallasey with quite good coverage from municipal and old trams through to present day. The next Spot On Tickety'boo film will be on London buses in 1960s-70s, exact content to be decided. That should take most of my time this week plus I hope to be able to get out and walk to the motorway from more shots on the M6 allowing for suitable weather, it was below freezing again today first thing. As it gets less cold I'll get a couple of outside jobs done, feed birds and put some more 'no nails' adhesive on the leaking hose, if it doesn't do the trick I'll buy a new one.

Not a lot I can report other than the DVD sales are still quite buoyant  as are digital downloads, I'll try and get more on the shop today. Mandy hasn't as many things to go at as I have so is getting a lot of reading done. I'm trying to avoid the constant depressing news broadcasts with just a glance at the headlines a couple of times a day. All is calm in Lower Peover, next door decided to take their front wall down which now looks a mess and they intend to plant a hedge, I'd do the exact opposite but each to their own. My other outside jobs are pending milder weather.

As I'm pottering away with North Wales archives lets have a few shots to put us in the mood for that