I've got a few more pictures trimmed up ready for filing but that can wait until another day, I was pretty busy at work though , I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring, really its been strangely quiet all over, I did get a flurry of magazines today so guess there may be some response to them. Also I received from Spain the latest of my Atlas editions model buses this time a rather nice looking German Henschel HS100N of 1953, thats just a year younger than me for reference, old git I hear you say. Here are a few of the latest DVDs that we've done over the past couple of weeks, all on our shop, list bang up to date, more photos added to our Smugmug still photo sales site, links from this site straight there. Off to the pub for a well earnt pint or two.
I had to publish the films I was doing for a friend as the link as a 'private' film didn't seem to work, with no connection to our hobby, social world etc it was amazing that 56 people actually clicked on it and someone was sad enough to say they didn't like it, it takes all sort well there are three more going on tonight which will appear shortly, they will be gone be tomorrow evening so don't bother with them unless you are looking for a job in the maritime sector in which case Rob has some good contacts, no not as stoker silly! The weather has continued to be fine and warm, really looking back I should has taken a days leave to get the Midland distribution centres covered for the lorries. Tomorrow night I hope to be getting the Bolton/ Rochdale and Stobarts Widnes films done and clips loaded before bedtime. I'm not sure what we are doing Saturday on our way down to Cambridge we'll look at the weather. I've been listening to Classic FM rather than bothering with R4 as the Scottish stuff is really getting on my nerves, it's not like we can influence the Scots, its like getting the news on an American presidents election all very far away in a strange land. I've got a few more pictures trimmed up ready for filing but that can wait until another day, I was pretty busy at work though , I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring, really its been strangely quiet all over, I did get a flurry of magazines today so guess there may be some response to them. Also I received from Spain the latest of my Atlas editions model buses this time a rather nice looking German Henschel HS100N of 1953, thats just a year younger than me for reference, old git I hear you say. Here are a few of the latest DVDs that we've done over the past couple of weeks, all on our shop, list bang up to date, more photos added to our Smugmug still photo sales site, links from this site straight there. Off to the pub for a well earnt pint or two. Another quickie tonight as my usual high speed dash through life must go up yet another gear to get everything done against deadlines. I've the outside commercial film job to try and edit tonight and I've just been out and topped up the bird feeders, planted some cheapos that Mandy got at the cheapie German outlets can never remember, oh yes its Audi I think and Lidells, anyway something like that. Then I opened my latest world bus series from Atlas via China, a Skoda, looks vert nice CSAD livery, what else. A tiny bit of dislocation damage en route but soon put right. I managed to get out for a late lunch as it was relatively quiet and I'd had a big go at outstanding jobs in the morning so I headed down to Stobarts at Widnes, I was thinking there might have been new trucks but nothing yet certainly not one 64 reg in sight from any company. I saw my first pain job there so thats a record, the weather was hot and mainly sunny then started to cloud over. I was looking up Cuba in advance of Christmas visit to ensure all was well with the golden oldies, I think the influx of new vehicles will be very slow and the oldies will still find homes somewhere. I like a photo I saw of a Thames trader truck bus, I wonder how that got there, shows there are many more things to be discovered, many thousands of elderly vehicles still kicking around, Sri Lanka may not be so fruitful, everything i see looks very modern, when Martin Rickitt went last they still used steam lorries on the road work gang and he isn't THAT old. Mandy has been getting the stock sorted out deay for the Irish trip to the Dublin Pioer rally weekend after next and this coming weekend its the big un back at the IWM at Duxford near Cambridge with around 500 buses expected at Showbus. We learn that the largest continental show in the Netherlands happens at the last weekend in July Star Truck I think its called so might pencil that in, they even carry on into the evening with the best lit trucks etc. Speaking of which Panama has bright lighted and noisey night time buses and in Japan they compete to have the biggest light shows on their trucks, the latter is tentatively on the drawing board for 2016. Tonight I bring you Stobarts, must dash now my bowl of fruit is ready, day 2 of weekly diet days, pub night tomorrow! I suppose it must be about 12 times a year that I exclaim, it's time to get the magazine adverts in, well here we go once more it's certainly