I think I've already covered most of Eastern Germany certainly in the archives section but there remain quite a few visits to what had been the Federal Republic and of course this was very much Duewag country alhoughh the was so much more that just them to see and I can recall some magical trips to Germany with Mandy in the 1990s which I look forwards to reliving over the coming week. We start though with some film taken by our friend Timm Budd around 1990 and this is a nice mixture which also coinclides some buses and trains in addition to the trams.

Last night was probably the all time worst for sleeping, I eventually drifted off after 5am and then didnt wake until 10am but on the whiole don't feel that bad as after all I'm not exactly consuming that much energy other than a anthropological study of Lidl's in Northwich this afternoon although i must admit to picking up some cheap chocolate much in the way we used to dio using up surplus cirrency i the eastern bloc etc. I'm still spot on with the leg exercises 4 times a day and the sewlling seems to gave gone down about another inch and the surgical stockings are getting lose even on the operated leg. We had Skypes with Max in New Zealand and then Barb on Vancouver Island last night. I must find out how my sister is getting on with the decorating and building work on their bungalow.

The weather has been typically foul for a bank holiday weekend but not going out much I can'r say its had much impact on us. its Wednesday that I have the staples taken out of my knee and Mandy goes along to the cottage hospital for a look at the tear duct problem. Thats so far seems to be the hilitess of the week. We got the latest edition of Lonely planet Colombia today the only post as ever through from Amazon. The pile of EBay auction items is starting to move now I'll try and list more stuff to keep it going remember some great bargains amongst the photos and the Southdown Coach Blanket remain free of offers just waiting to be given a good home,

Lets then go for Sussex photos

The sleeping pills only seem to work when you are already to drop with exhaustion so after a fair day I was looking forward to forgetting the leg discomfort and getting another full nights sleep only I didn't, a few minutes then I was fully awake so I retired to the spare bedroom and snuggled down with the Hudle and before I knew it it was dawn and I eventually drifted off to sleep but of course we'd missed out a little on our planned arising time but no matter we'd soon caught up after removing the surgical stockings and having a full shower followed by changing the dressing, I decided not to look at that part but Mandy assures me all is well and its bone dry, sorry bout the pun there.

After downloading the overnight DVD orders we went off to St Oswalds and enjoyed an almost spring like morning mainly brought about by the slackening of the wind which has blown almost non stop all summer. I managed to get the cover for the first of the 2002 Moldovan releases done and then a couple of tweaks on EBay and we were ready to go out for an afternoon concert at a nearby farm where we had arias and songs from the shows with Pimms and wine and plentiful supplies of sandwiches and cakes. The knee stood up ( or sat through) very well and had my first taste of negotiating grass fields.

Then its been back for a rest and I've just edited and now burning the Moldovan volume 2 with Transniestre and Chisinau. Although of limited appeal one day we'll find that it is a rare insight into a nations history not covered elsewhere. As promised I'll then turn my attention to Germany and lets have another go at some German transport photos.

subtitled DVD production has resumed with the 2002 visit to Balti in Moldova being the first to come off the production line and I should get the cover done tomorrow. I'll get the rest of the 2002 visit finished over the holiday weekend.

The sleeping pills worked a dream, i wanted to wake about 08.30 and was just three minutes late what sort of deal is that amazing or what another dollop of uninterrupted sleep this evening would be very welcome, excuse me a sec just adjusting my surgical stocking all very risque don't you know. It's been a busy day with any tranche of items listed on EBay at auction and lots of orders coming in on the net but we are well on top of everything at present.

Tonight will also see the resumption of Youtube uploads albeit from the archives, I feel a Germany coming on this next week so as they say stay tuned. It's a bit uncomfortable at the keyboard this evening flexing isn't that good on the knee but we have a small drop in the girth measurement today so swelling is going in correct direction now. I've not been out it feels freezing at the door so I'll keep inside unless it warms up although we should manage St Oswalds and perhaps an soiree tomorrow nearby with music.

