Just the typical PMP day realy, up at 7am, off down the M6 motorway to Walsall, got there as rush how finished. Choice of location based on least windy, forecast cloudy and mild. It actually turned out to be brighter than envisaged but other than that it was ok. I had chew with a Diamond driver who was much of a Diamond within minutes of starting to film at Walsall although 100% of other drivers in both locations were fine. No point complaining to Rotala as they never respond, a third rate company with some dodgy buses. The most evident thing is the spread of the new West Midlands two tone red livery to Diamond, their buses do look better for a lick of paint although some have several previous owners paint still on them. The National Express repaints look well just for a lick of paint and a less fussy pain scheme although the red is horrid for photography.  I tried to find somewhere for a brew, Costa looked squalid so gave it a miss, in Wolverhampton Starbucks looked little better so ended up in M&S.

Both location showed signs of upgrading, in Wolverhampton the tracks are into the centre for the tram extension which looks quick well progressed and has caused some mayhem with the bus traffic flow, no trams but mayhem in Walsall as the bus stops along the road which are quite new are being rebuilt, another bus station too small for the services and still has a scruffy effort in another location even more seedy than the new one which doesn't look very new now. Pitiful how awful our planning is, how can we ever go it alone in the world after Brexit, thankfully another vote looks likely so we should be able to escape the bizarre machinations of the xenophobes. I must add that the PMP Youtube channel is English language only so any comments I don't readily understand will be eliminated just in case! Nothing untoward in language, swearing,racial insults, bullying is allowed and posters blocked, there are about 500 on our blocked list so this is very active, beware-offenders will be reported to the authorities where they mention violence. A family site throughout and intended to be friendly to all sharing our transportt hobby.

Work on the new housing estate on precious village green fields has started, as usual Cheshire Planning dept has worked its magic, all contributions gratefully received yet again, consent said no construction plant on our road, already on day one aggregate lorries and road sweeper lorries. Doesn't bode well.

I looked at a possible truck film location when traveling towards Dudley as it was a bit sunny and it's ok there but Wednesbury didn't really deliver what i needed, I'll chuck what I got on Youtube. Still looking for suitable truck filming weather this week.

It looks as if we are heading in a direction that many new purchasers welcome , as well as regulars new 'names' are appearing and we look forward to seeing friends worldwide joining our circle of viewers and supporters. At £8 it is a substantial cost saving for many, I haven't even updated our EBay shop for ages as it seems increasingly irrelevant but I've not given up and will enter up on a wet day sometime, meanwhile the PMP shop is bang up to date as ever and all the newest releases are already uploaded for digital sales. DVDs will feature for a good few years to come but I like to think we are leading the way in the hobby at present. The Atlantic weather looks like bringing high winds and rain to some parts, I'm looking at destinations which aren't going to be affected too much and tomorrow am heading to Wolverhampton and Walsall, these are usually Oct/Nov places I visit but as we are away a lot of November I'm pushing them forward rather than back as we don't want them bunching together in December which would be the worst of all worlds.

So with a few other locations in mind for buses that just leaves the lorries to worry about, as soon as fine days appear in the forecast I'll be on my way. We had a huge pile of DVDs to send out this morning although nothing much lined up for tomorrow. I'll probably leave about 7.30 and be back mid afternoon and clear any more orders then, the joy of digital download is the win win for all concerned, immediate, no post to wait for or risk abroad, a lot cheaper, less time for us more time for filming! I'll work my way back through the PMP list as time permits. I have sorted some photos out to file and add to the Smugmug site as it too now has digital downloads. Youtube is still not shooting upwards but the stats are all increasing a little and autumn should see it take off again. Overall we continue to get around 50k hits on our channel a day, seen in over 200 countries and territories world wide with the UK with Vietnam and Indonesia the biggest viewers. The biggest hits on any clip is still a truck film with nearly 5M. Lorries overwhelm all other modes in any measure except UK DVD sales. Here are some more shots from Crick last Thursday.