upon us once more and I like to get to the end of any series before sending off the copy thus I'm going to get the short Oxford series of three finished and then tomorrow get the advert copy emailed off. There are lots of other things in the to do queue, the commercial work for a companies web site is the most important, I need to get three short films done , I had a quick session tonight getting some music sourced plus getting their logos saved on the editing deck plus I've got the srcrip printed so I'll know when it's going adfrift and intervention is needed in the cutting room department. The weather here has been pretty darn good today with temps around 24 and mainly sunny all day, very pleasany although its set to break Friday/Saturday, fingers crossed that it's settled by Sunday for Showbus at Duxford. We'll have the full DVD range with us, no photos planned and we'll be able then to cope better lifting with my back problem, this is now pretty well rtesolved and I don't want it upset again before we head off to Sri Lanka the end of next week. It's still relatively quiet at work although it does come in fits and starts sometimes. I've managed to get the latest Manchester area film in the 'can' it needs editing but for your prior delight some still photos tonight as I saw my first trams in Rochdale and the new bus station in action. Its a bit of a dogs dinner not unlike the problem for photography at the old one, anything midday coming around towards the sharp bend furthest from the old bus station will be in splendid light if there is any. The old bus station has nearly all been demolished along with anything attached, the breakers were bashing away at what was left. The weather here was sunny on the whole, security did come out but was very friendly and happy as per GMPTE policy for enthusiasts to see whats going on. I saw 3 of the heritage buses during the quite short time there, got my first shots of the Manchester liveried version and I think that just leaves the Lancashire United that I'm missing. I'll keep it short as I want to crack on with the editing, here is Rochdale Sept 2014. A funny old day you could say, the weather really doesn't know what to do, I got in to work sharpish, there was little new to deal with on what looks like being a fairly quiet sort of week. I had offered to help with some promotional work for my former boss's son and this involved a quick trip to Liverpool and an office block near the Liver building. The light was really all over the place and we tried the rooftop with glorious views over the city and Mersey but the noise was horrific, first a pneumatic drill then a car alarm, the sun would be out then in, a continuity nightmare plus the sound of the air conditioning extractors. A pleasant skyline vista though , we retreated inside and got some good shots which should do the job. There was relatively little happening at the office, I had to cancel yet another training course, everyone is so busy none of the lads can be spared to attend although they do need to get their training certs updates. The back pain is really all down to muscle pain now, nothing in the spine, whilst still sore it shows it's getting better. I had a quick chat with Martin Rickitt, just catching up prior to our trip to Sri Lanka, it won't be long now. All the dashing around I was dismayed to find myself dehydrated, just hadn't stopped for drinks, need to remember some water next time I'm in a 'remote' location atop a building. Mandy had given me the Cuba file in case we needed to settle up soon but the balance isnt due until the end of October so thats a job for another few weeks time, when I got home the Michilen map of Cuba had arrived and that was a good move so slipped it in the folder and away until the back of October. I managed to get some labels for the Irish stock ready for the Dublin Pirt rally, I had a look a\t their web site and there are quite a few buses entered, wishing i was going to be there, lots of them reminded me of the time I went to work there in 1979 and then those like the Bombardiers from my final years there, they were real monsters, sounded dreadful when new but they were trying not to buy British at the time. I've finished the first of the Oxford archive films and now working on the second which cover 2001, this should be on the shop later although I fancy a bit of a rest for my back so might catch the first episode of the Cilla story, an era we lived through day by day, be interesting to see a modern take on it from a more gritty director rather than the cosy warm glow of Midwives and hospital dramas we normally used to get. Not a lot else in the post but the phone never seems to have stopped this evening, its always good to hear from our friends who are customers and get the latest from the far flung corners of the country. I'm listening to Classic FM in the day and on my jopurneys to work and back, I've overdosed on the Scottish news, can't stand anymore, I'd like not to know on Friday and see if the world looks different either way, I'm sure it won't. Some uploads from Youtube from the last couple of nights. The news just seems to come so fast and