We are glad to announce that two of the three 'new' archive features are now released and on the shop, none of the material on the nostalgia programme has ever been seen in public before and the same applies to 80% of the London material. The third in this weeks release schedule has the images complete, I need to do an intro and some narration and add a sound track. This covers the replacement of the original tube trains on the Isle of Wight and their replacements arriving. It fits in well with recent developments which will see another batch of rebuilt cars from London replacing the 1938 stock.

Another first today was the uploading to our Youtube channel of two clips from our video in Glasgow taken in 1992 when I was working at Grangemouth refinery. The Topaz software takes forever to work its magic but the results are quite stunning giving 50fps and sharp wide-screen format they really feel as if they were taken on a digital camera rather than video 8 the first of the smaller tape media to an large extent replacing VHS for film work. Please do have a look at them. As my next challenge I'm going to see what it can make of some 1986 video, that will take some doing.

The weather has been awful the worst day of the week so far, tropical rain fell mid afternoon but thankfully no flooding. The next film outing will be to Wythall for the Midland Red running day.

I don't think the weather will ever be suitable for filming this week so it was a good thing I'd three archives ready to edit, just one on the underground stock on the Isle of Wight and then hopefully I'll get something at Wythall Midland Red running day on Sunday. I've put a few things on EBay as we try to de clutter the house a bit in preparation for the new carpets although Lewis's rang yet again and have changed the bedroom carpet installation for the third time, thankfully that doesn't impact on my hospital hernia operation. I certainly don't like the temperature tumbling, really got an autumn feel about it now.

We have got quite a few household and family tasks done today which bites into editing time. The clip I gave the treatment to on the new AI software worked well enough but really you can't pick a grotty film and make it that much better. I'll watch the introduction videos again now I've got a feel for how it works and what it can and cannot do. It certainly takes forever doing it, 8 minutes took 13 hours. I'm going to use the treated clips on Youtube, they'll be filed digitally and ready but doing an hours tape full might tie my editing deck up for a week.

As soon as I get the covers done for the latest archive DVDs I'll get them on the shop. Meanwhile some more from the trip last week prior to Showbus, this is Luton.

A lot of news today, Ive firstly managed to get one of my planned archives finished, it starts a new theme under the tickety Boo production banner meaning that all the material was scanned to HD and is on widescreen, it is Nobody Does Nostalgia Like The Brits', with 1970s coverage of HCVC buses, Blackpool Trams and live steam trains on BR track. It should be on the PMP shop tomorrow once I've done the cover.

Next important news, I've managed to download the files for the AI based Topaz software which allows us to enhance the old videos to modern looking formats with speeds up to 60 fps and de noised, cleaned up, sharpened , reveals more detail ext. Filling in the gaps is where artificial intelligence comes into play and is just one part in a process which needs an ordinary editing suite like we already use then this further treatment which is actually first, the soundtrack isn't touched and is removed to treat it as it slows the process down. It can be reunited before the online final editing. The really old films in black and white can be coloured but the software is still in the making with no Windows compatible version its all in DOS at present but is sure to be ready soon. I'll leave a file to convert overnight, it takes between 20-30 hours to complete!

I've still got to get a news letter compiled for the Polio Fellowship branch members advising of the next regular meeting which sees us back in harness after the C....... I managed to get fuel today at Middlewich, there should also be fuel in Holmes Chapel by tonight so getting back to normal, just hugely inflated prices now, hard to imagine it was under a quid last year in lock downs. A lot of chores on the list and the transport stuff never ends. I'm also scanning some of Dave Forrest's 50' cine reels in between other jobs.

Meanwhile some more shots from last weeks filming, all the DVDs are ready and first orders for Showbus have been received and are ready to post. I also got November Bus mag advert done, pushing the lucky dip boxes. Here are shots from Aylesbury.

