Everything really depends on the right weather, a slightly cloudy but bright day would be great for Exeter and Plymouth on Monday and perhaps Penzance and Truro Tuesday. A similar day would be handy for Belfast on Thursday subject to cheap flights. Well you can see how we try to fit things in best we can. It has been busy for DVD orders, another large batch on net and in post today which will go asap subject to travels. We had a good lay in after our marathon trip to West Wales yesterday. Today I've whitewashed the greenhouse windows and started to repaint the woodwork, we are using it as our shed in anticipation of eventually getting the quote for the new shed for model displays which is supposed to have been delivered to us but never received.

We got an order for a lot of DVDs today catch was none of them exist, no point in ordering things we haven't even filmed and even that won't make it happen any quicker. Tomorrow I carry on with the green house paining, today Mandy took all the cardboard boxes to the tip, there was quite a pile in the garage. We have had to order a new type of disc, the old Maxell type are no longer available, the wholesaler is sending some samples of the various types they can offer. Tonight some shots from our trip to West Wales yesterday, this still leaves samples of our trip to Lancaster and Penrith to come. The van is all packed, fuelled etc ready for Heaton Park bus rally on Sunday.

We were up at 5am and back 7.30pm, I'll write a longer blog tomorrow but we are going down the pub now! We got the date for Mandy's scan, next Wednesday. At least we can work around that date now. We have got about 45 mins film from Wales, I'll do the South West soon and combine with say Haverford West etc. Here are some shots from Liverpool docks the other day.

Still no news o Mandy's urgent lung CT scan, really until we hear from the hospital we can't do more than a day out at a time other then weekends. This coming Sunday it's Heaton Park rally in Manchester, we'll be there with all our recent DVDs and a selection of stock clearance items at four for £20. I got a letter from Explore Dundee aka National Express, profuse unambiguous apologies and the incident with the driver has been taken through their disciplinary procedure. It's good that they take a similar stance to Stagecoach on such matters, this time it wasn't a foreign driver, they don't have so much to say for themselves after Brexit vote. It was a Scottish chap but me nor anybody else could actually hear what he said, only guess it was also a bit blowy that day but again full marks for the company for getting straight to the point and sorting it. That of course still leaves a few with their right wing proto terrorist agitators in particular West Coast Motors- I wonder if they have ever cleared their decks of those undesirables. The shame of it they fit in perfectly with the Scottish National Socialists, they were whipping up the frenzy at Dundee when I was their Lathalmond weekend, I guess they will be having their own Nuremberg style rallies with dear fishy leaders.

Today I was going to Stobarts port at Widnes but it was throwing it down first thing so went to Lancaster and filmed the buses until it then went sunny and it became impossible to film, after which I headed up to Penrith, a great time at my favourite spot by the fire station on the A66 roundabout but signs about rebuilding the road and giants cones all around didn't look good, don't let another favourite spot go to the wind. It was nearly a clear sunny sky but then early afternoon the cloud became thicker, neither sun no cloud, hard to get the exposure right so gave up and it will be an extra long running film. I need to do something to put with the Lancaster bus film in the morning. A lot of editing then and tomorrow ( or Friday) we are going to Aberystwyth which has changed completely since we were last there, if there is time we'll go on down to Cardigan but its a long way on small roads. A kind gent at Lancaster offered me his office window above my corner spot to get an aerial view, I thanked him very profusely but stopped down below as it isn't an easy spot at the best of times. He however scores an immense number of bonus marks for Lancaster! Not so Penrityh, great A66 but the town, what a lot of rip off places, the garage charged as much as motorway prices for fuel and the cafes offer poor value and little to tempt. Photos from yesterday at St Helens.

We have both had chesty coughs, mine last nearly four weeks, then Mandy had her tear duct operation and afterwards had a sore throat and cough. As it didn't show any signs of clearing up quick she went to the doctors, so a locum at Holmes Chapel, worried about the post operative side of it he sent her for an urgent scan at Macclesfield hospital. The then came back to our own family doctor Clair Taylor, Claire rang Mandy today to say that there was a nodule in her lung, so now ordered up a CT scan of her lungs, their initial thoughts is that it could be a very old growth and nothing to be worried about but obviously it's hard not to worry. Plus we were trying to get a trip to Ireland next week well we can't really do anything ahead until we get the date of the scan, not much point even doing it privately as it would then take a consultation and then order up a scan so we might as well get this bit at least on the NHS.

