A PLEASANT DAY IN SHROPSHIRE

Greetings and here it has been a misty cool autumn day not without it successes and surprises. We got up around 07.30 and after breakfast we swapped around cars as Mandy was going to the Holmes Chapel health centre for her flu jab and I was having my second lone outing this time down to Shropshire. It was quite a fast run to Shrewsbury and I managed to grab one of the last surface car park places close to the bus station. There were even more 'independents' than normal as GHA bless them have picked up routes from Arriva, no surprises there then.

I wonder when GHA will be starting their Shetland services, never has a new entity spread so fast on a budget. It was very pleasant to see a line of buses in different liveries, different types, several operators although at least three are actually GHA - like its spread geographically it also sweeps up more liveries than anyone else. There were several other bus enthusiats about some spotters some photographers then out of the mist came Glen Bubb which was a surprise albeit its not far from home, Glen and Caroline had actually spotted me whilst filming trucks at Whitchurch back in August. I also had a chat on the mobile with my friend Alan Jones who is still enduring the machinations of Amecfw.

I has promised Mandy that I would take my pain killer at lunch time with a hot drink, as Glen was meeting Caroline outside Marks & Spencers I went up to join them them parted with assured witnesses that I'd done as told and added a toastie and bakewell tart to the line up. Afterwards I got back to the car although steps were involved as an escalator was out of action, the knee was now ell swollen. I emptied the water on the cold cuff and refilled with iced water which saw my through to Telford. It took some doing but I eventually got a parking space near the ice ring and for free thanks to a kind exiting motorist, I battled through the rats which were thick on the ground, photographic evidence amongst shots today.

The weather was spit on for filming light cloud long me it remain so and no hassles other than sub normal local lads always 4 or 5 to a car perhaps we could export them in exchange for some pleasant Syrians. What about the channel tunnel invasion, there will be guns on the front of the trains before long and armed guards. Anyone else caught up with Talking Pictures the new tv channel 81 on Freeview, it mainly old British films 1940s 50s 60s etc. We had fun when I got back setting up the BT TV package with success, can't believe we did it, battled with technology and won but we'll wait until Sunday when there is nothing on usual channels and have a look through to see what we have gained, I think its about 300 channels.. oh dear. A new baby in the family up in t'hills, Mark Ashmore a  grandad again. Anyway some pictures before I start editing Shropshire and I still need to finish the second central southern England archive feature. The London decker is with IronBridge Tours.