Well a great night out at the Wales Millennium  Centre at Cardiff and one of the longest non Wagnerian operas in the repertoire which strangely was in just two parts despite the fact that they sent out a newsletter days before to ensure you got the best out of your evening and promised two intervals and a longer running time. I think things changed after the dress rehearsal, it over ran terribly so got pruned, the bum got a bit sore after a couple of hours at a time but it is a tremendous effort putting on productions like this. The fact that they could use the great Soviet film of Way & Peace gave them a boost to the necessarily  large but not enormous cast. The interval ice cream was very good quality and the food in their restaurant pre performance was top class and great service. Signage in the theatre was a bit sparse for the toilets, I got lost trying to get back to Mandy. We walked/chaired from the hotel to theatre, the hotel was also good, no complaints at all from room, sleep quality, breakfast all spot on. A long time since I've a big breakfast although I did have some fruit as well as sausages, beans, hash browns etc.

We came home via Worcestershire which was the way we normally come back if in Newport or Cardiff and this took us to the NT house Croome Court which also houses a small RAF museum to the once secret establishment there which experimented with the practical applications of radar in and after the war and Mandy's mother Berta was Prof Lovell's secretary in the war and after. He was regularly down at the airfield and we wonder if she traveled down there with him. She was drafted into the civil service from her work in the cinema industry where she was with Paramount distribution, if she liked a film they binned it, if she though it trash it went on general release, that was her style and taste for you. We met some lovely people at the property and had a good lunch in the cafe before continuing back up the M5/M42/M6toll etc to home and enjoyed good weather when we were out and about although it rained on the up but we remained dry and it was quite warm. I'm editing the last 6 films for Crick and Wales and hope to have everything edited, covers made, shop listed tomorrow and then upload the 'download' DVDs on our shop ( this site) . Remember just £8 a film for a download rather than £13 for a DVD. A great business model for our dotage! Well here are some shots from Wales starting at Swansea on Friday morning at the bus station.

Westayed atathe village in in swansea, the room was nice and ckmfy bed but thry hsd boom boom music going on doenstairs which didnt gomoff untill midnight plus the food was like eating McDonald's but a lot more expensive it gave me indigestion and the merlot was like a barrel scraping from south Africa. The weather first thing was sunny although it soon changed to sunshine and cloud as we headed west to Bridgend, I only sent as a couple of people suggetesu a visit and I haven't covered it for a while. Hassles from a female first bus driver and a passing within first few minutes , a poor sinister place best avoided although a mitigating feature was rth aroma coffee shop, delicious cake but didn't accept cards, can you imagine running a coffee shop which you couldn't just tap your card at , it wouldn't happen. Then we drove to pontypridd a lot more friendly,no hassles at all and lots of buses. Then it was time to head to the future hotel at Cardiff Docklands. Very nice room and the good rate includes breakfast. The sun has come out we might chance walking and using chair for Mandy as the Wales millennium centre is only across a couple of car parks from here, I've  got a trolley if it rains., Sorry that should read brolley, this Weebly site works better these days but has its moments. We are still hoping to do a national trust visit on the way home tonorrow

Ill keep it brief as iiusually end up with a thousand typos when im blogging on the road! Up at five am and down the m6 then took the toll road and then the m42 to get to the m5 longer but much quicker soecialls with thetnight time rosd closures. We then headed diwn past our film spots at ross on wye and monmouth and then west to the head of the valleys and eventually to swansea about a quarter to ten am. It was really easy filming at swansea bus station about ninety minutes and iiwas finished, the sun was spot on for it and lots of activity. Then we went west to haverford west where I got a few minutes with quite a variety of operators, then back to carmsrthen and the sky was a mix of rain clouds and sunshine challenging conditions. Thankfullu the road closure had been lifted when we came back from haverford west, I think it must have been a spillage but we only lost ten minutes. Then aslowgrind down against the rush hour traffic to swansea docks area and the village hotel. Tomorrow we hope to cover Bridgend and pontypridd then onto the hotel in Cardiff ready for the opera at the Wales millennium center. It's a long one nearly four hours and we dine at four pm. I'm going to see if there are any national trust properties we could visit on our way home sunday. I made a mess of uploading just one of the many new digital downloads and reloaded it but not before two people had tried to download, sods law in isn't it! Still I now know what to check when I do them. New releases will include the south and west Wales bus film and Swansea plus the three crick films from Thursday. I may not have time to blog tomorrow, orders will go out monday unless you want to download! Clic here to edit.

