WE re4ceived the draft for Mandys PIP questionnaire and we managed to get it transcribed and completed and eternal thanks to the staff at the BPF head office for seeing us through this bureaucratic nightmare. I start my trip to Ukraine tomorrow afternoon with Virgin trains to London and Gatwick express to the airport connected by the Victoria line. It should be a good trip with John, one f my first exotic trips for transport was with John in the days after the east of Europe had opened up, it was still verty Soviet then. The food and hotel ion the whole have come a long way since those days. I had a chat with my friend Martin and we are discussing trips for next year when his foot should have recovered a lot from the recent operation/s.

I'm meeting John at the airport check in at 8pm tomorrow, we arrive in Kiev erarly Sunday morning and if we can keep on our feet we shall explore some of the places I discovered last year, I wonder if there are many trucks about on a Sunday, public transport is as busy as ever if not more so during the day on a Sunday. We then get the hi speed train across the country to Odessa by the seaside, hoping for lorries as well as the 19 tram roputes and dozen trolley line. I've been trying to file recent photos to keep the backlog down. Mandy is now looking after the DVD orders. I'll probably give the garden its last hodsing as a hosepipe ban looks as if it will start very soon, so manty weeks with high temps and no rain. Here are some shots from Northampton this week, this plus Bedford like all other recent releases on the PMP shop.

I worked very hard this afternoon to get all the covers for the past weeks DVD releases finished and the programmes put on our latest list and on the PMP shop see this website shop pages. I managed to get the old TV cabinet changed to a single low floor unit in readiness of Lewis's delivery of the wall mounted 'frame' TV due tomorrow lunchtime. We have paid for them to mount it and set it up fort us. The relative short time it took to wield my cabinet makers skills surprised Mandy on this our 44th wedding anniversary. We took all the cardboard and excess wood to the tip , Northwich closed so it went in the skip at Knutsford. They are about to dig up the newly resurfaced road near the shop with services to feed the new bungalow at Dutton's farm by the Crown pub. Tonight we went to The Dog for our anniversary meal which was relatively free of football. Tonight we bring you the covers for the recent DVD releases and tomorrow the Northampton shots.

Today I covered Northampton and Bedford, an early start leaving sunny Cheshire behind and finding a damp cold Northamprton. At least no worry about shadows and I filmed through the rush hour and was soon over my required hour of film so retreated for a warm up and a coffee. I'd seen one of the Kings Lynn Stagecoach buses in Northampton, perhaps it was two but when I got to Bedford the sun was out and blue sky albeit nowhere near as hot as sunny Cheshire where it's like a desert and the bush fires are sweeping through the outskirts of Manchester. Not like that in Bedford but it seemed to have been moved to Norfolk as their buses were quite prolific on several routes, a couple already repainted

Friendly drivers all the way Northampton and Bedford and no hassles plus met siome very pleasant enthusiasts. Back home, Mandy had been going through her PIPS questionnaire with Polio Fellowship advisor, very distressing for everyone caught up in this Tory attempt to reduce the costs by removing support for those with serious disabilities, of course May would rather put them in the gas chambers than have all the hassle, worst government I've ever known and I've seen some rubbish ones in my life. Having a lay in tomorrow it's our 44th wedding anniversary, still getting ready for Ukraine, packing almost complete, just tied in with my traveling companion John and although we both have health issues I'm sure we'll be laughing our way through the myriad trams and trolleys and forgetting our troubles! Here are shotys from Bedford, I'll get them edited and on the shop with other recent DVDs tomorrow.

I took advantage of the locally hot weather and went to film trucks over the Woodhead Pass at the Yorkshire, Derbyshire border. It was delightful other than my swollen ankle and little black flys. Then it was home and to docs where I got results of the MRI scan, I do have something which resembles a brain in working order which is reassuring. The swollen ankle is not a legacy from the pain killer I stopped while in France but I learnt from the blood pressure tablets so I'm now on a different brand, when I get back from Ukraine I'm booked in for a kidney function blood test to make sure my body isnt reacting against them. I edid suggest I come off statins by Doc Claire thinks I should stick with them. The rest of the weeks filming will be buses, Wed and Thursday. Not sure where I'll be heading , I'kll check the weather tonight.

A first time for everything I suppose with temperatures in Liverpool and Manchester set to overtake London as the heatwave goes on and the gardens die. I've now edited all the latest rounds of DVD material from Newark, A1, POPS and Kelsall - I just need to get the covers prepared. A hyper busy hot day, tried getting doctors appointment first thing their online system is a nightmare, picked the appointment, asked for reasons for visit then chucked me out for having too many letters, never said there was a limit , then all bookings for today had gone. My feet and legs are still like balloons in the wake of the nerve paid tablets pentagablin.

