One day of the holiday weekend down and two to go although I doubt if the weather at Llandudno or Peterborough will match that at Blackpool today which was one of almost continual sunshine. It was the first heritage running day there that I'd really spent devoted to trams although there are of course some buses as many people follow both but it does provide one of the British tram update films which I've promised to make to catch up on developments in Sheffield, Nottingham and Croydon plus the new stretch and cars in Birmingham. The way the days are whizzing by its hard to remember that I am supposed to be retired with time on my hands, fat chance of that!. Please copy and paste or follow the direct links elsewhere on shop and news pages to sponsor me for my charity walk in July, at least Blackpool prom was a bit of a walk, went down to Starr Gate. https://www.justgiving.com/DaveSpencerWalking Tomorrow I'll be up sharp and at Landudno for the opening of the field and will wear my walking shoes to get my feet more comfortable in them. On the way back near home this afternoon we passed Ton and Jane on one of their training walks, compared notes on the various options locally. I'm going to get all the many orders received today ready for Mandy so she can post off the orders on Tuesday but clear them off the sorting tables which are over flowing. Lets tuck in to today's offerings, I'm editing the DVD this evening which should be listed before bedtime! So much going on this weekend it really is the big one with exhaustive coverage of some fantastic transport events weather permitting. It looks as if the only really difficult day will be Sunday at Llandudno but so often the town has it's own micro climate with the rain falling on the mountains but it's often cold and windy and that is probably a certainty given that we've had yet more snowfall today. Anyway we've nailed our colours to the mast as they say and I've downloaded my eticket for truckfest on Sunday, the weather should be dry but cloudy but ending up brighter as we stay on to record around 2000 lorries departing, magic. The Llandudno day is the most at risk but we'll do our best and fingerts crossed that the evening run around the Great Orme takes place. Tomorrow Saturday we are going up to Blackpool, although not as good as promised a couple of days back it shouldn't be that cloudy and brightening later, we'll cover both the trams and buses, there should be a 10 min heritage service on. https://www.justgiving.com/DaveSpencerWalking you can copy and paste or there are live links on news and shop pages of this site. Today I managed to do a slightly longer walk although the weather was damp and i only just made it home before the snow came down. The rest of the day I've tried to get the ball rolling on the charity walk, please go to our just giving site and back me in this endeavour, it's one hell of a walk with a lot more practice to get in. I've spent the afternoon copying some more of the 16mm cine film, I'll be picking up fresh supplies from Cleethorpes next week.There has been some very interesting films passed through the projector today, a Costains film on the Thames Barrier and a Cementation film on their piling activities - at the moment Europe by Train a BTS film is going through in the background, chaps on his way to Moscow now from Holland! Catching up still with our South Wales trip we have some more photos this time with Neath and Bridgend. The Sparrowhawk in our garden is taking a goldfinch a day at present perhaps I'll have to put him on a diet, here is a shot taken 5 minutes ago, well it's nature I'm afraid, getting like Spring Watch if it wren't snowing all the time!
www.justgiving.com/DaveSpencerWalking
The weather started out quite bright so I decided ( Mandy decides that is) that it was time to start my training for the long distance walk in July which is in aid of getting a toilet installed at St Oswalds in Lower Peover which will enable it to serve a wider audience in the village which lacks a village hall. I have a brisk walk around some of the lanes which we once rode on horse back, only two vehicles passed me until I got back on the 'main' road to Middlewich itself now seemingly a cut through for artics, fine in their place but we have no space for them. Then the weather went downhill just after I'd mowed the lawns, then it rained for most of the day, it threw it down constantly and the temperatures were near freezing so we put on the central heating and fire.
