MANDY's BIRTHDAY

One of several vases of flowers to celebrate Mandy's birthday today, I'm sure you'll all want to join me by raising a glass around the world, its been a difficult year and we have started our search for a bungalow in earnest.
I celebrated my birthday two weeks ago, Mandy treated me to a whole bundle of models whilst at Boyle St over the weekend, thanks to Graham and Sue in Halifax as usual

CHRISTMAS TRIP BOOKED

Bole St Sunday
and Warrington yesterday

Well we've now confirmed our Christmas trip to Bangladesh , India and Burma. This will probably be one of the first enthusiast trips to see BRTC buses in Dhaka. Calcutta for trams and then around Burma for old trucks and buses and a trip into the country with a couple of nights in a guest house! A misty day but still mild, getting ready for the weekend at Cobham and clearing large batch of orders.

Recommended agents for Indian Travel

Exotic First

Indus ( not Trans Indus)

IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE ?

Well another nice sunny day so I popped into Warrington which like so many towns is one big building site while the shops are turned into an American style mall, silly people, they'd go to America if that's what they wanted, this is Britain, although sometimes it seems like a bit of Poland, so I've been editing Krakow in celebration of our new occupiers. By the way with the slavery anniversary can we have reparations against the French, Italians, Danes , Germans, Norwegians etc. A lot of new buses and new branding at Warrington. The gardens looking good, put some chicken poo on tonight which will reek when it rains, also keeping lilly beetle at bay and slug pellets down.

TRIPS GALORE

Well I've just put the finishing touches to our June trip to France, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium, also coming up soon Scotland, Northern Ireland, Dublin. N East England, Bedfordshire/Herts.
We will be at Cobham next Sunday ( Chobham) with a whole new selection of rare UK rail books covering South East England, many mint out of print editions. Possibility of rally stand at St Helens museum, but it seems a bit on the expensive side for a new venue.

A BETTER DAY AT BOYLE ST, FIRST OF SPRING

For the first time the Sunday at Boyle St was a much busier day for us than Saturday and balanced trade quite well with lots of friends in attendance. There was a fair gathering of buses outside. For some the excitement was too much, David Packer enjoys a well earned rest, he was mugged the previous evening but escaped unscathed thank goodness.
Rossendale commemorative livery
Wannock tea gardens, used to walk there as a child

Some of the delights of Boyle St

BOYLE ST MANCHESTER BUS MUSEUM

The shuttle service into Manchester
A general view of the sales area at Boyle St museum this morning

A rather quiet day at Boyle St compared with our last few events here, some people went for a ride on a Liegh bus others found it all too much and had a snooze. See if you can recognise this well known transport journalist and photographer from his tonsils, bless, he obviously had a hectic day!

HOT BUT NOT SO HOT CURRY

Rick Stein's lamb curry, hmmmm, yummy, this was our dinner tonight. Another Mandy culinary triumph. Ebay now back working so I need to sort out which programmes need listing. Too much wine so thank goodness for spell check. I set up at Manchester Boyle St this afternoon, just finishing the Liverpool DVD between glasses of plonk.

FIRST LAWN MOW OF SPRING

Well went out and mowed the lawn tonight, had a busy day , shot over to Hull in the afternoon, horrid traffic and dull, damp day. I've edited the Liverpool film from yesterday and this with all other recent releases will be at Boyle St museum, Manchester this coming weekend. The car is packed with all the usual goodies ready for the sale, I set up after work on Friday afternoon.

Another unauthorised instance of our film on You Tube, this time Derby Trolleybuses, at least they asked, even if after the event, its totally illegal and brasses me off.

The pi

cture is the cover of one of the Victoria coach station DVDs which ebay won't let me list, so frustrated I'm not even going to think about it until next week now!

CHESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL ROAD PLONKERS

Yes another outfit caught my wroth today although the ebay / paypal rumpus still goes on with me being unable to list anything. Going to work via diversion due to road works blocking whole Plumley Moor Rd for a week you have to queue for ages to turn on to main road into Knutsford, here they have carefully located a short strech of hole in the road works with temp lights, this morning the hit the jackpot, the lights wouldn't change, we all sat for 30 minutes before someone up the front got up courage to go through against the red.

This is just one small event in the life of Cheshire councils, this week in the local rag we read that they are refusing to take a wheelie bin as it was issued by another council, they've emptied it for the last year though, now they want an identical one issued with a different badge on it!!