Mandy eventually got through this afternoon and we have scrapped out South Wales trip together so UI can see our GP tomorrow afternoon, so as not to miss out on the brilliant weather I'll be filming the Woodhead Pass in the morning. I will then follow a bus film schedule for Wed and Thursday locations tbc, Ages on the phone finding out the score on getting my natural father added to my original birth certificate, as Jim is still alive he would need to get a court decision , if he dies I can apply - I'd spoken to UK and Irish authorities both who were helpful but that is the only way forward, with a court order I can get Jim O'Grady added and claim my Irish passport. If we could track him down, get documents prepared Mandy reckons he may play ball with a financial incentive, great to have a father we can speak so highly off! Only joking Jim, just need the Irish passport to avoid this stupif Brexit business.

We went to Booths to get shopping in then to Fryers, full of up their bums folk from, Knutsford at lunch. Got some flowers to refresh the flower trough at front door plus string and liquid plant feed, watering now a nightly ritual until I leave Saturday for Ukraine. Photos tonight from Kelsall Saturday. Great show, also superb having POPS rally back but some real miseries among the older bus enthusiasts, I was in awe of the young man on despatching the free bus service with such rude 'customers', they even moan when it''s free.

A fairly prompt start for a Sunday saw us early enough at the stadium in Stoke and we were soon setting up inside with the PMP stand. The chance to be inside is usually well worth it in the UK but it was frezing this rtime while outside the blistering sun poured down it's rays in a clear blue sky as the buses began to arrive. Although nothing like the heady days at Wedgwood it was a respectable turn out, we never made enough to cover our sponsorship, ever and todays we probably paid for the fuel only but we had the day courtesy of POPS in recognition of our support through the last 15 years or so.  THere was a good mix of buses, the free bus service was stretxched at times but i enjoyed a cab ride film trip on the PD2 open topper. Here is a look at what you enjoyed or missed. A bit of an editing backlog developing but I will get on top of it. Hoped for this week West Wales and possibly Woodhead Pass Thursday. Packing for Ukraine Saturday if not done before. Domestic duties tomorrow plus editing and posting off another large bqatch of DVDs

A record breaking day at Kelsall which is now the UK's top rally for vintage and classic commercials, the ERF field alone was topping out at around 250 plus the adjacent Foden rally and then in the main show area line after line with several marque grouping and beyond the modern lorries the Bedford society. I hardly managed to go round all the lorries there were just too many for one day. I left before 5 this afternoon but there were still plenty of things to see at this super no nonsense show which seems to go from success to success each year. I've just been out watering the garden and getting the last minute bits and pieces in the van for the POPS rally at Stoke tomorrow, expectations aren't very high as its already had a break but fingers crossed that the rally can get back into shape as we had an attendance of over 100 buses each year, we sponsored the event for about 15 years. Here are shots from this morning at Kelsall.

Its a bit late getting into too much detail but this evenings event at the RNCM showcased the breadth of talent available and with the gin distillers show it gave a novel twist to the day. This afternoon we went to John Lewis at Handforth Deane, the M6 was blocked huge queues of traffic  thankfully the other direction. We had tea at the Whitworth gallery before carrying on to the college. Still no improvement to my eyes, frustrating. Got the remainder of the DVD orders cleared this morning and finished off loading the van ready for POPS bus rally at Stoke on Sunday. I'll be up prompt tomorrow and up the road to the Kelsall vintage gathering one of the largest for vintage and classic lorries. I've edited the first volume of trucks at Newark, I'll put clips on Youtube tomorrow, meanwhile some more shots from yesterday at Newark and the A1

A tiring and emotional day to an extent. I was up early, Mandy had some toast with me before I set off for Newark, it was partly cloudy but got better as the morning went on. Lots of different operators on this route and some great shots I hope. I then went up the A1 , got some shots on the Doncasrter airport turn off. Then to Barnsley to collect the disc printer ink which had finally arrived from Germany. When I got home my natural father Jim's birth cert was waiting for me, it pretty well fits in with everything I have so far, my grandmother I think was Mary ( the registrars writing was awful) Pat my grandfather couldn't even sign his own name, I guess they didn't expect the woman to be literate. We are off to the pub now, tomorrow getting new TV at John Lewis sale and getting the last orders for DVDs sent off, a major bag full to go. Here are shots from Newark this morning.

A frustrating day as the awaited disc printer ink arrived damaged from Amazon, I'm picking some up at Barnsley which should have arrived there tomorrow from Germany. There were 6 inks and the one I really needed was the one which had leaked, poor show from Epson, Mandy and I have been cleaning our hands thereafter, its a pigment rather than dye so clings to the skin. Tomorrow I'm going to combine filming with collecting the ink at Barnsley when it arrives, trying to be within an hour drive so I canm be there promptly. I haven't seen the weather on tv but from the computer it looks as if most of the uk will be cool but mainly sunny, Newark is my most likely place as last time I rtried i arrived there without the carea, life isb't thaty easy with the double vision. I've feed the garden plants and watered, what little rain came down wouldn't have wetted the soil at all. Photos from Scunthorpe bus station yesterday afternoon, I've already put Scunthorpe and Grimsby on the shop, hopefully when the ink arrives tomorrow we'll get ecverything away on Friday. Then its Kelsall on Saturday and POPSS at Stoke on Sunday.