I like to think I'm fairly aware of scams but I'd never had one via Trust Pilot. The scam works that they monitor the likes of poor reviews on Trust Pilot for say Paypal, Amazon,EBay etc then contact you getting your details from Trust Pilot and then offer to get you a refund or money back. Then ask you to go to a site ( which had no obvious link to Paypal). Alarm bells rang in my dense head and I threated to call the police and they hung up, bet the cops couldn't run them down though most likely Manilla or Mumbai. Well I learnt a lesson there thankfully I engaged my brain just in time but this seems quite common and I doubt if many people realise it. Also companies pay Trust Pilot to have their reviews and in turn are helping scammers, so next time you see the Trust pilot sign on an advert be aware of what it could really mean. Also I came a cropper with an advert on Facebook, hopefully get my money back via Nat West card cover - another outfit who care little about you and offer no protection, I was always wary of them so stay alert.

I've just finished after 8 hours piecing together the long weekend filming. The list on the shop front page is already updated and here are the covers, the films should be on the PMP shop tonight or tomorrow and here are the covers.

Some more photos from the weekend

Short of fuel, the BBC news tonight perkily announced that not all parts of the country are affected, Rural Scotland and Northern Ireland have no problem. Well thats sorted that out ij the mind of Mr Johnson. The Tories started all this and half the voters wanted Brexit. Beware what you wish. Frankly though I wouldn't trust Labour at all now. Perhaps the all anarchist adage still stands, don't vote, it only encourages them!

Although the number of vehicles was less than a regular year so much has happened and just to have Showbus back at all was fantastic and a chance to meet up with so many friends, viewers and customers and many of you fit all three categories. It is humbling to find that we kept so many people sane in the lock downs working their way through our thousands of advertising clips on Youtube. Remember that the end result which helps us survive is to sell the DVD or digital downloads. The latter reminds me I've some catching up to do. Its been a long day so lets just cut to the chase and have a look at some arrivals early this morning at the Herts Showground at St Albans.

Our bags are packed and we are ready to go, Mandy is just  putting some clothes in the weekend bay, I've added some lucky dip boxes as we seem to have plenty of room in the car. We can actually carry 30 boxes of DVD stock but I've only put in 21, we are just getting used to being in the back of a car again, lucky Mandy's Jazz carries quite a lot. It really suits our age now, my hernia and crumbling spine. At least the hernia gets fixed 25th October, not much they can do about a spine, I just get a little bit shorter each year.

Household maintenance took up some time today but I've finished the OTA cine scanning ready to return when I go down to Shrewsbury in October. I've another collection to re-do to HD scan and thats going to take some time. When its Detling weekend I'll pop in and see my friend John Bishop and probably swap around some cine to again re-scan to HD.

We had a huge delivery of media today, discs and cases, the office looks very full good job it was bin day, got rid of all the cardboard. They are going to charge us soon for taking the garden waste but as the council has waste land untended at the back of our garden I think it would make an ad hoc compost heap. Anyway back to discs and DVDs we should be safe if there are interruptions to the supply chain, probably enough to see us through to the spring.

I had to touch up the lounge paint after the fitting of the new wall lamps, much better light suitable for ageing eyes. We did our normally Friday banking and I put a contribution through to our local platinum jubilee celebrations for next June. All DVD orders were sent out this morning, next posting Monday. Probably see some people out with cameras the next couple of days, don't be afraid of saying hello!

With space to spare I've put a few more promotional archive features in and that will be it. Not a big stand mind you just 6' booked so we might have to scramble under the table, fingers crossed they aren't too tight with the space in the traders marquee.
We can also announce two more archive productions behind the next part on London Transport, these will be firstly on the replacement of the first generation of ex LT tube stock on the IOW with the third generation now going over and having some film I decided to use it. The other will be nobody does nostalgia like Britain, three sections buses on the London to Bright ( all new images) then trains on preserved steam railways and finally trams in action at Blackpool all from the 1970's.

Remembering Showbuses past that's the slide show tonight, next blog Monday.