Wods fail though on Liverpool, Paradise st bus station stands hardly used cut off from the city , the building site has all but destroyed business in the city, what will be left for European year of culture, if you speak to the locals, they hate it all. Anyway got an hours filming done without incident in nice sunny weather. Anyway Mandy did some nice baking , had homemade soup, homemade bread and later home made scones. Missed Emmerdale and Corrie due to row with ebay, hate them even more now.

Finished DVD 320 Glasgow bus scenes from 1986 by Richard Lomas through to 1989 / 90 by Dave Cole.

BIN LINER WAS ONCE AN EBAY CUSTOMER ?

The garden this morning at 7.30 when the wind was howling and its about 2 degrees, poor old plants. The lark with ebay continued all morning, turns out thousands are affected by the mess they've got themselves in. I've de-listed most non DVD related items such as books, these I'll sell at rally venues instead, why give a bunch of morons my hard earnt cash at ebay or paypal.
Tonight I'm editing a really old Glasgow bus video onto dvd, covers 1986-90 by Dave Cole and Richard Lomas, looks really good.

EBAY PROBLEMS GETTING WORSE

Well the problems with e bay continue apace, all sorts of weird and wonderful events taking place and not one reply from any of my queries. When you look on the net its full of complaints about their poor service, the only thing they are good at is taking your hard earnt money! Why the hell did I go and use them for my PMP Shop. Anyone any suggestions as to what I do next?

STILL HATE EBAY BUT WHAT THE HELL

The greenhouse a few minutes ago when I went out to water, temp about 7 outside but with wind chill feels about -7. As you can see its a bit of an overloaded arc at present, goodness knows how many thousand seedlings I've got at present.
A few shots at Norwich on Saturday


I'll have another go at loading on ebay after the frustrations of the weekend.

EBAY WORST COMPANY IN WORLD ?

birthday dinner!
Ipswish yesterday

a frustrating morning trying to list new DVDs on the ebay shop, it blocked my attempts, something to do with ebay / paypal links, strange after nearly a year and already did two listings earlier, anyone ever tried getting any sense out of them. You get a call centre in Bombay and a load of rubbish. In protest I am de listings all non dvd items, I can sell more cheaply and pleasurably at rallies this coming season.

Anyway been out and chopped down overgown flax plant and washed the cars, weather diabolical, wet, cold, wind, hail, get the picture.

Photo of my birthday meal, courtesy Mandy, traditional British dish of course.

Talking of matters British how about conbsidering a boycott of the USA, unless of course you are already one of the many who object to British people being treated like criminals at American airports. Wild horse wouldn't get me to even transit the wretched place.

BUSY DAY TO EAST ANGLIA

these are the pics I promised from my call at Leeds last week, yesterday we went all the way to Ipswich and Norwich, I'll try and post photos later. Its ok getting to Ipswich but Norwich is harder than a trip to Mars and back, stopped for something to eat in Rutland, nice village but strange pub, none of the puds actually matched the description on the menu, not bad though. Must lose weight after all my birthday excesses! Loads of new First buses in Norwich and met other enthusiasts in Ipswich , for a change I think Ipswich was better.

FISH AND CHIP BIRTHDAY SUPPER

yesterday in Manchester, the distinctive shape of the Enviro deckers, I may be tempted to share a photo of my birthday supper by tomorrow although I'm a bit full at present. Tomorrow we hope to get to Norwich and Ipswich, snow forcast by early next week, bang go the flowers, still the seedlings are cosy in the heated greenhhouse, must show you all a photo. Sean has made me a wonderful tan leather belt, one of Ireland's greatest craftsmen don't you know.

DAVE'S BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!

Today I managed to get into Manchester twice, once to catch up with the Enviros, around 100 in service with Stagecoach and then in the evening for the Halle with Tamsin Little doing Mendolssohn's Violin Concerto in E Minor and the rousing Saint Saens Organ Sympany. A change from DVDs for an evening. Tomorrow its my birthday, decided against going out, Mandy's cokking is the best anyway. I'll post Leeds and Manchester pictures from tomorrow. Looks as if weathers on the slide back to winter, wouldn't you know with the magnolias in full bloom. Its been a busy week, next weekend its Boyle St , Manchester bus museum, Spring sale, hope to see some of you there, mean time plenty of covers for DVDs to finish, Mcr and Yorks DVDs to edit etc

pe to see some of you there

LEEDS PLUS MORE VICTORIA

Today I had to go over to Hull on business and stopped off in Leeds on my return where I got film of one Wright Streetcar in service and one on training, also got the Arriva wartime livery saloon amongst others, photos later this week.

Adding info on family history, watering the greenhouse, editing films, frosty mornings, magnolias blossoming and first tulips are out. Halle tomorrow night for a change.