I went with Tom and Jane and Louise who knew where we needed to head and walked across country over numerous foot paths passing the old Drovers Arms and Whipping Stocks to Peover Hall and St Lawrence's next door where we paused for Jane to attend to some caretaking items and them set off on an equally interesting walk back , the last part of the walk saw us directed at diverging paths and I found myself emerge only a few yards from our road from a footpath I never knew existed. It was a hot day with clear blue skies and a heavy perfume of spring rushing to summer after it's late appearance. There were insects in proliferation and blue bells and wild garlic washed across the wooded sections of the route. It certainly can become slightly addictive and is a good way of appreciating the countryside but preferably at a slightly slower pace. I like to be able to stop and take in the atmosphere. Mandy is now up to speed on the DVD orders and downloading. I'll try and blog from the lounge before take off tomorrow, Mandy will drop me at Manchester airport about 11am so I'll get a couple of hours to enjoy the freebies in the Servisair lounge. I've added the recent DVDs to EBay, they are already on this site's shop page and with Amazon well it's gone back to playing up albeit it shows as uploaded but i guess I won't be around to argue with them, they really are a crap outfit if anything goes wrong. I've had a session getting 5 hours of the digitised cine ready to upload on EBay but it will have to be early tomorrow as time has skipped by this evening. My knee is a bit 'tight' after the 10 mile walk but other than a little scuffing on my toes I seem to be ok, I'll get a lot of walking done in China so I won't be sitting idly by, the little minibuses they have for us can be killers on the spine and both John and I dread them. I think we are booked at a local restaurant for a bus club knees up on Guangzhou ( Canton). I've gone through the itinerary a couple of times to make sure I understand what I've written, I'm sure I'll be corrected when I've messed up. The case and camera bag are ready in the hall. We went down the tip and got shot of a lot of the kitchen clear out junk, we also called into Knutsford ( passing hundreds of trucks trying to cut through Northwich to avoid blocked north bound M6 - camera needless to say not with me) and called at Waterstones to stick up on reading material for the trip plus I purchased 2 giant cream cakes at Booths, very necessary after 10 miles of walking. I'll nip out and water the garden now, there is probably going to be some rain here tomorrow. so much to do and so lit... well anyway we've made reasonable headway and the clearance of the kitchen has continued with the bric- a- brac stand looking like it will overflow with unused or untried recipe books, vases,jugs, mugs etc. There was a very nice set of 1970's tableware which is far too good to just give away so I'll pop it on EBay when I return. I've finished packing the suitcase which is amazingly heavy although a lot will go especially the 12 DVDs for John in Guangzhou in the bus club there, a couple of presents, two bags of nibbles and sweets etc to ward off the chinese food syndrome. Anyway last time around I came out of it fit and well and it's just my back that gives me concern as it pops in and out at frighteningly frequent intervals this evening. The cars and van have all had yet another clean, never sparkled so much, the birds have had a big feed, never been so well fed. There was an overnight rainfall which in the sparkling sunshine this morning made the garden look superb other than the front lawn, where is that astroturf catalogue? I've just concludes the current round of EBay sales of old cine film which more than covered the flights on this trip, I've been busy at intervals getting the next batches of film ready to list and scheduled to be concluded by my return but I've packed my still camera and need to do shots of the reels perhaps I'll use my old one or use Mandy's. I've made some progress getting still pictures ready to file from Truckfest and Llandudno but probably I'll not get anything finished. I've checked my flight tickets, check in online 07.30 in the morning, I'm going on a 10 mile walk tomorrow so precious time will be sparse. I've made some notes on Hong Kong MTR stops for the docks, I did my first filming there on my last trip and want to extend the area covered, mostly i think a case of following Container Port Road, says it all as a road name doesn't it! Other than the cine film sales it's been rather quiet on the DVD front this weekend but I must remember to get my adverts in for Buses, Light Rail and Classic and Vintage Commercial, I could get then done tonight but drat I've emptied all the still shots on to the other computer but a memory stick will do the trick to transfer perhaps I should wifi it all together, no perhaps not. Here are some reminders of our very recent DVD releases all on the shop page and please please will someone start the ball rolling with the long distance charity walk sponsorship see direct links on shop and news pages We both needed a good rest so it was hardly surprising that we slep in until quite late not having breakfast until nearly 10am which is near record lateness for us. We had a lot of things to do and we've now got my suitcase packed for China and the kitchens cupboards pretty well emptied at least at the higher level that Mandy cannot reach. I've also finished this round of cine film copying and reinstated the dining room. We are chucking out as much as we can from the kitchen and a few cookbooks will go to the bric a back stall at the fete. We went over the Chelford farm supplies and got a sack of sunflower hearts in. The weather has been hazy and breezy but very warm. I'll get my camera bag packed tomorrow, the tripod needed some WD40 min one of the legs which would hardly mover now it will hardly stay up. No actually its fine, the roses have had the last of the rose clear spray from last years stock, need to get some tomorrow, I'm now having to water the latest plants thinned out as they haven't established themselves much. The front lawn is still looking a mess, last time I let Green Thumb near them, even looking as Astro Turf! The borders through are looking good while I'm away everything will spring into growth and flower. We've got a few bits in my case to eat, some plastic cups to drink on trips if was source the plastic gin bottles at Amsterdam airport. I can't check in until early Monday KLM is 30 hours before the flight. I found a few bits of Hong Kong money is our drawers. Mandy is going to do any PMP DVD order downloads to get back into practise, it's