A hard slog today getting the gap filled with DVDs produced before Covid right up to date and we shall aim to have 20 DVD boxes plus some Lucky Dip Bus Boxes and promotions of archive stock introduced during the lockdowns. We have several bags of goodies ready fort those who have pre ordered their DVDs to collect on the day. We have decided that the weather looks good for the weekend and will be down on Friday and Saturday filming prior to Showbus. Possible locations include Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Luton, Stevenage and St Albans. We won't have time for them all but we'll so our best to to get as much as possible. I've been busy scanning more cine film and I was hoping to get the latest London Transport era added to the series I seem to have wandered in to in lock down. This will be 1970-84 the LTE GLC era with the country routes going to the NBC and chopped up into new districts. I've plenty of material and it will be made but I doubt if I have time tomorrow to get it done for Showbus.

The Lebanese electrician came today to install our new lounge lighting, the sparkie was really bowled over by my models and diramas. The new lights give much better illumination and hopefully last longer than the rubbish we got from John Lewis. We were glad to hear that the RNCM is at last opening for concerts and I was frustrated to find that the main pop event was within a week of my operation and I wouldn't want to be uncomfortable. The opera dates are released and we hope that Brodskys restaurant opens up by then.I have a plethora of jobs to do before the operation as we have new carpets coming and the main bedroom wants decorating before then and all the drawers and cupboards in the lounge need moving.

So with the time whizzing by and boy do I need a rest I leave you with a look at Hertsfordshire and Bucks buses and perhaps hope to meet at least some of you at Showbus, it's about time it got back to the prestigious event it once was.

A day of non stop catch up with thousand upon thousand of photos added to the PMP Sumgmug shop, links via the shop landing page , we are now back to spring 2021 and closing in on the previous uploads. I've also been tackling the mammoth task of producing sales stock to fill the 2 year gap of the Corona pandemic when we had no shop sales at the counter and didn't replenish old or add new stock. This has now been corrected and tomorrow I'll be putting covers on hundreds of DVDs which will slot into our rally sales stock. This will form the basis of our offering at Showbus on Sunday and also we shall have special displays of some of the archive films we brought out during the pandemic and a few of our very popular lucky dip boxes which have now started getting repeat orders and I'll add some quotes on those who were kind enough to feed back on them. I think they will be ideal for Christmas presents.

The scanning of archive cine film also continues and I'm just about ready to look at an addition to London on film series to the LTE GLC era. So a very hectic period which will continue and include decorating and emptying rooms for new carpets all before my hernia op on October 25th. I will be a visitor at Wythall for the Midland Red day which looks as if it will be a great show. Looking forward to Showbus, its a long time since it was this near to London other than the run past last year.

I suppose the biggest bus news at present is the bid by National Express to purchase the Stagecoach Group, hold the paint back then! Anyway I'll leave you will National Express for the moment.

I'm just starting to edit some London Transport bus material which takes our LT coverage to the LTE GLC era and it looks a right treat, so I'm really hoping to get it launched at Showbus. Its our last family day today with my sister returning home tomorrow. After that we'll get out the stock we completed ready for Lathalmond and replenish and extend back and forward to get the most we can for the 'stock' and we'll have the DVDs which people have asked to be reserved. We'll also have a selection of some archive material from the lock down period. Meanwhile tonight we'll draw to a close our look at Ireland on the blog, the DVDs are all on the shop.

Today we visited Tatton Park with both mansion and gardens. The house is not at all accessible although when we visited the garden the lady there reckoned they should have directed us differently and downstairs was accessible. The cafe was hidden away and we thought the takeaway was the only choice, once again the lady at the gardens pointed us in the right direction and a great afternoon tea was served and a cross country scooter was loaned at the gardens to access this part of a day which really got better as it went on and to some extent ditto the weather.

All DVD orders are complete and ready to send out in the morning, I think we are looking at Cheshire Oaks shopping outlet for tomorrow, we are just preparing for Sunday evening roast, meanwhile back on the road we are at Clonmel in Tipperary for the trucks.