What can I offer you by way of photos, so much to do so little time but Smug Mug uploads are near have you already visited our still photo sales site from just 50p. We are still hoping to have a presence at Manchester Heaton Park next Sunday. Lets see I've mentioned Germany.. oh no won't work yet again!

certainly no prizes as you'll see this one coming a mile away but after a wretched night when I couldn't get off to sleep, it was 3.30 when i went back to bed Mandy managed to battle through the mayhem that is Holmes Chapel health centre in crisis in the death throes of the NHS and got a prescription for a few sleeping pills, mind you  they are counting them out like gold nuggets now. Anyway guess what one of the warnings is on the sleeping pill leaflet, ok you already got it I knew that of course its that they can make you drowsy but then what else do we expect in this screwed up world. 

We didn't get up that early it was change of surgical stockings and shower day the ablutions seem to carry on towards lunch time. we had to go to Booths and get some photos done for the new driving licence application which should have been able to be done online but the DVLA is about as efficient at screwing up at the now ex chief of Scottish police who should leave and reflect on the shambles he created and chaos left.

We did bump into some nice folk we knew in Booths and managed to get some cakes for puddings over next few days which here in England is a public holiday weekend hence it now feels like autumn and wearing shorts is proving a mixed blessing other than comfort. My leg was down a bit first thing although ballooned during the day. I've got a pile more items listed on our misc section EBay shop including photos etc. Tomorrow I'd like to get the older Moldova film edited and perhaps look through for any other countries not converted to DVD, West Germany stands out as the biggest.

Not being able to film or photograph at present cramps my style with uploads but here are the last DVD clips which went on our Youtube channel which seem to be getting quite a lot of hits now. Remember I updated Amazon and EBay shops with our latest DVD releases.

a long way to go before I'm out of the wood but I'm still looking positive most of the time but last night was pretty bad and in the end I just took an extra Tramadol and actually had quite a good nights sleep, Mandy and I have swapped around sides of the bed which has prevented the operated leg falling out all the time no idea why. 

Anyway thankful for small mercies we are and there seemed to be a lot to do before we went out to Hale for my first session of physio, we had actually phoned the hospital as we were so worried about the extent of the swelling but she said although bad it wasn't exceptional and everything else is good and that we need to look at the exercise regime again to protect my back and not overdue things and make the welling even worse. She did some manipulation which whilst painful did ease things for much of the day although repeating the new exercises and some of the originals isn't easy. We've now got a conti board out of the shed in the lounge suitably covered so I get proper contact when I apply pressure to my quad, I thought that was a type of bike, oh well we got stuck begind the tour de wigan in Knutsford on the way to Hale.

I've started putting some things on EBay which I am clearing out of drawers to make space, I intend to get a lot more on freed from work but obviously during recuperation there are limits to what I can do. Mandy watered some tubs for me, the lawn will need mowing next week. Dropped off the photos from last weeks walk to Jane at the vicarage. We are going to get photos done tomorrow for driving licence renewal, given up with the dick heads online. Here are some photos of the items going or already on EBay on my shop for auction.

if we start with a couple of positive notes, I did get all the recent releases uploaded on our amazon account plus everything recent on our selective EBay shop which will also have a sale tomorrow through to the end of the month. I also managed to get a few photos from Wakefield
dirstribution estates trimmed up ready for filing.

On the other side there have been negatives by the handul. The doctors surgery at Holmes Chapel has a manning crisis with jusrt one regular doctor left, we don't even know if we'll get my medication we may end up at bank holiday at the hospital, I've never known it to get to such a terrible situation amongst which I'm also trying to get a sick note signed off for the next two months for work from which not one peep other than an out of office for weeks from one of the prime players, this is just a tip of an iceberg of the terrible service they deliver. I have the physio at Hale tomorrow, the Spire web site doesn't even give the post code for the clinic.

I tried to renew my driving licence online, no chance it fell at the first attempt, complained ended up wirth woman from hi di hi who treated me klike an imbecile ( perhaps its the drugs) then I tried another and he said it was just that the web sites doesn't say what the mean but no on would admit they were in need of amendment, it has told me my licence is now cancelled and how then would I get to a post office to renew that way and at extra cost - nothing has changed with civil service since the Tories in the war. I had a fall on my side / bottom same place as Mandy broke hers can't think of the name oh yes pelvis. topping up with drugs to get relief from pain.

