2017 UK BUS LOCATIONS PUBLISHED

A Happy New Year to you all, I've published on the news page our intended UK bus destinations for this year which will probably be amended as time goes on but please feel free to make your suggestions to both bus and truck destinations. Hopefully for the lorry fans we'll have several new spots to cover. We had a quiet night and stayed up to watch the London fireworks but all too soon it was morning and time to get cracking as I needed to be on duty at St Oswalds, both scheduled sidespersons were off, the cold/cough plague is everywhere at the moment. Later in the week it will be time to remove the tree at church. At No17 this was well underway before Christmas when Mandy fell in our in the lounge, defoliated it now stands, wilting away. Both in and out door trees can go and be replaced for next December.

I've been busy seeking out some rare shots of old Southdown Buses and hope to bring you something special in this coming year along with an old lorry compilation in addition to some bus specials starting with the history of Stagecoach then looking at First, Arriva etc. Don't expect them in January. The success of the Big Orange DVD may well be repeated, I'm looking at special events coming up this year. Certainly our rally attendances will be down again and I'll try to rationalise the regions adding new ones and cutting back where we overdo the events. Off the list this year has gone Bridgeton in Glasgow. Manchester may well be down to Saturday only. Herne Bay has been dropped and we'll concentrate on Detling for Kent. Hopefully the van won't break down and we'll get to Cobham.  For Sussex it's probably Worthing and for Hampshire perhaps a return to Stokes Bay plus Alton. We could do with something in the Midlands and South West in addition to Wales. Plenty of scope there then.

What did we get up to at Christmas well a brief selection from our very enjoyable visit to see my sisters in Hampshire and here are a few shots of us all. In more reflective mood I joined Yvonne and Margaret at my birth mother Pat's grave in Hythe where we left a posy of flowers. Graham is now under the weather with the bug, even Santa's costume didn't protect him. Graham wishes the world to know he doesn't do social media, anti social media then?