A great trip to Crick Drift1&2 today, well this morning mainly. I got up at 6.30 left 7 and was parked up at Crick for 9am, not bad. I went over the A50, the congestion at the M1 wasn't bad as south bound traffic at Derby/Nottingham was gridlock so not much on the road south where I joined and swiftly down with any problems. The weather got better as I neared my destination, clear blue sky most of the morning, came over cloudy lunch time. I gave up about 2.30 and had lunch at Stobarts cafe. Some amazing shots loads of Stobarts , Eddie and a few Willie and Malcolms etc. Friendly drivers, lots of thumbs up, lights flashing, a few hoots. Really went well, very pleased with the results and lots of still photos as well as three hours of video. This will all go on the shop as DVD and downloads early next week as tomorrow we head down to Pembrokeshire for Haverfordwest and Carmarthen following on from our last trip which got us as far as Cardigan.

The digital downloads are going well, just learning what to check to make sure they have fully loaded on the site as there isnt really anything positive to tell you, the characters go from capitals to small I think. Anyway I'm glad its working and people are using it, only £8 a download and instant. No waiting for the post, no lost envelopes. Ditto the downloaded still photos, all there for the asking. Here are some shots from this morning, todays orders will go in the post box when we go round to the pub later for our Thursday night drinks. Up very early tomorrow to head south west, weather less than ideal but as we are at the theater in Cardiff Saturday it seemed daft not to do it, getting to the far flung corners takes a lot more effort and luck than swift jaunts within a day of home.

Really glad to have the horrific experience that is Loughborough firmly behind us now. Today it was the Polio Fellowship visit to The Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire. It was found to be of more interest than most members expected plus the weather was glorious for autumn finishing with a clear blue sky. We had a flurry of overnight DVD orders which I got sorted before breakfast and then did the posting and on to Ellesmere Port which was unusually for us on a Wednesday, our meetings are normally on a Thursday and unlike last month there was no queue at the barbers shop. I needed some thin wire to rehang a couple of ceramic plates which had fallen in the guest bedroom, never easy as you would think the EP market was shuttered, must close on Wednesdays.

On to M&S for food on Thursday and Sunday, between then we'll be filming in South West Wales and Sat night at the Wales Millennium Centre for the WNO production of Prokofiev's War & Peace. I must have a look at tomorrow's weather and see if I can manage some lorry film anywhere within a couple of hours drive, today repeated would be nice. Then early Friday we head first to Swansea working our way west to Haverford West and this joins up with our previous excursion so far unpublished. We should be able to get a bit more done Saturday morning, nothing booked by way of hotel for Friday.

We got the reminder to pay for the Vakona Lodge in Madagascar in advance of our November visit, a trip to the bank they don't take cards and need it in Euros. I have also gained yet another film shoot for the November 11th ceremony/evening at St Oswalds, doing this a week Friday as Mandy already has a hospital appointment that day. Today's visit gives our many transport fan / readers something different with a look at the boat museum, strange to think we used to get some machining work done there on vintage machines for work, I don't think the top brass would have approved. So over to the museum

I went to film Leicester today, the weather was atrocious but faired up as I got nearer but it turned to a persistent drizzle which last most of the morning finally fading away just before lunchtime. There was a fellow enthusiast there from London who I'd met before, very nice chap. The brolly I got last winter in Buxton when trying to film the lorries in snow came into its own  and fitted into the top pocket in my coat and balanced above me and the camera, I could have done with an extra hand but this arrangement did keep me filming and I eventually got what I needed. No hassles in  Leicester, even the passing police cars waved back! The grotty car park has had a bit of a makeover, perhaps they read my blogs. The advertising revenue on Youtube has tumbled yet again, I guess it's a seasonal blip as it did this after Christmas at New Year, worrying none the less as we've a big trip coming up to Reunion and Madagascar which needs financing but I've not booked anything else abroad this autumn partly as time is scarce and funds are low. No more online DVD downloads as yet but I'll keep adding more films, when it's advertised  there show be more interest. Remember just £8 a go instead of £13. Tomorrow we have the Polio Fellowship trip to Ellesmere Port boat museum after which I'll try and get an article together for their journal.

