March 24th, 2016

A day of getting caught up to some extent and getting ourselves ready for Easter. Lots of orders to go this morning which i got ready and we dropped off at the post office on the way out. Lawrence has got a traditional phone bus at the PO now, we still have the original village box a few yards away by The Crown but I assume this will be replaced when the PO one is up and running, freshly painted and with gold crown it looks lovely positioned by the shop.  We called at Winning kitchens and had a catch up and went through some final details, thought is Mandy will get it all done while I'm away in China in May. We then carried on to Waitrose by which time it was mid afternoon.

I've finished the round of 16mm cine film copying as I've run out of tapes, thats 20 hours worth copied in the past week. I've ordered more and will resume in a couple of weeks time. I've tidied then all up, got rid of any packaging and stacked then u8nder the office bench. The 9.5mm films are now all together, I might try and give the projector a few runs, it needs some more bedding in and oiling per Phil at the home cinema shop in Cleethorpes.  All the random standard and super 8 film that's left is safely stored together awaiting another round of copying but purchases of the smaller formats are now strictly only for areas of interest I have in particular. I need to get the royal family films on the computer to get the programme ready for St Oswalds on the queen's 90th birthday which in turn reminds me I phone my auntie Thelma in Eastbourne today she is well in her 90s and has just agreed to have carers in a couple of times a week as she still has the family home to look after which she has no intention of leaving.

I've also been trying to get my model buses etc into cabinets and this never ending task requires some complicated shuffling to try and fit stuff in plus maintain a semblance of order about it. I've hidden away some of the areas which aren't core to my collections and want to give prominence to some of the overseas groups I've gathered together. The recent Chinese trolleybus models look superb now out of their boxes, the artic trolley even has movement around the articulation section. A couple of magazines which need skimming through and all the usual orders to process although Saturday morning is the only post now until Tuesday. Fingers crossed for the weather Saturday which is forcast wet but we shall get something done in Coventry if it is at all possible. We go down to Kent ( if the weather is suitable) on Thursday and film the trucks at Dover then Friday its Canterbury and Chatham - next Saturday the Detling Rally then back home afterwards. Thus starts the busy bit of the bus rally season.