I managed to get all the 5 volumes covering our South Wales trip completed and the covers made and they all appear in our shop pages under well funnily enough South Wales! I also got the clips ready to load on Youtube which I'll be doing shortly. We also did a lot of financials with Mandy keeping an eye on things, there were also plenty of smaller jobs such as ordering stationery, form filling etc. The three mail bags were full of cine films and DVDs going all over Britain and Europe. We had our first major order from mainland China today. The photos tonight cover our visit to Cardiff and follow on in sequence from those eventually added from Newport albeit Weebly was playing up yet again. A major achievement was getting around to creating my Just Giving site so you kind folk can start donating to the huge undertaking I've committed to with the charity walk from Northumberland down to Cheshire, Heavenfield St Oswalds in the north and Lower Peover St Oswalds in Cheshire. www.justgiving.com/DaveSpencerWalking please pay it a visit soon and whatever you can spare we are most grateful The weather for the weekend looks variable. I intend covering the heritage trams in Blackpool Saturday plus the buses, no doubt being the only decent weather lots of you will also be there. On Sunday if it isn't too awful I'll cover the Llandudno show and on Monday it's Truckfest at Peterborough with poor weather earlier in the day getting better later. What an awful bout of weather we've been enduring these last few weeks, it looks as if spring will never come. there is so much though to catch up on, we only got back this evening and have down loaded the DVD and cine film orders which I'll prepare while Mandy is out at a PCC meeting at the village school this evening. The trip worked out OK despite the heavy snow and rain yesterday and the snow this morning. I remember in the heatwave year of 1076 that it snowed on Deansgate in Manchester at the beginning of June then we had 6 weeks of soaring temperatures and sunshine. We headed down early on Monday and although windy, overcaste and cold the new bus station at Newport isn't 100% easy being split in two halves but at least everything approaches on the same path and as the sun moves around its fine at the roundabout for near sides. NAT seems to be the big story everywhere you go in South Wales, lots of deckers from them in service at Newport no doubt putting a lot of pressure on Newport council buses. After that we moved on to Cardiff where the sun shone and it was pretty easy going so much so that after completing another hour of film we still had time to get to Bridgend ( where have all the operators gone). It was still sunny, had a chat with a very pleasant chap who had driven for First, NAT present here as well as Cardiff and Newport, Pontypridd no doubt. Anyway we then carried on to Neath and saw the first of NATs new buses and finished up there. As it was so cold and miserable we actually had dinner at the Premier inn in the Beefeater, yes I know but it was actually better than any we had been forced to endure over the years and the staff were pleasant and we had a very good silent nights sleep at the hotel in Llan thingey, forgotten how to spell it. Actually aren't some of the places desperate, Bridgend should get UN aid and Llanelli despite a lot of new build out of town estates and indeed in town stuff as well just hides it's problems in the back streets. I was glad to see work has started on the new bus station in Cardiff. Photos tonight to start in order we cover Newport. The month is racing away from us and tomorrow we'll be racing on down to South Wales although the weather outlook has gone downhill a bit so its fingers crossed that it picks up again. The China trip looms large now and I'll soon be thinking about what I want to take with me. We finished off the drive and path exercise today with a clean up, putting everything away, replacing the flower tubs and then moving the vehicles back on the drive. Mandy took her car through the wash and saved me a job. I planted some flowers I'd picked up from B&Q last week which were desperate to get in the soil. The Reed Buntings are still resident in our garden. I've put food out for the birds but it won't last until Wednesday. WE are going to post the PMP orders received over the weekend from South Wales so there will be a few surprised faces when or if they notice the post mark. We are expecting a few more cine sales to go through before we go to bed so we''ll prepare those too if we get time. I've even spent a few minutes getting photos ready to file but the job is so mammoth I hardly know where to start now. There are thousands already sorted ready for upload to our Smugmug site where you can purchase your still photos, see links page. All the latest DVDs are on our PMP shop pages but I'm not up to date with EBay or Amazon. Amazon takes minutes but EBay is a right chew to do. Nothing really spectacular to report, I'll try posting from the Premier Inns or look for BT hot spots or restaurants. I do need to get my sponsorship for the July mammoth walk sorted and to get into traning for it, Jane Lloyd isd starting with 8 miles a week Monday and looking for people to join her but its the bank holiday Truckfest Monday. Once we get near summer it will be hectic straight through to December. I''m still hoping for a few quick visits to the Channel Islands and Isle of Man - we do seem to have sorted a day for the Isle of Wight when we are in Hampshire for a rally and I really want to cover Southampton dock traffic. I've not forgotten the truck side and hope that orders soon start coming through for the Cumbrian films taken last week. Some clips from recent trips. The retirement film made me chuckle at lot, can't see me as a lillipop man!!! We had a great night at Clonter with the mini folk festival on Friday, quite a late night really and then I was up early this morning to finish the resurfacing of the drives and paths around the house which I did, it is all looking very well. This done Mandy came with me to visit Brian and Sue at Astley with 9 people in total attending the Manchester area Buses Worldwide meeting. Already great to catch up with such lovely people, we shared several DVDs and even some old video followed by an early supper. Time was at a premium and I gave the drives one more light covering to use up the rest of the sealant. It's been another sunny day but i think the run is coming to an end and there were clouds gathering but it still looks favourable for our visit to South Wales with visits to Newport, Cardiff, Swansea, Bridgend, LLanelli, Neath, Haverford West and Carmarthen. I'm trying to get more of the 16mm films on Ebay, a couple more sold today some should sell at auction tomorrow. Here are the covers for our recent releases all on the PMP shop page. A great clip from a film I have which shows Singapore trolleybuses A busy day all round but not over yet as we are at a folk evening at Clonter opera tonight. It's generally gone pretty well today, lets