furious these days that it seems sometimes to all get mixed up together and after getting Salmon fishing in the Yemen mixed up with Salmond leaping in the Trossachs tonight the images of a beheaded British aid worker just bring home to us the dangers of factions being let off the leash. I suppose the moderate Syrian opposition who after my time at the hands of their secret service makes me hate and loathe the regime did little to show how our support for the opposition would takes on whistles and wings and become yet another more horrific form of Muslem extremist than the last. I suppose in an historical context it's rather satisfying for the Christians to say now looking back at the inquisition and how they wiped out much of South America's native population that we weren't actually that bad after all and the Muslems are worse. This then assists those who have a general downer on religion when we throw the late Good Rev Dr thingey, see I've forgotten his name already, just a pattern of 70s duvet blankets left in my mind then again what had it really got to do with religion and after all its a pretty well known fact that God really did hand down to the Monty Python team the ultimate wisdom that Brian had it right and that pratts like Whitehouse weren't grasping the truth that Life of Brian was a just indictment on factions. So unless we want everyone wandering around composing songs of praise to the Scottish Great Leader and having to have their hair cut just like him they had best rest on their tartan bonnets and keep the sporrans clean next week and hope that it all goes away with the autumn mists which melt with the rising sun. Well before I wax lyrical too much it's been a fairly dull day again other than moments of sunny promise which always seemed to elude my excursions into the garden. Despite the back situation and being part of a secret mission that I can't tell you about, but black helicoptors could be heading north during the night and certain rebel leaders fearing for their survival as the British establishment show what they are made of , we won't have seen the like since that last great cavalry charge of the forces against the miners, yes other than all that and a truely delicious serving of roast lamb done to perfection and with roasties that the rest of the world can only dream off, yes apart from that and of course the wonderful evening at Clonter opera last night where the 'friends' had a superb entertainment, the school children from local , well errr schools , yes very angelic rendition of hail the great Salmond leapeth, sorry it must be the wine with dinner, actually what the hell was it, Believe - well you can or not but it was. I wonder what the GCHQ lads make of all this but then I suppose under the 40 years rule I could ask for their files on me from my political era, now I'm just a quiet respectable middle class person but wait I hear you say weren't you the ones who wanted troops out of Northern Ireland, who wanted to dig up the verges and plant vegetables, who wanted peace and free dope , well err again well no matter I can't see much of this tattoed lot of chavs getting anything done, just a new war every month, in my day we had decent wars like Vietnam, there was a war, didn't have to go to fight but we could all demonstrate and boo the yanks and sing praises to Ho Chi Minh and Mao and not realise they would win which is a nice rhyme with Minh don't you think? The thought of that tiny nation in the north, gathered around their annual mass games, singing in harmony to the glory of the dear leader, under the bedclothes all those years ago, this is radio Tirana, this is radio Moscow, this is the evening half baked from Edinburgh. Well I suppose if I was Scottish I'd tell everyone I voted for independence, if they win they'll be a terrible retribution against those who didn't, the ballot papers are marked so they know, nothing secret within the fraternity of the haggis. The Yorkshire DVDs from yesterday are ready and on our shop. The covers are made, the dinner cooked and eaten, the pudding warming, the wine half full. Another week to Showbus, will the weather hold. Another two weeks to Sri Lanka, will the rain be all day or just the afternoons. Photos from later yesterday in Bradford a charming town situated slightly to the west of Bengal. doing battle with Amazon always seems to wake me up when I'm feeling tired, I think its the surge of adrenelin whioch kicks in and you just want to throttle someone at the stupid help centre, I've had battles trying to upload stuff for years, for a couple of months it all went like clockwork after a guy in their Dublin centre got it sorted but now we seem to have gone back to square one again. Anyway we were up sharp but not too early and over parked up in Halifax by 8.45 , it was misty or cloudy really and quite chilly 16, it had been 19 when we left home and the temperature difference looked set to last all day. I see the Centreline has rebranded as the Yorkshire ripper or something like that, they still look pretty tacky even after a repaint, shame after the Halifax buses under Tony Blackman were such a colourful addition