there were some very colouful and we'll presented lorries all of which looked especially good in the bright sunshine. I was hoping to get some of the school bus traffic at laganside bus station but along came the dreaded taxis and blocked the view. I think I will try the junctions sussed out towards the depot on shore road, there was a good trickle of busds coming from that direction while I was filming lorries. It is cloudy first thing I'll try at europabus station but itis quiet in the day and cross border buses much diminished..
It started outCout cloudyhcloudy whichtwhich wasewas fine for filming buses and then with clear blue sky and warm sunshine it was just the job for filming lorries in our usual spot. Belfast like other capitals such Cardiff and London was a bit of a ghost town although there was plenty of traffic in the outskirts. I'm hoping it will be similar tomorrow but we need to find something formsndy to do, the shopping delights of Belfast are quite limited. There are rough sleeps all over the city and people seem to flout the parking regulations with immunity and the traffic wardens don't seem to care. Once again the frontage to the city hall on Donegal square was just a taxi drop of point and then four lads in a car pulled in, the driver threwup and ditched his mask and zoomed off.
there were some very colouful and we'll presented lorries all of which looked especially good in the bright sunshine. I was hoping to get some of the school bus traffic at laganside bus station but along came the dreaded taxis and blocked the view. I think I will try the junctions sussed out towards the depot on shore road, there was a good trickle of busds coming from that direction while I was filming lorries. It is cloudy first thing I'll try at europabus station but itis quiet in the day and cross border buses much diminished.. Time to move againCagain after our two day stayhstay at Bishopsgate hotel in Derry. We stopped briefly in limavady then on to Coleraine and finally to Bangor. Really other than the morning and evening bus operations there is little activity outside of Belfast although Derry keeps you busy too, nothing much to do with the pandemic it has been going downhill for years but still provided an interesting contrast with other parts of the UK and unique I. Having a government bus service. We are now at the storming hotel just east of Belfast served by frequent glider services. Tomorrow depending on the weather which should be pleasant enough I'll be filming trucks and buses or perhaps I'll alternate. The hotel room is suitably plush but nowhere to put sash bags in bathroom and no towel rails, I think such luxuries went making it a disabled accessible room. They aren't servicing rooms every day etching up to standard of Bishopsgate or oranmoore in Ballymena. I expect Mandy will concentrate on shops on the city tomorrow. The net has-been quiet so it looks as if people have read that we are away. Orders will next go out on Monday..
We stillCstill havehhave severaltseveral days left in ourineedour one week oversea holiday fun filming trip in Northern Ireland. We seemed to dodge any localised showers and enjoyed a great deal of sun shine. We headed south from Derry and did a little filming in Strabane then to Omagh , a bit more thereolus a coffee stop. Then we headed through the lakes to Belleek although it was a shadow of itself in the pottery and we bought nothing, their cafe was shut as we're factory tours. A few yards in the Republic and then on the road down to Enniskillen where we arrived in good time to capture the whole afternoon school services event, we sawsimilsr in Omagh on. Previous trip so knew what to expect and there was certainly a lot of action and a depleted depot after the second round of departures plus of course the education dept buses in yellow which don't use the bus station all this and a few coaches. Then with satnav leading us to ever more narrow roads we had to divert because of a herd of houses. Well Mandy insists that's what the farmer said! We are now back at our hotel Bishopsgate in Derry, not long for dinner, we've tried to show some restraint on food consumption dito drinks. Tomorrow we leave heading east through limavady then Coleraine and possible Antrim for the afternoon school event then on to the stormont hotel opposite the infamous government building, they are all shielding from Corona so I doubt if we shall bump into many famous people. I have all day Thursday and Friday to cover both buses and lorries and the weather outlook is still good.
Sewers firstCfirst down forhfor breakfasttbreakfast this morningemorning, Mandy then went back to our delightful little cottage suite while I settled the biil. It turned into a bit of a nightmare as the card was declined three times. The lovely hotel owner wasn't bothered at all and said we could phone it through the next day but obviously we wanted it sorted especially in the aftermath of Mandy's card being compromised last month. It turned out that it was the Weebly subscription for our shop site etc from which the blog comes. Anyway it was eventually sorted but I lost time which would have been devoted to the bus station at Ballymena. In the event I got a few mixed services including a couple of trains as well. Then we drive across to Derry, there is anew road being built alongside the A6 which slowed us down. The weather was quite warm and Adair bit of sun around the outlook for the remainder of our week seems mostly dry and bright. Absent in Derry are bus eireane buses, saw just one as we had packed up, cross border is north west coachways and mcdonagles might have spent that wrong but got three on service to buncrana. Anyway a good count of buses achieved so tomorrow we may venture to other west of province locations down the border to spread our Ulster coverage. Lorry coverage will start when we are in Belfast for three nights. Again hoping for a busy bus scene , it looked good when we came through on Friday afternoon but I doubt if there will be much cross border traffic judging by today's results. Looks like a comfortable couple of nights coming up, we are in the heart of the city right next to one of the gates in the walks, we are actually booked in on a gormet break! Wel bring you more tomorrow.