start with the van and Volkswagen. Not only did they agree to pay for the repair of the van when the 4th fuel injector went on the m25 despite a previous reassurance that the final one had been chanfed when the third one went. Anyway they had the van fixed and ready to pick up plus VW have agreed to reimburse the £500 extended cover under warrantee that we took out when the injectors were going. That in some way will go to compensating us for the lost trade at Brooklands. It was the morning after the night before at the Queen's Lower Peover birthday event at St Oswalds when people from the village and far around gathered to pay their tribute washed down by bubbly and giant portions of birthday cake. There were so many people who helped out making the arrangements that the team just seemed to be itching to get to grips with the next event. In the autumn we have our nostalgia evening inspired by John Bishops shows in the south when we'll be presenting old 16mm films from our collection showing our great country s it was quite a while back! I really want to get our just giving page created ready for the long distance walk in July, if I can I'll have it up before I go to China. Plans are already unfolding for the PMP Japan tour in 2017 and even more distant Philippines, Taiwan and South Korea in 2018. Photos from Lower Peover last night It's even more busy than usual and time is against me so a quickie this afternoon before I get ready to go off to the Queen's birthday bash at St Oswald's Lower Peover, still time to get there, tickets at the door sold by yours truly why not give it a go if you are in the North West with a great young vocalist, Brass band, extended bell peeling, cake, bubbly, beacon lighting yes it's enough to make you want to celebrate so why miss out on a great function. Tomorrow night its folk night at Clonter Opera, hmm doesn't sound right but it's true and again I understand there are plenty of seats available. I've been very hectic, preparations for the path sealant, fixing broken pieces, sweeping, cutting back grass and borders, more sweeping, painting pipes, cleaning fascias and probably much more. In between I've finished editing the Cumbria bus and truck DVDs which are already in the PMP shop and on the updated list just loaded. There seems to be so much happening although it's great being outside on yet another gloriously sunny mild day. I've also managed to update the China itniarary with revised train times and tie in with our friend 'John' in Gaungzhou who we shall probably meet up with. Intending to attend the Buses Worldwide meeting this weekend at Brian and Sue Rowney's near Atherton. Here is another selection of lorries taken yesterday this time at Penrith. Clips for these and other films being loaded to our Youtube site. A super day our, long but rewarding. The van was picked up at homer about 11am this morning. I set off at 6.15 am straight up to Carlisle, found a car park near the city centre and straight to the bus stops near the market but the sun was even wrong in the morning but shifted back around in bus station direction and all was well with lots of activity and some oldies I guess on schools. The bus station , well I saw no movements at all. Retraced my steps via M&S and a coffee and cake ( shhh diet day don't tell Mandy). I took the road out which goes to Newcastle which took me to the industrial estate where Stobarts etc are locvated and found a spiot to park on the A69 just past the roundabout which was very convenient. Mainly used spots I used on my first visit, much easier in unbroken sunshine. I was really getting warm, steadied out at 17 in Carlisle but 20 in Penrith which was my second location. Lots of flashing lights and toots, brilliant day if a long one. Must find March bus film in Cumbria to match it up, then should be at least 2 truck films. Very busy tomorrow Queens birthday at St Oswalds I'm on the door and we have cake plus my film show. In the day I'm working on the drive again and we have friend Sue joining us for the evening festivities. We got the trading figures finalised for 2015, much the same as in the previous few years but with less rallies reflecting the internet trade which I guess is the trend. Really rallies and running days don't pay their way very often and the fanciful charges for stands are more related to the 1990s than now. I'll try and tuck in some events as a punter , coming up Llandudno and Truckfest. South Wales buses next week, looks welltimed if there is a Cardiff bus war! Mandy has really got the bit between her teeth and has launched a campaign which has already it seems born fruit with them collecting the van tomorrow morning and agreeing to fix the last fuel injector as they promised they had already done. This is all fine but we lost a days trading, a day filming and a wasted day on AA relay trucks. We have 27 tickets from the various AA and VW assist vans and trucks which have attended the series of fuel injector failures. We have the director responsible for VW UK and their office at Milton Keynes, Mandy was already planning a trip down to launch her protest. That is on hold but one foot wrong and its operation shame back on. ( just had a call, VW are picking the van up at 08.30 tomorrow.) Hopefully Weebly will permit me to show you the Middlesbrough photos tonight as yesterday it all seemed to go up the swanny. It's been a hectic day and waiting for VW to ring we had to make sure that one of us was on hand to answer the phone. I got the covers done for the N East DVD releases and have nearly completed the three DVDs and clips should be on the Youtube channel, the DVDs are already listed on the shop page. After this it was back to the drive way preparation work, I went to B&Q and picked up thje rest of the kit I needed and then repaired all the mortar, broken bricks , gaps etc and thus ready for a clean up tomorrow. The biggest job turned out to be the easiest, this was the drain cover which had partially collapsed, I had to scoop out a lot of earth and rubble, the paving people had leveled it with some rando9m pieces of untreated wood which had rotted, they are off my Christmas card list, to think we actually recommended them to other people. I have an old block of sharpening stone which was the same depth as the gap, this was hammered into position on the corner which had given way and seems to be rock solid for now. The next job is to use the cement repair kit for cracks and eroded sections, all relatively small areas. The forecast for tomorrow is superb for Carlisle so I'll be filming the rest of the Cumbria bus DVD then trucks for the rest of the day at the northern exit to Stobarts etc. Next week we have Mon, Tues and first part of Wednesday in South Wales assuming the weather is ok. We hope to cover the new Newport bus station, Cardiff, Bridgend, Neath, Swansea, Haverfordwest and Carmarthen. Photos in Middlesbrough yesterday |
PMP Sponsors the North West Vehicle Restoration Trust at Kirkby.
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