to the local scene. Thankfully other than chav talk and rubbish the drivers were all very friendly. I always think that Halifax architechture other than the Piece Hall is a hidden gem although thats probably wasted on the people there and certainly I can't imagine tourists ever landing there unless they are off route from a Mars shot. We did get breakfast at Marks in Halifax, there were a couple of notebook spotters at the bus station but its useless for photography compared with the much better locations in the town, Walsh's keep rolling on though, another friendly operator. Most First buses are now in the new livery, hard to believe really that any aren't but there are still a few. The next stop was Bradford, we'll get to Keighley some time but Mandy can't abide the place although Bradford twice in a year is pushing my luck, the running day was a bit limited for Mandy as she spent the day in the underground bingo hall car park which used to be a bus depot under the interchange. All very friendly there as usual, happy friendly banter with the asian crews and all quite uplifting really although Mandy's take on the town couldn't be put into writing lest we wished for a month behind bars, shame with all the Scorttish stuff going on that English people are never going to be allowed to express themselves how the majority really feel. There wasn't that much new on the buses, really nothing new at all really and not even the odd heritage livery but I soon got the required coverage and we were winging our way back on cheapo Bradford petrol and as we crossed the Pennines the temperature rose 5 degrees and them settled back to 20 at Lower Peover. We continued on to the farm shop and stocked up on their ice cream and veg fresh from the farm. We are at Clonter opera friends evening tonight, just having a light dinner and then getting changed. I've downloaded the Yorkshire film and should have both programmes finished tomorrow. We are going to have a bit of a lazy Sunday and then next week its Showbus lets hope the weather holds out, seems a bit optomistic but its been a bitvh of a year at rallies other than the sunny Heaton Park! The weather for tomorrow is looking to be dry but cloudy again just like today, this is actually not bad at all for filming as the days start to shorten and the sun dips in the sky casting its shadows. The season though was rather overdone at the Golden Pheasant last night at Plumley where they have a wretched display complete with Christmas tree promoting that season still several months away, I think it should be illegal with 5 years in solitary to do things like that, mind you the MPA was on fine form and the staff are always very nice, just a shame about the puny pudding portions, certainly their weak spot, must be the Romanian chef at fault. Anyway onwards ever onwards, the good doctor rev Ian Paisley has jossed it, well the only time I met hi was at the Birling Gap hotel outside Eastbourne, much visited when I was in my younger days, Mandy was with me and my mother, Paisley was there with a party in a mini bus from his church, there were a couple of security chaps with guns not very well hidden. I can't remember what we had for dinner though, I could ask Mandy she'd remember what coloyur shirt i had on, my memory gets worse each passing day. Donald Sinden the actor also passed on, bit of bad timing as he gets pretty much edged out on the death notices today with the fiery Ulsterman getting the spotlight. I suppose Paisley proved that you need a media 'image', his was actually certainly played out to the cameras but not his quiet reserved, family loving, god fearing self but the man we all hated the worst bigot anyone could think off, he converted from Baptist to his ultra right break away little church which married religion and politics and hatred and wasn't so nice then but really he was just playing with the lads, sort of cowboys and indians and when the game was over and they had grown up a bit they all decided to sit down and tell each other funny stories and look back at the old days with a rosy glow, pity that there were so many lives wrecked by them all along the way. We have finally got all three of the week's lorry films edited and loaded on to our shop, still struggling to get the new releases on Amazon, they are as bad to deal with as EBay or our utilities companies. On the way home this afternoon they had closed one lane of the main Chester road, straight off of Junction 19 on the M6, the tail back was affecting the motorway as well, it went on for miles even after I turned left to Plumley. There was one workman with a shovel in the whole length, cutting some grass back from the gutter, talk about overkill, it just gets worse. We were considering attending the Crich tramway museum 50th tomorrow at Crich in Derbyshire, I'm no great fan of preserved things against those in service but siometimes you go with the flow so I looked at the web site, disabled access stated and as reviewed on trip advisoer seem different things, knoweing the layout well with Mandy now using a wheelchair it would be a nightmare. I looked at buying tickets online but there was no mention