Mandy had to stay at home all day waiting for the new credit card machine to arrive from 123send, it turned up at tea time, not new ( again) it's another refurb unit no wonder they constantly break. I went out trying to make the most of mixed weather, not really perfect for either buses or lorries. In the end I did trucks at Seaforth docks, just one hour then on to St Helens for buses which had almost clocked up a year since the last visit, I might put the next coverage back to 2020 as so little had changed if anything at all, perhaps more Arriva
in the newer livery. Photos then from Liverpool. Tomorrow another unknown as I haven't seen the weather forecast yet, I had to do a filming assignment at Macclesfield for the Novermber 11th evening do at St Oswalds with the bugler , fantastic family like the Von Trapps all singers and musicians, great to meet them and share their attendance at RNCM wghich we support.

I think people should always use their own name and shouldn't say anything that they wouldn't stand and be counted on. There are millions who sling abuse and are guilty of cyber bullying and are scared to reveal themselves. Youtube is a particular offender on this score we even had a remark from someone using Nazi in their 'handle', could you credit this from a company which is supposed to be cleaning up their act. I don't know what a computer game is and care little especially if it is something which causes a person to kill others and themselves, I wonder if it is like the table tennis you used to get on aircraft, boring eh, yawn. Nowt like a good bus or lorry to get you interested, loads of new clips on our Youtube channel, good honest family hobby fun and no insults.

It's been freezing cold, dark and damp, typical public holiday in the UK I'm afraid. Tomorrow should see me back in action although I haven't been wasting time, I've got the Bus Spot Ultra Cardiff finished, the master is burning right now and I hope to get the DVD cover done and on the shop within the next hour. The next one will feature Dundee but no promises when it will appear, it takes a huge amount of effort to produce them. Mandy is home waiting for the new credit card machine charging unit, it's always been on the blink, they just keep sending old reconditioned ones out no wonder they don't work. I can't be too late back tomorrow wherever I end up as I need to be near Macclesfield tomorrow teatime, another film job related to the centenary of the armistice in 1918 at St Oswalds in November, it's to film the lad who be blowing the bugle! Anyway with Cardiff on our minds lets have some blasts from the past then.

 Great funThe day has slipped by all too quickly, wet and cold, we not only had the central heating on for the first time this autumn but also the gas fire in the lounge. I have to be near Macclesfield Tuesday tea time but other than that can look out for film opportunities next week, the weather should be getting better and I hope to get another few places ticked off the to do list. I got lots of photos on to the still photo site which you can reach on the links page route. I'm not sure how many thousands there are but it's certainly a lot. I'm looking forwards to getting videos loaded as well. I did put on a lot of Batam island, Indonesia truck clips as it's one of our top geographies on Youtube, thankfully the revenue is showing a sharp increase from the start of the weekend.

I've spent quite a lot of time on my family history, the hours just vanish when you get engrossed in it, I found details of my grand dads brother James O'Grady who I suppose my natural father was named after. He was in the Irish Fusiliers from 1913-1920, wounded in the left arm in France in 1918.. Two of his brothers including my grandad Patrick were with a sister Nillie? at Dunmanway which doesn't appear on the census for 1901 or 1911 which survive no trace of the O'Gradys although at some stage my grandfather is supposed to have changed from O'Sullivan to O'Grady, all very confusing. anyway it would be interesting if I could track his service record from his regimental number which I have also his  France star medal award.

I'm on the cusp of starting couple more of the Bus Spot Ultra series, I'm now thinking of Cardiff as one and Dundee the other as I can go back to the tram era for both with some nice scenes in the early years. We've a nice piece of roast lamb in Guinness roasting away and a bottle of Fleurie to wash it down, all good stuff, hard work being a pensioner you know. Tomorrow is Bank Holiday in England, hope to get some more outside jobs done including painting the greenhouse yet again. I tied ringing my sister Janet for her birthday but no reply, I'll have to see if I can spot anything on Facebook I can join with, I've never figured how you start a conversation, but then I don't particularly want to! Lets dip into the archives for something I like, ah can never beat those old bangers in Burma before the Chinese and Jap stuff poured in.Great fun one of my all time favourites, never go back eventually become a maxim in all cases.

