It was a chilly day, thank goodness I decided to take my coat, when I fetched the milk in I knew it was no heatwave day. I filmed first at Chester, late rush-hour, trains on strike all very busy then on to Wrexham which showed signs of sun coming through the cloud but never really delivered, again quite busy. Then I stopped off for tea and cake and some fresh peanuts for the birds plus three choice plant to put in which I got to grips with when I got home. My left middle finger is now really painful and the left little finger is now starting to go like the second finger on my right hand. Thankfully I'll still be able to type. Mandy is feeling it difficult to cope with PMP when I'm away as she can't life the folders with the discs in. Anyway enough of all that Chester 8.45 onwards this morning. On the way to Chester this rather splendid ERF was on the same road so overtook a couple of times and snatched a photo.

Lovely weather again, I was down at Southern Cemetery at Manchester all morning getting the famly graves tidied. The gardeners there are now struggling to keep on top of the work, the council drags them off to other locations and with so much TV stuff happening they are constantly dropping everything else to tidy a particular spot. So it was a mammoth task compared with normal but being warm and dry I could get down on the ground and save my back.

After making a sandwich and having half hours in our garden I got on and mowed the back hedge which allowed me to get weeds out which come through the unkempt garden at the rear which i think is rented out. I'm back on the clicker, scanning cine films and also converting a few more old VHS tapes to HD digital.

Other than that, well got an appointment to have microwave on my big to to shift an annoying verruca, the first one I've ever had. And almost got a quote for our car insurances but I was doing the hedge so carry over to tommorow but I'm off to film buses, in my sights are Birkenhead, Chester and Wrexham, lets see how much i get done. As I'm scanning film from 1963 in Switzerland lets have a dip into my own pictures, alas not that old!

I have it on good authority that a new range of British 4mm 1/76 00 gauge model buses are coming soon. They have been making Chinese prototype resin moulded buses for several years and the quality is very good. As soon as we get full details of Brilliant Buses first UK release I'll get the news to you

I was going to go to Gaydon but when I saw the running order there didn't seem to be a whole bundle of buses in services so I have been catching up on domestic jobs and editing the recent lorry films which I hope will all be done and one the shop tonight.

I've just sent in the copy for our last advert in CVC magazine, Kelsey stopped sending advertisers copy of magazine, never even bothered to tell anybody and then had the audacity of telling the production people to just repeat our old advert - with people like that I'm glad to be rid of it. Anyone who needs information will find the new releases on the PMP website www.pmpfilms.com and if they aren't on the computer can send us a SAE and details of their interests and we can send a tailor made copy of the DVD list.
Here are some photos from our trip to Ross on Wye on Friday.

I woke up early and by 6.30 couldn't wait any longer, suns was up and jobs to do. Cleaned car, cleaned off bird dropping all over, got rid of Asian hornet after getting picture, these big devils are killers, 6 killed in France by these invaders which eat honey bees. Repaired grout in shower floor, ongoing this evening. Started Polio Fellowship branch newsletter. Got orders away and latest ones received today can go out Tuesday. Popped into Knutsford for fibrous begonias for Southern Cem family graves on Tuesday. Bus filming planned for Wed Thurs or Friday. Monday I'm going to Wythall. So here is the huge hornet found in greenhouse, same as two years back, they are about 2" long some even bigger.

Shots from yesterday lunch time at Avonmouth

A catch up on trucks today, next week it will be buses, lots of locations to pick from. I'm still supplying data to John in Guangzhou who will be releasing two UK derived bus models soon. This is just another notch in the work in progress ! Anyway some scenes from Monmouth this morning.

A funeral on the Wirral, the majority of our members made it to the funeral of Mavis Burkey who was our branch secretary, when she couldn't carry on I stepped in as temporary branch sec, a few years have now slipped by not so temporary after all. Good as a funeral can be, lots of folk at the church which Mavis attended surrounded by friends and family.

I have managed to get all the recent DVDs on to Youtube as clips, now I have to make the covers to get them on our shop. Tomorrow it is Shrewsbury day with Peter Waller of Online. Friday I'm waiting on blue skies to do a truck session if none then more DVD covers etc plus I've had a bit of a start on the next batch of figures and architectural detail for the dioramas.

Another perhaps last look at the trip to Slovakia and Hungary last week.

The day has shot past as I try and get a clear table from editing before Mandy leaves for Ireland on Thursday. I've done all the Slovakia titles but need to do one more from Hungary and the running day at Morecambe from last Sunday. It has been mostly cloudy and chilly today, thankfully outside jobs are down to get done next week. I'm down at Shrewsbury on Thursday with Peter Waller of OTA. Hopefully another batch of cine to scan although I still have a bagful of John Bishop's to get through. The rest of the Slovakia trip needs bringing to an audience perhaps even whet your appetite  for the DVDs.

Poprad to Presov via Kosici, note the ample manning of the station, polishing hand rails and picking weeds one by one. Presov was the wettest day of all.

My usual round of tasks, went shopping early as it avoids crowded shops at Tesco and M&S Handforth Deane. Then picked up bedding plants and got them planted. All DVD orders from the weekend went in the post this morning. Looking ahead at rally clashes, we won't be at MTT open day as we will be returning from Chechia, we won't be at MTT Running day in Liverpool, family wedding in Hampshire - both superb days out and highly recommended. We shall of course be at NWVRT open day and have the PMP stand on a rare outing. I've now edited the first two of the Slovakia films, I'll carry on tomorrow then make the covers. Huge back log of digital downloads to put on the shop, still no sign of the fibre getting wired up.

Smart buses and trolleybuses at Zilina.

The trip from Zilina to Poprad Tatra, the rain came down in buckets, you can hardly see the rack section for rain. The whole section of the trip was  punctuated by problems such as track repairs, bus replacement and torrential rain. The next section though saw us on the train back to Poprad and the Europa Hotel the best on our trip.