I hope to film in Stoke tomorrow and then finish off Leeds on Monday with another visit for buses next Wednesday although of course things do change. Progress on many fronts, utter failure on others. As promised some more of my Belfast pictures from troubled times but never was I once disturbed on my travels 1979-84.

I'm hoping to get out and about with the camera tomorrow so fingers crossed on that. We had a few domestic chores to do including setting up car service while we are away. Along line it is worth mentioning that we are away most of February, last orders posted out Friday 31st January and re open on Friday 21st Feb. Meanwhile some stills from the abortive Leeds trip on Wednesday then coming on the next post more of the Belfast scenes.

Yet another BBC mess up, it said it would be light cloud in Leeds, sunshine and  cloud at home, it did the opposite so a return needed at some stage. I have finally scanned all the Irish photos B/W that I took in the north back in the day, there are over 40, this was right in the middle of the 'troubles' but I never had any hassles taking pictures, oh that I had cine or video then. Still it adds to what is all round very light coverage, mine are circa 1980-82 I think. Anyway all those second hand buses that sat in the field at Magherafelt, I regularly called by, never anybody around but it was quite tucked away. If a few were bombed or set alight they wheeled in the next in the line. Ex Crosville, ex London, ex Ribble ex Southdown etc. So some quite rare pictures. Another batch in due course.
Actually by way of orders it has been very quiet but as we actually spend more making the DVDs than what we recoup I guess stopping selling them would be a sensible plan. I was hoping to keep the DVDs going until 2028 but with a few notable exceptions I don't think anyone is that interested. Perhaps that date will be pulled forward. Then I can concentrate on enjoying all the thousands of images I  deal with from my own and numerous other collections which are with the OTA. I've added one of the all Online Video films to the OTA Youtube channel, I'll try and get another on this week.

As the sharp eyed amongst you will already have seen I've put several films on the PMP and a full one from the old Online Video range on to the OTA Youtube site which I look after. I'll probably get another sorted in the coming week. Mean time here are the first half dozen shots that I've just cropped which I scanned this morning. I'm filming in Leeds tomorrow and trucks on Thursday. The thaw is having some progress with temps at as much as 4deg.

The weather is finally showing signs of bucking up so I hope to get out filming this week, I'll probably covers buses Tuesday and trucks on Thursday. Light cloud is what i need for buses at this time of year, while lorries are fine in sunshine as long as it is over your shoulder. I've been downloading various scans of photos for my own reference and archive while as the same time downloading more of Dave Cole's archive from hi8 tapes. I've also finally started to scan my B&W still from Belfast circa 1980, these negs ended up with Bob Mack, good ness knows where they are now but I was lucky to have got some of his infamous curled up prints which are ok in the scanner perhaps tomorrow I'll bring you a few I know the Irish lads will be intrigued I don't really think they ever saw the light of day. I've also got some colour prints which i need to check if I still have the images on film , if not another scanning job. In those days working in Ireland it was weekends or nothing so there were always plenty of school buses to be discovered . I got about 75% of the CIE fleet, most of the missing were school buses but in summer holidays they would go back to the depot for servicing so it wasn't too difficult but in tern time they could be half way up a mountain as I was once, got stuck went down till I got to a farm then asked for help getting my Mk2 Cortina out of the much, we went up with rope and his dog, got back down gave him a £5 for his trouble, he never once asked what I'd been doing up there! Shame that many of my pictures went missing , 'never a lender be' as the old saying goes. Meanwhile some more Irish shots to savour.

I had to do a lot of clearing up after the hiccups yesterday, anyway altogether more productive today with 3 clips of lorries in 1996 in Avonmouth and West midlands, well worth a visit and I actually sat and watched them something I seldom do as I was there when I filmed them and I was able to see what I should see but with the gap of 30 years they look oh so good and I considered it all too modern. Anyway that's lorries for the minute I'm also looking at some glorious old Crosville shots which makes me almost ashamed of my humble efforts. But here are some of mine many taken on CEC trips in my early days of being an enthusiast.

I was all ready to start downloading some lovely colour cine with sound when after getting everything ready the projector which is no less than a Voigtlander decided it didn't want to play, hours setting up then messing around then clearing up the mes, partially. All the jobs produced nothing productive so I'll see if my pal John has a spare Std8 projector with sound, not the most common of beasts. Well I've gone back to my own material for the next Youtube posts looking at lorries back in 1996 so if you are in to that sort of thing feast your eyes tomorrow. I must get my still images filed away, just pot luck now with a card to hand right now which is probably Manchester, may be not. Oh got a few nice birds in with the cold -7 this morning, a Mistlethrush which looked quite dashing in the snow, a pair of little yellow birds, Mandy saw them, fingers crossed they return tomorrow for id. The woodpecker as ever and flocks of starlings etc with the grand top up of feeders with new stock from Ellesmere Port yesterday for the Polio Fellowship meeting. The farmers mounted a blockade on the Chester road A556, tractors slowly circling two roundabouts on the dual carriageway.

And our Mistlethrush on our snowy garden this morning

Arrangements are now crystallising regarding Roger’s De Boers funeral arrangements and I thought that you may like to be made aware.
 
The funeral service will be held on Thursday 23 January at St Laurence Church, Church Lane, Northfield, Birmingham, B31 2JA, at 13:30, to be followed by a very short service at Lodge Hill Crematorium, Weoley Park Rd, Birmingham B29 5AA, and then refreshments at the Pastoral Centre, St Laurence Church.
 
The funeral will be ‘family flowers only’ but if anyone wishes to make a donation in memory of Roger this can done online via  https://rogerdeboer.muchloved.com
 
All will be made welcome and I would be grateful if you could circulate this information amongst Roger’s friends and acquaintances.  Naturally, we would also appreciate it if people could let us know that they are planning to attend.
 
Yours
 
Liz and Keith Stubbs
 
Keith mobile      07775 633 775
Liz mobile            07788 152 983
 

Roger was well known by people in several hobby circles, his passion was electric vehicles of an earlier generation than now, his film of the milk floats is particularly useful as an historic testament. Details of his funeral are as above could people please advise if they are attending so catering is adequate.

I got the latest DVDs finished this morning here they are

Yes all ten stills films are now available on the shop as DVDs or downloads. I'm already getting Youtube films for the three Manchester Bee Network changeovers ready and these will be on the PMP shop in the morning.

All seemed to be going well, after about 10am Piccadilly was swamped by Bee Network people, actually they had run out of stickers and uniforms on Sunday but hey ho nothing serious.