Some photos before I give out..won't work

My first full day out of hospital and a bit of a shock to the system this morning as the pain killers where out of my system when I woke up wanting a wee about 6.60, it was off to the toilet with the raw pain. Another learning event to take note of. We've had Trish and Derek around this afternoon for tea and a chat which was nice, we've learnt that Trish is away on the Hardy family bench opening day Sunday 20th September but Derek will be able to pop along on his way to a gig that evening. Mandy is sending out invites for the event and there is also a just giving site if you'd like to participate from afar.

We are well on top of DVD orders and a fair amount coming through on the net this week, We are still planning to attend Heaton Park in September. I've been taking it easy between exercise sessions and the leg is still up like a balloon, constant changes of the ice seems to have little affect on it so far but early days as they say. I had a chat with John Bishop down in Hailsham, Sussex, it's their festival of transport at Hellingly next weekend over the bank holiday. Our next 'do' is indeed Heaton Park. I've a few models which need putting away in the show cases plus I've thousands of photos to trim up to file and load in my Smug Mug sales site. I really want to get the recent DVD releases on our shop loaded on EBay and our Amazon shops as well. I've all day tomorrow and then physio visit on Thursday. Expecting a ring tomorrow from health care who manage insurance for work. Still no news on the work front, amazing how other people get stuff done so easily.

I've previously downloaded the old Moldova trip ready to put on DVD so that an editing job I can do without too many trips up and down the stairs. I wasn't sure what to do with the slide show this evening so I've looked back to last year at Heaton park.

THe departure lingered on, they don't really rush about in hospitals unless you are hitting the deck or blood is pouring out. It seems that my past light doses of tramadol didn't bring on the nausea  which it can provoke. I saw the physio early on and got the green light as ready to go, as the medical side drugs were over £70 and i get free prescriptions we rang our pharmacy who are usually very good but with the current crisis of doctors being off sick they said that it would be up to two weeks to issue an NHS prescription, obviously this left us no choice but to accept the hospital drugs and pay up. We hit the same block with the sick not as the hospital can only cover for 2 weeks so now we've got to get in the queue to get one from them. All this and I've just saved the NHS thousands by going private. I keep hitt89ngt the3 wr9onf keys when I'm typing which again might be caused by the Tramadol medication.

We called in at Southern Cemetery on the way home as they had left a message for me, the plague on the bench had been amended and now looks spot on, for all family and friends from the Hardy side we have the 'opening of the bench on Sunday 20th September. The grass will need trimming yet again but the flowers are looking good still.

When home we got a barrage of DVD related calls but of course most people are used to Mandy answering. I had one chap phone twice when I was asleep, I phoned them back they put the phone down and then rang yet again when Mandy was home. There has been a good many on Amazon and our own shop which will mean Mandy is busy first thing tomorrow. Still feeling very light headed this evening, I had a sleep while Mandy got some shopping in this afternoon and I've loaded up the St Oswald's Pilgrimage photos on a memory stick if Mandy remembers to take them round to Jane's.

We'll probably have an early night, my leg is the size of a large log and difficult to do exercises as I should be but I haven't missed any at all. As I'm not really up to doing much more here are some more shots from last Thursday on the two cathedrals walk.

all change tomorrow as Mandy comes to collect me from the spire Manchester hospital where I've been looked after very well. I'm hooked up to the flexing machine which can keep up the flex on your kneev24/7. I've also got the wrap on my knee which keeps it cool. the staff have all done very well and if you give then prompts from your check list it's easy enough to keep up with progress and drive the facilitators. Sue has joined me for the afternoon with Mandy so I've been very well looked after. although keeping am eye on technology and progress is the equipment which raised the alarm in and dire emergency. I'm pretty tired after days with little sleep and the healing process takes its toll on the body. a grand success story thus far lets hope there are no horror stories lurking around corners.