This winter we will hopefully be bringing you a variety of archive features with a dip into several series which have been ongoing. Another, the second in Nobody Does Nostalgia Like The Brits, then we'll have a new Down Your Way. There will be features on Crosville and Ribble and perhaps first When Merseyside was green, a look back at Merseybus. There may well be a Merseybus independents if I get time. So a lot to come and if the weather dies down from the storms and floods this week we should be making headway again on the current bus and truck scenes. Awful weather still howling wind and driving rain.

Friday I get my clips/stitches removed which should make life more comfortable. I've been scanning films galore this week, a few more to go and I hope to have a break and perhaps start the third diorama the one which will soak up the truck models with docks and a distribution centre. We have the new bedroom carpet coming in on Thursday and in the afternoon same day, its our third Queens Platinum jubilee committee meeting at Plumleys cafe. We had a joint Benifice service this morning at St Lawrence's our small sister church in Over Peover, a bigger congregation than they are used to.

To get us further in the Merseyside mood some scenes from those happy days of Merseybus

The external drive I used to shuffle files between computers went corrupt and wouldn't work on anything. A lot of files but none really that cannot be found again elsewhere, it was just a handy tool, formatted it works again fine but then I realised that although I'd filed away all 22 of Dave Forrests films that I've scanned in the last week, 2 of the OTA films were on it, those I'll have to rescan but as disasters go it isn't too bad. I do keep back ups once filed on ext drivers this caught in a gap between the two. Another lesson learned.

We went and got our booster jabs at Hartford near Northwich, Mandy was booked, I chanced it after giving up with doctors, internet and 119 tel line, none of these would recognise me, the nice nurse at the centre just added me as a walk in. Job done, nothing like face to face to sort stuff.

I got the two London Underground films finished, about time too, I gave up with the artificial intelligence software, it isn't as good as I had hoped and echoing some comments I've seen it can appear digitised and plastic, all too much for the human eye. I'll try again some time and another couple of hundred quid paid out. I'll let others do the experimenting. The covers are attached for the new DVDs and they are already on the PMP shop.

I gave up trying to feed all the first of the London Tube films through AI as it was going to take days to render and would hold all other activities up while it was on the computer. I'll put the 8mm derived cine through it on the second volume and hopefully over the weekend have both ready for covers and listing.

I put the next 4 reels of Dave Forrests work through to file, some very nice shots especially in Perth in the early days of Stagecoach. Then there were the likes of Gash at Newark and Taff Ely plus FLFs with Eastern Scottish at Edinburgh not to mention up the east coast from Lincolnshire to Aberdeen. All good stuff and plenty more Merseyside material so much better for scanning compared with the old ways of copying, some deterioration of the images from time, damp and type of film.

The weather was again wet and very windy, what a rotten week, I hope to be out filming again next week although Thursday and Friday are taken up with other stuff. Mandy gets her booster jab tomorrow, I've been told I can't get mine until the 4th November weird as I had the last one the day after Mandy back in April. We had to clean up at home as cleaners off with Covid. We had some banking and shopping to do but not too many DVD orders this week after the earlier rush.

I'm mindful that I'll reset the Youtube site to no comments allowed, why people can't be supportive I don't know, its usually the ones who have nothing to offer themselves at all, I just need negative stuff at my age. The bruises are now turning to yellow, look quite nice with the black and blue! Still hurting, I'm told its better when the plastic clips are removed.

I have got a good few more digital downloads loaded on the shop although not many seem to be interested, is it worth the bother, I thought it might be the way forward. I need to get more clips on Youtube that only really happens when I've been able to be out filming.

A few shots from Grimsby tonight, why, I was just filing some 1980s film so it made me think of it. Taken 2014.

The only delay with these London Underground films is the time it takes to render through the AI software Topaz. Fingers crossed the first covering the 1930's to 50's may well be finished tomorrow evening. I've already nearly completed the editing on the second one but back to that question of time and all this is without upgrading it to 60 fps, anyway as much of it is so old and the images have been enhanced perhaps that's enough for the minute.