WeCWe werehwere reallytreally luckyelucky with the weather today which was perhaps even better than the forecast and especially useful as we had done our first online booking for a national trust visit. This was the last of the large properties that we have visited in Northern Ireland cover the years. It was a bit hard going for Mandy with shingle oaths, a mix of wheelchair and walking, thankfully the present show rooms are all on the ground floor, the gardens still looked great and temp was about 21c. It's our last night in Ballymena tomorrow I intend getting shots at the bus station before we head west to Derry. The weather will be warm still but more cloudy and a chance of rain after lunchtime. I'll have most of the next day so no panic but I do have my cheap Chinese brolly ready. I think we have exhausted the dinner menu at our present hotel but I'm sure we'll manage, they had all the hens running around the grounds when we got back from Downpatrick, we came back via the busy strangford ferry and recalled lots of earlier trips when we had stayed on the ards peninsular. I had an awfultime this morning battling with Amazon, they treat people like something they have tried in on the pavement, if people were to use the PMP shop we could drop the Amazon shop which is nerve wracking and takes a huge chunk out of sales which comes used to further our film coverage.
WellCWell wehwe had ata superbesuperb meal in our lovely hotel just up the road from Ballymena bus statio , I'll get some shots on Monday morning before we leave for the drive across to Derry. Today we refreshed our memories of the North Antrim coastal route, this starts at Larne and we enjoyed slightly blustery conditions but quite sunny, that lasted until mid afternoon and then the rain came down. By the time we got back to the hotel it was nearly tea time so have chilled out with a brew and old films, dinner at seven thirty. The breakfasts could be daunting but we have tried to limit our intake, perhaps just two courses for dinner tonight. I think I spotted just four buses today,certainly no open toppers to giants causeway. We managed to get a booking for national trust castle ward, that's tomorrow's trip out. Monday I get stuck into transport again. Very relaxing so far, couldn't have picked a better hotel, red squirrels as well in grounds, service topnotch and we have a little suite in a sort of cottage next to their courtyard. The central heating is now getting us toastie warm. Remember any dvd orders go out a week Monday but there are digital downloads and nearly half a million stills also available as downloads.
A fourCfour amham starttstart andeand away by four thirty with quiet roads we made good progress up the M6 and then across to cairnryan. So arriving early we than found out that the ferry was going to be late, thankfully I had a new book with me. The weather turned very wet but dried up to sunshine as we eventually cross ed the Irish sea. It wasn't that far to our hotel. We have a very impressive little suite with a lounge and kitchenette. There are hens in the grounds in the outskirts of Ballymena. We are eating here tonight and then face an Ulster breakfast which I'm sure is going to be delightful. A really nice place with a cosy feel of log fires and central heating, a good relaxing start to our stay. The buses seem busy everywhere. Tomorrow we'll do a coastal run across North Antrim. Then Sunday we have managed to navigate the national trust booking site to visit castle ward property the only house open as the rest just seem to be grounds only. Then Monday I want to cover Ballymena early buses including the many additional ones on school duties, they have seperated the service buses from school buses where they are normally the same bus shared. Then we'll go on to Derry and catch on buses and the next day am buses before we drive back to Belfast no doubt with stops on route. That then leave Thursday Friday and Saturday morning based around Belfast area for both lorries and buses. Everything subject to weather which can be a fickle thing in these parts. I'll report in tomorrow good internet at the oranmore where we are staying.
