I'm hoping to finish off the South Yorkshire archive film, 'it only seem like yesterday', which has buses, trams and trolleybuses. Then I'll be trying to place some of the figures I painted up today onto the relevant section of the diorama. There is something special happening there as the old bill have their medals on, no white gloves though. The drivers are in a mix of late 40's to 50's uniforms mostly LT but there is one Liverpool driver, must have come down in the way and stayed. Anyway it is frightening how quickly the time does pass. I really want to get the photos filed away. Mandy is still in Ireland, thankfully the weather in Essex is still looking good and I've got my hotels booked. Meanwhile we have got as far as Cardiff for tonight's slide show. I've been bust since 6.30 this morning after a good long sleep which has got me on an even footing ready to tackle the backlog of DVD orders all of which went out this morning. I've now finished editing the current round of OTS films and I've started uploading the South Wales material ready to edit and get the covers on, all should be done by Saturday and clips on Youtube. Meanwhile as I'm so busy another look at Wales this time it is the new Merthyr Tydfil bus station, our first visit. A tiring couple of days, I left Swansea earlier than planned but I'd got all the film I needed, the wind was picking up and I guess the rain was following it. It would have been a good run home had it not been for for a three car pile up on the M6 on 'smart' motorway stretch in the outside lane. Anyway lost about 50 minutes but filled car up ready for the next hike whatever that will be. Hoping the weather stays as planned for my Essex days early in the week and that nobody goes declaring any bank holidays but in reality how could businesses really cope with another blow. Anyway a bit tired so lets just go straight to Swansea and what I saw today, how's that then! I've done a lot of work on the dioramas, mainly the earliest 1940-50s section, I've nearly finished the current round of editing and am half way through another couple of archive features. Everything packed and ready for Mandy who is off to Ireland early in the morning as I set off down to Newport. I'll be home late Thursday and clear any orders on Friday. Next week still schedules to be Essex.
The weather looks far from settled looking forwards and as it evolves so will my plans for this and next weeks filming. It now seems that it will be best in South Wales on Wed and Thurs so I'll probably break the journey into two parts and come home after South Wales , also looks as if Warminster might have rain. If this is how it pans out I'll go down to Essex early Monday and come back up through South Midlands to be home on Thursday. I've been partly editing film and partly having a session on the diorama, in particular the first part I constructed during the pandemic, as I hadn't modelled for nearly 40 years I'm now not so happy with the result so some details has been painted up. I did manage to complete the market scene in the narrow road with a mix of kits and home made stalls. I'm going to increase the horse drawn content for earliest post war scenes. I've ordered a few bits from Dutch company, all HO but fingers crossed it looks ok in my scale, resin models but fully finished, they do all sorts of subjects some nice rare Dutch vehicles shame nothing in OO. Well eyes down look in, south Wales is the logical area for slide show, location to cover this week Merthyr, Swansea, Pontypridd, Blackwood, Bridgend , Newport and Cardiff - 3 a day should be enough to keep me busy. First thing this morning we went to Wex in Manchester they are the largest supplier of camera, video equipment in the country with a chain of stores and a massive internet stock. I picked up the new Mic which works great, that's one thing out the way. It was here that I purchased my tripod when I first up graded to the Italian carbon fibre jobs but that now weighs very heavy after a day or two filming while roaming rather than static. I've got a Manfrotto slimline version at trade show price, I just happened to pick the day after a major show and got the special deal. It is all set up and ready for a day out. I'm plodding through a few digitisations of DVDs to put on the download section in the shop mostly for overseas buyers as we no longer risk sending them further than Ireland. The quality of one of the old Bus Spot Extras was astounding in HD 50fps both for tape media and ex cine shots. Many if off to Ireland next Wednesday , I have a week filming then, we start on the THursday down in South Wales, two whole days there before we move east to Wiltshire and Imberbus on the Saturday then to Essex. On Sunday Lodges bus rally and may be Canvey Island museum. Then it is three days of coverage in Essex plus perhaps South Midlands on the journey north and home on the following Wednesday. The weather outlook for those parts is more or less sunshine all the way so fingers crossed. This will be my biggest UK bus bash for years. Obviously nobody in the 'shop' but I'll get any orders out on the Thursday. So with Essex in our mind where else to get us in the mood with our slide show I did a whole heap of things but where to begin, well had a glass of wine next door, before that replacement camera arrived, I'm now sure it is the mic that was faulty not the camera. Took a bit to get the camera set up as it is a bit less old than the last one! The replacement battery charger arrived plus another battery as a couple are now starting to shorten in duration. Lots and lots of other stuff, more digital downloads some saved, more clips for the rail video I'm helping with, it just goes on.