Great news you can now download the digital images for your collection plus also available with permission for commercial use in magazines, websites etc. You can still order the whole range of prints with dozens of options and various gift wear plus make cars etc. Masses of choices  for you just follow the link to the Smugmug/Flckr site and we have added several thousand more recent and archive shots today to make you visit all the more rewarding. This is a major addition to our range of products. We shall also soon be hosting DVDs on the same platform that you can download for viewing plus downloads for commercial use in websites and films, yet more innovations and opportunities from one of the worlds leading transport media archives.

I did quite a few jobs on the domestic front once the overnight rain lifted mid morning, the PMP van is now all stocked up ready for Heaton Park rally a week tomorrow in Manchester, look out for our new PMP branded tent. We shall also be at Showbus. I also managed to get what remains of our lawns mowed, the back almost looks back to normal from a distance and the front much better with all the borders dead headed and fed. I also did some more work on my family history delving back into the Driscoll family records following getting my grandparents marriage cert from Ireland. I've also now got all my model vehicles under cover in various shelving units, a few more to go but then there alwatys is. A trickle of orders today which won't go now until Tuesday. Undecided on film targets next week. All the Thursday truck DVDs are ready,  Here are the covers all in the PP store on this site.

The still photos are already loaded up here are some samples of what you can digitally download

We didn't get up particularly early as I'd had a long day on Thursday and Mandy has been pretty knocked out with the chest infection. It poured down overnight and there were plenty of dark could floating around between the early sun. We woke up when I thought I heard knocking on the door but thinking about it we have a new door bell so it probably wasn't. Gemma next door was beating hell out of a red plastic bucket I think, anyway we were now awake so got up and downloaded overnight DVD orders, quite a table full. The card machine is playing up , they are sending a new one to arrive Tuesday, Mandy has an appointment so thats another day out of the film schedule.

  I carried on getting the excess model vehicles into cupboards, shelving, jammed packed but taking up less room less packaging, I don't bother keeping it as when I'm dead who will care if they are boxed or not! It does look a bit less untidy but still pretty bad. I got masses of photo filing done, back to January 18 now, there are stll more from 2016/17 to do but the back is broken now. We went to get some food shopping and called at B&Q after getting the PMP post away. I'm looking at shelving etc , still no quote on the shed. I'm now editing yesterday's films, Ross On Wye is burning as I type. It won't take long to get the covers done. Here are some shots from early yesterday at Ross.

Some shots from Avonmouth on the approach to the motorway which seems to have become my 'place' to film at and has yet never produced a police call out! I was even getting toots from behind with lorries in the other direction. There seemed to be a huge distribution centre being built near the docks, hopefully the traffic will exit this direction and I'll have to upgrade to a full day there. No Wessex buses as they've packed in but still a few Fire engines, their maintenance centre is nearby. It also went fine at Monmouth and Ross on Wye. Pushed for time as the journey back was horrendous and it's pub night. Weather looks grim for tomorrow but I'll try and see if we can salvage anything!

Mandy went to see the doctor first thing we also picked up our sack of pills. The doc reckons that Mandy has a chest infection and as it's post operative she needs an urgent chest xray which Mandy will get done at Macclesfield hospital tomorrow morning. Then we had to get back and get the DVD orders done, I've also been trying to fit all the models purchased last 2 years on shelving however they fit so we can have a tidy in the office, still waiting on a quote for the storage shed. I got my grand parents wedding cert copy from Ireland today, this then gives my great grandparents identities but putting them on Ancestry ended up producing more questions than answers which is typical for Ireland and especially as the Driscolls were travellers. The credit card machine has been playing up although we nursed it through to working tonight, it's such a pain ringing up about it. Mandy has been feeling quite rough with the chesty cough etc and the swelling is still there from the tear duct operation and tooth extraction.

I've got all the Scottish photos filed away, working on the Lancs bus ones next but there are so many to go at and each time I realise I've yet more copies of the files on the two computers and external drives, trying to eliminate the copies without losing everything, you have to be so careful. The Youtube revenue is still in the pits at present, not sure what knocked it back this weekend, I thought the cooler weather would help. It could be lorries tomorrow and buses Friday.  Tomorrow I'll be doing some filming, I must check with the weather forecast first. I'm still not that at home with this modern type of Windows it seems rubbish compared with XP. Photos tonight from the sorted pictures and lets start with the latest and more from Scotland at the weekend