We shall be a bit bleary eyed as we arrive in Northern Ireland tomorrow as we will be getting up at 4am and driving up through Scotland but arrive early afternoon at our hotel in Ballymena. The weekend will be mainly sightseeing but I've my hi vis vest ready with the camera lest we pass any depots along the way and have managed to negotiate the National Trust booking system to visit Castle Ward near Downpatrick on Sunday. After leaving Ballymena Monday we shall make out way to Derry and have two nights there, fingers crossed for some fair weather to catch up on the bus scene there, its a shame we cannot travel in to Donegal but the ROI required us to self quarantine for two weeks if we hop over the border. Some locals restrictions are coming in for Ballymena but won't be a problem for us as we shall eat and drink in the hotel. Hoping for a fairly relaxing time ready to then come back to Belfast and stay at the Stormont hotel, I shall be getting a lot of film in Belfast of both buses and trucks I hope. I've my ipad with me so will blog as often as I can but my limited resources on computers mean no photos so tonight a double whammy as I went to film lorries at Stoke on the D road today and have two new DVDs plus the new releases from South Wales. Oops net so busy computer falling asleep I'll have to do the photos another time. All these DVDs are already on the PMP shop I have filmed down on Newport and Cardiff and then on to Pontrypridd and Blackwood. It was an early start yesterday and the weather not quite what was on the forecast but I carrried on regardless. I was amazed at how quiet it was in Newport, a visit spoilt by two very nasty characters who emerged from Friars Walk shopping centre, the carbuncle which is next to the new bus station. A passing police car and I managed to flag them down, they young coppers had a word with the duo but after the police left they came for me again - they were meant to be shopping center security but were mindless thugs, I visited the police station after retrieving my car and made a complaint. I then left Newport perhaps never to return. There was one really nice chap, the road sweeper driver, spotted a screw fall from my tripod and gave chase to return it, the one good thing I shall remember. Cardiff was also very weird, half the city was blocked off and security and lots of bollards around, I ended up parking at St Davids shopping mall, then had a job getting out, I hate those malls, an American invention. Anyway the buses although very quiet were still a notch up on Newport where there could only had been 30% of services, Cardiff must have been about 6-70%. I finally got an hour of film and headed up to Pontypridd, much more lively and friendly, the bus scene was if anything busier than usual. In Wales they don't wear face masks even in shops or on the buses, no wonder the infections are going up. Met some really pleasant folk, including two who had kids who were mad on buses, two separate families. I think everyone underrated the value of a much loved mode of transport, there they are still being told to avoid it. For my last shots I decided to visit Blackwood and it was again very busy, the car park was free until Jan 2021 which in view of the lock down starting that night it being under Caerphilly it seems a wise choice to get anyone out to the shops at all. Once again lots of friendly bus drivers and folk I passed and had quick chats with. Blackwood and Caerphilly are a model that Newport should follow. Clips are on Youtube tonight. I've edited the DVDs. On Friday we travel up through Scotland to get the ferry to Belfast, half film trip and half holiday, it will probably be our only over the sea trip. Staying at a mix of Stormont, Ballymena and Derry. Hoping to get a lots of lorry film and of course the buses especially as we drive round the country and hope the Corona nonsense hasn't made the depots turn away bus spotters. We come back the following Saturday. Some pictures starting with Pontypridd and Blackwood, New Adventre is now the fleetname of the company which is part of the NAT Group, some rebranding of fleetnames, others nameless! The endless problems with the Chinese scanner goes on and gets more expensive with tax and postage, the replacement machine for the last new but faulty one is also faulty. Work on the new showcase is really complete other than fitting the glazing when the perspex arrives, possibly next week while we are away. I'll need to get a move on with the dioramas then! The cine film scanner has arrived, I haven't had a chance to unpack it and certainly not to try it out. I won't fall for copying numerous films with making sure it is performing correctly this time. I have been putting the finishing touches to the display cabinet, this was the runners for the glazing, also filling in to give built in look to unit which will require a light sanding and exterior surfaces painted gloss white to match the finish of the first phase. The glazing will be about 7-10 working days, the price has risen horrendously due to the demand for perspex worldwide in Corona precautions in shops etc. I've uploading quite a lot of films as digital download, still a few more but they seemed to load fast. A big hurrah as I managed to get the refund from the parcel carrier MyHermes which actually came via Parcel2Go which is an offshoot of the same company but seems to have better access for customers. I also sorted out several domestic household account queries which had accumulated. The phone went quite a lot but thankfully none were scam calls. I am off filming in South Wales tomorrow, cloud forecast which suits me quite well in the autumn, no worry about unwanted shadows. My first bus film trip to Wales since the Pandemic started. The weather for our proposed trip to Northern Ireland next week seems to be reasonable with light cloud and rain just one afternoon , we will make a decision Wednesday night on booking the ferry and hotels. If this goes ahead then our shops will be suspended on Amazon, holiday setting on EBay and out own shop open for receipt of orders. I will be nice to be away 'overseas', it will also take us into Scotland en route and when we return we shall be looking at trips to Scotland later in September or more likely in October. Photo selection this evening from the Bradford visit last week. |
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