This week I shall be filming lorries at Crick tomorrow ( Tuesday) and then Mandy is coming with me to Hull on Wednesday and I'll be filming at Derby on Thursday. On Friday it will be catch up and we will be at the RNCM symphony orchestra concert eating at 5 so a short afternoon. I've made good progress on the Bubb family cine films, I've now completed the family stuff which does include 1938 at Bournemouth alas only glimpses of the transport at the pier. I've a few more large reels to sort and then I can start on the S VHS C cassettes. Between editing I did manage a little work on Mandy's family tree linking up with the Crosse family of Lancashire who were basically Normans, a few gaps to close it to modern era. As we shall be in Hull this week we head there for some shots on a previous visit. Once all the cine editing is complete I'll start loading on Youtube although there are a few Maltas still programmed in. The latest clips on Youtube went on a little later than intended but they are there now and the PMP shop has been updated. We had a lovely meal with our friend Sue last night who is staying over the weekend and in a while we shall be making tracks to Manchester for the annual brass band celebrations at the RNCM. We'll take a pic nic supper with us as there is a tea time gap between the different bands. I've managed to marry up some more of the sound cine from the Bubb family archive , it's fairly slow progress but I'll fly through the much older B&W material which is silent. Anyway here is the slide show from Rochdale on Friday. Our latest 4 DVDs all on the shop and ready to send out, the Oldham and Rochdale will have clips on Youtube this evening. We have now booked our March trip to Mexico, this and the July trip to Brazil will appear on the shop as closure dates for the PMP shop although anything ordered will go out asap on our return.
Today went well to plan, the cloud was lightest at Oldham this morning, although there is no longer any great variety of bus types or indeed operators it can boast plenty of bus movements and covered in winter grime an excuse for the prototype for anything in bus modelling. Extremely friendly First drivers, that said most Stagecoach were just as relaxed. The supposed temporary traffic flow measures are still in place which makes it extra easy for filming. After finishing at Oldham I went on to Rochdale and by getting on a different road onto town I actually found a 3 hours free municipal car park with a few yards of the bus station which was amazing considering the struggles I'd had over the past few years. I must say other than a few kids from the colleges the Oldham part of filming was by far the safest feeling and most friendly. Rochdale where regular readers over the years may recall a long while back someone threatening me with a huge blade near the old bus station, right outside of it really. There aren't that many indigenous Brits at either place but Rochdale is full of angry hot head folk from a very long way south and east of Clacton. Discretion required at both places. I did meet up with one of our young supporters, he is actually the youngest volunteer at Boyle St museum in Manchester, had a very nice chat then he had to get his bus, always pleasant meeting up and pressing the palms as they say and all this sans masks, optional now not mandatory. The news today shows that the Government have got Cressida Dick in their palms, no her not the d###! Strange with the Met so war weary with constant revelations that they have met and are helping a kindred spirit from No10 and keeping that booze up report under wraps. Lets cheer up though and have some Oldham shots.. I'll be editing Oldham and Rochdale tomorrow. We did the weekly shopping, it was miserable, windy and it suited to have a day to try and consolidate the files I've scanned with the old versions which had soundtracks on them. This marrying up process isn't at all simple as the speeds of the two media would be different, ok set the start and ends the same and it should be right. Yes but there are glitches here and there and a few frames at start and end differ as the film has been loaded etc. Anyway it is just about spot on now. The old cine camera sound is a bit all or nothing, I need a nice neutral hum of traffic etc so might try this at home we have a motorway not too far that gives a good buzz!
Tomorrow I start filming at Oldham and then move to Rochdale if there is sufficient progress and the weather does what it is predicted to do. I hope to get some more of the cine scans matched up as I'd like to get moving on with it and then a general tidy up of the editing/ show room. A few other bits and pices floating about to sort but not many DVD orders so we are on top of that. For once we have stuck with our plans for this week although there was too much sun at Leeds especially first thing but I batted my way through it. Not a lot to report, the temporary route changes have been less than temporary. Makes me think how awful the WYPTE is especially with a bus station like Leeds which could easily house and small patch with lower railings / Berlin wall for people to spot through and takes pictures. Here are a few shots I took. Not sure about tomorrow, could do with a rest day but if it is sunny I think I'd better get down to the old Stobart Port at Runcorn now I assume Culina Port. Come to think of it I should be doing a few Stobart specials to mark their demise, what will have happened to all the Stobart spotters who used to have their bins out on over bridges. No more girls name on the lorries just WS now, what about Graylaw, Explore etc are they gone as well? The new out of town bus station now has a roof on but looks some time off anything like being completed. The city centre is crawling with dossers, a group of around 15 gathered by Primark and one tried to grab the camera. Police were already nearby but never surfaced to assist. I think the East Midlands in general is becoming the new Yorkshire, East Mids used to be so friendly but mean streets these days. Some of the most violent places on the planet, Loughborough is possibly the worst but Derby is catching up as now is Leicester after a few years of quiet. Mind you there are still many spots which are extremely good such as Mansfield. Anyway lets have a few photos from the battlefield today. I'm still hopiing for Leeds tomorrow, if its on Mandy will come along and go shopping. I am working with the Online Transport Archive to have perhaps a last try at reaching out to people with either still or moving images of transport with the offer of free HD Digital scanning and up to 5 copies of each hours of film. Then if it is agreeable long term storage deposited with OTA. I will shortly be adding a link to OTA to enable donations for their work. I am going to try all the previous contacts we have made over the years. Meanwhile I have put lots more films on to our Youtube channel this time the 2011 visit which covered the end of the old regime of buses plus other old vehicls which could still be seen every day. Much changed now of course. Today I've been getting our Mexico trip lined up for March which will include my 70th birthday bash which will see me in the land of trolleybuses. Mexico will feature on Youtube on our channel in the near future. In the past month the UK no longer provides the greatest number of our viewers that honour has now gone to Vietnam. Come on lads what is the matter if you want something more specific just ask and I'll consider requests. This weeks filming looks like sticking to the outline I gave earlier with Leicester on Tuesday, Leeds Wednesday and Greater Manchester Friday. There is a chance of trucks on Thursday! So looking ahead at Leicester lets have some shots from a previous visit. Here are the new DVD releases for the current week. A very busy day, cars clean inside and out, DVD covers done, EBay PMP Shop updated and lots of clips on Malta to go on our Youtube site. It is fairly deadly trying to plan ahead this time of year, initial indications will be buses at Leicester Tuesday then Wednesday Mandy will come with me to Leeds then a gap Thursday ( trucks might be possible) then on Friday nearer home, Rochdale and Oldham. Things of course can change several times but its good to have some sort of plan. On Monday we'll be at the RNCM and watching a masterclass from one of the worlds greatest cello players followed later by a private recital for the Principles Circle members. We may well also catch up with others in the circle who are friends after attending many events and bumping into each other several times. I've just managed to match up another one of the Bubb family films scans with the original soundtrack. It would seem that is with both files on the editing timeline and adjusted to start and finish the same point that's it cracked but either method could have slight delays, breaks in film, 'dry' joints, a join gets stuck in te scanner so my clever idea it to run through both and remove any glitches and then get the timing in sync! We have been tied up with domestic chores for much of the day, changing the bed, getting ready for the cleaners who are actually now coming next Tuesday, doing the weeks shopping, getting a lot of DVD orders ready to post out, lots of answer phone messages, it goes on. First of all though much of the morning went by as we had our 6 monthly dentist check ups, we go as a bubble these days saves then having to do the full clean up between patients. As I scanned The Bubb Blackpool films I thought that we could stand a trip to the seaside for our slide show this evening. |
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