We were out shopping otherwise I've been editing and scanning cine so that has kept me occupied all day. The post operative pain is now really in the wound so much more specific a couple of paracetamol and it is pain free, the only pain relief I've tried and it worked. We both got a much better nights sleep. The weather has still been mild but gusty and next wet, really little hope of getting anything other than archives done tomorrow. I've got about 4 hours of the two collections I'm working on so they need filing and identifying which can be fun if you are a non rail person like myself and it can be all  trains. Buses is a far easy task and I've got notes for a lot of it.

Its good to be making progress on several front, another archive feature will be Merseyside   80-90's with the pale green livery similar if not identical to that used in West Yorkshire. Its pub night, not sure how a couple of pints will go down but all systems seem to be working so nothing ventured..... Not that many orders today, I've got my appointment to have the clips removed from the wound and the 2 month check up with the consultant. We are also due our booster jabs, we tried doing it by phone, chap seemed a bit lost and not that with it so perhaps we'll try online tomorrow and perhaps this time we'll get the two of us together at the same place and time for once, albeit the flu jab was like that and went like clockwork at the health centre.

We'll get back out and about sooner or lter, plenty of locations still on the film list for 2021. Meanwhile for those missing their daily dose of lorries here is a look back at the scene in 2016 at Crick.

I don't have a lot to bring you tonight but thats not to say that I haven't been busy and considering it was only the second day after the operation I'm well pleased with progress all round. I've managed to get some more digital downloads on the PMP shop. We had four bags of post go out this morning albeit much quieter today. I've scanned several reels of cine and completed the first of two London Underground films. The first covers the period up to the 1950s and really is the black and white era with just one clip in colour. The remainder will all be colour from film we have scanned. I need to do an intro etc, I'm also trying to process some with AI but 10 minutes takes over a day to render although it looks fine when done it needs another session to get it up to 60 fps, it is a mammoth undertaking.

I was going to film at Stockport today but it was so windy it would have been a battle to get anything worthwhile so I was better placed at home and the pain is more discomfort but editing etc is enough to divert my attention. I'll start work on the second underground programme tomorrow. perhaps it will be as wet as they say and another day will click by but then I'm still doing good work which will be ready next week. I'll put some of the colour shots on Youtube as a trailer as and when. So short and sweet and Mandy wants me to rest. I've got the rat traps baited again as we restart feeding the birds. Don't forget those Lucky dip boxes, I've at least another hundred to sell!

No danger of running out any time really soon but the lucky dip boxes are going well, I'd say I could manage another 100 on the Buses etc and possibly the same of lorries. They are on the PMP shop and also EBay although why anyone uses EBay and throws yet more money into an American company rather than support not for profit PMP I don't know! I''ve updated the Ebay shop but this may well be the last time, we'll see what happens through Christmas.

I've been pain free from the hernia operation, just discomfort, thanks to everyone who has phoned up, as many will already know I was doing that well they let me out but we didn't get back until after midnight. I'm scanning cine, well through Dave Forrests material which looks superb scanned ad Phil Tatts material on his 1971 Portugal / Spanish trip, I think this is either the 3rd or 4th take we've got on the same trip.

If the weather is suitable I'll film Stockport buses tomorrow as a first attempt to normality, not too far from home if I get tied and pain.

Good news, I was able to be discharges late yesterday evening, after problems getting in touch with home on the phone it was heading on for 1al before we got back after diversions at Ellesmere Port and M6 Knutsford. I was pretty comfortable considering the the prof assured me everything was straight forward and I haven't needed to take any painkillers. We are just packing the DVD orders and then off to do shopping but not to carry anything that heave, ie lots of small bags!

I'm going to continue working on the London Underground on films Part 1 later today, fingers crossed that the recovery continues to be so simple.