While we were at the Polio Fellowship meeting in Ellesmere Port the new camera arrived but instead of taking notice of where to leave it they took it back and say it will be delivered tomorrow which means another lost day for filming. We had a good meeting though and welcomed back two members who we haven't seen for many years, it makes a change to the usual shrinking membership as we sadly say final goodbyes all too often. I've got some film sorted and shared with my friends at OTA etc for a railway film but my next archives will be for North Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire, all the material is at hand but a lot on the go including the first two model buses in the new range being launched by one of my friends I'm also busy saving to file the film I've recently scanned to digital. Next week Mandy goes off to Ireland, I need to look at the weather for the next week and decide if it is possible to cover a couple of the many areas in UK I need to catch up on bus film for, I also need to edit the Burnley and Blackburn material. Got a film of Prague on download for a customer in USA , he was delighted with quality and content, it really is the long term way forward for overseas customers. If I don't have what you want I am willing to have a go at putting it on the shop as a download time permitting. Anyway time is at a premium as it is pub night, got to 30 degrees in Cheshire today so lets think of somewhere hot, what about Colombia! Waiting for the new video camera to arrive as the old one had a faulty sound socket and lost sound from microphone. I've managed to get a new dual battery charger for the same camera as the old one is getting a bit difficult to get it firmly plugged in the the power supply. I also ordered up another battery so that lot should keep us going a while. Hope to get it by the weekend. Mandy goes off to Ireland next week and I'm hoping to have two major film trips with Essex and Scotland if the weather stays on my side. Spent a lot of time sorting all manner of things out, fell into the hedge at the bottom of the garden while cutting it, just a few scratches. Getting the latest London archive on buses done has taken just a remarkable half day although there was a bit of prior work. Our Youtube channel has really plunged with revenue half again from normal. I think it is because of our Czech trip away and so much wet weather. Come next week they should come rolling off the production line. I'll get the Blackburn and Burnley films edited tomorrow after we get from Polio Fellowship meeting at ellesmere port. On top of shopping, pet shop, hair cut etc which we do to make the trip multifunctonal Mandy will have to do the banking as the last bank in Knutsford ( ours ) has closed, other than that it is Northwich which is hell to park at even with a blue badge. Meanwhile here are some photos from Burnley. After trying out the video camera at Blackburn and Burnley I can confirm it is the camera socket which is faulty so ordered another video camera which should be here by the weekend, a shame as I was going to Newport and Cardiff in the morning. I used the on board mic with gaffer tape to cut any wind noise which failed miserably, it is useable but only just. Met one of our lovely Youtube viewers and lots of super friendly drivers, as for Blackburn it was awful, never had so much hassle and abuse for ages. The town is now a sub dump and like the wild west. No control over driving or behaviour , a lawless pit- it is now on the do not return list. It made Burnley seem very refined! Bus content not awful but Blackburn bus station isn't user friendly for photography unlike the old bus station the temporary bus station which beat the latest effort hands down at loose change cost compared with organised squalor. |
PMP Sponsors the North West Vehicle Restoration Trust at Kirkby.
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