After Leicester I thought I'd go on to Loughborough which was interesting for buses last time I went, never again that I do promise. It is really the worst place I've experienced for years. I saw a young chap being dragged through the town but three blokes, looked like he had a disability, they reckoned he was a shop lifter, the arrival of the police probably intercepted a lynch mob egged on by the inmates of the Bell Foundry pub, the occupants of which looked like they could do with some treatment. The police finally got the accused away from the store security chaps who seemed to have got very carried away with their rights of a citizens arrest, more like a good duffing up! A lot of towns don't even follow shop lifting up. The town is also about 90% immigrant, very rare to hear English anywhere although the Bell Foundry pub does a lot of Anglo Saxon!. I've offered the film to the police if they want to prosecute the store security, one had Mitie on his sheet, our works cleaners were from them. The buses had gone very dull, Paul Winson buses seem to have almost dried up other than school work. Had a good run back even though it takes in the A50 and M6 roadworks, quiet really for rush hour. Shots here from Leicester. Remember on Youtube if you don't watch an advert for 30 seconds at least we get nothing at all for your visit and your free entertainment!

A blog to cover two days as we had Hil and Sean staying over from Ireland for a funeral and taking the opportunity of a catch up with friends. Yesterday morning we had a respite from the torrential rain showers we've had over the past few days which mean that the MTT bus running day at Liverpool Pier Head, Mann island got off to a great start but looking at the sky i made sure my care was parked as near as possible in the event of rain which paid off big style at lunch time. I'm just burning the master film of the event and loading up to our shop the digital download version of the Ultra Bus Spot Hull  which is already on the shop in DVD version, I want to put a link on Youtube to the digital versions. This is the first to have both formats uploaded at the same time.

Mandy has just dropped off this mornings post which was a very varied selection going all over the world. Hil and Sean got away just before lunch time. We are of course still waiting for the results of Mandy's CT scan from last Wednesday. The weather at the running day went downhill after I'd had an enjoyable cab ride out in a Merseyside Leyland Panther, a friend is finishing of restoration of an Eastbourne example - they are thin on the ground and I didn't want to miss the opportunity. When we got back to the Pier Head the clouds looked ominous, I though about a brew but the queues were lengthy at the stall on the corner and then it started to spot with rain and looked as if it would throw it down which is what happened so I dashed to the car and escaped a ducking and headed home as Hil and Sean were arriving, great timing as I just got in before them. Great company for the afternoon and evening. Here are some shots from the running day.

The rain may have come down all day long and yesterday was similar but we have our fingers crossed for next week, trying for truck film Tuesday and Thursday and then Friday and Sat morning in South West Wales for buses picking up at Haversford West and following on from our previous visit which didn't quite reach an hour of film. I've needless to say been busy and today the long promised Bus Spot Ultra Kingston upon Hull was produced, it took several hours and a lot of pruning down and it still runs 110 minutes! I need to get the cover designed and I'll put some clips on Youtube tonight although we are planning to relax with the full evening from the last night of the proms. I've also put on more download films, it is building up nicely after just a few days, at £8 each download it offers considerable savings.

Sometime we need to get out into the old rally stock and get the sales items sorted into order as we will be running down the rally stock of low numbered items and we can use them over time to fulfill orders although many will need the disc printing and a new cover but it would be a shame to just throw them away, offering them at just £5 didn't work, if its not what you want is no good however cheap it is. The same will apply for the truck rally stock and eventually to Scottish and Irish stock. Perhaps one day we will just have a tent to chat with people and sit down in the dry or shade. Just the one Showbus rally left to go this year.

Quite nice to think that battling through Christmas traffic to Boyle St is behind us. Anything i want to see now I can go as a punter, the rally scene has really dried up for a lot of people although there will always be a forum for certain items at them. We have quite a lot of printed photos to depose of as well, we now of course offer them as digital downloads and the prints are just a distraction and liability now we have the tent. Lots of stuff still to do as ever but I also made inroads into the photo files awaiting filing away, I've almost got everything from this year done although that does leave some from 2014 on wards to sort! Then I need to upload yet again to the Smugmug site. I'm glad I got the Amazon site up to date yesterday, a mammoth job as I hadn't done it since June so lots of DVDs to add. I haven't really given EBay much thought, I'd better tackle it soon, its the one weak link, doesn't have all our 2500 plus films on it and it is awful to load up on. I'm hoping to get to the Liverpool running day tomorrow, very mixed weather though yet again, I'll check again before I leave in the morning. Meanwhile with Hull in mind..