I spent much of the morning in the garden clearing up the debris from my attack by hedge trimmer and chain saw, it certainly got a lot of spent foliage on the ground. The lawns were also mowed, they were more like fields but I was conscious that mowing might not be the best post op thing to do. This afternoon apart from catching up on some tv with Mandy and painting over the repaired crack on the front door was I finishing off the DMS film and scanning more cine. The new scanner is behaving itself thus far, fingers crossed.

I'll try and get the cover for the DMS film completed then I can put it up on the shop. I also edited the trip to Lymm for trucks this week, a long runner at 90 minutes. The next film I'm editing will be London Underground on film which compliments the coverage on several volumes of the LT buses through from the 19th century to more modern times.

I'm concentrating on eating roughage at present, all in my pre op instructions, beans and a quiche tonight. I can have toast in the morning then its just water, I don't go in until 3.30pm so I should get some more work done then. I hope that the underground film will be the first to be treated in its entirety with AI. I'm loading all the files which have tube shots or LT steam etc, it will cover a long period of time, not something I've ever taken a shot off, Metro filming usually means lots of hassle.

With the Stagecoach , National Express talks ongoing and no more news coming out attention turns to Guildford where Falcon look like the main contenders to pick up the routes Arriva are abandoning, at least it will be more colourful.

My grudge purchase of the new West Midlands Fleetline which is the Silver Jubillee from TTC by Rapido, neither of which are my favourite suppliers but its not worth cutting your nose off for is it. I fancy the Midland Fox version next.

Cine scanning is now doing well the DMS DVD will be ready by tomorrow. Then I start the London Underground on film plus the Lymm trucks I filmed this week.

It is like being in a third world war zone in our part of Cheshire, you really can't take your electricity supply for granted, power cuts are on the increase yet again especially with heavy rain and wind, its all the toffs don't want those nasty working people messing up their nice trees which tumble into the Scottish Power cables. Really it is beyond reason how these huge land owners are allowed to hang on to what was the common land of our forbearers. There was never any democratic decision to allow this to happen, it was the life and blood of our ancestors  which was taken by the French descendents of the terrorists who invaded and grabbed our land just as had happened by the Italians and Scandinavians before. The peace loving people in Britain who tended there land and animals were pillaged and raped by these people who to this day whinge and whine about how hard done by they are. We should look for reparations from them now, if we can apologise for the slave trade of Africans we can seek remedy for our own people who were taken thus. The laws now enacted give scant room for demonstration, the Tories as ever seek to stride through the doors opened by the great traitor to the working class  and warmonger Blair. He finished us off and lead the way to the horrendous Cameron and so on, I don't think the worst of our enemies ever did the harm that he inflicted. Harold would have been spinning in his grave.

While I'm settling scores I was very close to closing the Ebay account today after it suddenly jammed up after uploading a few items to our shop. We then went off to have my pre op Covid test. It is a good two hour round trip, only there a couple of minutes and back home, traffic on M6 and 56 horrific. I finished off the ebay uploads this evening, this will continue through to the new year when I will probably ditch Ebay as I did with Amazon. I can't express my contempt and hatred for organisations from the USA and the same applies to a few based in Europe. We could cover the cost of Corona if we got the tax due by those who trade here but don't pay here. If anyone insists on using Ebay rather than the PMP shop its their business but they will never be a friend of PMP. Its a bit like those who only watch on Youtube and never by a DVD or download, they think they are doing us a favour, perhaps sort of, but in very limited circumstances.

Mandy will probably post DVD orders that fit through the post box on Monday on the way to the hospital, Tuesday post operation my isolation no longer remains a requirement but as of now it isolated I must remain until then.

The AI treatment of the DMS film continues after losing a night through the power cut, hopefully by Saturday morning it will be done. Experiments with the same treatment of cine scanned images show a dramatic quality increase but it takes forever to render. Perhaps I'll give it a bash on the London Tube programme coming shortly.