still a bit quiet though. I got the Scunthorpe and Grimsby covers done and the films are listed on our shop. We did go to Knutsford as i needed to get some cash out for China but it must be May Day parade today so we didn't linger I was going to get a couple of books at Waterstones as my book supply has dwindled and I'll need something for the flights although a sleeping pill may be best. The photos today from Scunthorpe yesterday lunch time onwards. . I really haven't time to retype the whole day again suffice it to say I went to Grimsby and Scunthorpe filmed buses at both and pick up the cine film at Cleethorpes and returned the old 9.5mm projector which had given me an electric shock. Photos from Grimsby. I won't be filming again before I leave for China as we not only have to hand over to Mandy on the order side but get ready for the new kitchen. Cath's funeral was confirmed to be mid China trip , its at Southern in Manchester Mandy will attend for PMP. She spoke to Alan today. Early on today we were at the doctors for Mandy and it looks as if she'll get an NHS referral to the prof at Walton Hospital who specialises in polio related matters and for sleep Claire our GP has put Mandy on the good old amitryptilene just like I have for my nerve pain only a very very low dose. As planned we went to find the Denty and scratchy yards at Ellesmere port to look at getting Mandy's car sorted they can do it in a day so we'll contact them when I'm back from China and drop Mandy's car off. We also had our cream tea at M&S and picked up my nibbles for China there. My hair has been hacked back, the road to Chester was closed in several places for road patching took us ages getting there. Before that I did something like a 4 mile walk and took my camera which allows me to share the highways and byways of Peover and Plumley with our family and friends world wide. I also sussed out a footpath which goes right next to the M6 motorway and any sunny morning when the traffic is slowed will give me a new and ideal spot while the conversion to 'smart' motorway is going on. All quiet on the order front , I'm off to Grimsby and Scunthorpe tomorrow. Here we go with the photos from my ramble, a taste of where we live including farming, the salt industry, the motorways, some houses, our place at the end with my hard work getting the drives resurfaced! We had a splendid family meal at the Wagon in Upper Mill near Mossley last night, a tad late back home so hence no blog last night. We did have a piece of debris dropped or flicked up by a car in front hit the lower front of Mandy's car which now needs attention but as we are going to Ellesmere Port later we can call at Denty and Scratchy who we know are reasonable at sorting these things out. I'll get my hair cut and pick up some bird food plus we'll have Mandy's M&S birthday afternoon tea. I'm going out for a walk, still in training for the charity walk which I did manage to get up on Facebook, please donate via our just giving page which has direct links on the news and shop fronts or copy and paste https://www.justgiving.com/DaveSpencerWalking# We've been along to vote at the local school, we only have the police commisioner position to vote on, the turn out last time was 12% but I think they are expecting even less, needless to say not really knowing or caring that much we just stuck to Labour as I do in forlorn hope living in true blue heartland with Osborne as our MP. Wouldn't it be great to be back in old Labour Blair was worse than Thatcher and I'd never vote for Liberals in any election after sleeping with the enemy. I had to sort out an account problem with Key who publish Buses mag, they had no credit controller, started a new system and never told anyone so they ended up not getting paid even though they take direct from our business card account but instead of just apologising almost blamed us, anyway spoke to a lovely lady called Laura who was a delight and it was sorted in seconds. Superb weather again , mild and clear blue sky, tomorrow I'm over in North Lins, filming at Grimsby first thing then to Cleethorpes to Classic Home Cinema shop and then filming at Scunthorpe as long as it isn't too late. Saturday I've got Cambridge in mid. Sunday gardening etc then Monday something local perhaps trucks and packing for China. I fly out lunch time on Tuesday. Some uploads as trailers for recent DVDS When is it not a busy day although hilarious at times when our delightful neighbour and friend June who is in her mid eighties and not a clue about the net etc asked myself and separately Alex across the road to help ordering some of the Inulin I'm taking for herself and Malcolm. She never mentioned to either of us helpers that the other was involved but did come back to say they needed an email address which I thought probably needed to go on the order otherwise they couldn't process it. No such luck, both Alex and I were at cross purposes, the supplier didn't even come into it although i thought I was emailing with them. Hey ho fills in the gaps as if I had any. I've got all four Truck Fest films sorted, or will have in the next hour, the covers are all ready to go on as well and they are loaded on the shop. I've got a whole load more 16mm films copied now and hope to get these loaded and then prime them to go live a week before i get back from China. This time next week I'll be on my way. I must have a look t check in times. Helped Mandy get the rest of the summer clothes out, ever the eternal optimists here and put away those nice warm summer clothes, actually its stonking hot and sticky in southern China now so I'll need something light. We had a whole barrow load of orders to go off in the post today and that kept Dawn busy there for half the morning. The sorting table is already filling up with orders for this week it never stays clear for long. Still no sponsorship come through for my charity walk in July, come on there are 900 of you reading this blog regularly and over 10,000 hits on the site this week don't be so tight! The kitchen is going to start on the Monday after I've left for China and may just have some tiling left to do when I return at the end of May. Today's photos are from the back end of the Truckfest departures mainly when it was raining, well over the busy weekend, just had the two dieting days as tomorrow we meet with cousin Mark and Julia for dinner up at there end and we have a hectic schedule of jobs to clear through to Thursday then Friday I'm going over to North Lincs to collect some cine film and hopefully do some filming. |
PMP Sponsors the North West Vehicle Restoration Trust at Kirkby.
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