of disabled discouts etc, looked back at their site, mention eleswhere od discounts but so ambigous about age, disability rates etc goodness know hopw and what you would pay and surely a disabled person would be amongst the most useful to book online, anyway so frustrated and annoyed we aren't going, instead we'll resume our sweep through the Yorkshire area and take in Keighley and Wakefield with Huddersfield possibly in the middle, I'll take another look at what we have covered most recently and then pick those furthest back before we go. Hoping for yet another slice of Bakewell tart in Marks. I think Scottish stuff is still rattling on our there but really I think I've given up the will to live and after the Cameroons and the other non- descripts from English politics went there so have the Scots, go now else you gotta stay all night , well thats what the song said, no coming back with a tail between their legs, wonder what the odds are at the bookies, I say 60% against. I've got all the Irish photo stock in boxes sorted into South, North and Independents all over, there are 5 boxes which means I guess around 5000 photos many of the latest views getting their first airing although most are available for purchase on the Smugmug site talking of which I've got lots of photo files ready to upload tonight. The shots from the A40 and Avonmouth came out really well. A taster below. funny how the brain goes into over drive sometimes but with all this Scottish stuff and who in the rest of Britain gives a damn, I was wondering what Salmon fishing in the Yemen would do if he lost next week, the declares holy war on England as well as throwing his dummy out of the pram and proclaims a caliphate in Scotland with images of him hung along the road sides and all the people forced to bow to George Square six times a day and undergo a pilgrimage to Hawick and peek over the wall at the English with there modern conveniences like electricity as his nations gores back to the dark ages, ho humm, funny thing imagination but there you go, Waitrose profits up, turnover up, recession what recession and John Lewes scrap the card holders cake and hot drink, it's the end of the world as we know it. I met Mandy at Marks in Ellesmere Port, I had the Bakewell, this was seriously the most moist and almondy yet full marks to the person the mixed that batch. Another superb sunny day with just little clusters of cloud gathering here and there. I'm now editing the three truck DVDs , first of the production line comes Ross ON Wye A40 roundabout, superb spot, great lads and lasses on the lorries, lots of hoots and toots and flashing lights or were they trying to tell me something, couldn't all be evacuating Scotland already fleeing the Salmon fishing in the Yemen, anyway what does a dam in Yemen really have to do with Scotland, is it a Scottish name, after a fish, could be an Irish Salmon or even Canadian, perhaps he should be leading Quebec. When I was filming in Bolton at the 'old' bus station , well its not old until the new one opens but give it time its all happening, there were some jolly nice people there, no hassle , even stopping to pose, everyone friendly giving the old thumbs up to Stagecoach dominated places and there rude gestures. Well you have probably guessed what happened, yes eventually the rotten apple gets to the surface, the bus had actually gone to my right, I was still waving and giving thumbs up as next bus was coming around, the driver in front leaned back ( bus obviously knew where it was going, guided busway in Bolton bus station?) and gave a gesture not with fingers up but that of clasping something and going up and down, dear chap isn't it wonderful to be talent spotted as Bolton Bus Depot plonker of the year and put First back on the scrap heap in my estimation. What is it about bus enthusiasts that brings out such venom. I saw the Ribble liveried bus from Stagecoach and the First Lancs United but the latter in the distance leaving town as I arrived. Back, yes my back, I bet you are fed up hearing about it, still not that good but not very bad, just blooming well hurts but I can't see it getting better over night and at the weekend Mandy will do the driving so I can get back on the painkillers. We have decided to cover the Crich Tram Museum celebrations on the Saturday and to have Sunday as a day of rest, would have liked to cover the Mersey running day but really with Sri Lanka following on behind Showbus I'll not have another chance to rest until mid October after Bridgeton weekend. Some of the latest Youtube uploads, must get on with the DVDs, lots of new stock for Showbus, if you want anything reserved ring or email. All the latest DVDs are now on EBay and of course this site, Amazon well they seem to have gone to planet Zog at present. Another round of uploading as I catch up on around 30 recent releases on to EBay, I've deleted about 50 which have had no orders in the past 16 months, around 600 of our range of over 2000 are on EBay so for the full hit you need to visit our own shop on this site or if you prefer use Amazon but they add postage , anyway its generally a matter of personal