warm dry weather like our visit to Katowice seems to be but a memory now, a happier note though, a pleasant visit although some grumpy tram drivers and rude local enthusiats who stood in front of us when we were taking picture. A good hotel the Diamant near the station although what stupid idiots would name two hotels the same, we never did find the one we were booked at. merely hanged to the one we found first. Food was good and breakfast plus draught Guinness. The Bytom shuttle is the citys only tourist attraction. We had a miserable pizza Polish style in a supposedly Italian restaurant should have stuck to the splendid little hotel. Very nice chap driving the Bytom shuttle, well used to photographers I'd say. Did I remember to mention the border crossing into Poland from Ukraine, done by foot, we nearly got crushed to death as a load of beer bellied louts stampeded the border point, noit for the feint hearted although quicker than several days waiting to cross in a lorry, there's Polish efficiency for you.
Well today we made the mistake of going to the Black Country Living Rip off museum where you need a mortgage to get in, the advertised ( well almost advertised, more like word of mouth) trolleybus weekend to commemorate 21 years of trolley operation , there turned out to be just three vehicles in action during the 5 miserable wet hours we spent there. Very few people attended although amongst those there were people from as far as Germany, pity they couldn't have put on a better show, I wouldn't go again, this was the all time low for the event enlivened only by a few road rollers which gave some added interest and movement. Trolleys from Newcastle, London and Belfast were all splendidly interesting but after 5 hours even that gets a bit much.
Once we were booked to do a film show for them on the Saturday evening, John brought the projector and films from Sussex, we came down from Cheshire, they just ignored us, so then what should you expect, yet another little clan who do worthwhile work but lads if you want paying public to cough up hard earned shekels you need to put on a better act.
Tomorrow's horror story is likely to be Totally Wet Transport at Blackpool where dire warnings of gales and severe weather are in force, perhaps we'd better stay in bed.
Thought for the day, with all our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq how come we can't find one tiny little bullet for that prat Mugabe in Rhodesia? Come to think of it why don't we take back what was ours and gain a bit of respect again instead of being apologists for the yanks. JUst an old liberal at heart of course, perhaps it will be sunny next week in Nice and I'll be nicer to go with it.
some still from Stuart Cook's superb Sheffield cine film which forms the basis for our latest two archive releases, the second of which is being put onto DVD as we speak, as ever I still produce video for the diminishing band who adhere to the old ways. There are some amazing scenes of the bus hires in the second volume, both very well worth obtaining and on sale from now. Next week after our Nice trip I'll get all the Polish, Ukraine and Kaliningrad stuff edited plus the Black Country and trucks at Immingham , and I suppose with luck Nice. Thus this is my last blog until Tuesday on our return, its throwing it down outside, coled and dark, a typical English summer you couldv say suppose.