preference. EBay causes the most headaches from users and at first whiff of hassle they are on the blocked list as you just can't risk getting even neutral feedback, the whole set up is so negative against sellers that its a bit of a mockery, everyone leaving ever better feedbacks or as in the case of one Chinese seller even a neutral feedback leads to being blocked and a trip in the little black gas van! The weather has been great yet again and looks as if it should be good tomorrow, I saw little of it being stuck in the office all day and avoiding birthday cream cakes being day 2 of dieting. Mandy has the Polio Fellowship meeting in Ellesmere Port tomorrow perhaps if she has time we'll meet in Marks & Spencers for a Bakewell Tart and Cappacino. Everything seems to come along at last minute for the training, the new Working at Height course tomorrow had to be cancelled as everyone is so busy that nobody could be released although a lot need their training updating. I managed to get arrow Cars sorted for the airport run to Sri Lanka well just to Manchester airport actually. I pay the balance this Friday, before i leave we also need to get the Cuban trip at Christmas all paid up. I managed to make a start on the photos which need trimming up before filing, the numbers sneak up a bit. We had a teatime delivery of discs and DVD covers, all a day late because the beloved Nat west Bank blocked our card 'at random' never heard anything like it before, yet another compliant and no action, they really are a load of rubbish. I'm just finishing off the second of the Hereford and Worcester archive DVDs, I'll get the clips on Youtube tonight, next will come the trucking DVDs in S West.Next Archive feature after that will be Oxford, not that much material but starts from 1989 includes scenes in Banbury which is another place well over due a return visit. It's also that time of year when I get looking at Manchester and I suppose the trams need a bit of attention. It's Crich's big weekend this weekend and there is a very full programme on the Saturday and Sunday with up to 15 trams in action plus a cavalcade. The running day at the Pier Head is on sunday, really not too sure what we'll do in the end though. After the pain from my back a bit of a rest might not go too far astray. Clips from last nights DVD uploads and latest archive DVD. Having survived the first couple of days since putting my back out with plenty of pain relief I decided that I really wasn't that safe driving to work with all that medication so I'm down to just the anti inflammatories which I take for my knee anyway and covers my back as well. Its more aches and pains now, at least it hasn't gone into a mad spasm and left me bent double although any slight jarring sends shivers through my spine so being a bit careful although I'm now quite tired. The weather has been at its early autumn late summer bust and well into the 20s with clear blue skies. So much to do my head spins but after looking after the office from a distance today I should be OK to get to the office tomorrow even though its diet days I take the pills straight after eating our fruit and I've now got the ones to stop the indigestion starting. I'm busy editing the Hereford and Worcester archives, I've finished 1997-98 which really give some superb shots of the diverse independents which could still be found especially in Hereford. I'm also working on the next volume, probably just the two albeit very long running ones. There was a small flurry of EBay orders today with the latest sale, I went on to Amazon to put the photos on the new items I'd added but they don't appear, I went through something like this last time, they have loaded with no problem then just vanished. I've also got a lot to load on EBay but not tonight. I'm sorting out a handful of the Irish shots each evening, there are some super shots and lots of memories of days spent roaming the length and breadth of Ireland looking for the elusive handful of buses which I hadn't covered, mainly yellow school bus fleet which was mainly E Types at that stage. What a treat the enthusiasts in Dublin are going to have at the Dublin Port Rally. Mandy did the figures on Heaton Park, it was just a little down on last year which in the circumstances this year is almost encouraging. I've got the results of my truck filming down in the South West to get edited later this week featuring stops at Ross, Monmouth and Avonmouth docks. Superb weather for it , cloudless blue sky most of the time and an enormous variety of operators even a couple of pain jobs. Don't we have some wonderful liveries on the lorries, some of the best decorated this side of Pakistan. I hope the weather doesn't last too long as it is sure to break just before Showbus, I'd rather it go downhill now and then recover again. We've got slot A4 at Duxford so really easy to find us in the post where were have been for the past few years near the control and American hangar/toilets etc. Some shots from the Avonmouth trip to keep you truckers happy! The photo upload doesn't seem to be working I'll try again later |
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